Scientology????? Scam or Cult?????

[hang a left]

My sister is all messed up in this Church of Scientology. She pays money and goes through these stupid courses. I don't know much about it. She is pretty brainwashed though. Who knows something about this?

[Fenris]

1. It's both. Google it.

[The Zanti Regent]

34. The secret of $¢ientology

http://www.xenu.com/archive/leaflet/

The Xenu leaflet tells in some detail the story the big secret that is in the OT III level. It tells of the alien galactic ruler Xenu who was in charge of Earth and 75 other planets in this part of the galaxy some 75 million years ago and how he cured overpopulation by paralysing the people of the other planets, flying them to Earth in DC-8 space planes, arranging them round a volcano to murder them with H bombs. Not done with that these souls of these murdered people were gathered up and boxed, taken to cinemas and shown films for several days. The end result being that the souls clustered together and now inhabit people in their thousands. And of course they must be removed at huge expense.

[Taverner]

2. Look up operation clambake too

Great site

[Dookus]

3. it's both a scam and a cult

and a pretty vicious one.

[lastknowngood]

4. cult no question

n/t

[quinnox]

5. My opinion is it has both

It is a big scam for the poeple who get rich of the other members, and it is also a cult for those that are really into it.

[Failure]

7. Both...and furthermore

I was once in the depths of scientology HQ in Clearwater FL at the Fort Harrison Hotel. I was there on business, (so don't worry) but these people are a few bricks shy...like aliens, or something.

[quinnox]

11. Yea, whenI hear of money involved like it is with scientology

where you have to pay to become "more enlightened", then I think it must be a big swindle.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. I got to spend an afternoon at their church in LA

A friend of mine had given me his address in LA, to come visit him while I was out there, and it turned out to be the Church of Scientology.

They made me wait for him all afternoon, and kept telling me, he'll be here any minute. In the meantime, I got to watch these folks interact with each other and I can tell you this is one strange group of folks.

[SmileyBoy]

6. There's a good site debunking Scientology, but it's currently down.

Xenu.org. But I can't access it.

[Shakespeare]

8. You've got the wrong URL. It's xenu.net

awesome site

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

9. Seriously both -- get her out

For info that goes far beyond anything I can tap here:

http://www.xenu.net/

http://www.xenutv.com/

Good luck -- but learn about the tactics that Scientology will use against anyone who tries to tell members that they are paying $$ for nothing -- they have a good line in turning families against each other.

[Memekiller]

10. I've been to the Queen's den...

I won the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award a few years ago. It's a respected award, and you get to go spend a week studying with top notch science fiction writers, and your story gets published in an anthology. Sean Astin gave me my award. So it was cool, but the whole thing was held at the Scientology headquarters, where the Queen mother lays the eggs that turn into Hubbard pod people. (Not to mention a trip to the Hubbard museum!)

Let's just say, it's strange. When you read about it, you wonder how in the world anyone could possibly believe this stuff. And yes, they want your money. So, it's basically like every other religion.

www.dylanottokrider.com

[Renew Deal]

12. Scam and a cult all at once.

Just another made up "religion"

[K8-EEE]

14. How Much $$ Has She Spent "Attaining New Levels?"

I've read several books on this, as I had a friend at work who became hopelessly brainwashed. Here in L.A. there are a lot of businesses (publishing, entertainment, every facet" that are owned the "church" of Scientology one way or another.

Once they got you cult-ized, it's all about "going to the next level" and that costs MONEY. LOTS OF IT. They won't take no for an answer because they tell you, you have the power to come up with the money if you REALLY want to "ascend" it is so bogus. And you have to hook yourself up to this ridiculous thing called an "e-meter" and it's supposed to "fix" your balance of...something...body thetans?

Some kind of "thetan" from another time & place that is supposed to inhabit your body and there are machines...it all costs money, TOTAL SCAM.

But here's what makes it a cult, not a religion -- when her friends and family became concerned, she was told to lose them, basically, this was somebody from a close family. Now she moved to FL and they only hear from her through sporadic postcards etc.

There are a lot of disillusioned ex-Scientologists who threaten to tell what the ultimate level is, that people spend like half a million dollars to get to, and it's all just stupid Sci-Fi stuff.

