Scientologywank

Cook

Banned
That is crazier than any mainstream religion.
Is it really necessary to point out that two thousand years ago the Jews were considered crazier than any of the mainstream religions and the Christian sect of Judaism craziest of all? Only one god for everything; that’s just ridiculous, and no animal headed gods: flat out loony tunes.
 
Is it really necessary to point out that two thousand years ago the Jews were considered crazier than any of the mainstream religions and the Christian sect of Judaism craziest of all? Only one god for everything; that’s just ridiculous, and no animal headed gods: flat out loony tunes.
Animal headed gods were probably seen as weird by the Romans. They liked nice human Indo-European gods, not those crazy Semetic things.
 
Animal headed gods were probably seen as weird by the Romans. They liked nice human Indo-European gods, not those crazy Semetic things.

Yeah but you didn't have to sign a contract with regular payments to subscribe to it...
 

Archibald

Banned
Yes, I mean believing in that type of thing’s just crazy! People should confine themselves to believing in smart things, like god talking to them as a cloud or a burning bush, the entire world’s ecosystem being transported in a wooden boat, the world being flooded for forty days, women being turned into salt or giving birth at the age of one hundred, men able to turn water into wine by the touch of their hands, walk on water, cure leprosy and the blind and raise the dead. They should believe that saying a few magical words will turn wine and stale bread into the blood and flesh of a man who died centuries ago... etc.


Scientology was founded in 1953 and now has somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people worldwide. Sixty years after the death of Jesus, Christianity would have been lucky to number over 10,000 and had only just managed to define itself as a separate religion from Judaism.

More recently, the Seventh Day Adventists were founded in the 1860s and sixty years later still only had a few thousand members. They now number 16,000,000 and are one of the fastest growing religions in the world. (Not bad for a religion who’s early prophets predicted the world would have ended by now.)

Scientology has the significant advantage for growth in that it was founded in an era when mass communication and travel already existed. Its great disadvantages are that there are already several major religions that are well entrenched. It has not been adopted as the state religion of any dictatorship that was willing to use the gun to enforce conversions to the new faith; something that each previous major religion has, at one time or another done.

This is just silly.
For memory
difference between a sect and a religion:
The sect is coercitive, wash your brain and empty your wallet for its own profit.
A religion never do that. As a catholic I can get out of my church and never come back. Noone is suppose to run after me. The priest is not supposed to abuse me physically or... financially so that I return the church.

Now try escape scientology - just ask Nicole Kidman. :p

Of course there's that doctrine that, after all, everyone is his own mind is free to embrace a sect rather than a religion - a cult that will ruin him financially, and wash his mind.

In Europe, the governments consider their duties is to protect stupid people against themselves - forbidding them to embrace a sect, for example.

In America - individual freedom is paramount. Ok, sects are assholes, but if you believe in them - go for it. Good luck, be happy.
 

Cook

Banned
The sect is coercitive, wash your brain and empty your wallet for its own profit.
A religion never do that. As a catholic...
When I was in East Timor in 2000, the Catholic Church insisted on the congregation giving 10% of their income to the communion plate. These were people who were often living under canvas and sleeping on cardboard because the Indonesians had burnt down their houses, but it was 10% or you were going straight to hell; eternal salvation on a down-payment plan. So let’s just say that your definition of the difference between a religion and a sect is flawed, to say the least.
 
When I was in East Timor in 2000, the Catholic Church insisted on the congregation giving 10% of their income to the communion plate. These were people who were often living under canvas and sleeping on cardboard because the Indonesians had burnt down their houses, but it was 10% or you were going straight to hell; eternal salvation on a down-payment plan. So let’s just say that your definition of the difference between a religion and a sect is flawed, to say the least.

Were you in the ARA? I was in East Timor in 2006 during Op Astute, although that was with the Navy.

Also back on topic but recently in Australia we had an Independent Senator use parliamentary privilege to slam Scientology's human rights abuses and propose they no longer be given tax free status as a religion.
 
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