Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 So far as I know, you don't have to pay any money to discover the true meaning of most religions. Most offer classes for free. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I always find it amusing that religious types are quick to call something out of the mainstream a cult and bizarre. Yea, and believing that you're eating a 2,000 year old dead guys flesh and drinking his blood isnt bizarre either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I always find it amusing that religious types are quick to call something out of the mainstream a cult and bizarre. Yea, and believing that you're eating a 2,000 year old dead guys flesh and drinking his blood isnt bizarre either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZenLunatic Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Scientology comes off weird but what bad has it done? It seems to be in line with any other religion promoting goodness and well being. That video is pretty bad though, probably can only be understood by a long time scientologist. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I always find it amusing that religious types are quick to call something out of the mainstream a cult and bizarre. Yea, and believing that you're eating a 2,000 year old dead guys flesh and drinking his blood isnt bizarre either.just so you know, they (we) don't really believe that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Kinsley Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I've just never understood how that many people can get brainwashed like that. Believe me, people and religous groups have tried to brainwash me before, and good old common sense always kicks in just in time.. I guess a lot of people just don't have common sense anymore?Part of the problem is that $cientology actually has some good components to it: take multi-vitamins and drink a lot of water because it's good for you; detoxify your body of toxins (a little weird, but I see the benefits); they run the Narcanon, Alanon and Criminon programs to help people with drug and alcohol problems, as well as help criminals turn their lives around. One could very well argue that going from those situations into $ci is a frying pan to fire scenario, but they are trying to help. People are also seduced by the whole 'tapping the power of your mind' aspect. It's always comforting to feel that the power to change yourself is buried deep inside you and these nice people will help you acheive your full potential. (Remember the movie 'Phenomenon?' 100% $cientology propaganda.) What could possibly be wrong with all of this? Well, when you do get to the top of the ladder you will then be told that the origin of all this is that 75 billion years ago (the earth is only about 2 or 3 billion years old, but whatever) the evil alien Xenu came to earth and enslaved all the inhabitants of the planet. He then tied them up around a volcano (now we know why there's a volcano on the Dianetics cover) and blew it up with a hydrogen bomb. The souls, called Thetans, of these victims have clung here to earth all this time and are the source of all our problems. You'd have to take quite a while of being softened up by the auditing and classes and such to buy this story, which coincidentally was "stumbled upon" by someone who wrote really bad sci-fi stories for a living before starting his own religion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Well, when you do get to the top of the ladder you will then be told that the origin of all this is that 75 billion years ago (the earth is only about 2 or 3 billion years old, but whatever) the evil alien Xenu came to earth and enslaved all the inhabitants of the planet. He then tied them up around a volcano (now we know why there's a volcano on the Dianetics cover) and blew it up with a hydrogen bomb. The souls, called Thetans, of these victims have clung here to earth all this time and are the source of all our problems. And how is any of this different from any other religion? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Worse than the creation story (what difference does that make, anyway?) is the whole intimidation and stalking of their critics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZenLunatic Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 What could possibly be wrong with all of this? Well, when you do get to the top of the ladder you will then be told that the origin of all this is that 75 billion years ago (the earth is only about 2 or 3 billion years old, but whatever) the evil alien Xenu came to earth and enslaved all the inhabitants of the planet. He then tied them up around a volcano (now we know why there's a volcano on the Dianetics cover) and blew it up with a hydrogen bomb. The souls, called Thetans, of these victims have clung here to earth all this time and are the source of all our problems. You'd have to take quite a while of being softened up by the auditing and classes and such to buy this story, which coincidentally was "stumbled upon" by someone who wrote really bad sci-fi stories for a living before starting his own religion. This is just probably someone making something up to deter people from the religion. Completely BS. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 This is just probably someone making something up to deter people from the religion. Completely BS.huh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Worse than the creation story (what difference does that make, anyway?) is the whole intimidation and stalking of their critics.Well, not to take the side of the Scientologists on this one, but I think the Inquisition was probably fairly intimidating. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 This is just probably someone making something up to deter people from the religion. Completely BS.Do you have any idea what you're talking about or are you just guessing? Well, not to take the side of the Scientologists on this one, but I think the Inquisition was probably fairly intimidating.I think it would be fair to question to the sanity of catholicism during the inquisition, but that's over so far as I know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I think it would be fair to question to the sanity of catholicism during the inquisition, but that's over so far as I know.I'm just saying. Who's to say 400 years from now, Scientologists won't have calmed down a bit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Kinsley Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Scientology comes off weird but what bad has it done? It seems to be in line with any other religion promoting goodness and well being. That video is pretty bad though, probably can only be understood by a long time scientologist.In researching $ci since my wife's cousin joined (yeah, I know, I sound like Cruise - "do the research") I've found that not only have people died in their facility in Clearwater, FL due to lack of medical attention (they try to treat nearly everything with vitamins), but the contract you sign when you go there for classes and training pretty much absolves them of any responsibility. If you are there and decide you don't want to do it anymore, or voice concerns about the goings on around you, they can essentially hold you in solitary confinement until you see the error of your ways. Public humiliation is also a tactic to get people to be essentially shamed into sticking around. Why try so hard to keep people around? Because each member is worth about $200,000 in fees to the church. Is good done in the name of scamming their money actually good? Sure, churches and televangelists accept donations, but that isn't (in all but the most extreme cases) extortion or fraud. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZenLunatic Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Do you have any idea what you're talking about or are you just guessing? That story is so stupid, it cant be true. I may believe some misguided person may have said something like that but in no way is that what is being taught in the religion. Every religion has its way out there fanatics, you shouldnt confuse that as the religion. The teachings comes from a sci-fi writer so a fanactic probably got all messed up and said something like this is what I figure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 I'm just saying. Who's to say 400 years from now, Scientologists won't have calmed down a bit? It's definitely possible, but the inquisition wasn't during the early stages of Christianity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ZenLunatic Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 In researching $ci since my wife's cousin joined (yeah, I know, I sound like Cruise - "do the research") I've found that not only have people died in their facility in Clearwater, FL due to lack of medical attention (they try to treat nearly everything with vitamins), but the contract you sign when you go there for classes and training pretty much absolves them of any responsibility. If you are there and decide you don't want to do it anymore, or voice concerns about the goings on around you, they can essentially hold you in solitary confinement until you see the error of your ways. Public humiliation is also a tactic to get people to be essentially shamed into sticking around. Why try so hard to keep people around? Because each member is worth about $200,000 in fees to the church. Is good done in the name of scamming their money actually good? Sure, churches and televangelists accept donations, but that isn't (in all but the most extreme cases) extortion or fraud. Sounds like a cult. I think the principles are good, but people turned it into a cult. I just wonder if there are any uncultlike followings in scientology. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Kinsley Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 This is just probably someone making something up to deter people from the religion. Completely BS.This is the other way that people get into it. They hear about all the crazy shit that $ci believes in, but figure that couldn't possibly be true. It's also probably why so many end up leaving. They get to the higher levels and find out all that crazy shit was actually part of the religion after all. Here's a link to Operation Clambake, a site devoted to debunking Scientology. Take it with whatever sized grain of salt you wish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 That story is so stupid, it cant be true. I may believe some misguided person may have said something like that but in no way is that what is being taught in the religion. Every religion has its way out there fanatics, you shouldnt confuse that as the religion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 agreed. NOTHING better than listening to Christians or people who have Christians in their family bag on Scientology. HAHAHHAAHAHAHA Go take another communion and eat the flesh of the savior and drinkith his blood. then fucketh off. Wow... I was gonna ask some metaphoric and literal questions, then I saw who the poster was...nuff sed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Zen, you might want to read the Time Magazine expose from 1991:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...,972865,00.html That story is so stupid, it cant be true. I may believe some misguided person may have said something like that but in no way is that what is being taught in the religion. Every religion has its way out there fanatics, you shouldnt confuse that as the religion.Why wouldn't you believe this? the whole "religion" was started by a science fiction writer in order to avoid paying taxes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Zen, you might want to read the Time Magazine expose from 1991:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...,972865,00.htmlSweet! I lost my photocopy of that article a few years back ... hadn't bothered to track it down online. Thanks for the link! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 It wasn't until I read that article that I started to get completely freaked out by their actions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elixir Sue Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 One of my favorite parts is, "We are the authority on improving conditions." Awesome. Katie Holmes was on TV the other day. She's easily as stupid as he is. Easily.I have to say, though, Suri is pretty damn cute...so kudos to Tom and Katie! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamin' Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Logorrhoea or logorrhea (Greek λογορροια, logorrhoia, "word-flux") is defined as an "excessive flow of words" and, when used medically, refers to incoherent talkativeness that occurs in certain kinds of mental illness, such as mania.I guess the vitamins aren't very effective after all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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