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Xenu

This article is about the Scientology subject. For other uses, see Xenu (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Xena, Xeno, or Xemnu.

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Xenu (/ˈziːnuː/ ZEE-noo),[1][2][3] also called Xemu, is a figure in the Church of Scientology's secret "Advanced Technology",[4] a sacred and esoteric teaching.[5] According to the "Technology", Xenu was the extraterrestrial ruler of a "Galactic Confederacy" who brought billions[6][7] of his people to Earth (then known as "Teegeeack") in DC-8-like spacecraft 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the thetans (immortal spirits) of these aliens adhere to humans, causing spiritual harm.[1][8]

These events are known within Scientology as "Incident II",[4] and the traumatic memories associated with them as "The Wall of Fire" or "R6 implant". The narrative of Xenu is part of Scientologist teachings about extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions in earthly events, collectively described as "space opera" by L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard detailed the story in Operating Thetan level III (OT III) in 1967, warning that the "R6 implant" (past trauma)[9] was "calculated to kill (by pneumonia, etc.) anyone who attempts to solve it".[9][10][11]

The Church of Scientology normally only reveals the Xenu story to members who have completed a lengthy sequence of courses costing large amounts of money.[12] The church avoids mention of Xenu in public statements and has gone to considerable effort to maintain the story's confidentiality, including legal action on the grounds of copyright and trade secrecy.[13] Officials of the Church of Scientology widely deny or try to hide the Xenu story.[14][15] Despite this, much material on Xenu has leaked to the public via court documents and copies of Hubbard's notes that have been distributed through the Internet.[14]

In commentary on the impact of the Xenu text, academic scholars have discussed and analyzed Hubbard's writings, their place within Scientology, and relationship to science fiction,[16] UFO religions,[17] Gnosticism,[18][19] and creation myths.[5]

  1. ^ a b Lewis, James R. (2004). The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press. pp. 360, 427, 458. ISBN 0-19-514986-6.
  2. ^ Sappell, Joel; Robert W. Welkos (June 24, 1990). "Defining the Theology: The religion abounds in galactic tales". Los Angeles Times. p. 11A. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  3. ^ Hargrove, Mary (March 10, 1992). "Church battles critics – Mental treatment clashes with regulators, psychiatrists". Tulsa World. World Publishing Co. p. 1A.
  4. ^ a b Savino & Jones 2007, p. 55
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference rothstein was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ As 109, or thousands of millions in Long Scale
  7. ^ Partridge 2003, pp. 263–264
  8. ^ Scott, Michael Dennis (2004). Internet And Technology Law Desk Reference. Aspen Publishers. p. 109. ISBN 0-7355-4743-2.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference lamont49 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Corydon & Hubbard 1987, p. 364
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference koff1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Sappell, Joel; Robert W. Welkos (June 24, 1990). "The Scientology Story". Los Angeles Times: A36:1. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  13. ^ Frankel, Alison (March 1996). "Making Law, Making Enemies". American Lawyer: 68.
  14. ^ a b Urban, Hugh B. (June 2006). "Fair Game: Secrecy, Security, and the Church of Scientology in Cold War America". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 74 (2). Oxford University Press: 356–389. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfj084. ISSN 1477-4585. S2CID 143313978.
  15. ^ Jordison, Sam (2005). The Joy of Sects. Robson. p. 193. ISBN 1-86105-905-1.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference partridge187 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference OxfordHandbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Herrick2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Miller1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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