Best not to touch those freaks with a 10-foot pole.
My mother’s onetime colleague, out of curiosity, started filling out a Scientology questionnaire online looking for more information, but as she got further into the form, abandoned it because there were too many too-personal questions for comfort. She’d entered her name though. A couple weeks later, they called her at home, asking stuff like why she’d started the questionnaire, why she hadn’t finished it, what her job was (apparently they just about flipped because she had listed her profession as a school counselor), asked her to come in to their local headquarters, stuff like that. They mailed her stuff at home, too. I think they finally left her alone after she refused to talk to them any further but that is CREEPY STALKER SHIT. That’s how far they pursued somebody who didn’t even bother to finish filling out their form online - imagine if you actually gave them your phone number and home address willingly and said you were interested.
There are plenty of actual horror stories online. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, personal bankruptcy, forced separation from your family members who aren’t Scientologists, etc.
If you’re determined to join a cult then there are plenty of others that are based on belief in aliens. Raelism is a big one, and while the Raelians seem like a pretty wacky bunch to me I’d sign up with them before I got involved with Scientology.
You don’t believe in ghosts but you’ll entertain the idea that thetans exist?
Look, all religions are stupid. But most of them have the swagger to at least hide or dress up the stupid parts.
Scientology is as batshit insane as Mormonism, but at least Mormonism doesn’t have a despot transporting people to a far away volcano and nuking it when he could have just dumped them in interstellar space.
Unfortunately, if you don’t know why you’re unhappy, religion isn’t necessarily going to make it better. If you’re looking for something to believe in, you can work on that on your own. If you’re looking for a group to be social with, look for people you like and bag the belief. If you’re looking for something to make you happy, that’s a completely separate topic.
If you’re attracted to Scientology and rejecting plausible religions because you need to drink, I have to ask if what you’re really after is a way to stop thinking so that the pain will stop?
Happiness aside, have you looked into and rejected Universal Unitarianism? Just curious.
Ignore the negative stories. When I went to the church for the first time recently to learn about Scientology, I had a great experience. There was no pressure whatsoever, and they didn’t seem to care about ‘taking my money’. They didn’t suggest I buy anything or subscribe to anything, never asked me for my contact details, they just told me what it was all about, and that the technology is there if I need it and I did.
I would highly recommend you visit a church yourself and see what it’s all about rather than listening to all the rubbish these so called critics say, the have probably never been in a Church of Scientology . If you are interested, just go in and see for yourself. You are not required to follow any particular dogma, rather they told me that whatever you have discovered to be true is true for you, its about evidence.
Tell me, what did you learn about the beginning of Scientology? What did you learn about the thetans, volcanos and the start of humanity? What did they tell you about the abilities you will acquire as a “Clear”?
No. If you’re serious about this rather than using it as a critique on other religions, I’d say you’re extraordinarily foolish with your life and your money. Not necessarily insane, although Scientology is not a smart mental health choice either.
Hubbard claimed knowledge of events that occurred hundreds of trillions of years ago. The universe has existed for about 13.7 billion years, so he was imagining memories of events 10,000 times older than the actual universe according to scientific observation. That’s no more credible burning bushes and walking on water. And of course then you can get into the fact that much of what he wrote is silly on its face and that much of it is incomprehensible because he was drugged to the gills.
Are we supposed to be surprised that they did not roll out all their coercive tricks right away? That would have been pretty stupid on their part.
Of course, the most penetrating criticism of Scientology’s teachings and practices come from people who were members for years or decades. I’ll go out on a limb and say they know more than you do if you’ve been to one audit.
Buddhism is pretty credible, though Westerners have difficulty with the reincarnation shtick.
Assuming you are not an alcoholic, that’s sound reasoning. But Buddhism thrives in societies that enjoy whiskey: take Japan as an example. Islam has stricter prohibitions on alcohol. If, OTOH, somebody needs cannabis or alcohol on a daily basis, then I might recommend AA.
You should think about Unitarianism. I once visited a Unitarian church. No particular beliefs, just a lot of good advice peppered with Carl Sagan quotes. And if you’d rather follow your own advice, your fellow Unitarians will encourage you along your own path. And there’s a lot of flowers and non-specific hymns.
Why not form your own faith? Total freedom: no obligations. No dues, no tithes, no food restrictions, no mandatory rituals, no sacrifices. Tailor it exactly to your needs. If you want to pray, pray. If you want to burn incense, do so. Reach out with your soul and try to make contact with the higher powers.
Why surrender so much control to intermediaries? Who needs priests, ministers, imams, gurus…or inquisitors? You’ve got free will; use it to the utmost. Choose for yourself.
I joined that religion back in 1998 and have been happy with it ever since. I have been cleared of all neurodynes and declared fully aligned. I can give more info upon request.
They may not have gotten into this, with it being your first trip there and all, and they only want to accentuate the positive, but Scientology is VERY anti-drug. Any substance that alters your mental state in any way “creates engrams”(those are bad[“bad evil”]). If you continue you will likely find these ethics fairly restrictive to your lifestyle.
What is it that makes you want to find something to believe in? Are you feeling as though you are missing something in your life and you think belief will fill it in? Are you afraid of death, and want a reassurance that there will be something beyond this mortal coil to look forward to? Are there questions that science has been slow to answer, so you look towards a more metaphysical approach?
If those are your reasons for seeking belief, Scientology is most likely not for you. If you have lots of money you don’t mind spending on some almost decent armchair psychology, they may be able to accommodate that need.
