Controversial Scientology

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



It claims to be a religion. Many do not agree.

It has had an impact on Hollywood.

Tom swears by it.

So does John Travolta

So does Kirstie (Star Trek) Alley

and Anne (Fatal Attraction) Archer.

But why?

What exactly is going on with these people?

And do you think it will vanish and shrink?

Or is it here to permanently stay in some shape or form?





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chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
I think any and all religions can be dangerous when fundamentalism is applied. I'll support anyone's right to believe what they want, so long as it doesn't harm someone else or infringe upon someone else's rights (meaning all of these so-called "religious liberties" that folks are whining about is just their way of complaining that the world isn't white, straight and christian anymore).

That being said, scientologists are just kooky. Like, they all need severe psychological help. Which is probably why they eschew it so.
 
As far as veracity is concerned the only difference between Scientology and any other religion is age.

If you believe that a man was resurrected from the dead after 3 days, that a snake could talk, that Muhammad split the moon in half, that a horse could fly or that thousands of years ago magical beings sent down lists of rules for humans to follow you can't really complain that other people believe an alien called Xenu brought humans to Earth in aeroplanes.

It's all absolute shit. I know a lot of religious people will say "You can't prove that" and you're right, I can't, but you can't prove Homer Simpson doesn't exist either.
 

High Plains Drifter

The Drifter
VIP
I have been watching that A&E show with Leah Remini Scientology and the Aftermath. Wow! Just wow. Some of the stuff that they talk about and the stories. Pretty crazy stuff. The thing I don't understand is how anyone with a brain could join up. Then they talk about the cost of the books, and lectures. Plus how much they spend. Basically it's like a pay and play game sort of thing. You spend and you gain levels. The thing that was saddening was the fact they will shun and cut off friends and families. Also the cult vibe is another thing. This is my view everyone will have their own on this subject.
 

duzit

Member: Rank 6
@High Plains Drifter
I agree with you. I have caught bits & pieces of the A&E show, but have not been able to take in a whole hour of the BS that makes up this so called "religion". I don't know how an everyday (non - celebrity) person could afford to practice their followings. One of the things they have their members do is to be taken out to sea on a large ship. The members are to attend classes while not able to escape the cruise. All this is paid for by the member, sometimes signing away their savings/properties. I have no religious
preference, but this sounds just plain crazy to me...
 

duzit

Member: Rank 6
@chainsaw_metal1

Info about Manson: TV Magazine program 20/20 is airing a 2hr. special next Fri. 3/17 from 9-11.
He is a sicko to top all sicko's. A good book about Manson I read years ago is Helter Skelter.
There was a movie of the same name (1976), I did not see it, so I don't know how true to the book
it was.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
I never saw the movie either. As I recall, the book was good, but it's been well over 20 years since I've read it. I just never understood why they kept Manson alive all these years. It just seems almost cruel to allow him to rot in jail and keep the idea of parole in front of him like a carrot he'll never reach. Almost.
 

High Plains Drifter

The Drifter
VIP
I just never understood why they kept Manson alive all these years.
It is because most states became wussified and don't have the guts to kill anymore. In my eyes most of those sick bastards deserve to die. I know it's not the christian way, but that's how I feel at times. How can people go after they learned what some killers have done or tortured their loved ones, forgive? I know some people that were killed/died in prison were innocent. I'm just talking the ones they can prove 100 percent. Anyway, there is also the fact that some prisons make money off having prisoners. I just don't get it, really. If all 50 states went back to the death penalty then we wouldn't have overpopulation. Plus, guys like Manson would have been gone many years ago. Didn't they free John Lennon's killer?

I still like Sheriff Joe and his jail set up. Also gotta love Texas ....

It just seems almost cruel to allow him to rot in jail and keep the idea of parole in front of him like a carrot he'll never reach. Almost.
Just think of this instead of a carrot.


Here's a few questions
Why do celebs join up with Scientology?
What do they get out of it in the long run?
Do you think Scientology would still be going strong without the celeb factor?
Do you think Tom Cruise is brainwashed by the church?
 

duzit

Member: Rank 6
Consider this about life prisoners, they are provided: a roof over their head, food ,clothing , medical, dental,
computers, library, gym facilities and other amenities. All these things are being paid for by law abiding,
hard working everyday people thru taxes. Everyday people can have difficulty providing such
amenities for themselves and their families. I agree that the death penalty should be re-establish for the purpose of getting rid of lifers & as a determent for comitting such heinous crimes.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
Why do celebs join up with Scientology?
I suppose for some, it's a fad. Like how there were celebrities that got into Kabbalah.

What do they get out of it in the long run?
The allure of power that is promised to them by the leaders, if one believes the rumors. Also, I'm certain that, for those who aren't grounded, it's a feeling of community.

Do you think Scientology would still be going strong without the celeb factor?
No. Not at all.

Do you think Tom Cruise is brainwashed by the church?
I think he has psychological issues to begin with. So it doesn't shock me that he would buy into their spiel 100%.

As for the death penalty, there are cases I think it should be administered. I also add rapists and child molesters on that list. However, I also see the point of the old saying about it being better to see 100 guilty men live than one innocent man die. I have no good answers for this one, I'm too much of a philosopher.
 

High Plains Drifter

The Drifter
VIP
Consider this about life prisoners, they are provided: a roof over their head, food ,clothing , medical, dental,
computers, library, gym facilities and other amenities. All these things are being paid for by law abiding,
hard working everyday people thru taxes. Everyday people can have difficulty providing such
amenities for themselves and their families.
Bad thing is if they leave they have to pay it back. They showed on the Leah show that they sign a contract. If they leave/escape the church comes calling. Plus, even the head monkey of the church his dad left/ran away. I watched all of those shows good watch, stories, and leaves you going wow and how can this be real.
 

Janine The Barefoot

Wacky Norwegian Woman
Scientologists are weird.

Why can't they just believe normal stuff? You know, like a man walking on water.
I think any and all religions can be dangerous when fundamentalism is applied. I'll support anyone's right to believe what they want, so long as it doesn't harm someone else or infringe upon someone else's rights (meaning all of these so-called "religious liberties" that folks are whining about is just their way of complaining that the world isn't white, straight and christian anymore).

That being said, scientologists are just kooky. Like, they all need severe psychological help. Which is probably why they eschew it so.
I think any and all religions can be dangerous when fundamentalism is applied. I'll support anyone's right to believe what they want, so long as it doesn't harm someone else or infringe upon someone else's rights (meaning all of these so-called "religious liberties" that folks are whining about is just their way of complaining that the world isn't white, straight and christian anymore).

That being said, scientologists are just kooky. Like, they all need severe psychological help. Which is probably why they eschew it so.
chainsaw, buddy!..... they're just pissed cause someone dropped a house on their sister!.... Oh yeah, and then took the pretty red party shoes!

But with that being said, I think I should also add that with virtually every other religion in the world, the "Word of God" has been passed down to believers by prophets and/or men who genuinely saw themselves as providing a "connection" to either God himself or to a system of belief that culminated in the rise of ones soul or spirit to a higher plane of existence and in almost every single case it involved living in such a way as to bring no harm to others nor to condemn them for their beliefs. So although Christianity (and I'm not talking about the "born agains".... those people make scientology look almost sane), Islam and the Jews have, respectively: the Bible, the Koran, and the Old Testament (and since I haven't read any of them cover-to-cover and don't feel comfortable offering any kind of evaluation on their contents), there are also Buddhists, Taoists and many others who follow the teachings of men they believed attained some kind of ascension or enlightenment as the result of the way in which they lived their lives. In each case there was something inspirational to be found in their written works and/or the men themselves.

What I struggle with is that, in each case, it is ultimately the word of man that serves as the foundation for those beliefs and frankly, as I see it, that just boils down to a search for power and the desire to convince others that "this belief" or "that belief" offers a means to a better life through following certain "rules" set down by a guy who says he either is or has been, touched by God.... well, except the Scientologists. They've been touched by a bad Science-Fi writer who had a God-complex. And don't even get me started on the Mormons (one sect of which will defend their right to pedophilia to the death) or the Jehovah's Witnesses who are pretty much running a ponzi-scheme to get into heaven... the more you convert the closer you get to being one of the, what is it... 500 chosen who actually will make it to heaven? Cause I have never been aware that, like a HOA, they have a cap on how many can be housed there! So recruit away foolish believers... you, like those of us who will never see the Social Security we've been paying into our whole lives... are also free to live the dream although it won't really do you much good.

In the end, every single system of belief lasts only as long as there are people who are willing to buy into it and even then, only as long as it can continue to survive in the current tidal wave of political beliefs and world-wide public actions (which although in this country are supposed to be well and truly separate are now being used like hammers to pound any who don't support their "obvious" connections to righteousness/God into the ground and possibly push those of us who don't agree right on down to Hell itself). We can't predict how long any religion will last because we refuse to learn from history and we have no way of predicting what the final result would be when or if, people who've been repressed for generations finally rise-up against their oppressors and take action against them. The survival of religion in that case, will also be determined by what the survivors choose to hold onto and/or what they choose to discard... rather like the heads of the French Aristocracy... or the Russian Aristocracy.... or any other heads of state who've promoted their own well-being to the ultimate destruction of the classes who are no longer able to support that "state of being" both literally and figuratively.

And to any who've taken offense, I apologize. Both my Grandfather and my Uncle were Lutheran ministers virtually their entire lives and one of the things G'pa and I debated most strongly was my struggle with man's so-called "organization" of religion. Thankfully, because he loved me so much, he pretty much turned back to Martin Luther and said he supposed I was just another "rebel" of my generation! But please know that I meant no offense in my explanation of what are essentially, my own beliefs.
 
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