Church of Scientology

Berserker · 03-11-2014 08:49PM

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

hundreds of thousands of people still go to mass every week despite all the bad publicity the catholic church has had. Many people seem to need to fill some kind of void in their life with makey-uppy crap.

Yes but the RCC don't meet you on the street, tell you that they are bringing you in for a stress or personality test and then spring their doctrine on you when they have you under their control. They also don't force you to disconnect from your family and friends when they refuse to accept your new lifestyle. The RCC has it's faults, without doubt but comparing it to the CoS is not right.

suicide_circus · 03-11-2014 08:52PM

crazygeryy wrote: »

yea but the catholic church dont follow you around in blacked out cars and harrass you when you dont go to mass,but i see your point.

Now obviously if you tried to renounce the Church back in the day you were gonna have a bad time but we're not judging scientology by 1500s standards because it didnt exist then but it is fair to judge it by today's standards and by that measure they are a sinister cult.

Lapin · 03-11-2014 09:01PM

L. Ron Hubbard.

University drop out who's dabbling in writing bad science fiction got him nowhere until he figured out a way to cash in on it by inventing a religion out of the rubbish and duping millions of gullable gobshítes out of their cash in the process.

He was worth some $600 million by the time he died despite a criminal conviction for fraud and three marriages.

The man was obviously a fucking genius.

BlaasForRafa · 03-11-2014 09:22PM

Berserker wrote: »

Yes but the RCC don't meet you on the street, tell you that they are bringing you in for a stress or personality test and then spring their doctrine on you when they have you under their control. They also don't force you to disconnect from your family and friends when they refuse to accept your new lifestyle. The RCC has it's faults, without doubt but comparing it to the CoS is not right.

No, the RCC already has the parents and family so you are forced into the cult from birth. They also have the schools so the indocrination goes on daily while growing up. That's every bit as insidious as the scientology cult imo.

Saipanne · 03-11-2014 09:26PM

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

No, the RCC already has the parents and family so you are forced into the cult from birth. They also have the schools so the indocrination goes on daily while growing up. That's every bit as insidious as the scientology cult imo.

What a load of bollocks.

My name is URL · 03-11-2014 09:31PM

Saipanne wrote: »

What a load of bollocks.

As him what he thinks about Judaism :P

Gbear · 03-11-2014 09:32PM

I was listening to Giovanni Ribisi being interviewed on Marc Maron's podcast recently.

Knowing what we do about scientology, it made his comments a bit weird.

You'd hope that, coming from a family of scientologists rather than being recruited, he just had a good experience but it did feel like he was trying to promote them by making them out to be normal - not life-alteringly amazing - just disarmingly ordinary.

In a world that seems to be getting progressively more secular, it felt like he was making them out to be "just a philosophy that works for me, but what do I know (*he said humbly*)" or something like that.

With the whole "Xenu", "Thetans" and "nuclear bomb in volcano" things out in the open, they can't really start with dogma.

YFlyer · 03-11-2014 09:54PM

What is brainwashing?

Saipanne · 03-11-2014 09:54PM

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

No, the RCC already has the parents and family so you are forced into the cult from birth. They also have the schools so the indocrination goes on daily while growing up. That's every bit as insidious as the scientology cult imo.

What do you think about Judaism?

My name is URL · 03-11-2014 09:57PM

I didn't mean to literally ask him, but let's see how it pans out :pac:

Capt'n Midnight · 03-11-2014 10:03PM

The German Government does not recognise Scientology as a religion.

If this was board.de I'd be insisting that the word "Church" be removed from the thread title , unless the discussion was about a building.

Any argument about then has to be tempered by the fact they've lawyered up and IIRC our defamation laws means you can't rely on the truth , if that truth would damage a reputation.

Saipanne · 03-11-2014 10:04PM

My name is URL wrote: »

I didn't mean to literally ask him, but let's see how it pans out :pac:

Its Monday, innit?

BlaasForRafa · 03-11-2014 10:19PM

Saipanne wrote: »

What do you think about Judaism?

What do you think of Judaism?

Saipanne · 03-11-2014 10:20PM

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

What do you think of Judaism?

I love it.

My name is URL · 03-11-2014 10:28PM

Well.. that was uneventful

BlaasForRafa · 03-11-2014 10:38PM

My name is URL wrote: »

Well.. that was uneventful

Heh. Ok, what's the difference between a cult and a religion?

Dr Turk Turkelton · 03-11-2014 11:11PM

YFlyer wrote: »

What is brainwashing?

Not really sure myself.

