So....What the hell is scientology?
- Thread starter Darzen
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Depending on your definitions...
Its a religion in that they have faith in ideals that require faith.
Its a cult in that the government does not recognize them as a religion and or warns against its populations from joining that religion.
Its a business in that they offer a service for currency.
The merits of any of the above are in high question.
Most people hate them not because they want to be a religion, but rather unlike government recognized religions they demand money in order to move up and learn the tenets of there faith.
They have also been directly linked to infiltrating the government to steal information, aggressive and violent campaigns against anyone deemed a "suppressive person", and a great deal of harassment towards anyone who even looks at there building for more then twelve seconds and isn't a member not to mention rabidly profiling anyone who gets within six feet of any town that contains one of there buildings or lives within two miles of any members who are not in there group.
Its a religion in that they have faith in ideals that require faith.
Its a cult in that the government does not recognize them as a religion and or warns against its populations from joining that religion.
Its a business in that they offer a service for currency.
The merits of any of the above are in high question.
Most people hate them not because they want to be a religion, but rather unlike government recognized religions they demand money in order to move up and learn the tenets of there faith.
They have also been directly linked to infiltrating the government to steal information, aggressive and violent campaigns against anyone deemed a "suppressive person", and a great deal of harassment towards anyone who even looks at there building for more then twelve seconds and isn't a member not to mention rabidly profiling anyone who gets within six feet of any town that contains one of there buildings or lives within two miles of any members who are not in there group.
A cult that doesn't pay taxes and puts you through painful tortures that you have to pay exorborant sums for, to help you "remember your true nature". In short, another religion out to take your money in the guise of helping you. That's why some celebraties and rich people join, because their vast amounts of money can now help them become god like, it's just stupid bullshit. And many of it's members have been known to do and be forced through, crazy dangerous stuff in the name of said religion.
It's basically as valid as any other religion, except that it hasn't been around for hundreds of years. As a Christian, I will go off and say that I don't recognize it the same way I recognize my own religion, but that doesn't mean that I disapprove of it. I'm not one of those people that protests its existence like some of my friends do.
People should be allowed to believe in whatever they want, be it about a God who created the world in 7 days, or a Lord Xenu who bombed the aliens whose souls now inhabit our bodies.
I'm actually rather surprised that more people weren't suspended for their posts in this thread. Maybe The Escapist is just the kind of sophisticated community I've been looking for.
People should be allowed to believe in whatever they want, be it about a God who created the world in 7 days, or a Lord Xenu who bombed the aliens whose souls now inhabit our bodies.
I'm actually rather surprised that more people weren't suspended for their posts in this thread. Maybe The Escapist is just the kind of sophisticated community I've been looking for.
Simply put, it is not precisely a religion as there is a distinct lack of a deity. The belief structure is somewhat complicated but boils down to this. There is a grand villain of the galaxy, who at some point loaded up a bunch of malcontents and sent them to earth on spacecraft that resembled contemporary (at the time) aircraft. Upon their arrival they died. Their "spirits", however, linger and infest pretty much everything. The various maladies of life (seriously, just name one) are caused by said spirits. The religion is based upon the notion that cleansing one's self of these spirits will improve their lot in life.
Even if you don't believe such things, the basic structure of said religion is designed to make it necessary to the believer. This is generally true of any religion one cares to mention. In exchange for money, time and effort the church will endeavor to reduce the incidence rate of these malicious spirit in your body through measures that are not entirely clear. From the outside, it (like any religion if one takes a few steps back) is a pyramid scheme and a play for power and control. Its belief structure is fairly silly but then no more so than any other I've heard of.
Strangely, here in Austin, there is a Church of Scientology directly across the street from the University of Texas. It seemed a terribly strange place to put a church. I myself am curious about the religion - not because I believe any of it but because it has ensnared so many people. This fact alone makes it fascinating but I suspect I'll never walk through the door. I know little about what transpires and I know less about my own weaknesses. I don't think I care to have them exploited by others, especially when I, as a logical man, suspect I have little to gain.
Even if you don't believe such things, the basic structure of said religion is designed to make it necessary to the believer. This is generally true of any religion one cares to mention. In exchange for money, time and effort the church will endeavor to reduce the incidence rate of these malicious spirit in your body through measures that are not entirely clear. From the outside, it (like any religion if one takes a few steps back) is a pyramid scheme and a play for power and control. Its belief structure is fairly silly but then no more so than any other I've heard of.
