Christianity is a Religion; Scientology is a Farce

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While I'm normally an outspoken person regarding my opinion of religion (in that is nothing more than a load of horse shit, and that the followers of religion are ignorant little twats with no backbone - especially the preachy 'moral' types), after much research, I've reached this conclusion: religion sucks; Scientology is worse than fundamental Christianity and radical Islam. It is funded by the naive and those who are 'enlisted' are coerced into life time memberships, signing away their very existance to the evillest of the religions. It is a religion that exists in the so-called Western World where human rights are held sacred and civil liberties are rampant.

Scientology vs Human Rights

Only non-aberrated individuals should be granted civil rights (Dianetics, page 486 in my 1992 edition)

Natasha: My Boyfriend Was a Scientologist

The major religions of the world all generally focus on creating a following of loyal sheep who all go 'bah', but they don't reach the same levels of extremism that some fanatical sects do. But, even so, there is still a level of freedom that is there; a freedom that is permitted within the theocratic laws of a nation.

All religions have their doctrines, which in many cases are hundreds if not thousands of years old. Scientology doesn't have that; it just has a bunch of writings by a crackpot fiction writer. Heh... sounds like the assertian that most Atheists have of religion? That the doctrine is written by some human...

In fact, one could easily say that any form of religion is a cult.

After all, they all portray similar characeristics.
- rituals
- chants/prayers
- doctrines that can be confusing
- dress codes/uniforms
- a hierarchy
- repentance systems
- promises of salvation and a chance to get into Heaven
- a call for 'donations' (ie: collection plates...)

"This new religion is nothing more than a pack of weird rituals and chants designed to take away the money of fools. Now let's say the Lord's prayer 40, but first, let's pass the collection plate." ~ Rev. Lovejoy, The Simpsons

"Scientology training is training for slavery" -- Justice Latey

Though most are voluntary, though the parental units of young religious members force this line of thinking onto their young, and it doesn't matter what the religion is because this holds true across all religious sects. The core of all religions is preservation and survival.

This is why Catholics marry Catholics and if a Jewish girl wants to marry a Baptist boy, the boy has to 'convert' or vice versa.

The survival of religions comes through being able to provide the kind of guidance that people seek, with the largest religion being Catholicism followed closely by Islam, which has almost all of its most ardent followers in the Middle East.

However, there is none of the dangerous cult mentality in these religions because they aren't taken in after a 'test'; the people go into their recognized religion because it is part of their ethnicity/cultural heritage.

However, with Scientology, people aren't brought in through heritage, but rather through coercian and shallow promises of nothing in exchange for them giving up their livelihoods. People are promised answers that only Scientology can offer and they are told that their shortcomings can be fixed with Scientology.

This is done first through the free personality test.

The Personality Test

And just how do they work?

People have commented frequently on the fact that the OCA always seems to point up hidden fatal flaws in one's personality which (surprise!) only Scientology can "cure". This is partly the result of the way the OCA is administered (of which more in a moment), but it also owes a great deal to the way in which the test itself works. The 200 questions asked in the OCA are subdivided into 10 categories (as already mentioned above) with 20 questions in each category. The answers - Yes, Maybe or No - are graded on a scale of 1 to 7, with the scores for each question being added up to produce a round figure of up to 115 points. Crucially, the answers for each question have a fixed points score set by Hubbard himself. As with much of the rest of Scientology, Hubbard seems to have assumed that his opinions and solutions would automatically be true for everyone else. Dr. Delvin's comments above that the questions were "of the type much favoured by women's magazines" is uncannily accurate, as they are marked in exactly the same manner.

How the Personality Tests Work

What Is Scientology?

Another Scientology site frankly states: "The Scientology religion is based exclusively upon L. Ron Hubbard's research, writings and recorded lectures -- all of which constitute the Scriptures of the religion." -- source: http://www.theta.com/goodman/religion.htm (emp. adddd)

Scietology-based Schools and tutoring groups

Scientology - a pack of rituals and lies structured around pseudo psychiatry on the grounds that the human mind is unpure and that we are constant under stress unless we can become clear and rid ourselves of pain from our past.

'Ministers' from the 'church' try and convince people of this...

The ideas stem from one man, L. Ron Hubbard, who had professed to being an accredited professional in his field. However...

Actual Scan of L. Ron Hubbard's grades

Hubbard himself claims a distinguished scholarly background with "many degrees" and "many honors" for his work. He claims to have been "trained in nuclear physics" and to have graduated from the Columbian College of George Washington University, with a degree in Civil Engineering. The first page of his book Science of Survival gives particular credit to "my instructors in atomic and molecular phenomena, mathematics, and the humanities at George Washington University and at Princeton." A request for confirmation from GWU brought the following response from J. L. Roames, Assistant to the Registrar:

"LaFayette-Ronald Hubbard has never received any degree whatsoever from The George Washington University." -

Hubbard's repeated claims to have attended Princeton apparently refer to a three-month seminar which he attended during the winter of 1949, as part of his training as a U.S. Naval officer.

