All it takes is the mere mention of Scientology, and stand back to watch the vitriol gush. But I’m not really sure what all the hate is about. It’s easy enough to glean that people hate it, but I can’t pin down exactly what why.
Could someone kindly sum up what is so horrific about this “religion”? I tried checking out their web site, but there was a lot of double talk, and I didn’t want to spend hours slogging through it to get to the essence. The people that follow it seem so happy and successful, but I’ve seen people on this board referring to the utter ruination of people’s lives. Can I get a little help understanding this?
I think it has to do with Travolta being a part of it that makes me sick!!
You’re in the wrong forum, but http://www.xenu.net/ is a good place to start finding out why Scientology is held in such disdain.
I’ve seen this question come up around here a lot. Maybe these links will help you out.
In Cecil’s words.
A prior thread.
A skeptic on a mission.
Scientology leads to vitriol because it is a dangerous, manipulative cult whose sole purpose is to con victims out of their life savings. It is extremely litigious, hiring armies of attorneys to sue (usually on very poor grounds) anyone who dares publically criticize the cult. It has been known to verbally harass and threaten former members and detractors, in some cases for years. Scientologists have been convicted of fraud, embezzlement, blackmail, and their actions have directly contributed to at least one death.
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It was founded as a money-making scam by a science-fiction writer.
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They have very wacky beliefs.
See minty’s link for details. Be sure to check out the Xenu pamphlet at http://www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/
Most religions will attempt to convert you for free. Scientology deliberately withholds parts of itself until you have paid enough money. That alone is warning enough of its priorities. It is more concerned about your wallet than your “soul”.
And I don’t know about you guys, but I live about 10 miles from the official hub of Scientology- Clearwater, Florida. I don’t know if this made national news, but people around here hate Scientology not only for the “we’ll-brainwash-you-and-take-your-money” part of it, but also because a few years back a woman with a serious health condition died while in the Scientologists’ care, and no one has been able to bring charges against the church, even though there are some very suspicious circumstances, probably because the church is really rich since all its members give it their life savings. So we don’t like them. Unfortunately the city of Clearwater is starting to recognize them as a “real” religion, which is the worst thing you could ever do, IMO. So when we’re bored my friends and I will drive through downtown Clearwater making fun of them. They’re really easy to spot because they all wear the same uniforms. And carry clipboards, for some reason.
Indeed, the “religeon” was not founded by a Messiah, Prophet, or Philosopher, but a writer of bad science fiction.
It is more of a philosophy than a religeon…instead of being concerned with salvation or enlightenment, they teach self-actualization and self-optimization.
It is appealing to and promoted by flaky Hollywood celebrities.
(Kirsty Alley, John Travolta, Tom Cruise).
they don’t behave like a religion, it costs money to belong (much money), the beliefs are wacky (based on sci-fi stuff about alien empires and nuclear bombs) and it is very very big into sueing people for various reasons. if you quit the religion its possible you’ll be sued for a large sum of money for various reasons, or that some of the secrets you told in confession will suddenly leak out and ruin you.
Alien spirits came here in a spacecraft and…geez!
Since this is GQ, could you please provide an example of a religion whose holy book is not “bad science fiction”? 
(Actually, Hubbard in his pre-dianetics days was considered a writer of very good science fiction.)
I realize you said “most”. Actually, Judaism is a religion that denounces attempts to convert. If converts truly want to become Jewish, they will seek it out. This is a way of keeping the religion “pure”.
However, I’m very well aware that converting to Judaism can be EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. Starting at $175/month Canadian and upwards of $500/month including books. Towards the end, you can up that to $1000/month to include the extra expense of living within 1000 steps of shul, which some rabbis demand. You can also count in $350 for the bet din to witness your $150 mikvah. Completely out of this world, as far as fees are concerned.
I’m also aware that other converts went through Orthodox (and other) conversions for free. I guess it depends on the area.
I believe in Judaism whole-heartedly, though I despise the money for the “title” attitude. So I can’t agree that this is the basis for a religion to be disrespected or denounced. However, I must admit, it doesn’t make them look so good.
I know this tain’t Great Debates, and I’m no Scientologist, but the pile-on is a bit out-of-hand. Hubbardists deserve someone defending them, and I guess by the look of things that someone is going to be me.
There isn’t anything particularly awful about Scientology other than a) it’s a new religion, b) it’s rather protective of its image, c) it’s declared war on psychotherapy (but the jury’s still out on whether that’s a good thing or not), and d) it’s after people’s money.
But, hell, to me those are not reasons to get up-in-arms over. Such criticisms have and are leveled against other more established religions by people and there isn’t a crusade to rid the world of those belief systems. Last time I checked, in the United States at least, freedom of religion, association, and commerce were protected things. Singling out Scientology to criticize is, IMHO, just people being afraid of novelty. It’s a story as old as time. It happened to Christians, it happened to Muslims, it happened to Jehovah’s Witnesses, it happened to Mormons, it happened to any and all new religious groups that have come down the pipe. Are people mad that they have a lot of money and famous celebrities who are connected with them? Well, that’s just jealousy as far as I’m concerned. You can’t begrudge someone the right in a capitalist society to collect capital through legal means. The people of Clearwater may not like the fact that there is this new religion in town, but Scientology’s problems are of the same type as other religions. All religions that I know of have skeletons in their closets that include but are not limitted to death, sexual misdeeds, etc. Just because there may be unscrupulous people in a given church or even running a given church doesn’t make them necessarily make the religion itself horrendous. In short, as there other religions equally reprehensible in similar ways, singling out Scientology is just plain arbitrary religious discrimination. I wonder if the people of Clearwater are as upset as the other churches in town that have skeletons in their closets, but no matter. As I see it, the Scientologists should be protected just as any other religion.