Strangely, here in Austin, there is a Church of Scientology directly across the street from the University of Texas. It seemed a terribly strange place to put a church. I myself am curious about the religion - not because I believe any of it but because it has ensnared so many people. This fact alone makes it fascinating but I suspect I'll never walk through the door. I know little about what transpires and I know less about my own weaknesses. I don't think I care to have them exploited by others, especially when I, as a logical man, suspect I have little to gain.
scientology is a cult started so the founder could make money that,s it in a nutshell I,m not being cynical here thiat is the thruth people need to pay allot of money to reach enlightmentDarzen said:
I'm 100% dead serious. I don't joke about Scientology, I know too many people who have had their lives ruined by it.miscelaneous said:
Just want to clear up a huge misconception here:
Very very few Scientologists know of or believe in the Xenu space story, as it's considered highly classified information in the church. Only those Scientologists who have dedicated their full lives to the religion and spent up to $300,000 have been taught that part of the religion (and even many of them don't take it literally). Public Scientologists are not allowed to know about the story beforehand, and if they hear about it, the church simply tells them it isn't true, that the media is making it up to discredit the religion.
The point being, once you've spent your entire life in a religion and invested your entire life's savings into it, you're likely to believe anything to justify the time and money you wasted.
Very very few Scientologists know of or believe in the Xenu space story, as it's considered highly classified information in the church. Only those Scientologists who have dedicated their full lives to the religion and spent up to $300,000 have been taught that part of the religion (and even many of them don't take it literally). Public Scientologists are not allowed to know about the story beforehand, and if they hear about it, the church simply tells them it isn't true, that the media is making it up to discredit the religion.
The point being, once you've spent your entire life in a religion and invested your entire life's savings into it, you're likely to believe anything to justify the time and money you wasted.
I always told my mom wait so you believe in a book that was written 2000 years from now ish. What makes you so sure that this isn't just a fable like harry potter? What scared me was thinking about the people 2000 years from now worshiping harry potter. If your wondering where im going I'm saying that this guy who was a fiction writer wrote a book like this and now a fair amount of people believe it's true and it didn't even take 2000 years.
It doesn't make much more sense, but there's still a difference between a thousands of years old religion that has shaped the whole world to a major extent, and retains some mystical element of wisdom by way of being created such a long time ago, where information wasn't as available and publicized about people as it is today, and (even though I'm an atheist), contains a lot of very philosophical ideas and deep wisdom, as opposed to a religion based upon the works of a sci-fi writer who died only 24 years ago, about some, fucking...aliens.Gralian said:
'Mystical element of wisdom', eh? I call that a fancy way of describing 'ignorance'. I call it lost in translation over time and as the stories got passed down. I call it fantasy drafted from that very lack of scientific knowledge that you decry. I call God an alien as much as you call Xenu or whatever Scientologists worship an alien, because he / she / it certainly isn't native to Earth, is it? God is as much an alien as any other wacky space-god. You seem to perpetuate the idea "ignorance is bliss". Information wasn't as available, and that makes it okay to take on board such bizarre philosophies and wild stories like obeying any form of higher authority without question? That punishing those that do bad makes you just as loving as if you'd forgiven them? That it's okay to threaten and frighten people into obeying you with promises of said punishment if you don't acquiesce? That things like prostitution and violence are an acceptable means to do good? So if you didn't know the Sun was a big ball of gas, it'd be okay to claim that was the eye of a God because - woah, information isn't available! That suddenly makes it valuable wisdom. Right?Fraught said:
Yeah.
Frankly, whether the book was witten 1,000 years ago or 1 year ago, at the end of the day it's still a book written by some guy. Age does not suddenly venerate it into truth or make it any less credible.
Read the story of Job, as an example, and tell me how that is philosophical wisdom, in any way - how on earth you can justify 'God' making a bet with 'Satan' over faith and how the fuck it was fair to Job for suffering through all that and still say 'i am faithful'. Aren't Gods supposed to be above such petty things as this? Isn't the God supposed to be loving? Seems to me a bunch of chaps just decided to apply human emotions and ideals to a superhuman identity and people began to worship it, and just because it's applied to the human experience, people assume it to suddenly be more true than aliens or whatever else 'modern' religions are worshipping now. Hmm.