Beck wrote:
Third, I'd say it'd probably help swell church membership somewhat if they did not REQUIRE their members to give monetary donations.
It's a little more than "donations", actually. They bill you for every book and "tech" item that you buy.
And, no, contrary to what some equivocationists argue, this is NOT comparable to the social pressure to put money into a church collection plate. More like being REQUIRED to pay money before the priest or pastor will give you Holy Communion. And being refused Communion if you don't pay.
So yeah, making it less OBVIOUSLY about grabbing money might be a start for attaining greater respectability.
Diamond wrote:
I'd always heard that Hubbard started Scientology as a tax shelter/dodge during a time when he was in a tight spot financially. It was only after his death that people began to take it seriously and make it an 'honest' religion.
I remember the COS from the days when Hubbard was still alive, and even then, they were calling themselves a church, so I think the religious pretensions predate his death. But yeah, I think he tried to make it a religion for tax reasons, whereas before it had just been kind of a self-help group, albeit one making pretty extraordinary claims.