You probably lurked before you registered…or at least you should have…what do youthink?
Of course they are not forbidden, but like all they and their beliefs are open to criticism.
Didn’t lurk, really, just bounced in, and I don’t mind criticism. The automatic ‘yuck’ reaction simply threw me. Even the scienos don’t react quite that badly to me…well, until they see my website.
I appreciate the visits from you folks. Drop in on alt.religion.scientology sometime.
Yes, minty! Ha Ha!
A very entertaining thread. But why Scientology, and not Catholicism, or Christian Science, or Protestantism, or ALL the others? They’re ALL freaky…oops, excuse me…not much more fact-based and rational than Scientology. It would seem to me that what’s good about any religion, or code of action, is how well it prevents people from hurting others.
How about a list of born-agains, or fundies, or Catholics, or Christian Scientists–yeah, who among the celebs is a Christian Scientist ? They’re sorta freaky, too, aren’t they? Let’s pick on them. I love gossip!
It’s not really that the CoS has a goofy tenet of belief. It’s not for that reason that the anti-scieno sites exist. It’s that they’re sole purpose for existence is to scam money out of people, at the expense of their wallets, their health, their sanity or their life. They don’t care, as long as they can get more money from you.
The cult is dangerous, more dangerous than most people realize. I mean, for simply disagreeing with them, they tried to get kattardis fired. That is SOP for them. Their tactics would probably make Machiavelli cringe.
A Celebrity Scientology site, as opposed to a Celebrity Catholic site is more interesting, because established religions aren’t dangerous. Baptists won’t threaten to sue you if you quit going. Catholics won’t make death threats if you post a website complaining about Mass. Buddhists won’t allude that you’re a pedophile if you stage a protest march. Those are all things the CoS has done.
For better or worse, people tend to give celebrities the greater weight of their opinions. When they follow a stupid, dangerous cult, I’d like to know.
Oh, and welcome to the board, kattardis.
Celebrities have fans. Like it or not, fans look to celebrities for all kinds of lifestyle choices, from hairstyles and fashion, to religion. I may think that only a dipshit would join a “religion” like $cientology because my favorite actor is one, but it happens ALL THE TIME and those poor souls have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. How can something that John Travolta thinks is cool be bad, huh? Unlike other things that celebrities tout, $cientology is DANGEROUS. It’s expensive, it ruins your mind, it causes much harm to the people and places it infests. It’s killed people (never forget Lisa McPherson). The fact that such an insidious and disgusting organization is fronted by smiling, friendly, charismatic and popular actors (and musicians) is horrifying to me. They’re the FACE of $cientology and they make it seem nice and harmless. That’s why I like to keep up with who is and who isn’t a $cieno.
Eats_Crayons, I wouldn’t be surprised if all those stories were true. Hubbard told his people to make things outrageous, because the wackier things sounded, the less people would believe them. No cite for that, because I don’t have time now. I’ll work on it.
Here’s a site everyone should visit though:
Thank you for the welcome.
Thank you more for taking time to see that Scn isn’t what the mush-brained & deluded Hollywood shills say it is. When you think of Scientology, instead of seeing the face of John Travolta or Tom Cruise, you should see in your mind the dead, wasted hand of Lisa McPherson hanging off the autopsy table–so skinny after 17 days of neglect by her ‘church’ that she lost 30 lbs, or imagine L. Ron Hubbard screaming in rage because his 22 year old son had killed himself, and made L. Ron look bad—instead of weeping because he’d lost a child.
THOSE are the true faces of Scientology. Then see the list of the dead, on my site, http://www.scientology-kills.org and http://www.whyaretheydead.net.
Sorry for the commercial.
Religion is by definition a leap of faith. How can it be either fact based OR rational? You operate within the scope of your faith, and you serve it as best as you can if it is YOUR faith. You operate outside the scope of formal faith-based religion if it doesn’t serve you, or you are searching yet for a faith or religion that will ‘click’ for you.
minty green, this last remark was a bit starchy, no? I fall down and break my arm, that is fact-based. I fall down and do NOT break my arm. Was it divine intervention, or simply the way I landed? My inner machine will decide. Verifiable fact has nothing to do with respecting anyone’s religion.
That’s called good manners, IMHO. 
I spent an afternoon with Mr. Travolta a few years ago. He was entirely pleasant, upbeat, helpful and voluble. What the heck do I CARE what his religious inclinations are??
Cartooniverse
That’s kinda my point, 'toon.
I think its sad when celebrities are known to be in the CoS purely because it gives it credibility. For instance, John Travolta: apparently a lovely man and not visibly a mad, drooling lunatic, so people may think that as its doing him no harm, what’s the problem?
And comparing it to other religions: isn’t that like comparing apples and oranges anyway, as Scientology is not a religion? And at least the basic message of most religions is to lead a better life and to be nice to people. (a gross over-simplification I know)
Anyway. I got onto a website linked from Clambake on celeb Scientologists, and who turns out to be on the list? Neil Gaiman. Him and Terry Pratchett (incidently my favourite author) wrote one of my two favouritist books in the world: Good Omens. The book I read whenever I’m depressed or don’t feel myself. The book I basically know off by heart, the book I think everyone in the world should read: it was co-wrote by a sodding Scientologist? AAAARRRGGGHHH: I feel sick. :smack:
p.s. My other favourite is Watership Down. I find out Richard Adams is one of 'em- I resign from this life. 
The whole argument about the validity of Scientology versus other “religions” is moot anyway. As I understand it, Scientology is only referred to as a “religion” North America, and that is because it gives the “church” tax-exempt status. Everywhere else in the world, Scientology is a “science”, and is represented as such by its practitioners.
If they could do it, the people who run NASCAR racing would make NASCAR a religion to take advantage of North America’s collective weird-ass tax laws. (No insult to NASCAR intended)
Lastly, as much as Scientology make for crappy religion, it makes worse science.
-Coffeeguy
Neil Gaiman’s father is a Scientologist and he himself was once involved with them, but not anymore. He’s essentially an atheist with an extremely avid interest in religions and mythology of all cultures.
[quote]
That’s called good manners, IMHO. I spent an afternoon with Mr. Travolta a few years ago. He was entirely pleasant, upbeat, helpful and voluble. What the heck do I CARE what his religious inclinations are??[/quote[
While I don’t doubt that the man is a pleasant person to be around if you say he is, the reason his religious inclinations are dangerous is because his so-called religion is dangerous. They seek out people who are lonely and looking for something in life, and they exploit them. The celebs aren’t treated that way, and while I personally find it difficult to believe, they may not realize how the rest of their members are treated.
If Travolta hyped a weight loss medicine that not only didn’t work, but also had the potential to cause the loss of your health, sanity and even life, would you still think as highly of him? Because that’s what he does by hyping his religion.
I don’t care if he uses touch assists to cure his ailments, or an e-meter to clear his mind. What I care about is the “church’s” use of threats, intimidation and lawsuits to shut people up, and the way they hide their true purpose behind the veil of “religion”.
minty?? My apologies, I posted before reading the first post of yours on THIS page. Bad form, had I seen you stating that you were gonna skate by this one from there on out, I’d have never written that. I’m sorry about that.
deadly accurate, this is seriously in danger of turning into a BBQ Pit thread on religion and violence. I don’t do the Pit any longer, and so I also bow out of this one, respectfully.
Cartooniverse
No sweat, 'toon. I knew we were missing each other somehow, and glad to get it straightened out.