[Millennium]

Apparently, high-ups in Scientology are now telling Tom Cruise that he's the Messiah.

This board is always so full of controversy, flamewars, and general strife. Just take a moment here and relax, with a topic that I think we can all agree on. Namely, WTF?!

[Kerrigan]

Infidels

[shifuimam]

Scientology is THE weirdest cult on the planet, hands down.

Mormonism was started by a guy who thought that some angel named (amusingly enough) Moroni was giving him his version of "the holy word" on gold plates.

Jehovah's Witnesses were started by a guy who rejected Christianity as it stood and wanted to rewrite it in a way that made sense to him.

Christian Science was started by a woman who wanted to rewrite Christianity in a way that made sense to her.

Scientology was started by a science fiction author who once told Reader's Digest, in an interview, that the easiest way to make a million dollars was to start your own religion.

You tell me which is the most credible...

[Eug]

I used to live beside a Church of Scientology, so I used to get their pamphlets in my mailbox all the time. It was downright scary how they specifically prey on those with psychiatric disorders.

BTW, I saw people trying out that strange meter thing for like 8 years as I walked by their church, but never got around to trying it myself.



Oh the big regrets in life...

[Kerrigan]

Islam was started by a neurotic, opium using chap out in the desert with a vague understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition, who decided to kill anyone who disagreed with his heresy.

(Yes vW I'm dangling that bait nice and low )

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Eug 

I used to live beside a Church of Scientology, so I used to get their pamphlets in my mailbox all the time. It was downright scary how they specifically prey on those with psychiatric disorders.

For this reason alone, the Co$ needs to have their "official religion" status ripped from them. Exploiting the sick? We need to sic the FDA and FTC on these guys, pronto.

[Kevin]

They are like the mob lpk. They have big pockets and lots of people on their payroll.

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

Islam was started by a neurotic, opium using chap out in the desert with a vague understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition, who decided to kill anyone who disagreed with his heresy.

(Yes vW I'm dangling that bait nice and low )

... stay on target ... stay on target ...

[Kerrigan]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

... stay on target ... stay on target ...

Having trouble keeping it between the crosshairs? What a surprise

(C'mon, this thread has to descend into some sort of religious bickering, that's the Unofficial Rule #1 of this forum)

[analogika]

Damn hippy Jesus.

[Kerrigan]

The funny thing is that I bet most people back then felt the same way about Jesus that we do about Tom Cruise (ie, a crazy self-aggrandizing heretic who wasn't hot but still had rugged good looks).

DBGFRGL

[nonhuman]

I love the phrasing of this:

If you believe reports, the deeply sane Mission Impossible star has been told by church bigwigs that he is the "chosen one", and destined to spread the word of Scientology around the world.

Say what you will about the Brits and the media, but British reporters can really write.

[Kerrigan]

I quite liked this line:

"According to an unnamed source in the Sun (which is pretty much the same thing as according to a magic pixie)..."

[Eug]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

For this reason alone, the Co$ needs to have their "official religion" status ripped from them. Exploiting the sick? We need to sic the FDA and FTC on these guys, pronto.

What is Co$?

And why would the FDA have anything to do with it?

As for the FTC, Wikipedia sez:

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Eug 

What is Co$?

Church of $cientology

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Eug 

And why would the FDA have anything to do with it?

The Co$ markets the use of the "e-meter" for use in therapy, making unsubstantiated claims about its accuracy. You can't market a product with fraudulent claims. E-meter claims.

[chabig]

hah!

[Rumor]

[Naplander]

Brilliant

[macintologist]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Mormonism was started by a guy who thought that some angel named (amusingly enough) Moroni was giving him his version of "the holy word" on gold plates.

You tell me which is the most credible...

Wait... so Mormonism is weird but Christianity isn't?

[macintologist]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

For this reason alone, the Co$ needs to have their "official religion" status ripped from them. Exploiting the sick? We need to sic the FDA and FTC on these guys, pronto.

There shouldn't be an "official religion" status in the first place. Religious organizations that are not non-proft charities should be paying the same taxes as everyone else.

[Millennium]

Originally Posted by macintologist 

There shouldn't be an "official religion" status in the first place. Religious organizations that are not non-proft charities should be paying the same taxes as everyone else.

Tying religion and the state together through these kinds of monetary transactions is not the solution. I don't claim to know what the solution is, but thousands of years of history have surely shown us that there must be as little interaction between these two entities as possible.

[nonhuman]

Well, we could always take a page from Massachusetts' book: M.G.L. - Chapter 272, Section 36

Whoever wilfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Scientology is THE weirdest cult on the planet, hands down.

Mormonism was started by a guy who thought that some angel named (amusingly enough) Moroni was giving him his version of "the holy word" on gold plates.

Jehovah's Witnesses were started by a guy who rejected Christianity as it stood and wanted to rewrite it in a way that made sense to him.

Christian Science was started by a woman who wanted to rewrite Christianity in a way that made sense to her.

Scientology was started by a science fiction author who once told Reader's Digest, in an interview, that the easiest way to make a million dollars was to start your own religion.

You tell me which is the most credible...

None of them obviously. Throw in the "design-by-committee" origins of Christianity among them as well. And the spoilt prince of Buddhism, the family-induced deluded merchant of Islam, etc. etc. It all boils down to interpretations of earlier religious concepts really. Monotheism even started just because some groups of people favoured certain gods and rejected the others. And as the famous saying goes - atheism just goes one god further.

Kudos to L. Ron for coming up with something completely new and radical for people to believe in. I admire his chutspa.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

The funny thing is that I bet most people back then felt the same way about Jesus that we do about Tom Cruise (ie, a crazy self-aggrandizing heretic who wasn't hot but still had rugged good looks).

DBGFRGL

Yup, the Bible even claims that there would be people showing up pretending to be Jesus like and being seen as such.

[kmkkid]

I did a Highschool project on Scientology where I proved it was a cult. They caged a man and basically chinese water tortured him because he wanted to leave the religion, they also took his wife and kid(s) away from him.... They are scary.

[- - e r i k - -]

Oh yes. Scary as hell.