The teachings of the “church” of $cientology are a load of crap and L. Ron Hubbard was a deranged drug addict of the highest order. If any of you S. Dopers are scientologists, you are a brainwashed idiot and I bash your so-called “religion” to your face. You are totally stupid.
Did you know, that after you’ve paid a few more thousands and thousands of dollars, you get to learn the following:
75 million years ago Xenu™ (the warlord who ruled this sector of the galaxy) took all the thetans™ (little spirits) and put them in a volcano in Hawaii and dropped a hydrogen bomb on them. They were so traumatized by this experience that they continue to infest our bodies, seeking solace. They cause things like headaches and backaches etc. They can be exorcised using theraputic processes prescribed by the “church”; regrettably, these processes are not free.
The above is a distillation of what is called “OT3” (“Operating Thetan 3”). There are several other levels that follow this, promising psychic powers etc. The estimated cost for the whole program is $350,000.
There are so many things wrong with this insane-clown of a cult that I cannot even begin to address them all. Blackmail, slave labor, manslaughter, et al. … It should be immediately declared a criminal organization and dismantled piece by piece.
Please educate yourself in depth about this plague on the face of global culture at
http://www.xenu.net . I hope you have the time to read even a small portion of the material there.
I’m no friend of Scientology but I can’t agree with your assertion that it should be “declared a criminal organization and dismantled piece by piece.” Better to expose their methods and win people to your view through rhetoric and reason, than to try to force your views with the strength of law and turn the organization into a bunch of martyrs.
Haven’t you heard about what happens to people that try to expose their methods? When was the last time you read a article in a newspaper that tried to do this? The enemies list of Scientology makes Nixon’s list seem tame by comparison.
Occasionally I take their test, under an assumed name of course. I just answer all questions as if I am a totally selfish bastard with no faults and no compassion. When they score the test, they always ask if I have taken their courses before!
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
Hunter Thompson
My take on Scientology is totally colored by my understanding that they are consummate masters at employing that tool of 20th century American warfare – litigation – to silence those who dare to attack “the church.” Authors, journalists, former members – all have been sued for “defamation” for speaking out against Scientology. And of course the Scientologists have enough money to pursue lawsuits regardless of their probable eventual outcome, simply for the purpose of harassing people and costing them money. I’m also suspicious of the high level of secrecy and the fees imposed to go through “training” – I don’t think religion should have anything to hide, and I don’t think it should cost money.
I agree with Scientology’s stupidity and have a mildly related question/
Can anyone here clearly define the difference between a cult and a religion?
Does it, say, become a religion after a million or more people start believing?
What exactly is the cut off point?
“[He] beat his fist down upon the table and hurt his hand and became so
further enraged… that he beat his fist down upon the table even harder and
hurt his hand some more.” – Joseph Heller’s Catch-22
Seeing as this is the Pit, let me provide my point of view.
I find it just as hard to believe that Xenu ™ used nukes as I do that Moses unleashed those plagues upon Pharoah.
“[He] beat his fist down upon the table and hurt his hand and became so
further enraged… that he beat his fist down upon the table even harder and
hurt his hand some more.” – Joseph Heller’s Catch-22
krish
Member posted 06-02-99 07:35 PM
A religion or sect is simply one which you either like or don’t actively dislike; a cult is one which you actively dislike.
How’s that for a definition?
My religion is a religion, yours is a cult. HAHAHA!!
Seriously, I saw an anti-cult web site once that listed some fairly good differences between cults and religions. I can’t think of the url right off the bat, but dollars to donuts if you clicked on www.skepdic.com and went to the entry on cults, you’d probably find it under “further reading.” I think that’s how I found it.
Anyway, the goal of this site was to point out the differences between a religion and a potentially dangerous (or suicide) cult, and the gist of its list ran along the lines of: a religion usually tries to have a positive effect on the community, like having its members donate time and money to charity, helping the elderly and children, etc., while a cult demands that its members put all their time and money toward the cult. Or, a religion usually centers around a belief in a diety, while a cult centers around the belief that the leader is a diety, or the diety can only be reached through the leader. A religion attempts to enrich your personal or family life while a cult tries to cut you off from it. A religion wants to endure and leave behind a legacy, a cult usually burns itself out. And so on.
Like I said though, this site focused on self-destructive type cults that Scientology (or Mormonism or Jehovah’s or insert your favorite unpopular religion here) may not quite fit into. But the Skeptic’s dictionary also has great entries on Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, and does a great job of explaining why Scientology is neither a science nor a religion.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
Gr8Kat
Member posted 06-02-99 08:35 PM
Isn’t there something in the New Testament along the lines of “No man can come unto the Father except through me” as a quote from Jesus? (Sorry, Kat; couldn’t resist.)
Going back to the original topic of this thread-The trouble with criticizing the Scientologists is that they won’t fight in an open forum, such as this one. They will get the names of the critics, by any means legal OR illegal, file lawsuits, spread rumors, and harrass the critics into submission. Maybe this is one way to tell a church from a cult.
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
Hunter Thompson
Well, then we’re back to “my religion is a religion and your religion is a cult” 
Ok, The Door had a better one: You might belong to a cult if your pastor can dismantle and clean an AK-47.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
When I was living in Copenhagen there was this ad in a newspaper. It said we should mail the office of the Church of Shittingology out of the country. The next day 20000 stamps were glued to the office.
Now how’s that for a collective enterprize?
When I was living in Copenhagen there was this ad in a newspaper. It said we should mail the office of the Church of Shittingology out of the country. The next day 20000 stamps were glued to the office.
Now how’s that for a collective enterprize?
I heard that L. Ron’s fanatics wanted to build some sort of “shrine/park” to him out here in NE and was prepared to pay quite a bit for it. The locals in that area of NE were NOT amused and told them where they could go. 
It warmed my little black flabby heart…
PR
Well i really disagree with the cult of $cientology. Especially they way they market themselves as the alternative to psychology Anyway i heard the Mister Hubbard himself said that the best way to make money was to start a religion. Well, i guess it works!
The difference between cult and church was discussed in a Mailbag item… Someday I gotta learn how to do links, but meantime:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcult.html
Or go to the archives and search on CULT in the Mailbag.
Amazing that scientology was relevant and reviled here back in 1999, and we are still complaining about it today!
drewtwo99, is there any particular reason you attempted to set a record for oldest revived thread? I’m just curious, that’s all.
Jebus, 12 years. I reloaded this page twice thinking there was something wrong.
How did ‘guest’ avoid getting a name?