NationStates Jolt Archive

Yes, another thread for opinions on something. This time it's Scientology!

Once again, please be "sensitive" to other peoples views. ;)

We just want a friendly discussion about religion here. ;)

Ok? Good. Discuss. :)

Fucking retarded.

Fucking retarded.
Beat me to it. It's retarded.

It goes beyond "scam". It's an evil scheme worthy of comic book villains.

I think Scientology is a crock of shit, but to each his own.

Scientology: Dee Dee Dee :D

I think its stupid. I think I read somewhere John Kerry is a scientologist actually.

I think its stupid. I think I read somewhere John Kerry is a scientologist actually.

Nah, he's Catholic.

Scientology is a dangerous cult that not only rips people off, but it also kills, yes Scientology actually kills it members who dare not think like a good little Scientologist is suppose to.

It would make a good Sci-Fi book. Maybe even a decent movie. As a religion, it sux.

Just another set of beliefs. Tom Cruise is funny...

I figure Scientology makes as much sense as any other religion...which is to say none at all :)

Scientology is a dangerous cult that not only rips people off, but it also kills, yes Scientology actually kills it members who dare not think like a good little Scientologist is suppose to.

Do you have any proof of this? Any Source?

I call bullshit.

I think its stupid. I think I read somewhere John Kerry is a scientologist actually.

That may be the funniest thing I've read all day.

The man is no longer important: why smear him with the tar brush?

And the leaders are geniuses for fooling so many people. It is bullshit, but they deserve props.

i thought it was widely known that the dude that wrote that book(dianetics?) didnt believe in it and then it just turned into a money making scam.

Do you have any proof of this? Any Source?

I have several

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/

Lisa McPherson is the most famous case of death by Scientology.

http://www.lermanet.com/cos/five.html

http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/13/scientology.death/

http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

This website is created by a former Scientologist and it exposes this cult, for what it really is.

http://www.xenu.net/

I thought the whole "OMGZ WE MUST CONVERT TO SCIENTOLOGY BECAUSE OF TOMKAT" phase was over.

Just another set of beliefs. Tom Cruise is funny...

I have a stance on this: Any religion that is against antidepressants is unworthy of happiness.

Luddites... Luddites... Luddites...

I have several

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/

Lisa McPherson is the most famous case of death by Scientology.

http://www.lermanet.com/cos/five.html

http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/13/scientology.death/

http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

This website is created by a former Scientologist and it exposes this cult, for what it really is.

http://www.xenu.net/


I stand corrected.

So tell me Ladamesansmerci, your location is "hippieville;" you're not, by chance, from Berkeley, are you?

So tell me Ladamesansmerci, your location is "hippieville;" you're not, by chance, from Berkeley, are you?

No, I don't even know where this Berkeley is. But if it might be called Hippieville, I want to visit it. I actually live in Victoria, BC (that's in Canada).

I have several

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/

Lisa McPherson is the most famous case of death by Scientology.

http://www.lermanet.com/cos/five.html

http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/13/scientology.death/

http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

This website is created by a former Scientologist and it exposes this cult, for what it really is.

http://www.xenu.net/

Okay, I'm a lazy bum, so summerize for me what those web sites are talking about. And if you insert the words "vote for Shwartzenegger" in there anywhere, I'm going to have to kill you.

So tell me Ladamesansmerci, your location is "hippieville;" you're not, by chance, from Berkeley, are you?

where is berkely? there is donegal band named after it.

Okay, I'm a lazy bum, so summerize for me what those web sites are talking about. And if you insert the words "vote for Shwartzenegger" in there anywhere, I'm going to have to kill you.

*hits you for being a lazy ass*

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/

This website list the death that are associated with the Cult of Scientology.

The three websites below is about Lisa McPherson is the most famous case of death by Scientology.

http://www.lermanet.com/cos/five.html

http://www.cnn.com/US/9811/13/scientology.death/

http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

This website is created by a former Scientologist and it exposes this cult, for what it really is.

http://www.xenu.net/

what is scientology?

what is scientology?

