MaddogCT Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Sometimes I think people take such things like this too seriously. How are Scientologists really any different that any other religious sect? Is it because they are non-denominational? As a Christian myself (Lutheran) - I tend to think that if people find faith in religious sects such as scientology - then good for them. In the grand scheme of things - is this really that important of a subject? Or are we mad that they are pouring their money into non-traditional forms of religion? The problem is the followers of scientology do not find faith. They NEVER DO. That's the scam . Hubbard and now the new guy keeps creating new levels for the people to achieve. And to keep leveling up, you gotta pay. Carrot before the horse. With Christianity or any legit religion faith comes from WITHIN the PERSON not from the CHURCH. We are mad because, scientology acts like a religion so it can get a tax break. While trying to get their religious status back from the IRS, teachers suddenly became priests, and others became Deacons, and the new "priests" wore black and had collars. This was not due to "enlightenment" it was only done to get the tax exemption returned. We are mad because, like the snake oil salesmen of one hundred years ago, the scientologists claim to have the answers to EVERYTHING! When was the last time the Lutheran Church filed a law suit against anybody? Or followed its own members? Or threatened to KILL a former member? Thought so. Your attitude seem to be "if they are happy why should we be against it?" Because they lessen the word "religion" when they use it. Because the next person who falls for their scam could be a friend, mother, father, sibling. And then you lose that person. Because they try to use the first amendment to express their view while at the same time prevent YOU from expressing yours. Because of Jonestown. A cult masquerading as a religion harms all of us, because we legitimize it if we sit back and do nothing. :logo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by MaddogCT The problem is the followers of scientology do not find faith. They NEVER DO. That's the scam . Hubbard and now the new guy keeps creating new levels for the people to achieve. And to keep leveling up, you gotta pay. Carrot before the horse. With Christianity or any legit religion faith comes from WITHIN the PERSON not from the CHURCH. not to defend it, but who are you to say they never find faith? really? whether you like it or not, its a religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herrmag Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by PokerPacker not to defend it, but who are you to say they never find faith? really? whether you like it or not, its a religion. Maybe some do find faith, and for that, I hope they do not suffer the consequences of their faith that many non-wealthy Scientologists have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panel Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I did some research about Scientology not to long ago, and it is some weird stuff. I’m no expert, but from what I’ve found, it basically works like this, when you first show interest, you are never told what the religion is about, they tell you something like this: "The aims of Scientology are a world without insanity, without criminals, without war, where the able can prosper and where Man is free to rise to greater heights." Or something else that is completely vague that tells you nothing. You only get to know about the core of the religion after you move up the ranks and the slowly tell you about it and get you deeper in the religion, and the only way you can move up in the ranks is if you either drop around half a mill in fees to teach you about the religion, or work you debt off in these camps where you work in fields all day long working like a mule 18 hour a day (like that episode from the Simpson’s where homer joins a cult). Also, when you first join up, they make you write a letter to your family saying that you know that they love, but you can never see them or talk to them again because they are a bad influence against your new religion. Katie Holmes parents are pissed at Tom Cruise because they don't talk to her any more and she dropped them one of those letters. As you work you way up the scientology latter you learn that Psychiatry is an evil practice and that the medication they prescribe is also evil, and psychiatry is a conspiracy to keep you from the truth. (Thats why Tom Cruise was so crazy about that stuff in the interview with Matt Lauer, not because he did all this research, but because his religion told him so) You also are given a list of evil people that you can never look at, or speak to, or even mention their name, and that list is always growing. If you get to the top level of scientology, you are promised special powers, (like star wars Jedi’s), and that’s how they bait you in to paying the big $ to them to learn more, that and they use a lot of peer pressure and guilt. Then once you get to the top they tell you the base of the religion, and you get told this story: http://www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuleaf.htm Basically it says that a long time ago there was an alien who ruled the galaxy and gained power with the help of psychiatrists to brain wash everyone in the galaxy, and shipped everyone in the galaxy to earth in spaceships (that look like 1950s airplanes) once at earth, xenu killed everyone with H-bombs and Volcanoes and used flypaper to catch everyone’s soul after they die, then brain wash their souls. After that, the souls are reincarnated over and over. So everyone has about 1000 brainwashed souls in them today, and scientology will un-brain wash them and give you powers. Is Scientology evil? I don't know, if you know a scientologist they have probably been sheltered from any one from they’re past and told do things that make their life so much harder than is has to be. But you do have to make the choice to be a scientologist your self, and if your life is sucks so much that you enjoy what scientology offers over your current life, then what ever, maybe it is better for you, but if any my friends or family was serious about it, I'd do my best to get them away from those nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddogCT Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by PokerPacker not to defend it, but who are you to say they never find faith? really? whether you like it or not, its a religion. Faith comes from within. Not from the church. scientology bases your "faith" (they call it faith now, it used to be called states) on what level of courses you have paid to take. scientology is like going to college and every time you think you have enough credits to graduate they add another 20 courses. Like it or not, it is NOT a religion. :logo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty P For The Pulitzer Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by skinzfan4life The perfect explanation of this religion can be grasped by watching the