what have you heard about scientology?

Question

just curious to hear what you've heard.... rumor or true

Answer 1

I made the mistake of joining, and was even living in their mansion in LA. Everything I earned went right to them to "erase engrams" and to become "clear". I had three other gullible guys as roommates living in the same room without partitions, all talking this weird sci-fi jargon as nobody had a life, a girlfriend or anything; if there was any money left, we were supposed to buy all of L Ron Hubbard's books. Had an ex-Sci friend wise me up, and another non-sci friend help me sneak out early in the morning when my roomates had gone - I even had another friend watch the "bridge", the place where the greeting wacko higher-ups were stationed (to greet all the residents) to tie them up and prevent them from seeing me leave. Higher up S's are about as persuasive as ten used car salesmen rolled into one - they use a subtle form of mind control and positive reinforcement to make you feel accepted as part of their group and it is ten times more pernicious than your own view of the next worst cult you have in mind. By the way Hubbard used to be a science fiction writer - making ten cents per word. When someone asked him how he was going to get rich in the 1950's he told them: "Start a religion". It is a cult and run, won't walk from it, or else YOU WILL BE SORRY. His own son even said that Hubbard was the most evil man alive (about 5-6 years before his death). And as for John Travolta and Tom Cruise, they're just typical hollyweirdos - nobody in that town is really sane IMO - Not like in the old days of Bogart and Bacall. No connection to the real world.

Answer 2

Scientology is a 'faith' based upon the belief that we are actually descended from aliens called Thetans. The main practice of Scientology is to promote spiritual wellbeing through special exercises, 'cleansing' and education. This is based upon dianectics, or a study of what the soul does to the body, and te effects of everyday life upon the body.
There are several levels in the Church- all that I know is the 'Operating Thetan' level. There are specific tasks and also classes which must be taken to reach the top level of Operating Thetan III. You must be invited to take the top-level classes, and they can be very expensive as well.
The Church has come under fire for several reasons, including insisting that women should give birth silently to avoid distressing the baby, and that the mother cannot bond with the baby, that the baby must not be given milk but given barley water instead and that chidren when being educated, suddenly get stuck, instead of proper help they are encouraged to use a lie-detector type machine to cleanse themselves of worries or fears that distract them. Also, many children of Scientologists do not attend regular schools, but are taught by other Scientologists at home.
It is also very difficult for someone to leave- the family if they are also Scientologists are encouraged to shun the person, and to pretty much disown them.
The Church has also been accused of charging large amounts of money for the simplest of things, which it argues is necessary to run the organisation. It has also been accused of harassment of members to attend services and ceremonies, and also brainwashing children.
If you want to learn more try www.scientology.org, the official website.

PS If I remember rightly Tom Cruise is an Operating Thetan II.

Answer 3

Scientology is undeniably a cult.

Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following five characteristics:

1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members
2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society.
3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma.
4. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people.
5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

Are Cults Harmful?

To remain within the strict mental and social confines of a cult for even a short time can have the following disastrous effects:

Loss of choice and free will.
Diminished intellectual ability, vocabulary and sense of humor.
Reduced use of irony, abstractions and metaphors.
Reduced capacity to form flexible and intimate relationships.
Poor judgment.
Physical deterioration.
Malnutrition.
Hallucinations, panic, dissociation, guilt, identity diffusion and paranoia.
Neurotic, psychotic or suicidal tendencies.

Answer 4

Scientology was started by L Ron Hubbard, a man known to write science fiction books

Answer 5

We will have to go to my book "The Plain truth About God-101" (what the church doesn't want you to know!)

** I first got interested in religion when I was a young teenaged recruit for Scientology in 1967. I quickly caught on that it was a scam. Then a few weeks later L. Ron Hubbard came to Toronto from his boat in the Caribbean. (Sea-Org)

I overheard him talking to one of the other guys about some new tenants they were going to introduce to the faithful. The guy said, "Ron, we can't tell them that! It will never fly, these people aren't completely stupid you know!" To which Hubbard replied, "Let's just see how stupid they really are!"

(By the way - Hubbard might be dead - but I'll bet he's still laughing his *** off!)
Just so you know. ----Allan

Here is a summary of what they try and tell people!!!!!!

Generally, the documents suggest that a major cause of mankind's problems began 75 million years ago, when the planet Earth, then called Teegeeach, was part of a confederation of 90 planets under the leadership of a tyrannical ruler named Xemu. Then, as now, the materials state, the chief problem was overpopulation.

Xemu decided to take radical measures to solve the overpopulation problem. Beings were captured on Earth and on other planets and flown to at least 10 volcanoes on Earth. The documents state that H-bombs far more powerful than any in existence today were dropped on the volcanoes, destroying the people but freeing their spirits, called ``thetans,'' which attached themselves to one another in clusters.

After the nuclear explosions, according to the documents, the thetans were trapped in a compound of frozen alcohol and glycol and, during a 36-day period, Xemu ``implanted'' in them the seeds of aberrant behavior for generations to come.

When people die, those clusters attach to other humans and keep perpetuating themselves. Before a Scientologist can learn about thetans and how to eradicate them, he must go through a progression of costly programs.

L.A. Times (As posted to alt.religion.scientology, Scientologists Scramble to Keep Secrets)

A lot of people buy into this bullshit including one Tom Cruise!

Allan W Janssen is the author of The Plain Truth About God-101 (what the church doesn't want you to know!) at; www.God-101.com
And the petition to have people mind their own business instead of yours at; http://www.petitiononline.com/moses/petition.html

Answer 6

There are some very specific requirments for scientology: you have to love sci-fi and praise a fictional alien, you have to be extremely superficial and you have to give the "church" a lot of money. Apparently, you also have to have a pretty low iq.

Answer 7

Im in England... all we ever learn about scientology is from the loony tune himself, Mr Tom Cruise

Answer 8

It's a goofy cult religion with lots of rules that make people who follow it feel important and superior, but otherwise it's just a fad for people with nothing much else to do with their time or money.

Answer 9

That it attracts only the rich and is only interested in those who made it big. And its hell to get out of it. But then no different than the shunning of the Amish I guess.

Answer 10

It is a group formed by L. Ron Hubbard. They had tremendous IRS problems many years ago.