A cult created by L. Ron Hubbard as a mean to make money off of stupid people.

what is scientology?

you seriously have never heard of scientology?

No, I don't even know where this Berkeley is. But if it might be called Hippieville, I want to visit it. I actually live in Victoria, BC (that's in Canada).

I've been to Victoria. It's been a long time, but if I recall, it was nice. Berkeley is a place in California where hippiism never died. When people started noticing that San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district is actually quite a beautiful place to live (and even the rent got high (a little ironic, isn't it?)), the remaining hippies went to one of two locations:

Hippiism, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley:

Santa Cruz: A vibrant seaside city that has a university (U.C. Santa Cruz) that, up until recently, was pobably the only one in the world that gave out smiley faces instead of grades. The city is home to primarily sufer-dudes, liberal university students, and, of course, the majority of the populace: hippies. The hippies there are primarily the soft-core, layed-back, environmental, "peace is prosperity" types. They're fun. Trust me.

and

Berkely: A much busier university city home to much more hard-core hippies. (Its university, incidentally, (U.C. Berkeley) is one of the best in America, is the victorious competitor of Stanford, and is on par with Harvard and Princeton only much more rigorous. It is, however, in the true spirit of the Bay Area (the San Francisco metropolitan area) unparallelled for liberallism.) Berkeley's hippies, unlike Santa Cruz (which sort of ended up with the filtered culturally-hippies types), are much more undeluted. Drugs, homelessness, and prostitution are still a problem, as are basically all of the things you would connect with the Haight-Ashbury of the 1960s (except perhaps the "free love;" they're much older now- it may be free, but no one wants it. It may be best to avoid Berkeley late at night. Santa Cruz is just plain fun, though. To quote a Santa Cruz bumpersticker: "After the rapture, can I have your car?

Yes, another thread for opinions on something. This time it's Scientology!

I think Scientology is an awfully expensive path to restore the thetan to total freedom. Why does salvation have to cost so much? Just give your money to me, and I'll find a better use for it. ;)

I think Scientology is an awfully expensive path to restore the thetan to total freedom. Why does salvation have to cost so much? Just give your money to me, and I'll find a better use for it. ;)

Hookers and booze?

I think Scientology is an awfully expensive path to restore the thetan to total freedom. Why does salvation have to cost so much? Just give your money to me, and I'll find a better use for it. ;)

Freedom isn't free; you have to be wealthy to afford it.

Hookers and booze?

Nah, my wife would disapprove. But it would save me from having to knock over a bank to get a PS3. :D

Freedom isn't free; only the wealthy can afford it.

I know -- isn't that depressing?

I know -- isn't that depressing?

Depressing? Yes. Hence why I don't support Tom Cruise.

Depressing? Yes. Hence why I don't support Tom Cruise.

I can do ya one better. ;) I don't support Tom Cruise OR John Travolta.

I can do ya one better. ;) I don't support Tom Cruise OR John Travolta.

Travolta is a Scientologist?

I can do ya one better. ;) I don't support Tom Cruise OR John Travolta.

But He's a pilot...I can't not support him! :(

Travolta is a Scientologist?

Yes, he is. (linky (http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part05/chp19/pg0308.html)) That's one of the major reasons he was jonesing so bad to make Battlefield Earth into a movie.

When the book was first written, John Travolta wanted to make the movie, and star as Johnny Goodboy, the young hero. Of course, he could get no investors to back him. By the time the movie was made, he was too old to play the part of the hero and, instead, opted to play the part of the villain, Terl.

But He's a pilot...I can't not support him! :(

"Are we harboring a little pilot hatred here?" he said in the tones of someone who seams to be under the impression that he is Emperor Maximilian.

Yes, he is. (linky (http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part05/chp19/pg0308.html)) That's one of the major reasons he was jonesing so bad to make Battlefield Earth into a movie.

What is Battlefield Earth about? Wiht a hero's name like "Johnny Goodboy," it sounds like satire to me.

