Will Smith: Scientolgy teachings are 98% identical to Bible

[WVUforREDSKINS]

The chaos here on earth must result from whoever is in control on the other end leaving the computer instead of controlling the "program" like he should. Kind of reminds me of when you play the Sims and stop paying attention to what they are doing. Everything just goes nuts and people are dying and being electrocuted and all sorts of crazy ****.

Makes sense though, doesn't it?

Alien gets up for a snack and there is a war

[The_cavalierman]

As an atheist, I would say that this is pretty humorous. Although, I will give Christianity a little more credit than Scientology. At least Christianity is based on the teachings of an actual historical figure, while Scientology is based on science fiction novels.

Well...that is your choice to give christianity more credit but I think the fact that some christians went out of their way to slam another religion takes credit away.

They have nothing to fear from scientology..except muscling in on their racket.:laugh:

[Zguy28]

1. How can christians claim with any credibility that Will Smith/Scientology is wrong when they cannot quantify their own religions within the umbrella of christianity?

Whether or not scientology is wrong isn't the point of the thread. Will Smith made a claim that Scientology was 98% the same as the Bible.

That is false merely on the hydrogen bombs and Galactic Confederacy stuff alone.:2cents:

2. Someone called scientology a pseudo-pyramid scheme but the same could be said of all other religions? Seems like all of the big wigs are living large while all of the worker bees are struggling to me. More money coming into the churches than going out..

I don't think it was a Christian who said that.

Show me an organization that has more money going out than goes in.

3. I said nothing except that I am watching the back and forth so I am not sure why you are making all of these outrageous claims.

Maybe the athiests here find a little comedy in the fact that theists are arguing over who's unquantifiable beliefs are more legit?

:laugh:

Why do you think the majority of the posters in this thread are theists?

[Heisenberg]

Makes sense though, doesn't it?

Alien gets up for a snack and there is a war

I obviously wasn't being serious. Although it was a funny thought.

[Zguy28]

Well...that is your choice to give christianity more credit but I think the fact that some christians went out of their way to slam another religion takes credit away.

They have nothing to fear from scientology..except muscling in on their racket.:laugh:

Again, who went out of their way to slam whom? The Christians slamming the Scientologists or the Atheists slamming the Christians/God.

[WVUforREDSKINS]

I obviously wasn't being serious. Although it was a funny thought.

:laugh: :laugh:

Well, of course, neither was I.

[CrazyZeb]

2. Someone called scientology a pseudo-pyramid scheme but the same could be said of all other religions? Seems like all of the big wigs are living large while all of the worker bees are struggling to me. More money coming into the churches than going out..

What big-wigs? Pat Robertson, etc. are not the leaders of the Church, just who the media and people such as yourselves portray as such. I have no connection with Pat Robertson, and know exactly where all my donations go via the church budget. He represents me no more than Al Sharpton represents African Americans.

I can't believe Christians catch more flack in this thread than Scientolgists. One of the foundations of Christianity is to love others as you would yourself. Sure, we're all imperfect and fall short. Many give a bad name to Christianity, even myself at times, and some are completely phony, but the true underlying message is a good one and not deserving of such hatred and mockery.

[WVUforREDSKINS]

What big-wigs? Pat Robertson, etc. are not the leaders of the Church, just who the media and people such as yourselves portray as such. I have no connection with Pat Robertson, and know exactly where all my donations go via the church budget. He represents me no more than Al Sharpton represents African Americans.

I can't believe Christians catch more flack in this thread than Scientolgists. One of the foundations of Christianity is to love others as you would yourself. Sure, we're all imperfect and fall short. Many give a bad name to Christianity, even myself at times, and some are completely phony, but the true underlying message is a good one and not deserving of such hatred and mockery.

I can agree with that.

However, the true message of Christainity seems (to me) to be forgotten . It is corrupt and exploited now for power or wealth now.

[The_cavalierman]

What big-wigs? Pat Robertson, etc. are not the leaders of the Church, just who the media and people such as yourselves portray as such. I have no connection with Pat Robertson, and know exactly where all my donations go via the church budget. He represents me no more than Al Sharpton represents African Americans.

