$cientology

[Guest]

A cult that most will have heard of, having enrolled many famous Hollywood names such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, $cientology is essentially a pyramid scheme where you have to pay the church in order to advance in rank. In their teachings, it claims that religion is a lie, propagated among humanity by an evil alien.

Nowadays Scientology is granted special priviledges in legal situations in many states. Having observed the behaviour of this cult in modern culture, and having been to protest marches against it, I was wondering what the general feeling towards it is among Christians and members of other religions?

Comments? Views?

 

[KenEOTE]

Personally I have read their bible known as Dyanetics. Its a funny read. Its really one of the silliest religions out there. I went to a couple of the book meetings they had, and after asking too many questions they asked me not to come back.

 

[therealsuperman64]

Scientology is trash. None of it makes sense with history and it contradicts itself all the time.

 

[Guest]

Personally I have read their bible known as Dyanetics. Its a funny read. Its really one of the silliest religions out there. I went to a couple of the book meetings they had, and after asking too many questions they asked me not to come back.

You read all of it?! :O
Wow, kudos to you for your patience!
I'm just astounded that people can not only be sucked into believing it, but then furthermore they're happy to PAY for it!
Christianity and other major religions like Islam and Judaism are based on credible ideas and good morals, but I just can't see how or why anyone would subscribe to a religion founded by a science fiction writer about aliens. xD

 

[Rick W]

but I just can't see how or why anyone would subscribe to a religion founded by a science fiction writer about aliens. xD

Why not? UFO's and aliens have become a large part of our culture. Heck, we're even actively seeking them out in just about every branch of science we know. People actually "loan" their computers to help search the large data-pool generated by SETI. We sent a calling card to the aliens on a gold-plated copper phonograph record on a spacecraft called Voyager. And of course there's the Roswell and Area 51 hubbub to glue it all together.

 

[Guest]

but I just can't see how or why anyone would subscribe to a religion founded by a science fiction writer about aliens. xD

Why not? UFO's and aliens have become a large part of our culture. Heck, we're even actively seeking them out in just about every branch of science we know. People actually "loan" their computers to help search the large data-pool generated by SETI. We sent a calling card to the aliens on a gold-plated copper phonograph record on a spacecraft called Voyager. And of course there's the Roswell and Area 51 hubbub to glue it all together.

Personally I do think there's a good possibility for alien life and to be honest, I really hope there is for the reason that it would be fascinating to meet them, but I just find it rather... too convenient to believe that a man who made his living writing science fiction could "just happen" to discover the universal truths of life - and for it to involve evil aliens. It could be half credible if he had been an astronomer or something, but especially when he's also on record saying:

"There's no money in writing, if you really want to make a lot of money, go start a religion" (I cant remember the exact quote but it was words to that effect).

You have to wonder what his real motives were.

 

[Free]

I think I could make up a better religion than Scientology.

 

[KenEOTE]

You read all of it?! :O
Wow, kudos to you for your patience!

Yes I wasted a good week reading it. I then went to the meeting and asked questions and had things underlined and they about freaked cause I made it look silly.

 

[one_lost_coin]

I had an employer who was a scientologist and he made it unofficially not mandatory but it was mandatory and we weren't learning scientology but we were actually being forced to hear scientology. One of those deals. I could only last 3 months there, a shame he paid well.

I asked him a question I forget what but the answer was that we are God and that we forgot that we are God somehow and are relearning it. I don't know how accurate that is to their beliefs and don't much care but he believed it.

I then asked Him to create something from nothing like God and I am still waiting for him to do it.

 

[stovebolts]

Lower Income Churches Turn to Scientology For Help

Can you believe it?... :

*****************************************************************************************
Lower Income Churches Turn to Scientology For Help

http://obadiah1317.wordpress.com/2007/1 ... -for-help/

This is absurdity to the extreme. Two congregations have turned to the Church of Scientology for assistance. The bizarre thing about all that is that Scientology does not worship God, much less Jesus Christ. “WHAT COMMUNION HAS LIGHT WITH DARKNESS?†2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-15.

Charles Kennedy of the Glorious Church of God in Christ in Tampa, Florida, along with James McLaughlin of the Wayman Chapel African Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, are compromising their faith by receiving help from basically athiests. Those that follow Scientology know well of their recruiting techniques and their rigid theology. How can one learn from a body that doesn’t even worship God?

Kennedy was introduced to a Scientology book called The Way to Happiness by founder L Ron Hubbard which speaks of living a temperate lifestyle. His congregation suffers from being in a community that is filled with drug and gang violence with little opportunity. But you don’t go to the devil for advise as the Bible is filled with verses about how suffering perfects character. He views this book as better than the ancient Scriptures to which Jeremiah would respond: “Ask for the ancient ways where the good way is and walk in it, then you will find rest for your souls†Jeremiah 6:16. Then as now the people said they weren’t going to walk in those ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:17).

Kennedy even admits that the new ways of Scientology contradict Scripture, even the verses from Jesus Christ Himself but he maintains that his congregation can relate to The Way of Happiness better than the Scriptures. To me, that means that this man has turned his back on the word of God for something else. Yet he steadfastly endorses this book written by a science fiction writer.

Kennedy’s daughter refers herself to a Pentecostal Scientologist. What? Does he not know that Scientology will gain even more recruits by that form of advertising their poison?

As for McLaughlin, he trained at a Scientology drug center called Narconon and now combines that ttraining in conjunction with the Scriptures. The Scriptures need no help from Scientology! I suppose that either pastor would also have no trouble going to the devil for help to assist their congregations? Perhaps they already have?

 

[one_lost_coin]

I could never have thought that would ever be possible. This is a very sad developement. One I hope is never repeated.

 

[stovebolts]

I hear ya...

It's a sad day when the teachers of our faith get so disconnected from God's word that they seek outside courses.

I'm ex-Sco... was involved with the cult briefly back in 96. I've taken that course, along with a few others at ASHO.

The course in and of itself was actually pretty good and full of common sense, and I don't think (if I can recall correctly, hey, it's been a few years) but I don't recall the course as being a bad course.
Here's a pdf of the Way to Happiness course in it's entirety written by LRH. I'll see if I can take time to read it tomorrow as a refresher.. maybe..

What really concerns me is this. Why in the world would a Christian teacher have to go outside of the Bible to teach morals and ethics? I remember the course being very much in line with many, many biblical lines of morality and ethics. By going to a known cult for information that is already contained within Christianity actually invalidates the authority of our sacred texts while undermining the gospel as a whole while promoting a false view of this cult and it's destructive, oppressive tactics.