Why make fun of scientology when...

[chris4355]

...you are Christian. :bugeye:

Frankly I find the Zenu god with space aliens in Scientology just as irrelevant as some dude resurrecting from the dead and walking on water.

So let's make a rule: Christians who make fun of Scientology are hypocrites.

[phlogistician]

So let's make a rule: Christians who make fun of Scientology are hypocrites.

We can simplify that rule. It could just simply read;

"Christians are hypocrites", no further qualification required.

[Orleander]

LOL, we all are. What about alien abductions, Nessie, Bigfoot, etc. We all want to believe in something.
We all have rules for others that we have a hard time following ourselves.

[Read-Only]

...you are Christian. :bugeye:

Frankly I find the Zenu god with space aliens in Scientology just as irrelevant as some dude resurrecting from the death and walking on water.

So let's make a rule: Christians who make fun of Scientology are hypocrites.

Nope, not a valid comparison at all. Scientology is a specifically designed rip-off organization who's purpose is to take ALL of your money and destroy your life by enslaving you to it's financial purposes. It's a CULT - not a religion.

[chris4355]

Nope, not a valid comparison at all. Scientology is a specifically designed rip-off organization who's purpose is to take ALL of your money and destroy your life by enslaving you to it's financial purposes. It's a CULT - not a religion.

First off, most people don't make fun of Scientology because of the statements you just claimed, they make fun of it because of what it stands for (like the Zenu god and space aliens).

Second, the amount of money Scientology accumulates is not even comparable compared to Christianity.

And if you want to talk to me about wasted lives, it doesn't take long to realize just how many people were wasted because of Christianity... (Crusades and Spanish inquisition simply being the tip of the iceberg)

[Read-Only]

First off, most people don't make fun of Scientology because of the statements you just claimed, they make fun of it because of what it stands for (like the Zenu god and space aliens).

Second, the amount of money Scientology accumulates is not even comparable compared to Christianity.

And if you want to talk to me about wasted lives, it doesn't take long to realize just how many people were wasted because of Christianity... (Crusades and Spanish inquisition simply being the tip of the iceberg)

Sorry, I didn't mean to agree with the part about poking FUN at it - I'm talking about DESPISING it and wanting to shut it down!!

Right - go back to ancient history and events that really had NOTHING at all to do with Christianity. Those things were nothing but thinly disguised excuses to run rampant, rape and pillage. :bugeye:

[spidergoat]

Nope, not a valid comparison at all. Scientology is a specifically designed rip-off organization who's purpose is to take ALL of your money and destroy your life by enslaving you to it's financial purposes. It's a CULT - not a religion.

Again, how is that different from Christianity?

[C1ay]

Scientology is to the mental processes of reasoning and logic what AIDS is to the immune system. As such, it is a mental disorder and it is kind of tacky to make fun of those that are afflicted with it. Perhaps they will find a cure for it someday...

[Asguard]

Umm spider first off i dont belive in religion, and i have serious doubts about God to but i was brought up in a catholic family. Now in Australia we have an organisation called the Exsclusive Breathan. Its a really wierd organisation where the girls arnt alowed to go to school, they dont teach about tech and the members are NOT alowed to vote because we are all demons or some rubbish and they cant get contaminated by any contact with the outside world. At the same time this organisation ran a HUGE smear campaine against the greens in tassi and funneled huge amounts of money into far right campaines. In refusing to let there members vote they are comiting a crime, actually a LOT of crimes but thats beside the point. Now although i dont belive in the Catholic church anymore i dissagree that you could say that catholics are as bad as this organisation.

its like the difference between beliving a fantasy novel could be real and wanting it to be and following a terrioust novel

[Syzygys]

Nope, not a valid comparison at all.

It is. The only difference that the CoS behaves like a cult and attack criticism and ex-members and they have the we against them attitude.

Otherwise no religious person has the moral right to criticize them. Atheists have.... :)

[spidergoat]

Umm spider first off i dont belive in religion, and i have serious doubts about God to but i was brought up in a catholic family. Now in Australia we have an organisation called the Exsclusive Breathan. Its a really wierd organisation where the girls arnt alowed to go to school, they dont teach about tech and the members are NOT alowed to vote because we are all demons or some rubbish and they cant get contaminated by any contact with the outside world. At the same time this organisation ran a HUGE smear campaine against the greens in tassi and funneled huge amounts of money into far right campaines. In refusing to let there members vote they are comiting a crime, actually a LOT of crimes but thats beside the point. Now although i dont belive in the Catholic church anymore i dissagree that you could say that catholics are as bad as this organisation.

its like the difference between beliving a fantasy novel could be real and wanting it to be and following a terrioust novel

We have Christian organizations that don't let their kids go to school. They are homeschooled into their own version of history. I know one who, when I asked who she was going to vote for, said that she would vote for whoever the church told them to. They all vote the same. It's no different than scientology.