I can't believe Christians catch more flack in this thread than Scientolgists. One of the foundations of Christianity is to love others as you would yourself. Sure, we're all imperfect and fall short. Many give a bad name to Christianity, even myself at times, and some are completely phony, but the true underlying message is a good one and not deserving of such hatred and mockery.

Pat robertson???? Who mentioned him???

Have you read my posts???

I am mocking neither.....I am observing this comically ironic back and forth between the two religions.

This is very interesting from the outside looking in.

[Zguy28]

I can agree with that.

However, the true message of Christainity seems (to me) to be forgotten . It is corrupt and exploited now for power or wealth now.

By those you see on TV.

For every one that you see exploiting people via TV, there are millions more doing it right.:2cents:

[CrazyZeb]

Pat robertson???? Who mentioned him???

Have you read my posts???

I am mocking neither.....I am observing this comically ironic back and forth between the two religions.

This is very interesting from the outside looking in.

Then define big-wigs. Give some names of what you're referring to (in regards to Christians, since that what I can speak to)

What back and forth? As was said before, 95% of this thread is atheists bashing all religions. And the few christians merely said they're not 98% identical as Will Smith claimed.

[CrazyZeb]

I can agree with that.

However, the true message of Christainity seems (to me) to be forgotten . It is corrupt and exploited now for power or wealth now.

Trust me, it saddens us more than it does you. I get very angry at the televangilists, etc. taking advantage of the people who don't know any better like the elderly.

I get equally upset with myself for not always being the Christian example that I should be, it's definitely a struggle, but one I will continue.

[Touchdown Redskins]

I can't believe Christians catch more flack in this thread than Scientolgists. One of the foundations of Christianity is to love others as you would yourself. Sure, we're all imperfect and fall short. Many give a bad name to Christianity, even myself at times, and some are completely phony, but the true underlying message is a good one and not deserving of such hatred and mockery.

Well, then why would anybody criticize Scientology? I'm not 100% sure about the teachings of Scientology, but if they're like any other religion, then a large part of it is based on how to live your life so that you can have access to an afterlife. Those are the basic principles of any religion, so in a sense, Will Smith is right. Your means may not be the same, but your ends might very well be.

I used to be a Hindu, and judging from that experience, Christians and Hindus are all looking for the same thing: to be good humans and to reach ther afterlife. All the other stuff is ancillary.

[CrazyZeb]

Well, then why would anybody criticize Scientology? I'm not 100% sure about the teachings of Scientology are, but if it's like any other religion, then a large part of it is based on how to live your life so that you can have access to an afterlife. Those are the basic principles of any religion, so in a sense, Will Smith is right. Your means may not be the same, but your ends might very well be.

I used to be a Hindu, and judging from that experience, Christians and Hindus are all looking for the same thing: to be good humans and to reach ther afterlife. All the other stuff is ancillary.

I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to insult Hindu. I don't believe in it, but I have no desire to make its members feel like some nit-wit morons who believe in a "fairy tale". I don't enjoy trying to hurt people.

Only "good" message I've heard from Scientology is to better yourself and fix your own character flaws which seems a bit selfish, but what do I know.

[techboy]

Well, then why would anybody criticize Scientology?

I'll make a list, in increasing order of importance.

1. It was started by a science fiction author.

2. That science fiction author is reported by multiple people in multiple sources to have made statements such as "why get paid by the word? Start a religion and make millions".

3. That science fiction author, in writing, has stated that Scientology only claimed status as a religion for the tax breaks.

4. In Scientology, one must pay an increasing amount of money for each level of enlightenment. (It's true that some religious leaders seem to be all about the money, but I can't think of another "religion" where it's actually a strict requirement that one pay).

5. The Church of Scientology is not harmless. It deliberately and maliciously goes after anyone it sees as an enemy, using tactics such as repeated frivolous lawsuits (and worse) to attempt to destroy said enemies' reputation, financial well-being, and life. This is not some harmless group of weirdos worshipping a shoe in a field. They are big, well-organized, rich, and ruthless. Consider this excerpt from a court ruling:

On the first issue, the Court finds that the motivation of

plaintiff in filing this lawsuit against the Post is reprehensible.