Scattered throughout his books are occasional references to his Ph. D. from "Sequoia University." This is particularly puzzling, as there is no Sequoia University listed among accredited educational institutions. Of course, Hubbard's lack of traditional scholarly credentials does not automatically mean his theories are incorrect. However, a lack of personal integrity, if indicated, would mean that any and all claims must be given extra-close scrutiny. Such scrutiny will be given to Hubbard's theories and doctrine in later chapters.

And the purpose of Scientology?

"A world without insanity, without criminals, and without war." This seems to be an admirable ambition, until one examines closely just who it is that Hubbard considers to be criminal and insane. On page 131, he proposes that every individual in the U.S. be tested to determine their position on the "Hubbard Chart of Human Evaluation," a copy of which he included with the book. All who fall below a certain point should be "quarantined" and "processed" until they are "sane." Some of the definite indications of a low position on the chart's "tone scale" are: "Any slightly or greatly repulsive physical odor." Page 146 "nagging or forgetfulness or occasional gossip." Page 35 "carping, nagging and criticizing." Page 90 "pre-clears who want attention but not processing." p.41 To its members, the "Church of Scientology" represents "little "areas of sanity" in a world gone mad. 17 According to Hubbard's specious logic, because his movement's goal is a sane world.

"It would be stopped only by the insane." In fact, anyone who criticizes or opposes Scientology is automatically considered dangerously insane. Perhaps intending to reassure his readers, Hubbard concludes, "This does not propose that depriving such persons of their civil rights should obtain any longer than is necessary to bring them up the tone scale to a point where their ethics render them fit company for their fellows." History has shown that such assurances are not worth much after an authoritarian leader has gained the power he craves.

Now before I get into the horror stories I have found with my research, I'd like to take this opportunity to post this:

----------------------------

OFFICIAL SCIENTOLOGY POLICY:

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HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex Remimeo HCO Policy Letter of 18 October 1967 Issue IV

ENEMY: SP Order ["suppressive person" declaration, declaring the subject to be antisocial and an enemy of $cientology]. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist.

May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.

LRH:jp L. RON HUBBARD Copyright (c) 1967 Founder by L. Ron Hubbard ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

World's Most VICIOUS Religion

And beneath this lies the human side.

A story of broken family, trashed dreams, forgotten careers and foresaken educations simply because of a forced loyalty to Scientology which encourages its members to 'disconnect' from family that may hold them back; from the ideas that one must be devouted to Scientology to be worth something and to find the answers.

Those trapped in the illusion can't get out and those who are ex-Scientologists and families of Scientologists all tell very similar stories. The pattern isn't hard to miss.

How Scientology Gets Its Hooks in New Recruits
Social Control in Scientology: A Look at Methods of Entrapment

Dear Amanda is one of such stories, as told by Mr. Steven Keller. He lost his daughter to this cult. This is his story of his attempt to get back something precious to him, but is still losing.

Of course, Scientology has both its critics and supporters and it is unfair to not let its supporters (aka, those naively roped into believing the bullshit preached by this entity of pure capitalist exploitation).

Testimonies of supporters and critics of Scientology and Dianetics - though I'd have to say, it's mostly critical.

Affidavits and personal stories of life in Scientology

One of the most valued elements in society is our children. There are numerous laws designed solely for the purpose of protecting these small people because they can't protect themselves from unscruplous adults who know no boundaries. This is no less true than in Scientology, which has little or no regard for the safety and welfare of each of its children.

This happens both in terms of overall welfare in the housing com,plexes at Sea Org in Clearwater, Florida, the 'religious' headquaters of Scientology, where children are often left in squalor conditions, off set from the seemingly pristine offices of the Sea Org members. They are cast aside; little emphasis on their wellbeing.

Their healthcare and education are also compromised in the name of Scientology...

[Adeline Dodd-Bova] left Scientology two years ago. I had been a teacher and word clearer in Scientology schools, including Delphi, for three years. I loved the children and was very dedicated to my profession. It was personal observation that provided me the first clue that Scientology placed a low priority on the welfare of children. A co-worker and I began to notice certain neglect and occasionally even abuse among the children we taught. We observed that many Scientology parents climbing the "Bridge to (their own) Total Freedom" assumed almost no responsibility for their children. Children often came to school with little or no food. Children, aged 3 and 4, had to pack their own lunches -- when they could find any food at home to pack. You can imagine what their lunches consisted of. Busy parents who were working and doing courses rarely had time to shop. Some children arrived at 7:30 a.m. and at times did not leave until 6:30 p.m. They often had been shuffled from house to house after school and had litfie sleep. This seemed to us to be a direct contradiction to the regimen the parents rigorously observed for their own Scientology auditing [counseling] and training to be well- rested and fed prior to session or course time.
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The children there also suffered from blatant parental neglect. I saw situations which got reported to the school's principal, but, in truth, the Department of Social Services should really have been called. One eight-year-old appeared to have been sexually abused; another child suffered, without handling, for dyslexia. One child wore the same clothes for two weeks. No one took notice of his lack of personal hygiene -- his parents had separated and the child had to fend for himself. All of the children I mention were in the same class of only 15 students. Another child exhibited extxemely disruptive and destructive behavior, including violent physical tantrums and swearing. He often disturbed the whole school. The "remedy" for this child was to have him sweep up around the school.

