Scientology: Evil cult? or Shameless Pyramid scheme?

[Revolution9]

tell me what you think.

[drm604]

1. Both? n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

10. Done in one. n/t

[AllentownJake]

2. Both

[Maru Kitteh]

3. A good deal of both with a greater helping of the latter.

[anonymous171]

4. Both. It single handidly tamed the most feared group of internet terrorists known to mankind.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. The cult tamed Anonymous? I don't think so.

Or, as the kids would say:

[Bucky]

5. Honestly, I don't care at all about other peoples' religious beliefs

I have a problem with people who use their religion to beat up on other people--but the problem is always with the beating and not with the beliefs.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

6. I never understood how that sweet little kid who played OpieTaylor

could grow up and start something like Scientology.

[johnfunk]

20. ROTFLMFAO...

L. Ron Howard!

[LeftyMom]

7. Your neglected to mention "lawsuit happy thin skinned assholes."

[pansypoo53219]

8. opie?

famous scientologidts REALLY get favors. the bennies of the pyramid and it is really good for their egos. SPY magazine had a article eons ago.

[Taitertots]

9. Delusions of a science fiction writer

followed by empty vessels in Hollywood.


Audit yourself. Tell me your secrets, I promise not to tell anyone as long as you are in Scientology.


It is pseudo psychology dressed up as religion.

[rzemanfl]

11. No Scientologist has ever come to the door of my home trying

to give me shit and "talk about the Bible." No Scientologist (to my knowledge) has ever tried to get a special Scientology license plate. I have never seen a Scientologist demonstrate outside a nursing home where someone is dying. I live near Clearwater, Florida and the Jesus freaks offend me a lot more than the Scientologists. L. Ron Hubbard just latched onto a scam the Catholic Church and its spinoffs have been running for centuries.

[ColbertWatcher]

13. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean they're not an evil cult and a pyramid scheme. n/t

[ZombieHorde]

22. +1 nt

[Johonny]

29. They certainly recuit like mad here in LA

My favorite is the BS "stress" test they set up in public areas.

[cpompilo]

14. It's for people who like to feel "special"

It's made up. It's self-delusional. It's a science fiction story fer cryin' out loud.

[bridgit]

15. Scientology: A tinkered amalgam of Maltz' - Psycho-Cybernetics by a low content SciFi writer dude...

*Not* the Asimov, Bradbury, Philip K. Dick kind :(
http://www.profitadvisors.com/psychoc.shtml">

[johnfunk]

21. Now, if Philip Dick started a cult, that would've been a different story!

Ubikology Forever! Telepathy Kills!

[juno jones]

26. Actually there is a Phil Dickian branch of modern gnosticism.

Dick has influenced religious thought, but in a far more subtle, profound, and dare I say genuine way.

Hubbard telegraphed his intentions of religion as cash-cow to his fellow sci-fi writers for years. It doesn't really sound as if he had any use for real religious experience.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

27. HERE is R. CRUMB's interpretato of THE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE of PHILIP K. DICK:

http://www.philipkdickfans.com/weirdo/weirdo1.htm

[bridgit]

31. ^_^

[Taverner]

30. Wasn't it the result of a bet between Ray Bradbury, Phillip K Dick and L. Ron Hubbard?

They were talking about the best way to rule humanity - Bradbury said militarization, Dick said drugs and Hubbard said "You're all wrong - its religion."

And then later said "Religion is where the money is."

[bridgit]

35. 'religion' is able to bridge these collusions: militarization, drugs...

and even religion itself and cloak it, cloak them all with a religiosity of faux-piety; whether offering up before a stack of bombs and rockets or a tiny little alter of candles, week old stir fry, warm flat Mountain Dew and burnt glass; religion is able to bridge and offer absolution via PayPal short story a bit longer?

"Religion is where the money is." O8)

[Hekate]

16. Are those categories mutually exclusive?

[Starry Messenger]

17. Both.

It also has several shady offshoots that try to hide under the umbrella of respectability:

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Large_group_awareness_training
http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Narconon
http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Church_of_Scientology#Front_groups_and_recruiting

[PatGund]

18. C) All the above

[johnfunk]

19. Evil Cult, Shameless Pyramid Scheme -- AND Guerilla Marketing Triumph!

All three!

[juno jones]

23. Both.

And more.

www.xenu.net

[BlooInBloo]

24. (shrug) They count the number of angels dancing on pinheads one way...

Others in a different way. Same shit.

[harun]

25. I don't know enough about it to pass judgment on it.

[Taverner]

28. Both, and add pseudo-pseudo-science to that as well...

At least some pseudosciences try to at least imply the Scientific Method.

They're just goofy -> goofier -> batshit insane -> OMFG are you shitting me? -> Fuck, you need help...

[Initech]

32. L. Ron himself once said that the most profitable business in America is religion.

[Zhade]

33. Religion: Evil cult? or Shameless Pyramid scheme?

Fixed your typo.

[Revolution9]

34. LOL!

could not agree more

[Patsy Stone]

36. Both. nt