Scientology- This religion is scary

[Bowyn Aerrow]

People are always telling me that A.A. is a cult and it doesn't work.

Oddly enough I have been clean and sober 18 going on 19 years and that is largely do to what I learned in AA about myself and other Alcoholic/Addicts.

Just because a thing doesn't work for an individual doesn't mean its all 'crazy clap-trap' or isn't valid to others.

Spiritual faiths are all 'insane/batshit crazy' whatever to someone outside of the faith.

For those who believe in Scientology apparently it works for them. They come away satisfied. Why dis something that works for other people?

Tom Cruise is apparently very happy, and very rich and very well known - one success after another. I can't help but to thing that the tenets of his faith is what helps him in life. Clearly Scientology works for him.

The Church of Scientology stalks a man who wants to make a documentary about it

He had it coming. Most documentaries are essentially stalking prey to get video... This is no difference than being mauled by the lion you are stalking to make a documentary on lions.

[cardiganwearer]

People are always telling me that A.A. is a cult and it doesn't work.

Oddly enough I have been clean and sober 18 going on 19 years and that is largely do to what I learned in AA about myself and other Alcoholic/Addicts.

Just because a thing doesn't work for an individual doesn't mean its all 'crazy clap-trap' or isn't valid to others.

Just because it does work for an individual does not mean it works generally or isn't a cult. Your conclusion is unrelated in any way to your premise.

Spiritual faiths are all 'insane/batshit crazy' whatever to someone outside of the faith.

For those who believe in Scientology apparently it works for them. They come away satisfied. Why dis something that works for other people?

Because most of those other faiths will give you all that for free. Scientology, beyond the introductory course, requires you to pay very large fees for their services. Other religions don't give their recruiters a cut of the down the line fees and operate like a franchise. Other religions don't trademark their iconography.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_as_a_business

Tom Cruise is apparently very happy, and very rich and very well known - one success after another. I can't help but to thing that the tenets of his faith is what helps him in life. Clearly Scientology works for him.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. We have no evidence that scientology is responsible for Tom Cruise's success, just that he's successful and a shill for scientology. Given the amount of money they demand it might be truer to suggest that he works for them rather than them for him

He had it coming. Most documentaries are essentially stalking prey to get video... This is no difference than being mauled by the lion you are stalking to make a documentary on lions.

If that lion were showing a rapacious inclination to impoverish people by charging them huge amounts of money for what is essentially free elsewhere while harrassing them and their families if they try to decline it's services, then the sacrifice would have been a noble one. Just because pursuing evidence has unfortunate consequences does not mean the evidence is invalid. It certainly increases suspicion that the lion doesn't want the evidence in the public domain.

[Pix]

Just for fun, here's a brief conversation from a first draft fic of mine I never got around to polishing (conversation takes place a good 500 years in the future and about a thousand light-years from Earth, and the guy who asks what a Baptist is has just heard the other person's grandmother is one, and thinks everyone should convert to his own religion if they don't want to be damned):

“What is a Baptist?”

“A type of Christian, which is a weird religion from Old Earth believing God gave birth to Himself named Jesus Christ and they 'commune' with their god by symbolically eating the body of Christ which is bread and drinking his blood, which is actually wine, and it's supposed to let you live in eternal bliss after you die instead of eternal torment. Naturally, Austrin Baptists are very 'God & guns' when compared to elsewhere in the Ring. I guess they focus on baptism, which is where they dunk you in water which means something spiritual, I forget what. And people say MY religion is weird!”

“Christian? I know a little of that, but only met Catholics and Russian Orthodox monks. They were all ridiculous, especially the costumes their bishops and pope wear. Perhaps that is why her genetics have degraded into you. When she, like other Austrins are doing, have embraced the Cosimir then her family and endeavors shall be blessed instead of blighted.”

[Pix]

I forgot, in that fic I also have "Psientologists" which are based on Scientologists (very loosely as I don't know much about them) and promise to unlock the hidden psi potential (which is rare but proven and accepted in the future). They do these by dangerous drugs, and these psi abilities are often done with little control (but go away as the drug wears off). Once cultists are addicted they're then to use the psi abilities they bring out in them to scan minds, control thoughts, and the like to do everything from rob bank accounts (especially of family members) to gain new recruits for the cult. Naturally it's greatly feared and often illegal to be a member.

And as a twist, one has learn to feed off psi energy to empower his own innate abilities (that is, he's a powerful telepath who doesn't need the "braino" drugs as Psientologists do) and joins the cult to take it over from within...while he doesn't succeed, he does break a chapter off which starts a psi war between the cults, though what the sociopathic telepath does with his recruits (in addition to empowering his own abilities to super human levels) is far more sinister (he uses them to target powerful political and business leaders, though given the protection from malevolent use of psi abilities such people have it's more of a terrorism/extortion thing, though the telepath is clever enough to have his followers probe the minds and control the thoughts of those who can get close to said leaders and/or greatly affect them without suspicion).

[MisterLove]

I'm a Catholic and I agree that my religion does have a dark side but at least Sister Lourdes never stalked me down the street. Scientology is indeed dangerous and should be banned. I was appalled to see how influential Scientology is in London (I passed by one of their temples, it was an impressive building), Brits are usually so sensible in these matters.

[MisterTinkles]

Become a Tinkleite, join the Tinkles movement.

Tinkleism
The ONLY......ONE........TRUE..........RELIGION



All hail the Great and Omnipotent Mister Tinkles

[MisterTinkles]

come on...........

you know you wanna..........

[Jake]

Become a Tinkleite, join the Tinkles movement.

Tinkleism
The ONLY......ONE........TRUE..........RELIGION



All hail the Great and [SIZE=6]impotent Mister Tinkles[/SIZE]

Really hahaha!

[MisterTinkles]

Really hahaha!

Yes, yes, that joke is so old, youre showing your true age.

[gilhooly]

As a pagan, I never go near organized religions. I like to pray to God sitting on a park bench. Maybe people who spend too much time debating organized religions become incoherent.