 Scientology , founded in the early 1950s in the United States by L. Ron Hubbard and today claiming to be represented in 150 countries , has been a very controversial new religious movement . Its stated <unk> aim is to " clear the planet " , to bring about an enlightened age in which every individual has overcome their psychological limitations . Scientology teaches that the source of people 's <unk> lies in " <unk> " , psychological <unk> acquired in the course of painful experiences , which can be cleared through a type of <unk> called " <unk> " made available by the Church of Scientology . 
