Scientology - religion or cult?

Question

Is the Church of Scientology a legitimate religion?

Or is it a cult designed to rip off foolish rich entertainers with more money than brains?

Answer 1

CULT.

Scientology, which questionably calls itself a new "religion", is the brainchild of science fiction writer & occult enthusiast L. Ron Hubbard. The organization claims to be able to help rid members of any & all mental constraints including but not limited to emotional scarring (from this & "past" lives) due to "engrams" (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind), psychological disorders & chemical imbalances (the solution is to convince members that these things don't actually exist) & drug dependence (including legally prescribed psychopharmaceuticals which counteract the effects of psychological disorders Scientologists believe to be nonexistent).

The official Scientology organization is composed of a number of “levels”. One begins as a “preclear” & works their way up. One must purchase virtually every service crucial to advancement directly from the "church" & at staggering prices. "Auditing", for example, is purchased in 12½ hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions. Visit this link to see how $380,000 is a conservative estimate for the total cost of moving all the way up the Scientology hierarchal ladder: http://www.xenu.net/archive/prices.html
These are the total costs for auditing alone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_as_a_business#Costs
Here’s an explanation of what “auditing” is: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061224182319AA2nnd6

At level OT III (Operating Thetan 3), some very strange & fiercely guarded secrets are imparted upon worthy members who have paid enough money to advance to such a level (and no, this isn't a joke): the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by kidnapping them, bringing them to earth in golden DC-8 “space-planes” & blowing them up inside volcanoes with hydrogen bombs. Scientologists believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") were captured, brainwashed & released; they then attached themselves to our ancestors (who passed them all the way down to us) & cause many of our mental & physical ills to this day. Auditing is said to “clear” us of these Body Thetans as well as the “mental implants” they supposedly impose on our minds. http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/spaink-ot3.html http://xenu.net/archive/leaflet/Xenu-Letter.pdf

Scientology has taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results). Suspiciously, it was discovered upon Hubbard’s death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril™) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years. http://www.clambake.org/archive/ronthenut/16.gif
(visit this link to read about the uses of hydroxyzine: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/v/vistaril.html )

To be blunt, Scientology is a cult. It employs semi-legitimate psychotherapy & self-help methods to keep people loyal & convinced of its merit while it simultaneously sucks them dry financially & attempts to keep them far away from ANYONE, even friends & family, who would dissuade them from remaining in such a harmful situation. It’s a particularly greedy as well as manipulative & dangerous cult that takes its anti-psychiatry fanaticism to deadly limits. See this link for more information: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

Answer 2

cult or con I certainly would not classify it as a legitimate religion or belief, more a place for sad stupid morons with more money then brains


I think its a necessity to have no free will or sense of logic before you can be admitted

EDIT: outsiders you are a complete moron how can someone be a scientolgist without joining the actaul church of scientology , how can you say you know everything about it when you are not even a member , do you think any relgious group would put their most valuable secrets in books for the general public , you make me laugh

The only valid ideology scientology has was stolen from THELEMIC ideas perpetuated by Crowley , which I must say that even still Hubbard had a pretty pathetic understanding of and to add to that hes adultarted many of the ideas with his pathetic babble , the sooner this belief of weak minded fools dies out the better for everyone

Answer 3

As far as I am aware, the Scientologists tell you there is something wrong with your personality and then charge you an enormous amount of money to fix you up. That sounds more like a cult to me than a religion. Religions still tell you there is something wrong with you (e.g. sin, damnation), but don't charge as much to fix you up.

Answer 4

From Websters: a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader

So, it is a religion, but with factors that lead to the cult definition.

Gee, only 3 thumbs down, and I tried so hard. Jerks!

Answer 5

Well, fortunately these things are not decided by your typical Yahoo Ans opinion poll, regardless of the bias of the questioner.

Otherwise pretty much every bonafide religion would be labled a cult by somebody.

Answer 6

I found Scientology to be a religion. Why? Because they believe there is a god, they do all the usual religious things, marriages, naming ceremonies, burials you know all the church stuff.

It has shown me how to respect others and see the lies told to the masses by groups who would like all to stay weak and at war.

Answer 7

Cult. But then, so are religions in general.

Answer 8

Gee G, you know the answer. It's both. they are a religious cult.

Answer 9

The second one.

Answer 10

a dangerous cult.