International Scientology Protest Day

[timmediahOU]

Any of you anons go in your respective cities?

enterbulation.org
xenu.net

[St. Goodypants]

I should have gone because I've seen the Tom Cruise videos that there is such a controversy over...


Here's why there is such a controversy:
Tom Cruise is batshit insane. He's a 100% pure guano man.

The videos are seriously scary though. I almost think that he may be hiding the bodies of doubters in the walls. No offense to scientologists (well, not too much) but TOM CRUISE IS A SCARY BASTARD.

[Balthazar]

Didn't hear about it until this morning. In Oslo only about 60 people bothered to show up, anyways.

Oh, and just because it's funny:

[Geiseric]

I read about it, thought it was awesome, but there really isn't a scientologist presence in my city, so there was nothing to do. I'm glad someone else noticed it. Fellow /.ers?

I absolutely despise any abuse of a religious system or group (flaky as many as them are) but L. Ron Hubbard was clear from the start (if you are capable of stringing a series of statements together) that Scientology was about the money from the beginning. Take that with the economic abuse they direct toward their low level members, the absolutely off the wall origin story, the psychological mistreatment of members, and the abuse of the system set up to give legitimate religions sanction and protection from abuse from both government and citizens... And I think we have a scam we can all agree is abusive and wrong. But if we do anything about it, we infringe on a system set up to protect others. An unfortunate result of the complexity of a judiciary system as complex as ours... Rationality has to take a back seat. What can be seen as clearly a scam from one perspective can be construed as being a religion that is being bullied by the big kids on the block with the proper legal representation.

*Edited for name slip up* Edited February 11, 2008 by Geiseric

[Johnny_D]

There was a brilliant panorama report into scietology.

It's not a religion. It's a cult.

Personally I refuse to watch Tom Guillable Cruise anymore. What a twat of the highest order.

I think scientology is proof that hollywood is criminally stupid.

[gaia.plateau]

LoL @ "Scientology Makes Me a Sad Panda"

Seriously though, anything that the Fresh Prince supports is cool with me.

[St. Goodypants]

You'd better be joking about being serious... That sounds like a dangerous way to think about life...

Also, there's very little in my mind that seperates a religion from a cult.

1. A religion is of a size to have political power. Whether it is a direct theocracy, or indirect as in the Evangelical vote here in the US it still exists.
2. The mainstream definition (not the dictionary definition) of a cult assumes that a cult applies socially destructive or self-destructive behavior to it's members in order to keep control over them.

Scientology falls into both categories in my opinion. It does have one factor which distinguishes it from either religion or cult:

It was started for profit.

Profit is obtained using so called "brainwashing" techniques to loosen a person's free will. This is the destructive behavior of scientology. They are also large enough (due in large part to celebrity sponsorship) to have a degree of power over the legal system (money buys the best lawyers around). Edited February 12, 2008 by St. Goodypants

[KillZedKill]

Anyone who is anti any religion, no matter how dumb it is can kiss my ass. I don't care if its a fad or not, people choose to believe it and thats there choice not yours. If people want to believe that alien spirits control their happiness or sadness then thats fine with me, but believing in some jewish cosmic zombie who was his own father who can heal you because your evil because some lady was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magic tree doesnt seem to make much sense either.

I'm agnostic by the way.

[KillZedKill]

Using religion to make profit is seen EVERYwhere, in every religion.

[Bulldog_916]

Religion = brainwashing...period.

[gaia.plateau]

You'd better be joking about being serious... That sounds like a dangerous way to think about life...

I'm always joking. Will Smith is garbage. I related more with the monster-people in I Am Legend than I did with Smith... they were just hanging out, minding their own business, and he kidnapped and murdered hundreds of their friends and family in his evil underground lair.

[St. Goodypants]

Anyone who is anti any religion, no matter how dumb it is can kiss my ass. I don't care if its a fad or not, people choose to believe it and thats there choice not yours. If people want to believe that alien spirits control their happiness or sadness then thats fine with me, but believing in some jewish cosmic zombie who was his own father who can heal you because your evil because some lady was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magic tree doesnt seem to make much sense either.

I'm agnostic by the way.

I'm not against scientology, and I agree that it is their choice what to believe. However, I am however against the church of scientology's practices and the way that they choose to spread their religion. They use common brainwashing techniques such as disconnection from soc
ial contacts and family. Look up the "Fair Game policy" and "Dead Agenting".

Using religion to make profit is seen EVERYwhere, in every religion.

Yes, but Scientology started specifically FOR profit. Members must pay more to learn more about what they believe in. These are letters written by L. Ron Hubbard.

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"DEAR HELEN

10 APRIL
RE CLINIC, HAS

The arrangements that have been made seem a good temporary measure. On a longer look, however, something more equitable will have to be organized. I am not quite sure what we would call the place - probably not a clinic - but I am sure that it ought to be a company, independent of the HAS [the Hubbard Association of Scientologists] but fed by the HAS. We don't want a clinic. We want one in operation but not in name. Perhaps we could call it a Spiritual Guidance Center. Think up its name, will you. And we could put in nice desks and our boys in neat blue with diplomas on the walls and 1. knock psychotherapy into history and 2. make enough money to shine up my operating scope and 3. keep the HAS solvent. It is a problem of practical business. I await your reaction on the religion angle. In my opinion, we couldn't get worse public opinion than we have had or have less customers with what we've got to sell. A religious charter would be necessary in Pennsylvania or NJ to make it stick. But I sure could make it stick. We're treating the present time beingness, psychotherapy treats the past and the brain. And brother, that's religion, not mental science.

Best Regards,

Ron"
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And also:

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"Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter (HCOPL) 29 Oct. 1962, "Religion"

Scientology 1970 is being planned on a religious organization basis
throughout the world. This will not upset in any way the usual
activities of any organization. It is entirely a matter for accountants
and solicitors."
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And no, I don't want to kiss your ass.


And, that's pretty true (and funny) Gaia.


Reason for edit: lines were too long Edited February 13, 2008 by St. Goodypants