Is Scientology really an "anti" religion?

Question

Are these wacko's trying to insult religion by saying "Let's see how stupid of an idea we can come up with that people will still believe"?

Do they not remember that their creator, a SCIENCE FICTION writer, was once quoted as saying:

"I am tired of getting paid a penny a word for writing fiction. I want to make up a religion and become a millionaire"

Or are they really just stupid enough to think the world was created by aliens from another galaxy?

Answer 1

No, it's a CULT. People really HONESTLY buy into it. Just this morning, I got an email from one of the resident Y!A Scientologists behaving in an amazingly cookie cutter cult member way. The email I got resembled a script - it was everything L. Ron Hubbard preached about vilifying and scapegoating outsiders. I have NO doubt in my mind that he believes everything that Scientology has siphoned into his brain.

And Scientologists don't believe this world was created by aliens from another galaxy... they believe that our bodies are infested with the confused spirits of aliens who were kidnapped by the evil Lord Xenu, brought here in golden space-planes, blown up in volcanoes, then brainwashed (yes, their spirits were brainwashed) and released to wander, confused and bogged down by mind control. They believe these spirits clustered together and then came to reside in our bodies and continue to cause many of our physical and mental ills.

Just remember... they are part of a cult. It's all about brainwashing. Here, watch this video (it's a little silly in its presentation but is very accurate in describing what a cult is all about): http://youtube.com/watch?v=mnNSe5XYp6E
Here's my own explanation on how exactly Scientology is a cult: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070222202928AAC0iiu

They are instructed to ignore all criticism. They are taught to treat anything spoken "against" Scientology as an attack filled with lies, and to treat any perceived "enemy" as a criminal. In fact, that was the first knee-jerk assumption in the email sent to me: "What crimes are you hiding??"

It's how they're programmed... you can't blame them entirely because mind control is a very very powerful tool.

Answer 2

I am tired of getting paid a penny a word for writing fiction. I want to make up a religion and become a millionaire" L.Ron Hubbard

Answer 3

Well you obviously have a very poor opinion of your fellow human beings if you are so willing to believe the garbage about them that you are spouting with this question.
Do you feel this way about all religions and those who follow and practice them ...... I wonder ?
But to answer your question.... no and any sensible research will show that Scientology has fought and won many battles in the name of religious freedom not just for itself.
It has also helped and supported, many other religions in the same cause. It funds and runs huge international human rights campaigns that benefit all of us. (www.youthforhumanrights.org)
The price of freedom is.... constant alertness and constant willingness to fight back.
Wake up!! Whose side are you on ?? Freedom or slavery.... it's your choice.

Answer 4

They honestly don't know it, what Hubbard said. It's not anti-religion, it's really anti-psychiatry. Scientologists also don't know that Hubbard was treated by a shrink, and the treatment failed. He got po'd and started a crusade. People just starting out in it aren't privvy to what the "church" really believes until they reach the upper eschelons and then they're told the whole alien thing. Did you know Scientologists are required to have special blocks on their pc's so that they can't read about this stuff? Check out Operation Clambake. It's really interesting stuff. Hubbard also turned in his own wife and friends as Commies back in the 50's... I still can't believe anyone buys this.

Answer 5

Hello Michael,

You seem to have missed the point entirely. Have you actually looked for yourself. Scientologist have championed the cause of protecting 'Religion' in countries like France and Germany not only for Scientologist but for all faiths. Go to www.cchr.org thats citizens commission for human rights. Have a look for yourself.

Answer 6

Scientology is a religion, because people believe in it. It has ceremonies, food-regulations, an organizational structure etc.

Whether or not their chosen prophet actually believed what he told his followers, is not relevant to the basic fact that (some) people do believe this stuff.

Answer 7

No Scientology is just part of the bigger community of religions and Scientology has joined many other religions to protect religious freedom. It is true that Scientology is acused of believing in aliens but Scientologists uterly deny that.This is what Belief.net says about scientology;

• Belief in Deity
Scientology considers the belief in a God or gods as something personal and therefore offers no specific dogma. The nature of the Supreme Being is revealed personally through each individual as s/he becomes more conscious and spiritually aware. There exists a life energy or force (Theta) beyond and within all.


• Incarnations
There are no particular human incarnations of God, as the universal life force (Theta) is inherent in all. All humans are immortal spiritual beings (thetans) capable of realizing a nearly godlike state through Scientology practices.


• Origin of Universe and Life
All is manifestation of the universal spirit, which is all that actually exists.


• After Death
Rebirths continue until one consciously confronts all pre-birth, current-life, and previous-life traumas and realizes one's true nature as a "thetan," immortal spirit--transcending matter, energy, space, and time. Achieving this state enables the spirit to escape the cycle of birth and death--to operate independently of the physical universe and become one with God.


• Why Evil?
Painful experiences and harmful acts in one's prebirth, current, and past lives become imprinted in the reactive mind and lead to irrational behavior. Departures from rational thought and untrue ideas ("aberrations") can result in wrongdoing.


• Salvation
Salvation is achieved through the practices and techniques of Scientology, the ultimate goal of which is to realize one's true nature as an immortal spirit, a thetan. The path to salvation, or enlightenment, includes achieving states of increasingly greater mental awareness--Pre-Clear, Clear, and ultimately Operating Thetan. An Operating Thetan is a spirit who can control matter, energy, space, time, thought, and life. Practitioners ("Auditors") are regarded as ministers and counselors who assist others to achieve self-enlightenment. Auditors help others to identify their prebirth, current, and past-life disturbances, which are obstacles to happiness and spiritual enlightenment.


• Undeserved Suffering
Suffering occurs as part of the spirit's entrapment here in the physical universe. Only when the individual is aware of his spiritual nature can he identify his barriers within the universe and overcome them, rising out of a lower state and into a higher state of happiness and freedom.


• Contemporary Issues
Based on the belief that you cannot free yourself spiritually without working to free others, Scientology has founded and supports many organizations for social betterment, particularly in the areas of drug abuse, crime, psychiatric abuse, government abuse of law, human rights, religious freedom, education, and morality. Scientology strongly favors the use of their methodology for spiritual/mental healing over the use of conventional treatment.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_8057_1.html