Actually, I find that Mormons past the missionary phase are lovely people. I live in fear of white shirts on bicycles, though.
ETA: Scientology is organized crime masquerading as a religion. I hope they fall hard.
Ford, GM and Chrysler? Or Jerry Lee Lewis, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens?
I’m so confused.
He must mean Christianity, Islam and… I’m not sure. Judaism can hardly be called big. Buddhism is fairly widespread, but is only sort of a religion - more like a philosophy with religious trappings.
Or he could mean CBS, NBC and ABC, but what about Fox and the cable channels then?
Judaism’s always the third one when the topic is Western religions. Size aside, it’s the predecessor of Christianity and Islam.
The big difference between Scientology and religions is that Scientology came directly from a purely secular movement, calling itself a religion only when under legal challenge. I don’t know if Joseph Smith actually believed he met an angel; it is possible. It is also possible that he wrote convinced he was divinely inspired, and made up the golden tablets story to be more convincing for what he considered a good cause. I suspect Brigham Young agreed. The cases would be similar if Smith had formed a society to foster polygamy, and turned it into a religion to avoid prosecution - which is not what happened in so many ways.
Hubbard’s sf and fantasy in the '40s was reasonably well considered by the readers of Astounding and Unknown, which were not cheap sf. Was he delusional? I don’t think he was at the beginning - cynical and a crook yes, delusional, maybe not.
There’s also Hinduism. Geographically, it’s mostly concentrated in India, but that country has a population of over 1.5 billion. And According to Wikipedia Hinduismis the world’s third largest religion.
Back to the OP:
I’ve read parts one and two of that piece, and MAN, that Miscavige* is a scary guy. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if one of his followers just snaps and kills him one of these days. The followers might be devoted, might see him as a Chosen One… but if you kick a dog often enough, don’t be surprised if it bites back once. That might not be a good analogy, but I think you all get my point.
*Anyone else notice how that name is so close to miscarriage? Coincidence? I think so.
Okay, sorry, I don’t think of religions in terms of Western and Eastern especially as Islam is more Eastern than Western, at least in terms of where their “base” is located. Since I’m not religious I tend to think of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as a tree with a short trunk and two large branches and then Buddhism growing out of Hinduism similar to the way Christianity and Islam both evolved out of Judaism.
English courts have asserted jurisdiction over all sorts of defamation which didn’t take place in England. The SPT has an online version, which is enough for English courts.
Not yet, it doesn’t. Even China doesn’t have that many people.
The most current estimates for the population of India are somewhere in the 1.1 - 1.2 billion range. Hinduism is the third largest religion in terms of adherents, though.
I’m pretty sure Shirley was pullin’ my leg. She knows I meant Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Right, my bad. My post should read as “more than 1.15 billion”.
So, did anyone catch South Park last night? It was a rerun of the Scientology episode where Tom Cruise is stuck in the closet. Wicked hilarious.
I’m just disappointed they didn’t also show the other Scientology-related episode where Chef joins that child molestation group and turns into Darth Chef at the end.
I haven’t read up on Mormon in some time, so my recollection may well be faulty, but ISTR that JS was a pretty hinky dude, not far from a con-man, with a backstory as a “money digger” or somesuch.
And tho my vaguely recalled source may have had an agenda, I recall that he got his message from Moron-i about polygamy after he was already married and right around the time he got the hots for his cousin or somesuch.
Viewed from a distance of centuries, it is easier to believe that the earliest advocates of various cults and/or religions were something other than conmen or control freaks. I’ve heard folk convincingly argue that Jesus’ message - and implication to the state - was as a political/social revolutionary, at least as much if not moreso than as a religious figure.
I think it can often be difficult to completely distinguish between the religious from the secular. A message or movement may see fit to characterize itself as one or the other depending on various factors.
No doubt. But back then him turning it into a religion might have made him feel better about it, and helped in recruiting, but it didn’t do much to keep the law off him.
We have know way of knowing if he actually believed he saw the angel. People have delusions all the time. But there was no pre-existing secular organization.
Yeah - I think that is a valid distinction. But I guess what is bouncing around in my head is a wonder whether some organizations become designated “religions” - not for a particular spiritual reason, but to take advantage of various social or governmental conventions. Avoiding taxes, more limited government interference, perhaps some more tendencies to be accepted, benefitting from anti-discrimination protection…
I’ll probably display my ignorance here, but I’m thinking if - say - rastafarianism is for some more a lifestyle/philospophy, than a religion. Perhaps in the way there is religious and cultural Judaism. Or as others have observed, many westerners consider Buddhism to be a religion.
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.
Buddhism as practiced by many Buddhists probably deserves the name of religion.
I’d say it’s mostly in the west that it is presented as something other than a religion.
That’s because the English definition of “religion” is
and belief in a superhuman controlling power is not an essential feature of Buddhism. It’s more of an optional extra.
Sort of a hijack, but you all might be interested:
I’ve been following a blog called “The Church Experiment” in which a Christian guy – but pretty liberal and rational (and note to those who would inteject that “Christian” is not consistent with “liberal” or “rational”: Don’t bother) – searches for a a church home by attending 52 churches in 52 weeks.
In Week 5, he attended Scientologist services. His post is IMO a pretty objective and respectful recounting of what goes on in the Scientology weekly services. He found them . . . odd. Sounds strange as hell to me.
He also makes the point that “cult” versus “legitimate church” is probably largely a matter of POV.
Thanks for the link Jodi that was very interesting.