PC: More mainstream Scientology

In OTL Scientology has a tiny, insular membership and an intensely paranoid, us-against-the-world culture. Members are relentlessly milked for money, clergy are treated like galley slaves, and the church is classified as an abusive cult by most developed countries. But did it have to be this way? Could the church have evolved into something more low-key and somewhat more accepted by the mainstream? I wouldn't expect it to become altogether benign, since it was a money scam from the very beginning, but could it have become a more broad-based, soft-touch scam?
 
No scheme where you have to pay more to get more into the "religion" and rid the "religion" of the cult-like elements OTL Scientology exhibits, including stalking and harassing of ex-members.

I guess you could also have independent Scientologists to form a church that isn't so cult-like, so as to rival the real Scientology. After a long time (Church Wars/Crusades 2: Electric Boogaloo), this new church could "defeat" the original church through overshadowing it and creating a new impression of the "religion". Basically, have a friendly, non-aggressive and more accepting church exist in place of the OTL Scientology church.

By the way, what does "PC" mean? I'm kinda new to these terms.
 
Last edited:
Have them push a traditionalist societal view,with high birthrates for members,and let them take in poor people at a loss for the express goal of growing and attracting richer people,and they can pull it off. Its not like obivously ridiclous theology is really a problem for getting big,mormonism and many others have little problem with that.
 
Im not sure it is overly possible.

No matter what, Scientology is always going to be linked to Hubbard, and Hubbard's life is to well documented for people not to see it as a scheme, or to wonder why his teachings should be taken into consideration when he was just an awful person.
 
Have them push a traditionalist societal view,with high birthrates for members,and let them take in poor people at a loss for the express goal of growing and attracting richer people,and they can pull it off. Its not like obivously ridiclous theology is really a problem for getting big,mormonism and many others have little problem with that.

Traditionalism is kind of hard when your worldview goes against every major religion.

That said, using rich philanthropist Scientologist celebrity's money to rope in poor people (who will be forever kept at the low levels of the church until they can pay more) isn't a bad idea, but to some degree Scientology already does this. You can pay for more church services by signing your billion-year Sea Org contract among other ways. The CoS also uses front groups to recruit poorer people like their drug addiction programs.

I guess you could also have independent Scientologists to form a church that isn't so cult-like, so as to rival the real $cientology. After a long time (Church Wars/Crusades 2: Electric Boogaloo), this new church could "defeat" the original church through overshadowing it and creating a new impression of the "religion". Basically, have a friendlier, non-aggressive and more honest church exist in place of the OTL $cientology church.

Yes, the Free Zone aka "squirrels" in Scilon lingo, which experience constant harassment, lawsuits, etc. Hard to fight back against that.

Free Zone is also forbidden (due to lawsuits) from using certain "religious technology" and most Scientology scripture, so it's mostly pirated or knockoffs, although IIRC this is less of a problem in recent years.

Otherwise these independent Scientologists are a more typical New Agey sort of group, where they have stiff competition and an unfortunate link to the CoS.
 
The problem is Scientology runs exactly like a Stalinist dictatorship, which is why it would be insanely hard to gain traction in the US, perhaps it could become more influential in small third world countries with very little inflience in the US. If it was mainstream, the world would be worse off as a whole, specially if they get to influence society in a significant way.

If you even wonder how Joseph Stalin would had acted if he had been unable to kill people and ran an law excempt organization rather than a country, David Miscavige is your man. Down from how he took power to his leadership style. (alleged) Paranoia, leadership purges, filling mid and high level position with his supporters, sending disenters or simply people you disagree with or simply don't like to the gulag.
 
I always though scientology actually stems from the US of A ...

Yes, but the USA values freedom, a lot. A cult gaining mainstream acceptance that works like a Stalin's USSR is not going to be attractive to lots of Americans.

Scientology is actually very wierd, in that it is a cult right within the USA where they have their own city-like place where..... they get to lock up and abuse people with complete immunity because of 1st Amendment.
 
@Veiovis is right, let Scientology have greater focus on expansion through by birth rates. If we mix this with the Scientology setting up "communes"/"kibbutz", where the member can live, work and raise their children. We would see the religion being bigger, and the bigger it becomes, the harder it becomes for people like Miscavige to monopolize power in the Church, which would lead the cult becoming somewhat normalized.
 
Yes, but the USA values freedom, a lot. A cult gaining mainstream acceptance that works like a Stalin's USSR is not going to be attractive to lots of Americans.
.

It seems to do better in USA than in the rest of the world, maybe the rest of the world simply values FREEDOM(tm) more than Americans does/s
 
It seems to do better in USA than in the rest of the world, maybe the rest of the world simply values FREEDOM(tm) more than Americans does/s
Oddly enough my only contact with Scientology was getting their junk mail while studying in Germany

Simple reason is that Scientology had an American founder and tapped into some currents of thought that are more prominent in the US than elsewhere, plus US laws being easier for a cult to game than other countries
 
Oddly enough my only contact with Scientology was getting their junk mail while studying in Germany

Simple reason is that Scientology had an American founder and tapped into some currents of thought that are more prominent in the US than elsewhere, plus US laws being easier for a cult to game than other countries

Yes I agree, it's also why I found the argument silly. Most states would never let Scientology get away with all what they does, if they attempted to act as they do in USA abroad... Well we have seen the reaction in Germany and France to those actions.
 
Have them push a traditionalist societal view,with high birthrates for members,and let them take in poor people at a loss for the express goal of growing and attracting richer people,and they can pull it off. Its not like obivously ridiclous theology is really a problem for getting big,mormonism and many others have little problem with that.
Make big, flashy churches with places to play sports in, with periodical visits by doctors that are part of the religion, maybe even schools that will get the kids to learn marketable skills/church doctrine in slums all over the globe, the flock will grow exponentially, just like the Mormons do right now.
A more conservative doctrine like mormonism (for the non initiates, mind you) would be good too
They would have to keep the whole xenu thing hidden for the ones that actually do the funding for the whole shebang, like the americans and whatever people in those third world missions that manage to have a chance to leave poverty thanks to said schools/doctors.
Bam, you have a cult that will be seen as a positive force in society among the upper class malthusians that abound all over the third world.
 

samcster94

Banned
Make big, flashy churches with places to play sports in, with periodical visits by doctors that are part of the religion, maybe even schools that will get the kids to learn marketable skills/church doctrine in slums all over the globe, the flock will grow exponentially, just like the Mormons do right now.
Mormonism markets itself with a more family friendly image, and acts more like a conservative Protestant denomination in many ways.
 
Mormonism markets itself with a more family friendly image, and acts more like a conservative Protestant denomination in many ways.
While I'm not a fan of the early Mormon Church, the modern Mormon Church are a pretty standard religion by modern day, just with greater network benefits than many more loosely organized Protestant denomination. It doesn't compare to Scientology, and there's no way Scientology will normalize fast enough for them to be able to do it today.
 

samcster94

Banned
While I'm not a fan of the early Mormon Church, the modern Mormon Church are a pretty standard religion by modern day, just with greater network benefits than many more loosely organized Protestant denomination. It doesn't compare to Scientology, and there's no way Scientology will normalize fast enough for them to be able to do it today.
Mormonism is still technically Christianity. Scientology is a stand alone faith OOTH and is tied to the works of a science fiction author.
 
Top