The leader is good...
The leader is great...
All hail the leader.

baaba maal · 03-11-2014 11:55PM

I remember them stopping me outside the Dianetics place on Abbey St in Dublin, and me in me school uniform an' all. I agreed to do the test and after about five questions realised it was a crock. Very pushy guy though, kept putting the book (about £20 iirc) in my hands as if I somehow owned it and now had to pay for it. I managed to get to my bus stop unaided, in spite of my apparently crippling low self esteem:rolleyes:

branie2 · 04-11-2014 12:20AM

The film The Master is supposedly loosely based on L. Ron Hubbard

Greyfox · 04-11-2014 12:37AM

baaba maal wrote: »

I remember them stopping me outside the Dianetics place on Abbey St in Dublin, and me in me school uniform an' all. I agreed to do the test and after about five questions realised it was a crock. Very pushy guy though, kept putting the book (about £20 iirc) in my hands as if I somehow owned it and now had to pay for it. I managed to get to my bus stop unaided, in spite of my apparently crippling low self esteem:rolleyes:

Yeah they got me at the same place, the guy asked me 3 questions and on the 3rd answer said follow me and me been the gullible eejit I did so...I ended up buying the book

I done the questionaire like someone else mentioned and my feedback was that I have low confidence etc... it was when they gave me a thing to sign I realised it was time to run, it went on for pages and pages :eek: I eventually interrupted the guys waffle and just asked the guy where's the toilet, he pointed one way and I ran the other way!

shruikan2553 · 04-11-2014 01:02AM

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

Heh. Ok, what's the difference between a cult and a religion?

2000 years :pac:

Its Only Ray Parlour · 04-11-2014 01:50AM

Berserker wrote: »

The Church of Scientology is not classified as a religious institution in the UK...

Wrong. They were granted religion status in December 2013. Ireland will probably follow suit in the next few years, seeing as we tend to mimic the UK.

seenitall · 04-11-2014 02:13AM

I think something like Nicole Kidman's or Katie Holmes' full disclosure autobiographies would make a cracking read...

... probably won't ever happen though, because they will have been made to sign some top-secret, confidentiality contract or other...

The Strawman Argument · 04-11-2014 02:13AM

If I'm not remotely content with my life by the time I'm 35, I'm either starting into heroin or Scientology.

Bitta high quality brainwashing into thinking your life has purpose? Sounds wonderful, sign me up!

Edgarfrndly · 04-11-2014 02:19AM

Seems we have a friend in common, OP.

teddy_303 · 04-11-2014 04:16AM

Berserker wrote: »

Yes but the RCC don't meet you on the street, tell you that they are bringing you in for a stress or personality test and then spring their doctrine on you when they have you under their control. They also don't force you to disconnect from your family and friends when they refuse to accept your new lifestyle. The RCC has it's faults, without doubt but comparing it to the CoS is not right.

The RCC snares kids in school, by virtue of having done the same to your parents while kids also, and drums their nonsense into you when you are hardwired to be impressionable regarding to the adults you are in the care of, as far as learning how to mind yourself goes. thats when the RCC brainwashing starts up. the 1st thing you are thought when young is santy, the tooth fairy and the easter bunny, then you get the RCC crap before you've been enlightened as to all the other lies you've been softened up with up to that point. ie 1st holy communion... as for the other sins of the RCC, you could easily frid them as nefarious as the space cadets, without even looking too hard at RCC.. all crap, the whole lot of them...

I would rather take my chances with Scientologists as an adult, than the RCC as a child, in their schools... i'm not defending any religeon or cult either.

they're all as bad as each other imo...

FTA69 · 04-11-2014 09:52AM

Edgarfrndly wrote: »

Seems we have a friend in common, OP.

He's a character alright.

jacksie66 · 04-11-2014 09:58AM

This post has been deleted.

Beano · 04-11-2014 10:48AM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

The German Government does not recognise Scientology as a religion.

If this was board.de I'd be insisting that the word "Church" be removed from the thread title , unless the discussion was about a building.

Any argument about then has to be tempered by the fact they've lawyered up and IIRC our defamation laws means you can't rely on the truth , if that truth would damage a reputation.

Truth is an absolute defense to a claim of defamation http://www.brophysolicitors.ie/brophysolicitors/Main/Defamation.htm

FTA69 · 04-11-2014 12:37PM

To be honest, I can see how someone in a fragile state of mind would take to this sort of thing. Imagine you've struggled with self-esteem, or have been bullied, or have lost your job or partner and are feeling sh*t about yourself. Then these people come along with this approach that is focussed solely on you, your mind and your feelings and improving your life for the better. They couch their approach in accessible terms i.e. ditching negativity for positivity, realising you're a great person and getting the best from your life. On top of that, they provide with one-on-one guidance, texts that speak to you and make sense (albeit it's generic bullsh*t like astrology) as well as a scenario where you meet other like-minded people. You can see how that would appeal to some people. After all, isn't it worth investing a few hundred quid to improve yourself?

While there are outward similarities between religions and cults, there are pretty clear differences too. Most Catholics and Muslims I know simply grew up with their faith as a generally minor part of their life. Even the very devout generally have other stuff going on. They don't pump all of their money into this organisation, cohabit together, wear the same clothes (the lads in the Scientology were all identically dressed) and generally act like a shower of crackpots.

Check out Scientology's 'Sea Organisation' -

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

Church of Scientology

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