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In Scientology doctrine, Xenu (pronounced "ZEE-noo") or Xemu is the name of an evil Galactic ruler, the antagonist in certain events stated to have taken place 75,000,000 years ago. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, also wrote a film script about him.
A critic of Scientology dressed as Xenu. Critics often depict Xenu as a grey alien, although the Church never has.
The story involving Xenu is part of the upper-level Scientology course known as OT III ("Operating Thetan Level Three"), also referred to as "The Wall of Fire." The OT levels comprise the "secret" teachings of Scientology, which are only revealed to Scientologists certified to have completed all previous levels. (See also Scientology beliefs and practices.)
As Scientology doctrine, the Xenu story was alluded to in Ron's Journal 67 (a tape Hubbard recorded on 20 September, 1967 to be sent to all members of the Church) and is expanded upon in the confidential Class VIII "Assists" lecture ( 3 October, 1968).
Hubbard also wrote a film script, Revolt in the Stars, which is an extended version of the story of OT III, and states Xenu's full name as Xenu Etrawl. It has not been officially published, although the treatment was put around Hollywood in the early 1980s, copies have leaked and a summary outline has been published by critics.
Roland Rashleigh-Berry, an ex- Scientologist, wrote a "Xenu leaflet" that summarizes the story of OT III. The leaflet includes part of the first page of OT III in Hubbard's handwriting, mentioning Xenu.
There is some debate among Scientology critics whether Xenu's name should be spelled Xenu or Xemu. The OT III documents are handwritten by Hubbard, but his indistinct handwriting makes either interpretation possible, and in a taped lecture on the subject Hubbard speaks of "Xenu, could be Xemu" [1]. However, Revolt In The Stars uses Xenu exclusively.
In spite of efforts by the Church of ScientologyThe Church of Scientology was founded by author L. Ron Hubbard as an organization dedicated to the practice of Scientology, an "applied religious philosophy" formulated by Hubbard. It was first incorporated in the United States as a nonprofit organization to keep the story of Xenu a secret, details of the Xenu writings have been revealed to the general public over the years. OT III first emerged in a court case brought against the Church by Lawrence A. Wollersheim and was synopsised in the Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times (also L. Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. With a circulation of 965,633 readers per day as of 2002, it is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper, November 5November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. Events 1500-1899 1556 Fifty miles north of Delhi, a Mogul Army defeats Hindu forces of General Hemu to ensure Akbar the throne of India. 1605, 19851985 is a common year starting on Tuesday. Events January events January 1 Creation of the Internet's Domain Name System. January 17 British Telecom annouces they are going to abolish the famous red telephone boxes. January 23 A debate in the House of Lor. They were later brought as exhibits attached to a declaration by Steven Fishman on 9 April, 19931993 is a common year starting on Friday and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003 Events January January 1 Czechoslovakia divides. Establishment of independent Slovakia and Czech Republic. as part of Church of Scientology International v. Fishman and Geertz . The text of this declaration was released onto the Internet and is known as the Fishman AffidavitThe Fishman Affidavit is a set of court documents submitted by ex-Scientologist Steven Fishman in 1994 containing criticisms of the Church of Scientology. Steven Fishman was brought before a United States court due to several crimes he had committed..
The OT III materials contain the claim that going through ("running") the Wall of Fire without proper preparation and supervision is likely to cause death by pneumonia.
Critics of Scientology claim that the Xenu story is ultimate proof that Scientology is a scam and a confidence trick. They note that after spending thousands of dollars and investing years of their lives to reach the level of OT III, Scientologists learn that the true origins of human existence are based on a story that appears, to novices, to be badly written science fiction.
In its public statements, the Church of Scientology has been notably reluctant to admit the existence of the Xenu writings. In the relatively few instances in which it has acknowledged them, the Church has stated that the origin story of Xenu is a religious writing that can be seen as the equivalent of the Old Testament, in which miraculous events are described that are unlikely to have occurred in real life, and that it assumes true meaning only after years of study. They complain of critics using it to paint the religion as a science fiction fantasy. [2]
Hubbard is reported to have ordered that Scientology books be reissued with covers based on images from OT III. The volcanoes in the Xenu story are conjectured to explain the volcano on the cover of current editions of Dianetics.