Religions consist of philosophy and practice. They are two distinct, separate things. LRH explains this in detail in the lecture Scientology, Its General Background, Part II, 19 July 1954 (The Phoenix lectures). He also explains how a “Saint” can come along and create a whole new practice based on an existing philosophy and, voila, you’ve got a whole new church:
Now, religious practice could take the identical source and by interpretation put it into effect and so create various churches, all dependent upon the identical source, such as Saint Luke. If we think of the number of Christian churches there are and we look at this one book, Saint Luke, and realize that just this one book, Saint Luke, was productive of Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Catholics – and here we go!
We have this tremendous number of practices basing upon one wisdom. So let’s get a very clear differentiation here when we talk about religious philosophy and religious practice. And someone who comes to you and says, “So-and-so and so-and-so and so-and-so is actually the way you are supposed to worship God,” you can very cleanly and very clearly and very suddenly bring him to a halt by merely mentioning to him that he is talking about religious practice and you are talking about religious philosophy. Even a Catholic priest hauls up, so that you smell his brakes on that one.
You would think that all the DM-bots being forced to study the “basics”, including the Congresses and other 1950s lectures might one day come to the realization that Miscavige’s training PRACTICES and his solo auditing PRACTICES and his ETHICS/JUSTICE PRACTICES and his Fundraising PRACTICES bear no resemblance to, and in fact are quite contrary to, the religious PHILOSOPHY of Scientology. Wouldn’t you? In my view, that they do not is testament to the BLACK DIANETICS, REVERSE SCIENTOLOGY nature of Miscavige’s PRACTICES.
Whatever you do, do not ever invalidate your knowingness and livingness of the PHILOSOPHY of Scientology. It is the wisdom of the subject. Without the PHILOSOPHY there is no purpose for PRACTICE. Practice that is not conducted in a manner so as to attain the philosophy is bad practice. PRACTICE should always lead toward realization of PHILOSOPHY or wisdom.
Don’t ever let a DM bot make you feel guilty. Do not ever be embarrassed or tongue tied around a DM-bot. All he or she will ever make you wrong about are DM’s PRACTICES. Arguing about his PRACTICES is fruitless. It is an argument they are not allowed to think with. So, why bother with it? Instead, talk to him or her about the PHILOSOPHY of Scientology. It is something not only not achievable in the C of M, but something DM’s practices drive people further and further away from. If you talk to them about the PHILOSOPHY of Scientology you are liable to stop them in their tracks so fast you’ll be smelling their brakes.
Moving On Up a Little Higher 