I don't have the quote handy, but L. Ron Hubbard once stated that if you wanted to really get rich, start your own religion. This was before Scientology bullied the IRS into classifying it as a religion.

I don't have the quote handy, but L. Ron Hubbard once stated that if you wanted to really get rich, start your own religion. This was before Scientology bullied the IRS into classifying it as a religion.

Hmm... Elaborate on "bullied"... ;)

What is Battlefield Earth about? Wiht a hero's name like "Johnny Goodboy," it sounds like satire to me.

Ahhh, my friend, you don't know what you've been missing. One of the worst movies ever made, based on the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's massive tome. (No movie version of the second half was ever made because no one would front any money for it.)

From the Wiki:
In the year 3000 AD, Earth has been ruled by an alien race, the Psychlos, for a millennium. Humanity has been reduced to a few scattered tribes in isolated parts of the world while the Psychlos strip the planet of its mineral wealth. Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, a member of one such tribe, lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. He leaves his village to explore the lowlands but is captured in the ruins of Denver by Terl, the Psychlo chief of security. The Psychlos, hairy 9-foot high sociopaths, are constrained by the fact that the gas they breathe explodes on contact with even traces of uranium. To get around this problem, Terl plans to train "man-animals" such as Jonnie to mine where Psychlos cannot go and, in so doing, make Terl himself a very rich Psychlo.

Terl hooks Jonnie up to a Psychlo telepathic training machine which uploads the knowledge of the Psychlos into Jonnie's brain. The newly-civilized Jonnie realizes that it is up to him to organize and lead a revolt against the Psychlos. With Terl fatally distracted by machinations against the other Psychlos, Jonnie surreptitiously creates an alliance of humans including the Chinese, the remnants of the Red Army, Tibetan lamas and most notably Scottish highlanders. The humans manage to defeat the Psychlos and regain control of Earth.

This is, however, not the end of the story: Terl survives and Jonnie must now defend the planet against the predatory interests of several other interstellar races, including a race of intergalactic bankers seeking to repossess the Earth in lieu of unpaid debts.

Ahhh, my friend, you don't know what you've been missing. One of the worst movies ever made, based on the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's massive tome. (No movie version of the second half was ever made because no one would front any money for it.)

From the Wiki:
In the year 3000 AD, Earth has been ruled by an alien race, the Psychlos, for a millennium. Humanity has been reduced to a few scattered tribes in isolated parts of the world while the Psychlos strip the planet of its mineral wealth. Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, a member of one such tribe, lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. He leaves his village to explore the lowlands but is captured in the ruins of Denver by Terl, the Psychlo chief of security. The Psychlos, hairy 9-foot high sociopaths, are constrained by the fact that the gas they breathe explodes on contact with even traces of uranium. To get around this problem, Terl plans to train "man-animals" such as Jonnie to mine where Psychlos cannot go and, in so doing, make Terl himself a very rich Psychlo.

Terl hooks Jonnie up to a Psychlo telepathic training machine which uploads the knowledge of the Psychlos into Jonnie's brain. The newly-civilized Jonnie realizes that it is up to him to organize and lead a revolt against the Psychlos. With Terl fatally distracted by machinations against the other Psychlos, Jonnie surreptitiously creates an alliance of humans including the Chinese, the remnants of the Red Army, Tibetan lamas and most notably Scottish highlanders. The humans manage to defeat the Psychlos and regain control of Earth.

This is, however, not the end of the story: Terl survives and Jonnie must now defend the planet against the predatory interests of several other interstellar races, including a race of intergalactic bankers seeking to repossess the Earth in lieu of unpaid debts.



If this doesn't remind you of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then you're all crazy.

Hmm... Elaborate on "bullied"...

Scientology did infiltrate several government agency, including the FBI and IRS.

It was called Operation Snow White

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

Ahhh, my friend, you don't know what you've been missing. One of the worst movies ever made, based on the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's massive tome. (No movie version of the second half was ever made because no one would front any money for it.)

I hate to say this now, but: is it funny? Whether unintentionally or otherwise...

