# St Pete Times: Special Report on Scientology **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471 "2009-06-21T14:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471/61 "2009-06-26T16:02:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > and belief in a superhuman controlling power is not an essential feature of Buddhism. It’s more of an optional extra. It’s a big part of Buddhism as actually practiced. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471/62 "2009-06-26T17:58:44Z")
I just finished the articles and I must say that the scientologists often sounded like they were from 50s era pulp fiction. The turns of phrase they used and the over the top responses to to things seemed out of synch with the the way most people talk today. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471/63 "2009-06-26T18:46:27Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Wouldn’t many “cults” or social organizations benefit from being designated religions? White supremacists? Branch Davidians? Rev. Moon? Who gets to decide? > > Maybe I’m overthinking this. Rev. Moon is a religion. My father knew someone in one of the buildings he owned in Brooklyn. I bet the Branch Davidians would have qualified also. As far as I can tell, the US has a policy of not asking too many questions, which I suppose is an inevitable outcome of the fact that neither new or old religions can offer much in the way of support for their beliefs. I think it is valid to not consider a religion that has been around for 1,000 years somehow more valid than one around for 10. ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471/64 "2009-06-27T17:55:04Z")
One of the things that shocked me was the cult of violence – the head beating up underlings (hitting, kicking, etc) and them doing the same to their subordinates. That really sounds like an abusive family to me. With wacky beliefs, but I knew about them from clambake. ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471/65 "2009-06-27T17:56:07Z")
And, of course the paid ad is for [scientology.org](http://scientology.org). Good ole google ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471/66 "2009-06-27T18:41:51Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > It’s a big part of Buddhism as actually practiced. It’s a big part of practice among certain groups, but again, it’s not part of the basic dogma. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/st-pete-times-special-report-on-scientology/500471.md?page=3)