# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/81 "2007-05-26T00:05:55Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] **VCO3** People are blowing things way out of proportion. Yes Scientology is a cult, no they don’t dominate your whole life, if you fall off the radar they won’t send out hit squads to find you. William S Burroughs used to go to meetings to check them out on a lark. If you want Nerf Scientology go check out the Landmark Forum. It’s a splinter group that still wants you to pay but is a bit less cultish. [/QUOTE] Huh? You just said drugs aren’t necessary. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/82 "2007-05-26T01:04:47Z")
[QUOTE=MSWAS] …William S Burroughs used to go to meetings to check them out on a lark… [/QUOTE] 'ere now, whats the junkie carrying capacity of a European lark? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/83 "2007-05-26T01:08:35Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] 'ere now, whats the junkie carrying capacity of a European lark? [/QUOTE] African or … Crap. **elucidator** , you ruined the straight line! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/84 "2007-05-26T01:43:31Z")
Well, you’re a moderator, fix it! ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/85 "2007-05-26T02:09:34Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] **VCO3** People are blowing things way out of proportion. Yes Scientology is a cult, \ [/QUOTE] See, now, YMMV, but this is the point at which I would draw the line. It’s a cult, but it’s an _ok_ cult? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/86 "2007-05-26T03:05:07Z")
I’d recommend hooking up with the Lyndon Larouche people instead. At least their nutty ideas are kinda-nifty-cool, like building a worldwide mag-lev railroad linking North America to Asia through a tunnel under the Bering Strait. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/87 "2007-05-26T03:33:36Z")
Of all the debates I’ve seen here, I gotta say, this one I really didn’t expect. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/88 "2007-05-26T03:48:40Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] Ever. [/QUOTE] At least, one started by a member. Where did we fail? My inner liberal says we just didn’t talk about it enough but, considering the topic and its frequency in this forum, that’s obviously not true. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/89 "2007-05-26T03:56:22Z")
Bush’s fault. Clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/90 "2007-05-26T04:49:21Z")
VC03 Look up the phrase “fair game.” I got a brief view into the policy very quickly. I participated in a chat one day with a clam in it and the moment I mentioned any sort of skepticism, I was accused of being a child molesting faggot. They questioned how many laws I had broken, what was I trying to hide, etc. The fact I’m a woman dramatically lowers my chances of all of those things, but it was instantaneous, hostile, offensive and way, way, way out of proportion. Their headquarters is near me in Clearwater, it is the creepiest downtown you will ever see. I considered picketing them but my husband was terrified of their scare tactics, following you, handing out flyers in your neighborhood that you are a child molester or whatever, contacting your coworkers and family members, it is very, very scary. One thing to take into consideration is that the lower level clams don’t get the real crazy stuff that you have read here about the aliens until they are fully integrated into the cult and spent tens of thousands of dollars and by the time the cult has every bit of dirt on you they possibly can. So the likelihood of you backing out at that point are pretty slim. We can only speculate on the thick files they have on the likes of Travolta and Cruise, but if there is one thing more terrifying than a syphillitic leper prostitute, it’s batshit crazy scienos who have on file every confession to every sin you might possibly have ever thought of committing. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/91 "2007-05-26T07:01:33Z")
[QUOTE=Auntbeast] I was accused of being a child molesting faggot. [/QUOTE] Ann Coulter’s a Scientologist?!? I dabbled with Scientology in my naive college days. Paid for a few auditing sessions, took a couple classes, that was it. Decided to get out entirely when I learned what a backstabbing, money-grubbing cult it was. For years afterwards, I would get bills in the mail for classes & services I never took, sometimes in the thousands of dollars. They never harassed me or anything beyond that, but the bills never stopped until my family moved across town. Also, I’ve heard that if you give up ANY incriminating or embarassing details during auditing (taking drugs, dressing up in children’s underwear, etc.) they WILL blackmail you. (Or they’ll just make shit up, if you piss them off enough.) Bottom line…stay away, far away. ---
**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 26, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/92 "2007-05-26T12:57:11Z")
The whole “Fair Game” thing is the worst. If you make any mild statement against Scientology (I think it is a dangerous cult), they will accuse you of being everything evil they can thing up (You know, he’s being investigated as a drug dealing pedophile). Fred Phelps does the same thing (calling people “whores” because they divorced and remarried). The minute someone gets into name-calling, you know they are stupid, childish and often evil. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/93 "2007-05-26T13:28:10Z")
Having known a few members of the organization, and without getting too derogatory, I think the best summary of the advice herein would be that if the OP is just “thinking of trying out” the stuff, he should do a lot more independent research and confirm that he has a genuine, strong interest before identifying himself to any scientologists – from what I have seen, they are not, as several here have aptly pointed out, likely to let you dabble, or browse, or have one foot in and one foot out, or let you leave without a fight. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/94 "2007-05-27T01:45:53Z")
[QUOTE=KGS] I dabbled with Scientology in my naive college days. Paid for a few auditing sessions, took a couple classes, that was it. Decided to get out entirely when I learned what a backstabbing, money-grubbing cult it was. For years afterwards, I would get bills in the mail for classes & services I never took, sometimes in the thousands of dollars. They never harassed me or anything beyond that, but the bills never stopped until my family moved across town. [/QUOTE] That’s something I wonder about. How is it that Cruise and Travolta and other high-earning clams have any money left? Does the org agree to cap the amount they demand from celebrities? Perhaps because: Auditing sessions for a regular person – $10,000/Having a famous mouthpiece – Priceless? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/95 "2007-05-27T15:11:21Z")
_Scientology_ appears to bear a close relationship to a black hole. Once in you can’t get out. I read _Dianetics_ when it first appeared in _Astounding Science Fiction_ in the late 1940’s\*. It’s just as nutty now as it was then. - I see it was in 1950. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/96 "2007-05-27T15:21:36Z")
Quitting the SDMB for Scientology is one of those win-win situations. Doing so increases the average IQ of both organisations. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/97 "2007-05-28T04:58:01Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] That’s something I wonder about. How is it that Cruise and Travolta and other high-earning clams have any money left? Does the org agree to cap the amount they demand from celebrities? Perhaps because: Auditing sessions for a regular person – $10,000/Having a famous mouthpiece – Priceless? [/QUOTE] I’m sure they get plenty of money from the likes of Cruise and Travolta, but money isn’t what they’re after when it comes to celebrities. They’re after 1) the sheen of respectability (there really are people who say “Tom Cruise is a $cientologist, how bad could it be?”), and 2) fans of the celebrity (“Tom Cruise is a $cientologist, it must be pretty cool”). VCO3, google “Lisa McPherson” and read closely. ---
**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 28, 2007, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/98 "2007-05-28T12:31:45Z")
Google “Terri Schiavo and Scientology.” There is some scary stuff on the InterWeb. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2007, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/99 "2007-05-28T12:39:13Z")
**Equipoise** : That’s about what I thought. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392/100 "2007-05-28T15:27:14Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] Quitting the SDMB for Scientology is one of those win-win situations. Doing so increases the average IQ of both organisations. [/QUOTE] This is not the **Pit** and you are not taking a “friendly” shot at poster with whom you get along. Do not do this again. [/Moderating] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-about-trying-out-scientology-whats-your-experience-with-the-org/405392.md?page=6)