[Read-Only]

Again, how is that different from Christianity?

Several differences, actually. Christianity does not attempt to take ALL your money NOR does it try to enslave you and make every effort to prevent you from leaving it. In fact, many churches will actually kick you out if they don't approve of you - Scientology would never do that!!

On top of that, many Christian churches take a fair amount of the money they collect from members and use it to help others. Scientology does NO charitable work at all - they keep all the money. They're all about their own personal greed and little else.

[Read-Only]

It is. The only difference that the CoS behaves like a cult and attack criticism and ex-members and they have the we against them attitude.

Otherwise no religious person has the moral right to criticize them. Atheists have.... :)

Ha! There are MANY more differences than that! I suggest you put a little effort into studying both sides of that - evidently you have never botherd to do so and are just operating from hearsay.

[spidergoat]

So Tom Cruise doesn't have any money?

[Asguard]

spider i am talking mainstreem christanity like catholisium rather than some nutty funimentilist church. When i was in year 12 we had a fundy christan friend. He used to irritate us by not coming to our 18 birthday parties if WE were going to drink (we never suggested that he should if he didnt want to but we objected to him inflicting his views on us) he tried to bring up all these references in the old testoment saying drinking is evil (this to a guy who actually drank fortifide wine IN church) and my responce to him was that Jeuse made wine (actually wish he would come around here, wonder if he is any good at beer:p) and he said "it was non acholic wine", He used to make stupid comments about the bible which i would write down, give to my mother who was studying thology at ACU as part of her education degree and she would give them to her lecture who would dispute the whole thing

I have compleatly lost track of the point of this story but it was something about the difference between mainstreem religion and fundimentislt religion

[spidergoat]

It's just a matter of degree. Fundamentalists really believe it, mainstream members are more liberal in their interpretations.

[Read-Only]

So Tom Cruise doesn't have any money?

Heh! Not as much as he WOULD have without his cult. ;)

[Asguard]

god that avatar is creepy:p

Yes its about degrees i guess, if you can funtion as a member of sociaty and belive in a religion fine, if you cant then its a problem. Take that moron in the Heath Ledger thread, and compare him to someone like mother Terisa.

[spidergoat]

Teresa was no saint, but I guess she was better than the Westboro Baptists. On second thought, she probably did more actual harm due to her position on birth control.

[Challenger78]

Umm spider first off i dont belive in religion, and i have serious doubts about God to but i was brought up in a catholic family. Now in Australia we have an organisation called the Exsclusive Breathan. Its a really wierd organisation where the girls arnt alowed to go to school, they dont teach about tech and the members are NOT alowed to vote because we are all demons or some rubbish and they cant get contaminated by any contact with the outside world. At the same time this organisation ran a HUGE smear campaine against the greens in tassi and funneled huge amounts of money into far right campaines. In refusing to let there members vote they are comiting a crime, actually a LOT of crimes but thats beside the point. Now although i dont belive in the Catholic church anymore i dissagree that you could say that catholics are as bad as this organisation.

its like the difference between beliving a fantasy novel could be real and wanting it to be and following a terrioust novel

Yep, You learn something new about crackpots in your own country every day. ....

Seriously ? wtf ? Australians have never been a religious bunch, at least not overtly. (dunno about covertly). .

[Asguard]

Havent you ever herd about them before?
They always work from the shadows because no one would accept them in our culture. I sugest you send an email to Brian Brown about his opinion on them:p

OK here some info on them, This should give you enough to get started on if you wanted to know about them. I REALLY need to go to bed its 5:00 and im exusted


Australia
In the 2004 Australian federal election the Raven-Taylor-Hales Brethren were linked to political advertisements campaigning for the re-election of the Australian Prime Minister John Howard.[19][21] The advertisements were funded by Willmac Enterprises Pty Ltd, a company wholly owned by Mark William Mackenzie who is a member of the Brethren.[22] Willmac's contribution to John Howard's election campaign, of $370,000, was later investigated by the Australian Electoral Commission and is currently the source of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Australian Federal Police.[23][24]

In March 2006, members of the Brethren placed press advertisements and distributed leaflets[25] attacking the Australian Tasmanian Greens in the Tasmanian state election.[26] In September 2006, Prime Minister John Howard confirmed that he met with the Raven-Taylor-Hales Brethren, stating he has no problem with the group and that they are "entitled to put their views to the Government".[27] In December 2006, The Age reported that Brethren representatives met with the Australian Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock lobbying for family law changes to "ensure that a child is not subject to a radical lifestyle change without compelling reason".[28]

