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Scientology, cults, and associated madness


justice98

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People inherently want to feel like they belong to something.  For some, normal avenues for acceptance arent enough for personal fulfillment.  Which opens up the doors for hucksters, demigods and false prophets (as opposed to true prophets......)

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5 minutes ago, justice98 said:

They're literally holding people hostage in Scientology though.  The leader is going around beating people up.  

 

They analogized it in the A&E show that if the Pope were assaulting his followers, people would freak out.

My wife's godmother goes to Catholic mass every day.  Every....single....day.  That's a normalized hostage situation.

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I watched "going clear" and I about had to pick my jaw up of the floor. And that was after knowing a thing or two about scientology.  It's an unbelievable documentary for anyone who hasn't seen it. 

 

 

8 minutes ago, justice98 said:

They're literally holding people hostage in Scientology though.  The leader is going around beating people up.  

 

Did you hear about how he had people in the "hole", playing musical chairs and fighting each other to stay IN the hole, just cuz he convinced them to? 

 

That's pretty ****ed up. 

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47 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

I'm sure the same would have been said of Christianity a couple millenia ago.

It was. Until it turned the known world upside down. Unlike Scientology which intimidates and blackmails people who speak against it.

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2 minutes ago, Zguy28 said:

It was. Until it turned the known world upside down. Unlike Scientology which intimidates and blackmails people who speak against it.

It took how long for Christianity to turn the world upside-down?  Also, wasn't it basically blackmail that got it into that position?  Justinian's wife holding out on him until he converted and then subsequently converted the Byzantine Empire. (forgive me if my history is a bit hazy here)

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1 minute ago, PokerPacker said:

It took how long for Christianity to turn the world upside-down?  Also, wasn't it basically blackmail that got it into that position?  Justinian's wife holding out on him until he converted and then subsequently converted the Byzantine Empire. (forgive me if my history is a bit hazy here)

I was talking more about the first century with Paul and Peter and John etc. They started churches all over the Roman Empire and made thousands of converts of both Jews and Gentiles.

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1 minute ago, PokerPacker said:

It took how long for Christianity to turn the world upside-down?  Also, wasn't it basically blackmail that got it into that position?  Justinian's wife holding out on him until he converted and then subsequently converted the Byzantine Empire. (forgive me if my history is a bit hazy here)

Yeah it is very hazy.  It was Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire that converted the Empire to Christianity over 200 years before Justinian ruled the Eastern Roman Empire.

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5 minutes ago, Zguy28 said:

I was talking more about the first century with Paul and Peter and John etc. They started churches all over the Roman Empire and made thousands of converts of both Jews and Gentiles.

And scientology, in its first few decades, has made thousands of converts including many high-profile celebrities.

4 minutes ago, nonniey said:

Yeah it is very hazy.  It was Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire that converted the Empire to Christianity over 200 years before Justinian ruled the Eastern Roman Empire.

History was never my best subject. :(

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7 hours ago, PokerPacker said:

And scientology, in its first few decades, has made thousands of converts including many high-profile celebrities.

 

One of the executives that left said they haven't recruited a big name celebrity in decades though.  Travolta joined in the 70s and Cruise in the 80s.  After that, it's mostly C-list celebs that grew up in the church. The celebrity involvement has always been overstated.

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I would say that Christianity is too undefined and broad a belief system to classify as a cult. However, there are churches and movements that call themselves Christian that display many of the characteristics of a cult. The branch davidians were certainly one. Jim Jones and Jonestown was another. 

 

Scientologys practice of disconnection, labeling family members "suppressive persons", insisting members don't communicate with anyone critical of the church, it's insistence on members not reading or watching material critical of the church, the fervor with which members are encouraged to extract money from members, the charismatic, all controlling,  all powerful leader, these are all hallmarks of a cult. No question, it fits the bill. 

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