# Why I hate the Church of Scientology **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 19, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020 "2003-06-19T22:25:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tarnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tarnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarnik)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/1 "2003-06-19T22:25:44Z")
So, I get this call. You know, the kind of call wherein the caller reads your name awkwardly off a computer screen, tele-marketer style, while trying to sound like they know you, which is creepy because they DON’T. Anyway, it went like this: “Hey, I’m calling about the personality test you took online.” “I didn’t take on. Goodbye.” So I figure that this is just a random mis-dial…and thinking, “hehe, personality tests” as a remember all the Scientology jokes and gags I’ve heard. But today, I get a letter, written in the same casual, creepy style, assuring me that it’s okay if i forgot about the test, I can still enrich my life through the teachings of good ol’ L. Ron Hubbard (the book Dianetics, in particular). JESUS FUCKING HAMSTERS! HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET MY ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER? I hardly ever even tell my full name to people I’ve talked to online for years, so there is no way I gave out my phone number and address, especially to them. Needless to say, when I called their number and the woman answered “Hello, Chruch of Scientology”, I told them what I thought of them _very politely._ 😕 :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/2 "2003-06-19T22:44:24Z")
It would help if everyone stopped saying “Church of…” and call it what it is, “Cult of…” ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/3 "2003-06-19T22:47:07Z")
The sad story of [Lisa McPherson](http://www.lisamcpherson.org/). That’s more than enough to justify any hatred of Scientology. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/4 "2003-06-19T23:37:55Z")
You don’t need any of this, actually. Simply rent _Battlefield Earth_, with John Revolta, at your local video store, and you will be moved to seething hatred. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/5 "2003-06-19T23:50:43Z")
Maybe one of your “friends” gave them your info. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/6 "2003-06-20T01:44:50Z")
_sigh_ You try to save people from the aftereffects of the evil galactic lord Xenu’s H-bombs and this is all the thanks you get? C’mon, you _know_ you want to be audited. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/7 "2003-06-20T02:23:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*The sad story of [Lisa McPherson](http://www.lisamcpherson.org/). > > That’s more than enough to justify any hatred of Scientology. \*\* Not only that, but they continue to harass the webmaster, even making threatening phone calls to the guy’s family. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/8 "2003-06-20T03:52:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*It would help if everyone stopped saying “Church of…” and call it what it is, “Cult of…” \*\* I say the same thing about Catholics and Baptists, but so far it isn’t working. ---
**Author:** ![tarnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tarnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarnik)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/9 "2003-06-20T06:03:11Z")
Hehe, **obfusciatrist** , my sentiments exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/10 "2003-06-20T06:44:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elucidator \* > \*\*You don’t need any of this, actually. Simply rent _Battlefield Earth_, with John Revolta, at your local video store, and you will be moved to seething hatred. \*\* The truely horrifying part is that the movie only covers the first half of the book. You know your inner Thetan wants to see _Battlefield Earth II: Xenu Boogaloo_. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/11 "2003-06-20T07:30:43Z")
[Tom Padgett: Fair Game and Death by Litigation.](http://www.madvillelaw.net/) – Tom was a Scientologist who left the cult. His wife and children did not. Therefore, Tom is an enemy of the cult and may be Fair Gamed into the ground, to the point of making his wife not cash child support checks so he [gets arrested for not paying child support](http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/custody.html). [R2-45: The process of fixing a suppressive person by putting two .45 caliber bullets in his head.](http://www.skeptictank.org/r2-45.htm) – No, Scientology doesn’t want you to know this. But it was in a court document, so it’s public information now. For some reason, Scientology is really interested to know if you are a Federal agent or police officer if you want to join their cult. ---
