Is the sect of scientology only interested in exploiting their members and taking their money?

Answer 1

ABSOLUTELY. L. Ron Hubbard once joked with his friends about how much money a false religion could procure out of it's duped followers. Hey... guess what... just a little while later this SCIENCE FICTION writer comes up with Scientology, a wacky new religion that hates psychiatry and believes that aliens spirits infest our bodies! All you have to do to get rid of those negative spirits and all the bad feelings that were IMPLANTED into you is give the church all the money you possess and hand your life and freedom over to them.

This is what Scientologists ACTUALLY believe:

Xenu was an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth in spacecrafts resembling Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living. The alien souls continue to do this today, causing a variety of physical ill-effects in modern-day humans. L. Ron Hubbard (a science-fiction writer and the creator of Scientology) called these clustered spirits "Body Thetans," and the advanced levels in Scientology place considerable emphasis on isolating them and neutralizing their ill effects.

To rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" and also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... and we have to pay lots and lots and lots of money for “auditing” and to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry and psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life and has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).

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 2

The Scientology leaders live meager lives, some don't even own a car. Sea Org members earn $50- a week. All top execs are Sea Org so that's their pay. I forgot how exactly how is the money distribution. I know that one third of all Scientology gains goes toward staff pay. The rest goes towads the church expenses, humanatarian causes, expasion and reserves.

Answer 3

This is a bit of a "loaded" question.
It's like asking a guy " Have you stopped beating your wife?"
No matter how he asnwers he's guilty.... even if he protests the question he is still labled a possible wife beater.
So my response as a Scientologist is not to answer the question but to replace the false assertion your question makes with correct and true information :

Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. When I say "applied" I mean you actually use it in your life to change or improve existing conditions. This is different from a religious practice. All religions if you learn about them have a basic philosphy, but they also have certain dogma, rituals and observances, and a certain faith or belief is required. There is nothing wrong with this, but Scientology is not that kind of religion. It does not intrude on anyones faiths of beliefs particularly in the area of God , the Supreme Being, or the Infinite. This area is left totally up to the indivdual, which is why you can be a practicing Jew,for example and still use and apply the priniciples of Scientology in your life. It does not conflict. If anything it will enhance your understanding of your chosen religious practice.
You can have no specific religious beliefs and still benefit from using it.
And it is only true for you according to your own observation and experience with it.
It is a non denominational religion . The dictionary definition that applies:
Religion: The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognises the existence of superhuman power or powers.

The most basic principle of Scientology is that YOU are your own immortal soul, that this is not a "thing" you HAVE but what YOU actually are.
The whole purpose of Scientology is to increase an individual's understanding and awareness of himself. And thereby his native abilities .
When you do this the sphere and zone of his positive influence increases and moves outward into his life, his family ,his friends, his groups and mankind which he is part of.

How this result is achieved is the "technology" of Scientology, which was developed by L.Ron Hubbard after his extensive research and the discoveries he made, about the human spirit. The basic religious philosophy and knowledge of Scientology is very old, going back 10,000 years at least to the Veda or Vedic Hymns from the East. The developement of the technology is new.
He completed his research before his death in 1986 and left all of his results and copyrights
to the Church of Scientology along with most of his considerable personal estate, when he died.

He published a book in 1951 to communicate the basic principles he discovered called: " Scientology The Fundementals of Thought"
There are currently over 8 million Scientologists in more that 150 countries world wide. However we are a new religion, only 53 years old.
The true story of Scientology as a religion goes like this:
1. A philosopher developes a philosophy about life and death.
2. People find it interesting.
3. People find it works.
4. People pass it along to others.
5. It grows.

This probably isn't going to get picked as "Best Answer", but
at least I get 2 points and the opportunity to use this forum to give information. This is what it is actually supposed to be for, rather than for spreading false information with the intention
of invalidating people and deliberately inciting negative reactions
towards them from others.

Answer 4

Sir
Scientology doesn't take the money of their members like many churches do when thet pass the plate on Sunday services. Scientology earns its money by providing services. The question here is if Scientology works or not. If you take your car to get fix and the mechanic fixed your car, he earned his pay, if the mechanic took your money and run, this is fraud. Hundreds of thousands of people attest that Scientology works.And you only hear of a handfull of complains (big deal). Scientologist are some of the able people in this planet. like Leah Remini, Jenna Elfman, John Travolta... The reasons that Scientology is attacked so much is because it works. If Scientology didn't work it would had disapeared long time ago, but it is here and growing despite all lies in the media. And the only reason we are talking about Scientology here is because Scientology is a force to be recon with. If it wasn't no one would put attention to it.
Also I want to comment that Scientology is the best Organised religion there is period. They have organizations in over 50 diferent countries that are all managed by their International head quarters in California. Also they manage Narconon their drug rehab program and many other humanatirian programs.
http://www.chaplaincare.navy.mil/Scientology.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol.htm
http://www.beliefnet.com/sem/scientology-religion.asp?source=YAHSCT&campaign=096&medium=PPC&nopop=1&WT.mc_id=YAHSCT&WT.srch=1

Answer 5

Yes

Answer 6

I think the people represented at this link are fully qualified to answer that:

http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/exsci.htm

Answer 7

From what I've seen, yes.

Most religions ask for donations, but share their beleifs for free. Scientology demands payment to share their beleifs

Answer 8

No more so than any other religion. All organizations most have money to survive.

Answer 9

Like all religions, sadly the answer is YES.

Answer 10

If they're not, then I would sure hate to see what exploitation is.