Talk:Xenu/FAQ

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This FAQ is a work in progress. It is modeled on the similar FAQ for Talk:Evolution found at Talk:Evolution/FAQ.

This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions relevant to Wikipedia's Xenu article. This page was created in response to certain topics being brought up again and again on Talk:Xenu, wasting many editors' time and energy by forcing them to respond repeatedly to the same issues.

The main points of this FAQ can be summarized as follows:

  • This article is not a joke. Please don't ask again.
  • A "spoiler warning" is not needed on this article, as it is not an article about a work of fiction. We do not put spoiler warnings on other articles about inner teachings of various religions.
  • The Xenu story is part of Scientology's "secret" teachings, but is widely documented in public sources. If it ever was a trade secret, it is not a secret any more.
  • The engineering details of Xenu's space planes are a matter of speculation, and as such are not appropriate for an encyclopedia article.
  • Scientology does not disclose the number of current members who are OT III (and thus have been officially taught the Xenu material).

Contents

[edit] Not a joke

A number of contributors have asked if the Xenu article is a joke, or if it is a continuation of the satirical material they may have seen on South Park or other sources.

It is not.

This article is an attempt to document the authoring, content, and dissemination of particular religious beliefs. Although it does include some discussion of satires of those beliefs, the article is not a satire or a joke.

Threads discussing this article and satire:

[edit] Spoiler warning

Many contributors have asked whether the Xenu article should contain a "spoiler warning" or disclaimer, ostensibly because it gives away the secret of an advanced level of Scientology.

Spoiler warnings on Wikipedia are found in articles about fictional works, especially books and movies with "twist endings". The intent of such warnings is to caution readers that the encyclopedia article may give away elements of the plot, and thus spoil their enjoyment if they haven't yet read the book or seen the movie. The use of spoiler warnings is disputed. Offline encyclopedias do not use them; rather, they derive from polite practice on Usenet and other online social forums.

Outside of the narrow case of spoiler warnings, it is otherwise against Wikipedia's style guide to put disclaimers in articles.

Because spoiler warnings are used only on articles about fictional works, placing one on Xenu would be a statement that the OT III material is a work of fiction. This is not an appropriate claim for Wikipedia to make about a religious belief.

Threads discussing spoiler warnings:

[edit] Secret teachings, trade secrets, and reliable sources

Some editors have asked how Wikipedia can have an article on a subject that is a secret. The Church of Scientology does not disclose information about Xenu to the public; indeed, most Scientologists have not reached the auditing level containing the Xenu material. At times, the Church has claimed the Xenu material to be a "trade secret", and has sued people who have disseminated it (see Fishman Affidavit).

However, since the widespread publication of information about Xenu, it is no longer a secret. The Xenu material has been widely discussed in both specialist media (such as books about Scientology, and online forums) and general-audience media (such as newspapers, magazines, and television shows). Even under trade-secret law, once a secret has been published, it is no longer protected.

It is true that there are not (yet) any publicly-available primary sources discussing Xenu -- that is, original Scientology documents. However, there are today many reliable secondary sources, including sworn court affidavits, redactions of primary sources, and scholarly summaries; and these are more than adequate to provide references for a Wikipedia article.

Threads discussing secrecy and reliable sources:

[edit] Space planes and other details

to be completed

[edit] How many OT IIIs?

to be completed