Then Prime Minster John Howard met with Brethren representatives in his parliamentary office on short notice early August 2007.[29] The Brethren also approached the then Federal Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd who refused to meet with them saying that he believes they are "an extremist cult and sect" that "breaks up families".[24][30][31]

Viewd 26\01\08 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_Brethren#Australia)


That artical has alot more on them if your interested in more than the political interfearance

THIS (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brethren-linked-to-howard-campaign/2005/09/15/1126750082584.html) is an artical from the sydney morning herald on it as well

THIS (http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1748089.htm) one is a list of four corners sorces on them too

The Exclusive Brethren has denied its involvement in politics, saying advertisements and pamphlets attacking policies such as gay marriage were the work of individuals, not the group.

However, Greens upper house MP Lee Rhiannon says it would be "foolish" to think the group would not try to smear the party during the lead-up to the state election in March.

She said the group published anti-Greens material during Tasmania's recent ballot and that party candidates were abused by Exclusive Brethren members wearing animal masks.

"Going on their track record in this part of the world it would be foolish to think they won't show their faces," she said.

Viewed 26\01\08 at 05:01 (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/greens-fear-brethren-dirty-tricks/2006/09/26/1159036525939.html)

[Syzygys]

Ha! There are MANY more differences than that!

True, the CoS hasn't got the dark ages yet or the Inquisition...

And as far as I know, they haven't caused wars, yet...

[Read-Only]

True, the CoS hasn't got the dark ages yet or the Inquisition...

And as far as I know, they haven't caused wars, yet...

Ho-hum. {yawn} Irrelevant.

[pjdude1219]

i pretty sure that scientology is a cult considering its founder is rumored to have made a bar bet that he could start a cult

[shichimenshyo]

every religion is a cult when it starts. You know what makes it a religion....numbers numbers numbers, ohh and tax exempt status.

[(Q)]

LOL, we all are. What about alien abductions, Nessie, Bigfoot, etc. We all want to believe in something.
We all have rules for others that we have a hard time following ourselves.

I would agree that the group you refer, the gullible, attention-seeking, significance junkies do want to believe in something, but most of you are usually theists, too. So, there's little distinction, if any.

[Cris]

It seems clear that no posters above have much idea about CoS apart from popular perspectives. CoS at its route has a fundamentally good idea but it is a shame it was turned into a religion that wasn't necessary and doubly bad that huge sums of money had to be involved. Others have taken the CoS idea and have tried to develop it without the religious angle with little success unfortunately. And conventional psychology does not seem to have addressed the CoS proposal.

At its route CoS has the idea that past "bad" deeds or poor choices leaves most people with stressful hang-ups and inhibitions that tend to disrupt and inhibit their lives as they try to progress in life. I suspect most of us remember past embarrasing moments that we would change if we could go back in time. Or errors of judgement that make us cringe when we think about them.

What CoS developed was a methodology for removing these 'hang ups'. The effect is a person with fewer limitations, less stress, and a clearer mind. One could argue that conventional psychology could do the same but then such therapists also charge huge sums of money.

The CoS goals are to have an individual proceed with these "clearing" processes until they become "clear". I.e. no hang-ups whatsoever. At that point supernatural nonsense enters the story and ruins what would seem like a worthwhile goal.

The money comes in because you need to pay for audits - i.e. someone to listen to you spewing out all your hangs ups so you can analyse and iliminate them.

CoS claims that conventional psychology is detrimental and has an ongoing battle with such instititions. That's why you'll see Tom Cruise appearing to be an expert on the evils of psychiatrists. Sigh!

[C1ay]

CoS claims that conventional psychology is detrimental and has an ongoing battle with such instititions. That's why you'll see Tom Cruise appearing to be an expert on the evils of psychiatrists. Sigh!


Lots of crazy people think psychiatrists are evil. It's one of the signs that they're crazy...

[Anti-Flag]

Well when people are within the (usually)majority group who believes they're correct about something they tend to make fun of everyone else, I think that goes for everything.

[Read-Only]

Well when people are within the (usually)majority group who believes they're correct about something they tend to make fun of everyone else, I think that goes for everything.

Yes, that's certainly true. But sometimes they are also right! ;)

[USS Exeter]

War is not always won by people who are right, but by who is left.

[Syzygys]

Ho-hum. {yawn} Irrelevant.

I know you haven't noticed, but I am actually on your side. But the point I was making still valid... :)

As much as I hate Scientology, Catolicism has a big lead on it... :p

P.S.: I feel very generous tonight, so I will spell the point out again: Unless the critic is an atheist, believers should shut up about Scientology because their beliefs are just as fake as Scientology's... There. Agree???