Although the RTC brought the complaint under traditional secular

concepts of copyright and trade secret law, it has become clear

that a much broader motivation prevailed--the stifling of crticism

and dissent of the religious practices of Scientology and the

destruction of its opponents. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of

Scientology, has been quoted as looking upon law as a tool to

[h]arass and discourage rather than to win.

The law can be used very easily to harrass and

enough harrassment on somebody who is simply on

the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is

not authorized, will generally be sufficient

to cause his professional decease. If

possible, of course, ruin him utterly.

[Coach Williams]

:laugh: Looks like this thread is STILL raging on ~18 hours later.

I'm gonna throw a twist into this thread....

What if Scientologists believed Hubbard was the 2nd coming of Christ?

:doh:

[DGreenistheBest]

:laugh: Looks like this thread is STILL raging on ~18 hours later.

I'm gonna throw a twist into this thread....

What if Scientologists believed Hubbard was the 2nd coming of Christ?

:doh:

Then they would be equally as stupid as they are now?

[Touchdown Redskins]

I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to insult Hindu. I don't believe in it, but I have no desire to make its members feel like some nit-wit morons who believe in a "fairy tale". I don't enjoy trying to hurt people.

Only "good" message I've heard from Scientology is to better yourself and fix your own character flaws which seems a bit selfish, but what do I know.

Well, I'm an atheist, so don't worry about insulting Hinduism. If they are trying to make someone better, I think that's just about what every other religion does.

I'll make a list, in increasing order of importance.

1. It was started by a science fiction author.

2. That science fiction author is reported by multiple people in multiple sources to have made statements such as "why get paid by the word? Start a religion and make millions".

3. That science fiction author, in writing, has stated that Scientology only claimed status as a religion for the tax breaks.

4. In Scientology, one must pay an increasing amount of money for each level of enlightenment. (It's true that some religious leaders seem to be all about the money, but I can't think of another "religion" where it's actually a strict requirement that one pay).

5. The Church of Scientology is not harmless. It deliberately and maliciously goes after anyone it sees as an enemy, using tactics such as repeated frivolous lawsuits (and worse) to attempt to destroy said enemies' reputation, financial well-being, and life. This is not some harmless group of weirdos worshipping a shoe in a field. They are big, well-organized, rich, and ruthless. Consider this excerpt from a court ruling:

Well, as an atheist, Scientology's teachings are about as "believable" as Christianity's to me. If people wish to be "duped" by a science fiction author, then to me that's tantamount to believing in any religion.

Now, I have heard that Scientology is a get-rich-quick scheme, but I have not heard about its tactics. That's pretty despicable. The thing is, this is not as different as Christianity's evangelists, the Crusades, or Islam's Jihads. To me, they're all trying to make their opponents see that their religion is better than their opponents'.

[The_cavalierman]

Again, who went out of their way to slam whom? The Christians slamming the Scientologists or the Atheists slamming the Christians/God.

But messin with you guys is so much fun...

You do have a sense of humor don't you?

[PokerPacker]

But messin with you guys is so much fun...

You do have a sense of humor don't you?

that gets washed away at baptism

[WVUforREDSKINS]

that gets washed away at baptism

:laugh:

Good one!

[The_cavalierman]

that gets washed away at baptism

:laugh: :applause:

[techboy]

But messin with you guys is so much fun...

You do have a sense of humor don't you?

As an atheist, you just wouldn't understand how important this is. God's work is serious business. There's no time to waste on levity. Do you know why Baptists are such hardliners about sin?

It might lead to dancing.

[Coach Williams]

that gets washed away at baptism

Not true, I can enjoy the occasional religious joke ( especially if the stereotype matches the general populous ) however continuous sacrilege is irritating. Especially the kind with zero intelligent backing.

[The_cavalierman]

As an atheist, you just wouldn't understand how important this is. God's work is serious business. There's no time to waste on levity. Do you know why Baptists are such hardliners about sin?

It might lead to dancing.

:laugh: