Church of Scientology?

[Plotinus]

They arent hurting anybody...they mind their own bussienss, so leave them be

They are not minding their own business, and they are hurting people. They are hurting people like me. They spread prejudice and misinformation, and what's more they do it in the name of "science".

 

[cgannon64]

Its clearly a cult for money.

I know you can call Christianity that, but in this case, there is pretty clear evidence the guy who made it wanted to make money.

Btw, I didn't know the difference between Scientology and Chrstian Scientists until a year ago.

 

[Zeekater]

These guys are nutso...but there are other nutsos around too. They arent hurting anybody...they mind their own bussienss, so leave them be

I've seen families being torn apart due to this sort of brainwashing...

 

[Cullyn]

saw an interview with some scientology nut, he was trying to claim that they were the richest religion in the world....

Guess he'd never been to Rome or Mecca..........

is all a bunch of old crocodiles if you ask me...

 

[Evertonian]

Well I read a bit on the 2 links, but there's so much information and only a limited time
However this technique of Dianetics they use sounds like it appropriates some of the techniques of hypnosis. If this is correct and if it is used to influence people to stay within Scientology, it means that people are not acting freely when they are part of this church, and when they stay part of this church. Therefore it seems to me the 'they're not hurting anyone, let them get on with it' is potentially not applicable here.

When I voted initially I voted the 'they're crazy people'option, but after having read some the 'they're evil' option sounds like it might be better.

 

[downtown]

oh...I suppose I didnt read the articles as closely as I should have...I missed the section on Dianetics.
A church that forces people to join, (which would be in the case that Evertonian suggested), would fall more into the evil catagory.
I had been previously under a different impression of the Scientolgists. I knew they were wacko, but I thought they pretty much kept to themselves, and that membership was totaly volentary, unlike other fringe religious groups ,which are more violent.
If this isnt the case, then "evil" might be a better label. I cant say for sure...I've never met a scientologist before.

 

[Hitro]

Well, they are officially considered a threat to society over here and (I think still) under some sort of surveillance by the intelligence services...

The established religious groups (basically Catholics and Protestants) are fighting them with all means, claiming they are going to do all kinds of evil things to the state.
The very state those two groups get their taxes collected from...

 

[Inter4]

What do they belive in???

 

[Iggy]

CoS are just another "collection plate" religion.

Some people get fulfilment belonging to a welcoming club / society which makes them feel better about themselves and gives them hope and ultimately security in faith.

Some people recognise the potential control / power or financial rewards that can be gained by being at the helm of a religion. Hubbard saw the opportunity, did the market research, created the best product he felt he could and sold it to those who could be made to feel in need of it. Its not an original idea, but nevertheless an effective money making scheme.

 

[Halcyon]

What do they belive in???

The core belief is in buying Elron's Dianetics books and merchandising as the key to transcendance. It is and has always been essentially a scam posing as a religion, a rather effective way of both evading tax and forcing legitimacy by being able to invoke rights to free belief. Scientology's only defence is that anyone prepared to shell out all their money to a cult following the self-interested word of a dead sci-fi author pretty much have it coming. Not the best defence, as you can see.

Here's an article on Scientology for those allergic to the Operation Clambake guys. These guys dont' like them much either, but who does?

 

[Erik Mesoy]

None of the poll options say what I wanna say: these people are nuts, and something should be done about it.

THe one called "Nuke 'em. They're evil."

Funny, if somepne came up saying those things about christianity, it would rain brinstone here.
I do think they are loonies, but not loonier than the average religionist. They just have a less popular brand, and while they deserve criticism, they also deserve to recieve that with minimal respect, just like any other religion does.

Wrong. Let me rain some brimstone of my own
www.rotten.com/library/religion/scientology

You wouldn't say that about the Jews
By far their favorite tactic is to tar critics with the "religious bigot" brush. That is, anybody with the audacity to call Scientology a "cult" or mock its preposterous ideology is automatically accused of denying the church its First Amendment rights.
In doing so, Scientologists appear to operate under an expectation that all religions are to be afforded an equal degree of respect by the general public. This is made evident in their favorite debate tactic: label your opponent the equivalent of a Jew-hater. That is, challenge their opponent to justify his position if it were about Judaism instead of Scientology. This Jedi mind trick is remarkably effective -- partly because a sane person avoids even the specter of anti-semitism, but also because most people have only a vague notion of the parameters of religious freedom.

Their implicit argument is that treating Scientology any different from more established faiths (eg. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam) in and of itself somehow constitutes unfair discrimination. This is total bull****. Just because the government has to observe strict impartiality toward a citizen's cherished mythology doesn't mean the rest of the general public does too. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about it being illegal to ridicule or deride someone's lameass religious beliefs.