These were the children of dedicated Scientologists. Students' files revealed previous teachers' statements of incidents of physical and sexual abuse. All of these cases were reported to the principal. The reports were "handled" by Scientology alone. Teachers dared not report these crimes on their own outside the school for fear of losing their jobs.

Low Priority for Child Welfare

In the process, it seems that at least in the American state of Florida, the justice system is failing the average person in the fight against Scientology.

From: "Jeff Jacobsen"
Subject: Florida legal system sucks
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 05:23:09 -0000
Message-ID:

It's pretty clear to me that the Florida legal system has serious problems:

1. Lisa McPherson is essentially killed, yet no one will ever be criminally charged with it. The state attorney filed the weakest charges he could find against Co$, then even dropped those.

2. Dennis Clark of CCHR punches Mike Krotz on 2 different occasions, both being videotaped (once from 2 different angles). No charges ever pressed against Clark.

3. Bob Minton admits to perjury, then gets caught perjuring himself while testifying about his previous perjury. Yet no charges are filed.

4. A permanent injunction is placed against critics of Scientology based on one action by Bob Minton where Bob poked a guy with his picket sign.

Critics of Scientology are enjoined from speaking to Scientologists, from going certain places, and from protesting at certain locations.

Compare #4 with 1-3. Scientologists or those helping them get away with assault, killing, perjury. Critics not even in the state when the offense happened are severely restricted by Florida courts. What's happening?

Florida Legal System Sucks

Many people have been hurt because of the manipulative nature of Scientology's 'lawyers' and the inability of the justice system to adequately address the needs of those trying to escape the harassment and the threats that follow the departure of those who have become disenchanted with the 'religion' because they've returned to their senses.

The Woodcraft family is another example of how Scientology has torn families apart.

Or... Abuse and Neglect of Children in Scientology

Scientology puts little or no emphasis on family; a trait found in no other religion. All the other religions around the world (other than the pagan and its derivitives), place a high emphasis on family and its values.

Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, Judiasm, Hinduism and many other of their derivitives have a strong emphasis on the family and children's welfare. They put the family as the core of society and that the family is needed in order to survive. There is still a hierarchy but it comes from within the family environment.

By now, in any sentence in which I use 'Scientology' and 'religion', I tend to put religion in quotes simply because Scientology isn't actually a religion. It's a cult. Why? It fits the description of the 5 core characteristics that define a cult.

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 and recruit people.
5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

At this point, I'd like to refer you to the website that I found ALL the above links at and it is: Operation Clambake: Undressing The Church Scientology Since 1996.

This site has an excellent vault of information that I couldn't fit into this post. Consider this post to be a reference point.

Their site is a wonderfuk point from which people seeking information to help those trapped in the vice grip of Scientology can find what they need. The site also provides a good list of suggestions of what one can do in order to fight this evil.

How to support the fight against the Church of Scientology

And nothing makes a good statement like victim impact statements.

When it comes to the various accounts of abuse, neglect, broken families, lost careers, abandoned edcations, et cetera, nothing says "Scientology is evil and it must be eradicated" like a series of victim impact statements/first hand accounts. The scary thing about all these accounts is that there are various patterns.

Isabel's story
Chris's Story
Patrick's Story

But, these people aren't alone. There are millions of others who have been through the same thing, or they are people who have posted informative websites, or they are assholes like me who pick bits and pieces and post them in their blog. Either way, there is an extensive counter-propoganda campaign that is going on while Scientology attempts to poison the world with its mind controls and its ideas of 'clearing the world'.

Heck, even some cartoons have joined the fight in their own subtle ways.

The Simpsons have made their statement with their episode on the Movementarians and recently South Park came out with an episode that berates Scientology directly and indirectly calls one of Scientology's biggest supporters, Tom Cruise gay.

"Mom, Tom Cruise won't come out of the closet!" - Stan Marsh

The recent South Park TV episode - "Trapped in the Closet" - in which the South Park staff educates the global community through humor on the human rights abuses and other dangers of the destructive mind control cult Scientology has done a great service to societies and families everywhere their show airs around the world. This show is also a great educational tool for dangers of destructive cults in general.

In spite of Scientology’s infamous reputation for retaliation and lawsuits, it took a great courage to so accurately portray the brainwashed cult dependency of Tom Cruise and John Travolta as well as criminal-like nature of Scientology and its current leader David Miscavige. Because of this courage and its educational value to society on the dangers of Scientology and cults in general we at FACTNet name the entire South Park TV Show Staff our FACTNet Person(s) of the Year for 2005.

FACTNet
FACTNet Newsletter

And need a way to educate that young child of yours?

Well, they like Harry Potter, don't they?

Harry Potter and the Cult of Doom

I'd give you more links... but there are already a zillion extra links once you've clicked on the ones I've provided.

In closing - I still believe that religion is a whole whack of shit and Scientology is the worst of the bunch.