'South Park'-Scientology Battle Rages On

[juliana24]

'South Park'-Scientology Battle Rages On

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer

03/17/2006


NEW YORK - "South Park" has declared war on Scientology. Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the animated satire, are digging in against the celebrity-endorsed religion after a controversial episode mocking outspoken Scientologist Tom Cruise was yanked abruptly from the schedule Wednesday — with an Internet report saying it was covert warfare by Cruise that led to its departure.

<snip>

The episode in question, "Trapped in the Closet," which first aired last November, shows Scientology leaders hailing Stan, one of the show's four devilish fourth-graders, as a savior. A cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out. An animated John Travolta, another famous Scientologist, enters the closet to try to get him out.

The battle began in earnest earlier this week when Isaac Hayes, another celebrity Scientologist and longtime show member — voicing the ladies' man Chef — quit the show, saying he could no longer tolerate its religious "intolerance and bigotry."

Stone and Parker didn't buy that either.

On Monday, Stone told The Associated Press, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith in Scientology...He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

More at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060318/ap_en_tv/tv_south_park_7

[northofdenali]

1. L Ron is still laughing in his fist..........

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

14. No, L. Ron is dead. He was a syphylitic, paranoid drug addict...

... and those were his good points.

The lawyers that bought the "Church of Scientology" (herein referred to as the "Co$") have been making some money by scamming stupid people for many years now. Hopefully, that is dwindling, but there is always the P.T. Barnum factor. The "celebrities" that buy into this scam are as disgusting to me as the "celebrities" who buy into Kabbalah (or "Kabollocks" as I call it) or things like Mel Gibson's personal brand of radical woo-woo Catholocism.

An aside: the word "catholic" has suffered from horrble Orwellian abuse for too long. The word "catholic" (lower-case 'c') means: Of broad or liberal scope; comprehensive. I find the "Roman Catholic Church" to be anything but. Moving on...

Regarding the South Park episode in contention: I encourage people to go to www.xenu.net to learn more about the Co$. However, if any theists on DU think this episode is only referring to the Co$ and not their religion, they are deluding themselves.

[MichiganVote]

2. Southpark mocks everybody. Its called satire. Big deal.

[juliana24]

4. It was supposed to re-air on 3/15, but they killed it fast. Scientology is

a fraudulent cult of con-artists that defends itself tooth and nail, when anyone speaks out against them.

Rot in Hell, L. Ron Hubbard, you asshat !!!!

[juliana24]

6. It is a big deal. No church ever put the squeeze on them before.

like Scientology.

[MichiganVote]

12. You have misunderstood my comment

[JuniperLea]

3. Bashing Christ and Buddha for years and years never bothered him that bad

So it's basically some perceived "intolerance and bigotry" toward Scientology that seems to bother him.

I would think any religion started by a grade B Sci Fi writer would be fair game.


:shrug:

[juliana24]

7. Isaac Hayes: Scientologist Hypocrite Extraordinare

They even ran two episodes with "Chef: instead of re-airing the Scientology episode.

Bite me, Hayes, you f-ing hypocrite !!

[longship]

5. Pshaw! Pretend, clam-baking pseudo religions!!

Sorry if you're a scientologist, but I don't seem to have problems with Body Thetons. I think I'll have clams for dinner tonight.

[wellstone dem]

8. At first he said it was good to laugh at yourself

I think that Opie and Anthony (XM radio) have a clip of an interview with Hayes asking about the episode when it first came out, and Hayes laughs it off saying basically that you have to laugh at yourself once in a while.

[JuniperLea]

10. The Minders must have gotten to him

Gave him more of the SciKoolAid...


Their whole deal creeps me out. Sorry if I'm offending any SCI people here...

[juliana24]

11. They ARE creeps, thats why it creeps people out.

[gonefishing]

9. I'll say it again...

The lady doth protest to much...

Now wouldn't it be ironic if the SP episode in question came out the week just before MI3 is released. "The Episode TOM did not want you to see". My guess would be that Tom's threat of not promoting the movie won't matter because everyone will be laughing at him around that time anyway.

[HuffleClaw]

13. $cientology is NOT in any way a religion', it is a cult pure and simple.

it spent over a decade battling the irs for 'religious' tax-free status, launching scores of lawsuits over the most piffling of things, litigating the issue until the irs essentially gave them the status mostly because they were tired of the constant harrassment. they have been convicted in a lot of countries of various frauds and their practices have KILLED people. their leader, l. ron hubbard lived out his last years on earth a FUGITIVE from justice before dying a morbidly obese drug addict.

as for hayes, part of $cientology's 'philosophy' is 'attack the attackers'. the only real surprise imo is that they waited for so long to tell hayes to 'disavow' south park. it could be a publicity ploy, they've always liked publicity, even if its bad publicity (think of tom cruise's 'jumping the couch' and associated
anti-psychiatry ranting on oprah).

this probably has not a single thing to do with tom cruise as the article suggests. the truth is that paramount, comedy central, viacom, and probably even the folks who advertised during that particular episode have received numerous threatening letters from $cientology's lawyers. its about the only thing they've ever been remotely successful at, nuisance litigation.