# I'm thinking about trying out Scientology. What's your experience with the org? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 24, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392 "2007-05-24T19:43:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/1 "2007-05-24T19:43:43Z")
I have a friend who’s a hardcore scientologist. I mean, he lived at one of their centers for years and years, worked for them, has gone through a lot of the levels and stuff. I know that there’s a **ton** of controversy out there about the organization, but it seems like one of those things where the hysteria preceeds the actual information to such a degree that there’s no rational discussion about it. I agree that the whole pricing structure seems completely insane, and their defense of it is equally stupid (they compare it to a university education - “you’d pay for that, wouldn’t you?”) But the amount of people that say Scientology changed their lives is ENORMOUS, and a lot of their literature makes it sounds like an interesting “operating system” for daily life. My Scientologist Friend (sounds like a They Might be Giants song title or something) is one of the most put-together people I know, and he really seems to be living the tenets of the organization and displaying how they’ve made him a better person on a daily basis. He’s one of the most truly self-actualized people I’ve ever encountered. What’s your experience with Scientology? Anyone gone in for some basic auditing? (he’s offered to pay for a few sessions of auditing for me, since I’m a skeptic). ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/2 "2007-05-24T19:58:17Z")
You can’t be serious. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/3 "2007-05-24T20:00:24Z")
Do you have a lot of money? ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/4 "2007-05-24T20:01:12Z")
If you can get work as a waiter in their cafeteria, I’d say go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/5 "2007-05-24T20:01:22Z")
If you haven’t already, get yourself a copy of _Dianetics_ and read it first. It’s not hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/6 "2007-05-24T20:03:55Z")
Read the Operation Clambake [website](http://www.clambake.org/) before doing anything. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/7 "2007-05-24T20:06:22Z")
[QUOTE=Telperien] If you haven’t already, get yourself a copy of _Dianetics_ and read it first. It’s not hard to find. [/QUOTE] I just read it. Some of it’s a little iffy, but I think that there are a lot of valid concepts in it. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/8 "2007-05-24T20:07:18Z")
You might want to read through [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=413434). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/9 "2007-05-24T20:07:35Z")
I think this would be a wonderful opportunity for you to make new friends. Go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/10 "2007-05-24T20:13:25Z")
Scientology is a good religion for people who really want to push their suspension of disbelief to the limit. Tired of not being able to properly enjoy low budget science fiction movies? Sick of being suspicious when your girlfriend spends her third night in a row at the house of the guy she met at the gym and is just good friends with? Give Scientology a try, and soon you’ll passively accept whatever ridiculous story anyone hands you, no questions asked. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/11 "2007-05-24T20:27:55Z")
Go see “Battlefield Earth.” Remember that the steaming pile of crap was made by a Scientologist and is based on a novel written by the founder of Scientology. If you want to be associated with what just may be the worst movie ever made, be my guest. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/12 "2007-05-24T20:33:21Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I think this would be a wonderful opportunity for you to make new friends. Go for it. [/QUOTE] I know you don’t like him, but this is some harsh advice. I would not even send someone I disliked into their clutches. Scientology is a pyramid scheme and a cult started by a clever conman / science fiction writer. **VCO3** , I would stay away from them if I was you. I would stay far away from them. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/13 "2007-05-24T20:33:59Z")
Somewhere out there on Youtube there is the classic and simplifying South Park " Tom Cruise is in the Closet" episode. Breaks it all down nicely for me, with cartoony goodness. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/14 "2007-05-24T20:35:49Z")
[Not empirical evidence…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpou1jlHZvQ) ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/15 "2007-05-24T20:46:15Z")
There’s got to be a whoosh in here somewhere, but for the life of me I can’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Soapbox\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/16 "2007-05-24T21:33:12Z")
To quote L. Ron Hubbard (the creator of Scientology): "If you want to make a little money, write a book. If you want to make a lot of money, create a religion.” He then went on to…create a religion and make money. You have to hand it to the man, he’s clearly brilliant. The people who follow him, however, are anything but. ---
**Author:** ![Potato\_Pancakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Potato\_Pancakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potato_Pancakes)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/17 "2007-05-24T21:33:14Z")
It’s not real. It simply isn’t, and that’s not my opinion. Your friend has been misled. Assuming you’re not just baiting us with this thread, don’t do it. There’s plenty other real things out there worth spending money on. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/18 "2007-05-24T21:42:55Z")
I would say go for it and see what they have to say except they won’t let you leave once you join. They will send people after you for years to keep you from leaving the religion, they will force someone to travel around with you to keep you focused on scientology (anyone else remember that chick that Katie Holmes had to take with her to interviews and such?). If you could show up, try it out, decide whether or not it is right for you and leave if you don’t like it I would say to go and learn about it for yourself but that really isn’t an option. If you do it prepared to be a hardcore scientologist for the rest of your life. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/19 "2007-05-24T22:12:58Z")
Are you joking? Where’s the camera? Are we on Candid Camera? Check your head. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/20 "2007-05-24T22:26:35Z")
All right, I’m freaked out enough just by reading that other thread that I’m going to basically scour the clambake site before I even think about going in for some auditing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392.md?page=2)