If this doesn't remind you of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then you're all crazy.

I've never seen or read Hitchhiker's Guide.

Woot Ding Ding Ding!!!!!! (drops Ballons And Confetti) Congradulations!!! Ding Ding Ding!! You Win The 1 Millionth Poster With The Topic Of Scientology!! Well Done! Your Prize Is A One Way Ticket On A Dc-10 With Xenu!

I hate to say this now, but: is it funny? Whether unintentionally or otherwise...

Unintentionally, yes. As funny as cardboard characters in ridiculous situations (read, uneducated miner slaves flying 1000-year-old fighter jets) can get. :)

Scientology did infiltrate several government agency, including the FBI and IRS.

It was called Operation Snow White

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

I don't mean to sound distrustful, but are you sure this is true?

To be frank, it sounds a little less like "truth" than the more interesting "truthiness."

people are talking about scientology being a money making scam.
but does anyone here know about thier main belief?
thing about an alien overload that sent extra inhaditants of his galaxy to die in earth volcanoes. then he sucked up thier souls and brainwahsed them with false images and beliefs, such as modern day religions. then the souls wondered around earth, until they found the bodies of early man.

thats really fucked up.

I've never seen or read Hitchhiker's Guide.

for shame.

for shame.

Ditto.

I don't mean to sound distrustful, but are you sure this is true?

To be frank, it sounds a little less like "truth" than the more interesting "truthiness."

Yes, it's true.

I don't mean to sound distrustful, but are you sure this is true?

To be frank, it sounds a little less like "truth" than the more interesting "truthiness."

Trust me, it's true.

http://www.xenu.net/archive/go/ops/go732/go732.htm

Scientology is just like Christianity.

Just another ideology.

Do you have any proof of this? Any Source?

I call bullshit.

The Un-Funny Truth About Scientology (http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/)

Totally fucking nuts

Scientology is a Murderous Cult.

Not unlike most other religions.

Scientology: What do I think of it?

I don't, really.

I figure Scientology makes as much sense as any other religion...which is to say none at all :)

I agree that it makes no sense at all, but not all religions require you to suspend you brain or to accept a book or a person as an absolute moral authority.

Hey can anyone explain in a couple of sentences what Scientology is all about?
I know this question has already been asked, but it hasn't really been answered.

So please don't just say "it's a fucked up form of Christianity" I figured that out already.

Just facts please.

Hey can anyone explain in a couple of sentences what Scientology is all about?
I know this question has already been asked, but it hasn't really been answered.

So please don't just say "it's a fucked up form of Christianity" I figured that out already.

Just facts please.

erm, ok, a dark alien lord (named Xenu) took billions of good aliens and piled them up on earth, next to giant volcanoes. he then nuked the volcanoes and killed all the good-aliens, whose souls have become trapped in our human bodies. through spending thousands of dollars you can buy seminars on tape that release you from your bondage as a human being and return you to your pristine state as an alien. oddly enough, the church insists none of its members ever see psychiatrists. I can't imagine what a psychiatrist would say that a member of the scientologist church would object to...:rolleyes: it's actually not even remotely christian, though they do use the cross as a symbol, they prefer the volcanoe...it's a high profile organisation/belief system, but after scanning wikipedia I don't think there are more than 100000 believers (er, maybe I should call them "participants") worldwide. I'm somewhat amazed anyone at all believes this...I knew it was rediculous, but this makes even mormonism look intellegent.

snip (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11903195&postcount=42)

You can tell it's going to be bad from the moment you read that the aliens are called "Psychlos." If you're going to use aliens, at least give them alien sounding names, like "Zb'oath", or "Mng'sha"...

Or "Tau"...

You can tell it's going to be bad from the moment you read that the aliens are called "Psychlos." If you're going to use aliens, at least give them alien sounding names, like "Zb'oath", or "Mng'sha"...

Or "Tau"...

