Why do some people oppose Scientology?

Question

Isn't there supposed to be freedom of religion in the United States?

Answer 1

There is freedom. I won't STOP anyone from joining any particular faith or religion or cult. I will simply warn them of the dangers of such and then let them do what they will armed with all the necessary information.

I oppose scientology because it's deceptive, destructive, dangerous and occassionally deadly.

According to Scientology itself, the term SCIENTOLOGY is taken from the Latin word SCIO (knowing in the fullest meaning of the word) and the Greek word LOGOS (study).

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", we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind” in order to clear our mind of “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”...... and we have to pay lots and lots and lots of money 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

First I want to clarify that the story of Xeno is just a fable and no Scientologist believe it to be true. In fact most Scientologist I have meet haven't even heard the story. Scientology is much like Buddhism but instead of meditation they use auditing with the same goal and faster results. Scientology is the most attacked religion there is. Why? Because it works. Scientologist are some of the able people in this planet. like Leah Remini, Jenna Elfman, John Travolta, ect. Scientologist are kind, gentle and good communicators (except Tom Cruise but he is learning). Now we live in a culture that is run on the absurd believe that there is no soul and that people are dangerous and need to be medicated to be controlled. Not long ago the practices of electro shock and lobotonies were common practice to control people. The biggest difference between Psychiatry and Scientology, is that Psychiatry believes that man need to be controlled to be made good and Scientologist believe that man needs to be liberated (restore the power of choice) to be made good. These are two opposite points of view. Now if Scientologist win, the drug companies and the Psychiatryst are going bankrupt so they are investing a lot of money in propaganda to make people believe that Scientology is bad. All that proganda is compose of lies and exagerations. But Scientology is still here. Why? Because it works. And you can't argue with results. Hundred of thousands of people attest that Scientology works. And you only hear of a handfull of complains (big deal). 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 that my friend is amazing.
Here are a few links that explain Scientology better:
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 3

My opposition to Scientology (or any religion) starts when they start to try and restrict the rights and freedoms of others because their religion "doesn't like it."

An example - using the influence of Scientology to get certain episodes of television shows pulled from the schedule. Islam and Christianity are also guilty of this (I think all religions are, acutally). People trying to get books banned from libraries because of their religious beliefs (Harry Potter is a stellar example of this).

Answer 4

Freedom of religion has nothing to do with people's personal opinion that Scientology is goofy.

Answer 5

There IS freedom of religion in the US. That doesn't mean everyone has to agree with it. I think the reason so many people are sceptical of the practices is because they don't really know much about it except when an extremist (Tom Cruise's antics of late) puts it in the headlines in a negative light (like when he bashed Brook Shields use of medication for her post partum depression).

Answer 6

And again.

OK WHOA WHOA WHOA HOLD THE PHONE! Person above me PALEASE........... DO NOT COMPARE SCIENTOLOGY TO BUDDHISM. They are two different religions. In fact, I wouldn't even consider scientology a religion because it is all based on someone’s opinions of his own realization and self-proclamation through a belief system that is basically the saying "mind over matter". Buddhism is not a teaching; it's a way of life. Yes it involves chanting (for meditation purposes), karma, self realization through the practice, the belief that there is reincarnation and past lives we've lived as a spirit, but it does not at all put down or slander anything that does not follow the religion. By this I mean, Buddhists do not believe it is right to live life according to someone else, it is strictly for inner peace. You cannot change what you have done in the past, and nowhere has the Buddhist religion said that you can be freed, it's simply based on the belief that you can change your own life by changing your causes/actions.

Dianetics is BS. How can you get rid of the reactive mind? That's like saying that they are taking a piece of your brain out of you so you can forget about the bad, stupid, ugly things you've done. Why would you want to forget when, where, and how you did something wrong if you learn something from it? i.e. learned a lesson, learned right from wrong because of the effect of your cause that you yourself made? Basically L. Ron Hubbard is saying you can simply forget about all the bad things you did and start fresh, and make the same mistakes over and over again because your religion tells you that you are freed if you stick to the "Step by Step" process of cleansing yourself of your "engrams".

And isn’t "auditing" the very thing psychology is? I mean, when you go see a psychologist or therapist regarding your problems, you talk about them right? This guy is a freakin Science Fiction Author for god sakes, not a spiritual leader. I'm sure he has the right idea, and YAY for him that he reached his own potential by following his own step by step process, but the fact of the matter is, there is only one person that can change they're actions. AND GUESS WHAT? They have to knowingly and willingly do so by making a good cause and getting a good effect in return. What you put out is what you get back, plain and simple. You don't need some Bunk religion to make you feel better about yourself. Just change your actions and stop being stupid. Stop blaming your problems on your unconscious thoughts, that's a freakin joke!

And don’t even get me started on Tom Cruise. He is the worst thing that could have happened to himself. Talk about being so blinded by his own teachings that he completely makes a fool of himself, a perfect example of my point. When he went on Good Morning America and slandered Brooke Shields for taking a prescription for her Post Partum Depression… What happened? Everyone gave him crap for doing it, and lets be honest. It was freakin RUDE. How dare he blast someone else’s problems on national television to glorify his religion and belief system? If his damn religion is so great, then why did L Ron Hubbard’s wife try to steel documents that could be damaging to the religion from the US Government? Why were all or most of the highest Scientologists of the church sent to jail for infiltration of the IRS?

I believe, in my heart, that SCIENTOLOGY IS A JOKE. Yes all that stuff that psychologists did in the past was really bad. Don’t make a religion about it, it’s our history, and we aren’t proud of it. There will never be a world without crazy, mean, horrible, murderous, psychotic, emotionally unbalanced people, and miss Mary Sue Hubbard and her affiliates who were part of the “Snow White Project” are a perfect example of that. The belief systems of the scientology church are basically to relieve these symptoms and make the world a better place, one person at a time. Thank god (or whoever it is that put us on this great earth), that we were given free will. Could you imagine if we were forced to believe this crap?

Answer 7

Scientology is a cult, albeit with many rich and famous adherents.

Cults have a historical tendency to be dangerous...considering that the founder of Scientology was quite mentally unstable throughout his adult life, following such teachings is suspect.

Answer 8

Simple, becoz it is not a religon but a commercial venture. Its time you start paying for your beliefs. Almost everything thats got to do with Scientology is sold in the market resulting the founder has made millions in the process.

Answer 9

People have freedom to choose their religion in the US.

I oppose all false religions. Ones that don't have God's Grace in it.

Answer 10

What is the point of this question? Everybody has to love everything that's legal?
Rush Limbaugh's statements are legal, I hate him. Now what? Are you in the 6th grade or something?


http://www.xenu.net for the truth on scientology