[Syzygys]

CoS at its route has a fundamentally good idea

I agree!! Hubard had the idea of making a million by funding a church. Great idea!!!

[Cris]

I agree!! Hubard had the idea of making a million by funding a church. Great idea!!!LOL. Oh for sure, and he weaved some wonderful sci-fi into the religion. It totally amazes me how the CoS folks actually believe what he wrote. They seem to blatantly miss the fact that their founder was a sci-FICTION writer.

But there are few things in reality that can generate so much money with no foundation. I think Hubbard did have a valid idea first and then wove it into a religion.

[Challenger78]

Havent you ever herd about them before?
They always work from the shadows because no one would accept them in our culture. I sugest you send an email to Brian Brown about his opinion on them:p

OK here some info on them, This should give you enough to get started on if you wanted to know about them. I REALLY need to go to bed its 5:00 and im exusted



That artical has alot more on them if your interested in more than the political interfearance

THIS (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brethren-linked-to-howard-campaign/2005/09/15/1126750082584.html) is an artical from the sydney morning herald on it as well

THIS (http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1748089.htm) one is a list of four corners sorces on them too

Thanks for all that. I was wondering why you were up at 5. I was only up due to jet lag.

[Asguard]

my partner is away and im not working, and uni doesnt start for another couple of months so i have kind of thrown out my sleeping pattens

[Syzygys]

They seem to blatantly miss the fact that their founder was a sci-FICTION writer.

You could say the same about Joseph Smith and Mormons...Except he wrote historical fiction...

[Stryder]

Nope, not a valid comparison at all. Scientology is a specifically designed rip-off organization who's purpose is to take ALL of your money and destroy your life by enslaving you to it's financial purposes. It's a CULT - not a religion.

Technically Christianity was a CULT, that's why the original 'Christians' were persecuted by the Romans. Just because it was eventually adopted by Rome to generate a Monotheist society over a Polytheist one (This was to lessen the internal provinces clashes over which religion was the right one, more than actually any single one being right.) doesn't make it any less a CULT today as it was back then. It's just people think CULT sounds too sharp and bitter and prefer 'RELIGION'.

[Tiassa]

CoS claims that conventional psychology is detrimental and has an ongoing battle with such instititions. That's why you'll see Tom Cruise appearing to be an expert on the evils of psychiatrists. Sigh!

Perhaps this one is a bit too serious for the topic, but the Journal of Clinical Investigation sounded off about Tom Cruise a couple years ago: "Tom Cruise is dangerous and irresponsible (http://www.jci.org/115/8/1964?content_type=full)":

Yes, even the JCI can weigh in on celebrity gossip, but hopefully without becoming a tabloid. Rather, we want to shine a light on the reckless comments actor Tom Cruise has recently made that psychiatry is a “quack” field and his belief that postpartum depression cannot be treated pharmacologically. We can only hope that his influence as a celebrity does not hold back those in need of psychiatric treatment.

(Neill (http://www.jci.org/115/8/1964?content_type=full))

[pjdude1219]

cause it is easy

[geeser]

Scientology is to the mental processes of reasoning and logic what AIDS is to the immune system. As such, it is a mental disorder and it is kind of tacky to make fun of those that are afflicted with it. Perhaps they will find a cure for it someday...
yes exactly like christianity.

You could say the same about Joseph Smith and Mormons...Except he wrote historical fiction...but still fiction, but a big question mark on whether it's historical, just like the bible.

[Leo Volont]

...you are Christian. :bugeye:

Frankly I find the Zenu god with space aliens in Scientology just as irrelevant as some dude resurrecting from the dead and walking on water.

So let's make a rule: Christians who make fun of Scientology are hypocrites.

Actually, people should be wise enough to leave Scientology alone.

They have a policy of zero tolerance regarding anybody who bothers them. They will file legal suit against anybody. And in America they don't even have to win. They are happy to lose every law suit they file, but along the way they know they have forced their enemies into having to hire their own lawyers, show up for depositions, trials, etc.

You could go broke winning a law suit against Scientology.

So, if you are smart, just leave Scientology alone.

[Leo Volont]

Well... Marian Catholicism has had a tradition which has brought perhaps a hundred first magnitude Saints to Humanity -- miracles, wonders, healings, etc.

Scientology has brought us Tom Cruise.

Yes, close call, isn't it.

[Syzygys]

They have a policy of zero tolerance regarding anybody who bothers them.

And this is exactly why the hackers decided to fuck them over in an anonymus way. pretty smart if you ask me...

[C1ay]

They have a policy of zero tolerance regarding anybody who bothers them. They will file legal suit against anybody. ...


And yet, this "leave us alone or else" attitude really boasts my desire to bother the crap out of them....