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu) mentioned that in the modern day, the dark lord Xenu is also called..."Elmo"

In Scientology doctrine, Xenu (also Xemu or the modern day "Emu" or "Elmo") is an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of aliens to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living, and continue to wreak chaos and havoc today

http://www.weeklyreader.com/readandwriting/content/binary/elmo.jpg

the immortal dark lord of the galatic confederacy! tremble, mortals!

I was hoping someone had gotten in and vandalized the wikipedia article...but um, they actually believe this shit. sheash, the guy who started it got filthy rich, too. I need to start a cult - surely mine would be better than this. anything has to make more sense than this...

So please don't just say "it's a fucked up form of Christianity" I figured that out already.

"Fucked up version of Christianity" is a pretty accurate description.

Odd thing about scientology, other then its similarities with a poorly written star trek episode, is that it requires members to pay fees in order to join.

Those saying Scientology is just like any other religion are totally missing the mark: Scientology is NOT a religion. It is a means of extracting money and labor out of innocent people in the guise of helping them. Religions do not have hidden or controlled knowledge. The average person interested in becoming a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. need only ask, and all the information will be laid out for them. (There are exceptions within some denominations, but that should be taken as a warning sign about that particular denomination, and not a reflection on the religion as a whole.) With Scientology, this is not the case. There are several levels of knowledge, each more batshit crazy than the last and more expensive. Of course, if you're too poor, you can just sign up to work for them in exchange for their "treatment".
Scientology is an evil, dangerous, greedy, murderous brainwashing cult - not a religion.

"Fucked up version of Christianity" is a pretty accurate description.

Odd thing about scientology, other then its similarities with a poorly written star trek episode, is that it requires members to pay fees in order to join.

Yeah well, when you go to church you're also supposed to give money to the priest. They don't say you have to, but they look weird at you when you don't, so that's practically the same.

erm, ok, a dark alien lord (named Xenu) took billions of good aliens and piled them up on earth, next to giant volcanoes. he then nuked the volcanoes and killed all the good-aliens, whose souls have become trapped in our human bodies. through spending thousands of dollars you can buy seminars on tape that release you from your bondage as a human being and return you to your pristine state as an alien. oddly enough, the church insists none of its members ever see psychiatrists. I can't imagine what a psychiatrist would say that a member of the scientologist church would object to...:rolleyes: it's actually not even remotely christian, though they do use the cross as a symbol, they prefer the volcanoe...it's a high profile organisation/belief system, but after scanning wikipedia I don't think there are more than 100000 believers (er, maybe I should call them "participants") worldwide. I'm somewhat amazed anyone at all believes this...I knew it was rediculous, but this makes even mormonism look intellegent.

http://www.xenu.net/archive/banners/cb-ufocult.gif

erm, ok, a dark alien lord (named Xenu) took billions of good aliens and piled them up on earth, next to giant volcanoes. he then nuked the volcanoes and killed all the good-aliens, whose souls have become trapped in our human bodies. through spending thousands of dollars you can buy seminars on tape that release you from your bondage as a human being and return you to your pristine state as an alien. oddly enough, the church insists none of its members ever see psychiatrists. I can't imagine what a psychiatrist would say that a member of the scientologist church would object to...:rolleyes: it's actually not even remotely christian, though they do use the cross as a symbol, they prefer the volcanoe...it's a high profile organisation/belief system, but after scanning wikipedia I don't think there are more than 100000 believers (er, maybe I should call them "participants") worldwide. I'm somewhat amazed anyone at all believes this...I knew it was rediculous, but this makes even mormonism look intellegent.

You have to do more than buy seminars on tape. You have to be "audited" too, and the auditing is nothing more than brainwashing. Which is why they avoid psychiatrists, who are likely to deprogram them.
Nobody believes the xenu crap, which is why it's all revealed one step at a time. By the time they tell you about Xenu, you'll believe cars are made entirely of delicious oatmeal.

Yeah well, when you go to church you're also supposed to give money to the priest. They don't say you have to, but they look weird at you when you don't, so that's practically the same.

Actually i have no idea about scientology. maybe i shouldn't act like i know what im talking about. I just saw the south park episode on scientology.