Simpsons...i do not know the name of the exact episode but "The Leader" comes to town, and takes everyones money. And im sure a good portion of you know what happens after.... sounds pretty damn similar. Ahh, the Movementarians. Great episode. Yeah, the leader takes everyone's money and is going to fly them on a spaceship to Blisstonia. Definitely a shot at Scientologists and some of these other cult freaks. As for why we should care about Scientologists if they aren't "hurting anybody we know", we don't. They're just a bunch of freaks and we're calling them out for it. If you're comparing Scientology to Christianity (or any other major religion, for that matter), you clearly don't know the least bit about either. The only similarity between the 2 is that they both believe in something more than just life here on Earth. Originally posted by chomerics Who, Hubbard or Constantine? Constantine didn't write the Bible. Did you get that from DaVinci Code? The books of the Bible were written long before him, and Christianity existed long before him. As far as I'm concerned, there's no clear evidence out there that he had anything to do with putting it together either. And do you know any of the names of the science fiction books he wrote? I might want to pick a few of those up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 FP, noboby here has suggested Constantine "wrote the Bible." Not even close. A quick google search should make the references that have been made---in a clearly humorous way---fairly obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking Deadman Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Anybody remember the Movie Bowfinger with Murphy and Martin? One of Eddie's characters (the big actor) was a member of the religous group MINDHEAD (or as Steve Martin called it MINDF***) I think that was a little parody of the Scientologists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 "The leader is good. The Leader is great. We surrender our will, as of this date" "na-na-na-na-na-na-na leader!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty P For The Pulitzer Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by rictus58 "The leader is good. The Leader is great. We surrender our will, as of this date" "na-na-na-na-na-na-na leader!" Sect member: You're family will be housed here for the first 100,000 years, then something might open up in a double. Homer: Why even unpack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Fatty P For The Pulitzer Sect member: You're family will be housed here for the first 100,000 years, then something might open up in a double. Homer: Why even unpack? HAHA Jane: It certainly is a beautiful day. We should thank the leader. Homer: Who the hell is that, some kind of leader? Jane: Yes. He's the head of our perfect family, and when our galactic vehicle is complete he will take us to our new home, Blisstonia. Glen: Why don't you come chat with us about the leader at the welcome center? Homer: Will there be beer? Glen: Beer is not allowed. Homer: Homer no function beer well without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty P For The Pulitzer Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Om FP, noboby here has suggested Constantine "wrote the Bible." Not even close. A quick google search should make the references that have been made---in a clearly humorous way---fairly obvious. Sorry for not picking up on agnostic humor. I don't really feel like google-ing every post on here. Do you want to explain why that wasn't a shot at Christianity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking Deadman Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Fatty P For The Pulitzer Sect member: You're family will be housed here for the first 100,000 years, then something might open up in a double. Homer: Why even unpack? na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na----Batman!! I mean, Leader! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty P For The Pulitzer Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 "Wait, I'm confused about the movie - so the cops knew that Internal Affairs were setting them up?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Fatty P For The Pulitzer Sorry for not picking up on agnostic humor. I don't really feel like google-ing every post on here. Do you want to explain why that wasn't a shot at Christianity. Not particularly. If you have to explain a joke, it kinda loses something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I love it when a serious theological discussion degenerates into the simpsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking Deadman Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Fatty P For The Pulitzer "Wait, I'm confused about the movie - so the cops knew that Internal Affairs were setting them up?" :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by T.E.G. Not to defend scientologists - by any mean - but isn't that what some people think about Christianity? Why the hatred (ok, maybe too strong of a word) on a faith (or whatever) that brings people peace in their life? Are the scientologists really hurting you or me (or in that fact, others)? Let them believe that the world was populated by aliens (as supposed super secret 7th level scientologists are "let in on"). In the end, who really cares? No one claims that Christianity is not a religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by chomerics Who, Hubbard or Constantine? Keanu Reeves started his own religion??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by redman No one claims that Christianity is not a religion. No, but some do claim that it's a false religion. Which was what I was trying to assert when those comments were made, albeit clumsily. I still think the outcry on this board over scientology is nonsensical. The idea that this 'cult' will brainwash our cousin, aunt, uncle, brother, mom, etc...should be a little too much even for the Reynold's Wrap wearing crowd to ingest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinzfan4life Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by rictus58 I love it when a serious theological discussion degenerates into the simpsons. hahaha, you can relate everything to the simpsons, oh how great that show is. Go leader Go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty P For The Pulitzer Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by rictus58 I love it when a serious theological discussion degenerates into the simpsons. I loved how quickly Willie became a follower of the leader too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinzfan4life Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Fatty P For The Pulitzer I loved how quickly Willie became a follower of the leader too!! ahahaha i agree.... woman he is talking about the leader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinzfan4life Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by Riggo-toni ... :laugh: :laugh: that comic is great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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