Ironically, for a long time there was quite a bit of wrangling within the Scientology Church over whether they wanted to be considered a religion in point-of-fact. The consensus is now that it is better for business if they are legally recognized as a religion. I say, way to go. If it looks like a religion, smells like a religion, acts like a religion, it is a religion. Welcome to the club.
Quite frankly, I find it willfully ignorant that people dismiss new religious movements out-of-hand as being “cults”. There are problems in all religions, maybe you can make a case for some religions being more dysfunctional than others, but there is nothing that a priori makes Scientology or any new religion more problematic than any old religion. Get over it, already.
I personally like Scientologists. I find them interesting in the sense that they’re really excited to talk about their religion. They are certainly one of the most tenacious groups I’ve studied over the years. For that, at least, they deserve our respect.
Any Christian priest or minister will tell you anything that you want to know about their sect for free.
Scientology keeps its beliefs secret until after you pay a lot of money. What other religion works that way?
Like I said before, I don’t know if this made national news, but as I live in the area, I heard quite a lot about it. A woman named Linda (?) MacPherson became seriously ill and turned to fellow Scientolgists for help. She ended up dying while in their care. I can’t remember the actual cause of death, but I’m pretty sure malnutrition was involved somehow. There’s a lot of he-said, she-said with this case, but her family and prosecutors believe that she was denied medical help (even though she wanted it) and held against her will. As I said before, there’s not enough evidence to bring charges against the COS, but it seems to me like the city of Clearwater is afraid to take a stand against them. Yeah, their beliefs are a little wacky, but so, IMO, are the Mormons, but as I’ve never heard of the Mormons doing anything like this, I’m not really worried about them. I’ve also heard stories about members wishing to leave the church and being blackmailed, threatened, etc. It’s apparently really hard to leave the church. It all sounds a little sinister to me.
But they aren’t, in-point-of-fact, secret, are they? You can go do the research on them yourself at such places at xenu.net
So, that’s basically a strawman argument, first of all.
But even if the church had secret documents that were sealed from the public, scientology is hardly the harbinger of such behavior. Mystery cults have been around as long as recorded history. Free Masons are also secretive about their practices, and as was pointed out by CheekyMonkey, there are things that are unaccessible in certain Jewish traditions without the paymet of cash.
You have to pay to access some libraries. Is that wrong?
I’ll further submit that many Christian churches “extort” (to use a loaded term) money out of their congregations using promises of “spiritual benefits”. While not about mystery beliefs, tithing and “love gifts” are sometimes explicitly said to allow for God to bless you. What makes that so different from being allowed to read sacred literature? We’re just used to people offering vague spiritual benefits that aren’t of the variety of revealed mysteries, but both practices are equally legit (or illegit, if you like) from the standpoint of religions getting money out of people.
Just because something is novel or different doesn’t make it wrong. The practice of having mysteries revealed as one contributes to the church monetarily and by other means I see as being no more unethical than someone gaining spiritual blessings after paying money to a religious ministry.
" A M E N "
“Beware of the Cog”
These are all criticisms that have been leveled against other religions from time to time. While the Mormons aren’t known for their rejection of medical treatment, other religious groups are.
Do some research on Christian Science. Do you think they should be looked at as sinister?
Just recently, a child died under suspicious circumstances while attending a service directed by a Protestant minister trying to cure the boy of his behavior problems. I don’t think that necessarily makes the religion of that church sinister.
There are legal issues involved when people die suspiciously, but to whisper about “conspiracy” is just irresponsible unless you have proof.
Sure, there are practices of the church that you find sinister. Fine. That doesn’t mean that they are exclusive to this religion. The whole point of religious freedom is that the state cannot single out any given religion to be legislated against. If the state can find compelling evidence that something illegal happened then they can bring prosecution against the perpetrators, but it’s not the religion’s fault when people commit crimes. There is nothing endemic to scientology more than any other religion that compells people to commit crimes. If you feel differently, point it out directly, but so far all I’ve seen are people mixing up concepts and indicators.
- I don’t care who founds a religion or what his or her “hidden motivations” are. There are more than likely many pastors in Christian Churches, for example, that found their churches as “money-making scams”. One could argue that all churches are set-up that way. Just because L. Ron Hubbard was a science ficiton writer doesn’t mean that there is a problem with scientology. Founders of religions come from all walks of life and all sorts of different professions.
A religion is a religion. If they are doing illegal things then prosecute them, but last I checked, there really isn’t anything ontologically, socially, or legally problematic about starting a new religion.
- Is just plain unsupportable from the standpoint that every religion known to man has its beliefs that to the unbeliever are wacky. This is an argument that can be levelled against ALL religions and not scientology in particular.