Ive never even been in a church before, except for a wedding, so i dont even know what it is you christians do either.

Religions do not have hidden or controlled knowledge.

erm, actually, quite a few of them do. most afro-caribbean religions are initiatic, and certain lines of priesthoods don't know the mysteries of others. early christianity was a mystery religion, actually - there's a portion of the liturgy that's survived in the eastern orthodox church. origionally, all non-initiated (that is, baptised and chrismated) christians, or visiting pagans, would be required to depart from the church - the doors would be shut, and no romans would see "the mystery of holy communion". the Druze (awesome name, innit?) are a mystery religion - you have to be BORN Druze to know what they believe, and most of the major religions in the ancient mediteranian basin were mystery religions:

the worship of Isis, Dionysius, Orpheus, Osiris, Tammuz, Mithras, the Eleusinian Mysteries...it's actually a bit of a historical oddity for religions to be up-front about everything. ancient judaism has similar practices - the name of God was considered too sacred to say, or even write in most cases. the modern name "Jehovah" is a corruption, the origional sacred name YHVH was sooooo holy to the ancient jews, they would write "my lord" above it, every time it appears in the hebrew bible. when it was translated into greek, some stupid christian who didn't know what he was doing added the vowels from the hebrew "my lord" ("Adonai") to the letters YHVH, and got YaHoVaH...

mystery in religion is generally more related to the concept that the holiest things can't come into contact with the every-day. even modern christians aren't supposed to take communion before being shriven, and can't take it if they aren't baptised (and chrismated, for the orthodox) - though they departed with the custom of forcing all those not taking communion to leave the church. they still sing "I will not speak of thy mysteries to thine enemies" in orthodox churches every week.

I certainly agree that scientology is dangerous and stupid, but secrecy in religion is really nothing new or sinister.

Actually i have no idea about scientology. maybe i shouldn't act like i know what im talking about. I just saw the south park episode on scientology.

Ive never even been in a church before, except for a wedding, so i dont even know what it is you christians do either.

Well I'm not a christian either, my grandparents who died were, so I had to go to church, were they went around with a basket to put money in.

"Fucked up version of Christianity" is a pretty accurate description.

Odd thing about scientology, other then its similarities with a poorly written star trek episode, is that it requires members to pay fees in order to join.

no, it is not a version of christianity. it does not even *resemble* christian doctrine. I agree christian churches *can* be manipulative, creepy, and money-oriented, but they didn't start that way and there are plenty of them that aren't. they certainly don't believe in aliens, either.

Ive never even been in a church before, except for a wedding, so i dont even know what it is you christians do either.

don't worry, most christians don't know what they're doing either. christianity is so old, that if the origional christians were to encounter modern ones, they'd probably not recognzie them at all. if right now the 1st century church were to pop up - an initiatory mystery religion with extermely hostile attitudes towards property, and strong anarchist tendencies, belief in *real* angels and demons everywhere, faith healing, prophesy, and the rest, most modern christians would call it a cult. :rolleyes: christianity, when taken historically, is such a broad catagory of beliefs that it should hardly be considered one religion.

Yeah well, when you go to church you're also supposed to give money to the priest. They don't say you have to, but they look weird at you when you don't, so that's practically the same.

Except the amounts you are supposed to give to the "buy the leaders a new golden Ferrari" fund are slightly higher than the begging bowls in churches.

A second thing I dislike is the way they pretend to use "science" and "technology". Fake devices with pretty lights with no function whatsoever are used to measure your "thetan level". Being misguided is one thing, deliberately deceiving quite another.

As far as the "truth" value is concerned the story seems insane, but as correctly pointed out by several people here (as well as by Scientologists themselves)the same can be said about several stories from other religions.

Yeah well, when you go to church you're also supposed to give money to the priest. They don't say you have to, but they look weird at you when you don't, so that's practically the same.

If you go to church a lot, and give money, then one day stop, the priest might call you or even drop by and ask if you're okay. If you go to Scientology sessions a lot and then suddenly stop, they kidnap you and lock you up (http://www.xenu-directory.net/practices/imprisonment.html).
Yeah, that's practically the same.

no, it is not a version of christianity. it does not even *resemble* christian doctrine. I agree christian churches *can* be manipulative, creepy, and money-oriented, but they didn't start that way and there are plenty of them that aren't. they certainly don't believe in aliens, either.

The Christian God and several angels are by definition aliens.

Hippiism, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley:

Santa Cruz: A vibrant seaside city that has a university (U.C. Santa Cruz) that, up until recently, was pobably the only one in the world that gave out smiley faces instead of grades. The city is home to primarily sufer-dudes, liberal university students, and, of course, the majority of the populace: hippies. The hippies there are primarily the soft-core, layed-back, environmental, "peace is prosperity" types. They're fun. Trust me.
We do in fact rock. But you forgot our conceptual artists. And like Haight Ashbury and Berkeley before us, all of the color and character of Santa Cruz is being gentrified out of existanse. Luckily we have the outlying areas that have a geography that doesn't allow for suburbinazation. But it will be gentrified soon, too.

Santa Cruz is just plain fun, though. To quote a Santa Cruz bumpersticker: "After the rapture, can I have your car?
There was one on the Comic Press News kiosk "If you had a drug test tomorrow, would you smoke a joint with Jesus today?"

If you go to church a lot, and give money, then one day stop, the priest might call you or even drop by and ask if you're okay. If you go to Scientology sessions a lot and then suddenly stop, they kidnap you and lock you up (http://www.xenu-directory.net/practices/imprisonment.html).
Yeah, that's practically the same.

hey I was only talking about the money thing, and just because someone said that you have to pay to go to the Scientology church. I don't even know how much, nor did i knew what you just said

The Christian God and several angels are by definition aliens.

eh...the christian god is a universalised form of the hebrew tribal henotheist deity, who was a tribalised form of an earlier canaanite deity of oak-groves - making "God" quite terrestrial. that deity subsumed "El", who is arguably also the same entity as other canaanite storm-gods "Ba'al" being a notable example of this...which puts him in the sky, so I suppose they're slightly more outer-spacey than the others...but nah, most gods start out as animist spirits and work their way up to supreme rulers of the universe - an animist spirits are rather earthy, by and large.

A second thing I dislike is the way they pretend to use "science" and "technology". Fake devices with pretty lights with no function whatsoever are used to measure your "thetan level". Being misguided is one thing, deliberately deceiving quite another.

The e-meter is a real device. It measures two things. Directly, it measures galvanic skin response. That is, it's a lie detector. Indirectly, it tells the auditor that you're a ripe enough clam. That is, brainwashed.

We do in fact rock. But you forgot our conceptual artists. And like Haight Ashbury and Berkeley before us, all of the color and character of Santa Cruz is being gentrified out of existanse. Luckily we have the outlying areas that have a geography that doesn't allow for suburbinazation. But it will be gentrified soon, too.

gentrification makes nathan a sad panda. (and one who can't find a fucking neighborhood in NYC that hasn't been gentrified to death)

Scientology: It is what it is.
Religion: It ain't what it's suppose to be.

Worst 'religion' ever!

Feh. I saw an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where Robert joined a cult called the Path. Might have been a parody of Scientology.

Makes as much sense as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Makes as much sense as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

oh, bullshit. I'll give you the first three, (just for sake of argument), but hinduism and buddhism *do* make sense. buddhism in particular doesn't even require you to suspend strict scientific materialism, though hindusim hardly asks that, either. the only way you could find scientology as sensible as major world religions is if you're equally ignorant of all of them.

Well forgive me for not having much faith in reincarnation. Buddhism and Hinduism involve reincarnation and in the case of the latter, Gods as well. Therefore it makes as much sense as Scientology.

If scientology wasn't so commercial, I would believe it to be a good hoax and a proof that some people can believe literally any patent nonsense. It looks much more like a parody of religions; even more absurd than the Flying Spaghetti Monster.