Members of the Church of Scientology apparently fail to grasp that those other religious groups have developed their reputations as more-or-less benign organizations over centuries of good works. On the other hand, Scientology has instead demonstrated itself to be a paranoid institution obsessed with quashing dissent and establishing world hegemony.

They're not loonier than the average religionist. They're not religionists. What sort of religion takes out copyrights and patents on its holy writings and name?
You never see the following:
"The terms 'Christianity' and 'Christian' are trademarks and service marks owned by Jesus Christ blah blah blah"
But you do see this:
"The terms "Scientology" and "Dianetics" are trademarks and service marks owned by Religious Technology Center (RTC), Los Angeles, California, USA."
And what sort of a religion has a science-fictive background?
http://www.scientology-kills.org/alien_tales.htm

(Yes, I've got something personal against them. So what? It's my right to provide biased information )

They're deadly. They're evil. They'll use lawsuits as a harassment, not in order to win, but in order to discourage from ever criticising them because of the cost of a lawsuit.

 

[Archer 007]

I think is a scam.

 

[Hitro]

You never see the following:
"The terms 'Christianity' and 'Christian' are trademarks and service marks owned by Jesus Christ blah blah blah"
But you do see this:
"The terms "Scientology" and "Dianetics" are trademarks and service marks owned by Religious Technology Center (RTC), Los Angeles, California, USA."
And what sort of a religion has a science-fictive background?

So they are less of a religion than Christianity because they are less Christian than Christianity?

 

[Amenhotep7]

Scientology - Founded by a sci-fi writer wanting to make more money

Christianity - Founded by Peter and Paul, two Christians not making a dime.

 

[FearlessLeader2]

Funny, if somepne came up saying those things about christianity, it would rain brinstone here.

I do think they are loonies, but not loonier than the average religionist. They just have a less popular brand, and while they deserve criticism, they also deserve to recieve that with minimal respect, just like any other religion does.

Regards .

Read up on what their victims have gone through. Scientology has a body count, and not for the sake of anything but making sure their member/victims don't get medical help from anyone but them.

 

[classical_hero]

Christianity - Founded by Peter and Paul, two Christians not making a dime.

Actually Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ. Peter and Paul were two of the many people that spread the Gospel. The Bible does say that they did make some money, but it doesn't mean their purpose was profit, but for the Prophet if you know what I mean. They had to be paid somehow or how else would they eat or pay taxes. Is that what you meant by the last bit of your statement? True Christianity is not about people's money, but about people's souls.

As for Scientology. They are a bunch nuts who are brawnwashed as others have said.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

The "Church" of Scientology is complete and utter horse****, devoted to nothing other than making money and slandering it's opponents. They are vicious fascists. Reading up on them from Operation Clambake, they sound suspiciously like the world in "1984,' but considering that Hubbard was a scifi writer, this doesn't surprise me. I mean they are constantly policing themselves for even the slightest sign of dissent, and they harrass and excommunicate anyone who does anything even remotely wrong. They are greedy lying murderers, who wish nothing more than your money. You might say that about other religions, but at least other religions are based on a believable pretense, instead of aliens coming out of the sky in the 60s and zapping some scifi writer.

They are killers, and deserve to be fought with every last ounce of strength we all have. They have been responsible for numerous deaths, and I seriously wonder why the organization has not been banned. They are not a religion. They are more like the mafia.

Sadly, this church (and I use the word church loosely) has not been banned in Canada, as I can recall seeing one downtown on at least one distinct occasion. I feel compelled to go back there and urinate on their property.

 

[Iggy]

You might say that about other religions, but at least other religions are based on a believable pretense, instead of aliens coming out of the sky in the 60s and zapping some scifi writer.

That depends on what one regards as a believable pretence. For some, myself included aliens with zappers sounds as credible as the creation story.

Sadly, this church (and I use the word church loosely) has not been banned in Canada, as I can recall seeing one downtown on at least one distinct occasion. I feel compelled to go back there and urinate on their property.

Banning religions that one disagrees with, um.... an interesting idea although not original.

 

[FearlessLeader2]

I would be against banning a religion based solely on whether it was popular. Scientology is a dangerous cult that actively seeks to defraud its victims and deprive them of any medical care that might jeopardize the cult's hold on them. People have died as a result of this practice. Using the pretense of a religion to defraud people, and using force of up to lethal intensity to keep people in the cult is just plain wrong.

Christianity is a religion, Zen Bhuddism is a religion, Shiite Islam is a religion. Scientology is a monster created by a huckster for the sole purpose of enriching himself, which has outlived him, and is now striding onward under its own self-interest, grinding victims under its hobnail treads as it lurches on.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

That depends on what one regards as a believable pretence. For some, myself included aliens with zappers sounds as credible as the creation story.


Banning religions that one disagrees with, um.... an interesting idea although not original.

The Church of Scientology is a criminal organization, not a religion.