**Author:** ![byter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@byter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/byter)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/12 "2003-06-20T19:31:43Z")
Barbara Schwarz is history’s most prolific filer of Freedom of Information Act requests, according to a May profile in The Salt Lake Tribune. Schwarz says she is a daughter of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and a granddaughter of President Eisenhower and said she endured a number of kidnappings and mind control and microchip-implanting procedures in her quest to learn the whereabouts of her alleged husband, whom Schwarz said disappeared after he was charged with murdering Barbara Schwarz (yes, the same one). She has, said the Tribune, “carpet-bombed” “every” federal agency with “thousands” of FOIA requests, followed by “dozens” of follow-up lawsuits (one containing 2,307 pages, naming 3,087 defendants). [Salt Lake Tribune, 5-5-03] ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/13 "2003-06-20T21:55:47Z")
Some of what CO$ teaches: > [@](#): > > The head of the Galactic Federation (76 planets around larger > stars visible from here) (founded 95,000,000 years ago, very > space opera) solved overpopulation (250 billion or so per planet, > 178 billion on average) by mass implanting. He caused people to > be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and put an H-Bomb on the > principal volcanos (Incident II) and then the Pacific area ones > were taken in boxes to Hawaii and the Atlantic area ones to > Las Palmas and there “packaged”. > > His name was Xenu. He used renegades. Various misleading > data by means of circuits etc. was placed in the implants. [http://www.xenu.net/archive/ot3.html](http://www.xenu.net/archive/ot3.html) [Operation Clambake - The Inner Secrets of Scientology](http://www.xenu.net/) ---
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/14 "2003-06-21T00:01:06Z")
Just out of curiosity, have there ever been any CoS apologists/active members on the SDMB? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/15 "2003-06-21T00:25:27Z")
I doubt you would find many CoS apologists openly active on the SDMB. That is more the style of the Southern Baptist Cult-- NOT the Scientology Cult. If you want to find the CoS connection to the SDMB I suggest looking into any legal disputes The Chicago Reader is currently embroiled in. THAT is how the CoS works. Bleed, bleed, bleed people and organizations to death. This is IMO only. But I still expect some cult-dude to trace my IP address and have me either audited, shot, or both depending on the whims of Xenu or Kirstie Alley or whoever’s in charge now. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/16 "2003-06-21T01:58:47Z")
I do remember an open Scientologist online. It was awhile ago and I do not remember his handle. He had a statement of his faith on his sig. I remember him denying anything about Xenu. ---
**Author:** ![Ray\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ray\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ray_Walker)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/17 "2003-06-21T04:52:25Z")
> [@](#): > > That is more the style of the Southern Baptist Cult I hate to hijack a thread, but I resent you labeling SB’s as a cult. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/18 "2003-06-21T15:07:37Z")
Am I the only person who has noted that the CoS seems to use the same “backstory” as Parliament/Funkadelic, but, in their case, taken seriously? ---
**Author:** ![cankerist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@cankerist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cankerist)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/19 "2003-06-21T15:35:51Z")
When I was about 14 or so, my father was the lead counsel in a case that was, eventually, to ban the distribution of several Church of Scientology books in my state. We often discussed his cases and he would let me stay up late with him at night in the study as he was preparing for the next day. We had already got an injunction to prevent their sale/distribution, so these books weren’t in circulation yet (ahem, pre-internet days), but dad had copies of them at home so I got to read all of the books that were at issue. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that I can’t remember any passages word for word, but anyway, these same books are probably still available somewhere in some jurisdictions and I remember the general themes and the subject matter. Let me just say that those books were off the hook: What controls your mental state? - well its someting that’s living a foot or so behind your head and just hanging there invisible and monitoring you. Yeah - I like science fiction as much as the next guy – well, maybe a little more, but if you want to turn some b-grade sci-fi movie script into a state protected religion then you are facing an uphill battle. In terms of the OP - I fully understand your ire at having your name, address and phone numer disclosed to the COS. Not sure who is responsible for this though, given the number of ‘lists’ traded these days. But I despise them for a different reason: They traffic in bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020/20 "2003-06-21T15:44:51Z")
Somehow I recently got on a snail mail list for a group called Avatar, that is a (less expensive) offshoot of Scientology. Really weird shit. And the people look so HAPPY. Ewwww. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-the-church-of-scientology/183020.md?page=2)