[hang a left]

30. I am not real sure. But I know she has her two daughters

(elementary school age)in their private school. They (her and her husband, who are now getting a divorce) have spent quite a bit. I am not up on specifics as I have been estranged from her for almost 8 years. Her and her husband basically screwed our whole family over a business she stole and other things. Now they are getting a divorce because he has been having an affair with her best friend for like 4 years, and she is asking for $$. My mom is concerned because she is talking like a freak about having to get "some stupid term" through their church. I am basically trying to find out for my mom.

[bonemachine]

15. Both

I'm a big fan of religious freedom, but the Germans have it right on this one.

[MrSlayer]

16. Both.

[punpirate]

17. As for methods of talking to her about...

... don't expect a lot of listening--part of the process of Scientology is to develop in the person a paranoia regarding outsiders--and non-member family are outsiders.

Pick up Jon Atack's A Piece of Blue Sky for more information on the mindset inside Scientology.

Good luck.

[Mr.Green93]

18. you can cause yourself trouble talking against them

[ET Awful]

19. It's a cult and a dangerous one at that. . .

Go here for some research:

http://www.xenu.net/

Then research the name Lisa McPherson.

http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

[Taverner]

20. Beware of men in suits

"Ethics" (the men in suits) have been known to visit family members who they deem as "supressive persons", and in some cases take the family member to rooms where they intimidate them and brow beat them into not interfering.

If they offer to take you someplace to "talk" by all means DON'T GO!!!!

[PatGund]

21. c) All the above

Check out Operation Clambake at http://www.xenu.com/ for further information

[Poiuyt]

22. Big names in Scientology

Tom Cruise, John Travolta

No point here, just interesting. It's still a cult

[genius]

24. Alec Baldwin, Kim Bassinger, Mimi Rogers

[Taverner]

26. Chic Corea as well

[genius]

23. My understanding is that it was started this way

Hubbard was sitting around with a group of sci-fi writers and he made a bet that he could create a church based on nothing that would net him a great deal of money.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

25. It is both.

[xultar]

27. All of the Above...n/t

[PurityOfEssence]

28. It's a bona fide religion; a religion is a cult that made it

Scientology's DEFINITELY made it.

[FDRrocks]

32. Agreed

It's just a religion.

[Nlighten1]

29. It is a crock.

I dated this woman who was a Scientologist. She tried to convert me and in doing so showed me the books she bought from the group that she belonged to in California. It all seemed kind of crazy to me.

[JohnLocke]

31. BOTH (nt).

[Terran]

33. Do everything you can to get her away from those creeps! n/t

[Eurobabe]

35. not about to find out, ditched a dentist over

the fact that she was promoting on her professional dentistry website that she was a "scientologist," -- that somehow creeped me out.

got a new dentist. :)

[Pattib]

36. In the mid eighties my sister worked for

a computer software company in Northern Va. It was her first job out of college and on her first day she found out the whole office from the top down were Scientoligists with the exception of herself and one other guy.

She did say they hired non-Hubbards during her year and a half there. Not many though. She had some freaky stories about their ideas on medicine and such.

I've read a bunch of stuff on the internet out of my own curiosity. They really seem to go after those who speak out against it afterleaving the group/cult. Then there is the whole Clearwater, Florida incident with the death of a former member who died in their care. I don't think anyone was held accountable for that to this day.

[DrWeird]

37. Any worse then televangelism?

I don't see a difference.

[twilight]

38. I know how you feel ... :(

I have a very good friend that got into "Eckankar" about 10 years ago. I don't even know who she is anymore! She gives them money, etc. and follows their cult leader ... can't think of his name at the moment.

These "cults" always get people in them that are very desperate on some level I have found. What these cult leaders do is brainwash the person and suck them for all they can get.

I really wish that something could be done about these cults.

There is a place I found to be of use about 15 years ago called the Cult Awareness Network (maybe they are still around?). I had the misfortune of having to deal with a cult known as "Sri Chinmoy" ... it was not fun on any level. In fact, it became one of the creepiest and frightening adventure of my entire life. I thought I was going to crack-up; I definitely got very sick from the experience.

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

:dem: :kick: