Scientology

[jt'smom]

In the latest A&E episode, Leah had said that if a member talks about Xenu they are fined $100,000 and cause the person they are talking to about it to die.
I think Leah is so brave. Not many people could live under the kind of unrelenting stress she's got to be going through. She brushes it off and acts tough but it's got to be unnerving. In some way it reminds me of getting tangled up in the mafia.

it's only been in recent years that the xenu concept has become public knowledge via former members. the concept isn't introduced to scientologists until-I believe-they reach OT 3 which takes years. it's not like they will hear about it ahead of time from another member, even their closest family b/c the prohibition on speaking about it includes speaking about it to other scientologists. so you've got people who joined years ago or were raised in it-with years and years of conditioning in the program so that when it's finally revealed to them are prone to be more accepting of it.

as for sea org-while the bulk of the people on the a&e show are former members, the bulk of scientologists are not. it's an 'elite' group that's apparently extremely selective and considered a very high honor to be a part of , again-very secretive-so the basic members wouldn't be aware of the billion year contracts.


leah has said publicly that the membership numbers that are publicized are grossly inflated-and that the bulk of 'new memberships' are by virtue of generational participants. members who have kids that were raised in it who then have their own kids who are raised in it. in those families they've never been exposed to any of the media coverage b/c members are not allowed to read or view anything on the church other than church issued materials-it's considered detrimental to them b/c it comes from 's.p.'s'.

Meh, I'm gonna call bull on the bolded statements above. I admire Leah tremendously since the whole organization is obviously a bunch a crazy whacks who do everything from stalk and harass to literally kidnap and imprison people who go against them, but, it's been all over the internet for probably 15 years at least, about the Xenu and Sea Org ridiculousness, so people who don't Google stuff, well, I really don't have a lot of sympathy for. Several celebrity blogger sites have been laughing and reporting about it for years and years. Yes, I'll cop to enjoying some fun, trashy gossip sites, lol. It's not like these celebrities live in a bubble where they have no exposure to the outside world. Now I do feel extremely sorry for the people whose parents brought them up in it, simply because they've been indoctrinated their whole lives by the craziness. Those are the people that need rescuing from that insane cult!

 

[Jennasis]

I think it's hilarious (once you know the back story of Scientology and what they believe about thetans, aliens, Xenu etc) that L. Ron's book had a picture of a volcano on the cover.

 

[mummabear]

Most other religions don't force you to separate from your family if they decide to not stay with the church.

Amish, Jehovah Witnesses and some Mormon sects all do.

I do agree though that an easily defining factor of religion vs cult is how they treat those that wish to leave.

My point is that the line between Scientology being a religion and any other religion is very fine if a line exists at all. To say how could someone believe something so crazy could be applied by outsiders to any and all religions

 

[kdonnel]

All religions exist to control their members. Religions exist to tell members who they can have sex with, tell them what they can eat, and who they should hate.

 

[robinb]

My point is that the line between Scientology being a religion and any other religion is very fine if a line exists at all. To say how could someone believe something so crazy could be applied by outsiders to any and all religions

As an atheist and an outsider, I totally agree. I find religious myth (including that of Scientology) fascinating.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

It is a cult.

A religion that costs for your membership is a business not a church. It's total bull.

...Does Scientology count as a religious discussion?

This is NOT a religion - it's a cult. I have never heard of any "religion" that so blatantly abuses it's members both emotionally, financially and apparently physically. Can someone say Jim Jones.

Simply put, Scientology is not a religion, it's a Ponzi scheme. More enlightened nations (ones that haven't been bribed to admit otherwise) state this clearly in their laws.

All religions exist to control their members. Religions exist to tell members who they can have sex with, tell them what they can eat, and who they should hate.

Yes, religion has nothing to do with "salvation" or "purpose," religions are simply about control. Some are simply better at mascarading as benevolent.

 

[Domo]

Yes, religion has nothing to do with "salvation" or "purpose," religions are simply about control. Some are simply better at mascarading as benevolent.

The only thing I take from my religion is to love my fellow human beings, behave in a moral manner (don't kill, don't steal) and that there is, out there, a loving Lord, who came to Earth to deliver this message and was tortured and killed for it.

 

[mummabear]

I've been watching her documentary on A&E and saw the 20/20 episode. This is NOT a religion - it's a cult. I have never heard of any "religion" that so blatantly abuses it's members both emotionally, financially and apparently physically. Can someone say Jim Jones.

You know the difference between a religion and a cult? A religion is an old cult and a cult is a new religion (or so the saying goes).
Apparently after the whole Jonestown mass suicide, the government wanted to outlaw cults, but was unable to word a law that wouldn't also outlaw religion that would hold up in court. even religious scholars were apparently brought on board to try to explain the difference in legal terms and they were unable to create a definition