Academic paper: The Evolving Theology of the Nation of Islam, by Nathan Saunders. The influence of Scientology

[ISNOINews]

Academic paper: The Evolving Theology of the Nation of Islam, by Nathan Saunders. The influence of Scientology.

New Perspectives on the Nation of Islam (2017), at 236, 246.

The Evolving Theology of the Nation of Islam, by Nathan Saunders


https://sohalibrary.com/item/download?id=44898#page=247









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This new openness to different theologies has led to some surprising theological innovations. Farrakhan shocked many observers when he introduced the healing benefits of the Church of Scientology. Farrakhan first publicly encouraged his followers to undergo auditing—a process aimed at uncovering and dealing with painful repressed memories—in 2010. The Nation seems to have enthusiastically embraced the technique, with 500 graduating as “Certified Hubbard Dianetics Auditors” during the 2011 Saviour’s Day ceremonies. Farrakhan did not adopt Scientology wholesale, teaching instead, “We are Muslims, but if Scientology will help us be better, then I want the technology of this to help us be better Muslims.” Nevertheless, certified auditors must study Dianetics as well as number of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s other writings.24

Certain stark theological differences will most likely stand in the way of the Nation adopting other tenets of Scientology. For example, Scientology teaches that the auditing process involves dealing with memories from past lives. For Farrakhan, however, auditing is one tool to help those who need psychological healing or desire to overcome whatever obstacles prevent them from achieving personal fulfillment. He hopes to use Scientology to help people “be better at who [they] say [they] are.” He believed that Scientology “could bring up from the depth of our subconscious mind things we would prefer to lie dormant.” A reporter writing for the Final Call affirmed that auditing has as its goal helping individuals with “stress, depression, and anxiety.”

24.Eliza Gray, “Thetans and Bowties: Scientology Joins Forces with the Nation of Islam,” New Republic, October 25, 2012, 5; Charlene Muhammad, “Nation Adopts New Technology to Serve Black Nation, World,” The Final Call, last modified April 4, 2011, accessed July 8, 2014, https://www.finalcall.com/artman/ publish/National_ News_2/article_7697.shtml
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Interestingly, in footnote 24 the author cites a Final Call story by future 2018 Scientology PAC Base Dianetics Auditor of the Year Nation of Islam Sister Charlene Muhammad.

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[ISNOINews]

I want to point out that one important prediction in the paper, which was published in 2017, proved to be incorrect. The incorrect prediction was that:

"Certain stark theological differences will most likely stand in the way of the Nation adopting other tenets of Scientology. For example, Scientology teaches that the auditing process involves dealing with memories from past lives. For Farrakhan, however, auditing is one tool to help those who need psychological healing or desire to overcome whatever obstacles prevent them from achieving personal fulfillment."

On the contrary, the Nation of Islam has embraced "dealing with memories from past lives."

As I noted in another thread, I have listened to numerous lectures by Nation of Islam Minister Tony Muhammad where he has taught NOI members that when they engage in abusive or wrongful conduct (e.g., striking their wives or children), it is because they have adopted the "wining valence" of their White former slave masters.

More generally, Minister Tony Muhammad teaches NOI members that they suffer, in present time, from the engrams White slaveholders inflicted on their ancestors 150 or more years ago.

Thus, the Nation of Islam has embraced "dealing with memories from past lives" for therapeutic, political, social and group dynamic reasons. Those reasons are:

(1) contrary to the prediction in the paper, the NOI views dealing with memories from past lives as "one tool to help those who need psychological healing";

(2) the of engram theory makes all past wrongs present, actively causing harm and dysfunction in present time. It makes Black people current and ongoing victims of past wrongs in a very real physical and psychological sense; and

(3) the application of valence theory tends to: (a) eliminate or minimize the responsibility of Black people for their own wrongdoing; and (b) place the blame for such wrongdoing on the White people who engaged in wrongdoing generations ago, and whose "winning valences" Black people adopted. The application of valence theory also suggests another form of therapy -- i.e., get rid of those "White people" valences. More generally, if crudely, and especially when coupled with NOI theology (e.g., Yakub), don't be like White people.

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