The St. Petersburg Times is running a series on the Church of Scientology that has some pretty eye-popping allegations, particularly with regard to Church leader David Miscavige. For those who have long argued that the Church is a cult (most recently in Europe) the exposé will likely reinforce their views.
The newspaper reports bizarre and abusive conduct by Miscavige, including hitting high-ranking officials and forcing them to play a game of musical chairs (where the losers allegedly are banned from the Church).
The Los Angeles Times also has a story alleging rampant corruption in the Church.
The series on Scientology is something of a surprise. Many reporters that I have spoken with over the years are privately reluctant to do Scientology stories because of the Church’s aggressive reputation in responding to press. The Church has a history of suing critics and pursuing members who have joined the movement opposing Scientology. This has led to recent lawsuits ( and here) and complaints. Recently, Scientology also was barred from making edits on Wikipedia because of what it viewed as a pattern of misleading or false changes on sites referencing the Church.
For the first part of the three-part series, click here.
For the second part of the three-part series, click here.
“NAMBLA, and radical Muslim thinking, I hope, will never be accepted. However, 100 years ago, the same most likely was said in many parts of this country about interacial marriage.”
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My point exactly, Jim. Beliefs have consequences and Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statute died in a direct confrontation with rationality and compassion thanks to the late Mildred Loving. Your argument is likely to go the way of racism, theocracy, and child sexual abuse, or at least I hope so. Do you really want to be on the side of tolerating that which is stupid, perverse, or irrational?
I don’t think religion just rips off the rich either. Religion goes for the widow’s mite and widow give it. The 700 club asks for people’s cancer money. I trace religiosity to an authoritarian culture which ensnares rich and poor alike. With a combination of belonging, a place to use one’s skills for good or ill and a set of rules that are supposed to help make sense of things, together with a society which values unquestioning obedience to leaders, it’s no wonder it’s all over. Authoritarianism runs very deep in this society and it finds expression both in religion and the secular.
mespo,
People should not be free from criticism for what they believe.
I wasn’t suggesting that anyone refrain from speaking their mind.
Indeed, that is precisely what leads to outside-the-norm actions based on those beliefs.
You mean like gay marriage?
Outside-the-norm thinking is what breeds change. Just because society doesn’t currently accept something today, doesn’t mean they won’t accept it tomorrow. -If nobody pushes on what is currently consider “the norm” nothing changes.
NAMBLA, and radical Muslim thinking, I hope, will never be accepted. However, 100 years ago, the same most likely was said in many parts of this country about interacial marriage.
M72,
I know we all have bad days, even the brightest among us. Blue Monday’s, ‘ol Blue Mondays…
GWLSMom,
I know a farmer Scientology took to the tune of 2.3 million over the course of 6-7 years. And unlike the movie stars, that was every dime he had.
Mespo,
Friends don’t let friends Vote Republican.
jim byrne:
“People can, and will, believe in whatever they want to believe. They should be able to do so; even if it will hurt them in the eyes of others.”
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This is the muddle-headed thinking that leads to disastrous and preventable social problems. People should not be free from criticism for what they believe. Indeed, that is precisely what leads to outside-the-norm actions based on those beliefs. Beliefs are our attempts to make sense of the world around us. To that extent, they shape how we perceive the world. That militant Islam believes we are infidels deserving of death leads to certain consequences of which we are well-acquainted. That NAMBLA accepts child sexual abuse as a norm is a belief that has dire consequences when acted upon. Beliefs are like everything else we humans possess–subject to testing by our collective intellect and criticism if proven foolish or ill-advised. To tolerate sacred cows means only that we must deal with the inevitable manure that is sure to emanate.
GWLawSchoolMom said; aren’t all religions cults to one degree or another?
Exactly!
People can, and will, believe in whatever they want to believe. They should be able to do so; even if it will hurt them in the eyes of others.
The EU should stay out of it.
Did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac?
–He stayed up all night wondering whether or not there really was a dog.
Organised religion is poison. But I’m grateful to it at least for starting me on the road to atheism.
Buddha writes:
Hollywood connections and an empty bank account?
those hollywood people have a VIP center where they are secluded from the riff raff.
the empty bank account is true. they approached me in the late 70’s and it was a weird time for me and so I went to their center in Santa Monica and took a test. it was not unlike your average Cosmo test, and so I was pretty amused. Then they told me what they could do for me. Get me clear. Get me past the places where I was blocked. Fortunately for me, Id’ already been approached by the est people a few years before so I was familiar with the high cost of enlightenment. My preference was to spend money doing things that made me happy, and enlightenment would have to either come from those things or be free.
my mom had a woman from east la who used to clean her house. when she heard me talking about est and that I thought I might want to try it, this was before I found out what it cost and that they didn’t let you pee for 18 hours, she set me straight. “you white people,” she said, “have way to much time and money to spend thinking about your feelings. If you had to work to support yourself and your kids and save so that they could have a better life and maybe move to a better neighborhood so that they could go to better schools you’d realize that this is a rip-off to make you feel better about what you already have.”
and she was right.
Buddha and GWL,
Didn’t you read the article? The one guy had Captain’s bars! For the love of god people, we are talking Captain’s bars here–and you don’t see the advantage? Thank god one of us here is “clear”!
“I don’t know what the advantages are to being a scientologist. are there any?”
Hollywood connections and an empty bank account?
aren’t all religions cults to one degree or another? they use pretty much the same methods to attract and keep adherents. One promises an after life, another promises community in this life. None can actually deliver guarantees, thus, they use faith as the catch. They are all exclusive to their own dogma but dogma is what attracts one while it repels another.
scientology may use more modern, advanced techniques to gain adherents, just like mormon did and still does and like LDS, scientology was invented in modernity, with no history of undocumented and unprovable set of miracles.
I can figure out why some people are presbyterians and others are catholic and others are jews. mainly because their parents and grandparents are/were and we trust what we were inculcated with at an early age.
I don’t know what the advantages are to being a scientologist. are there any?
Well budda.
There is no Separation doctrine among the member states, but by the terms of the Charter the EU is a secular organization. Only five member states have state religions – England, Denmark, Cyprus, Greece and Malta. Catholicism is NOT the state religion of Italy, no matter what the Pope thinks.
I can’t shake the idea that this is exactly like the US culture of torture, in every way.
If we let people play the lottery (State run no less), how can we really stop them from choosing a religion? What’s it to me if someone give money to Scientology, the lottery, or the Catholic Church? Look at Evander Holyfield, he tithed away over $20 MM and is about to have his house foreclosed on. Is he not in a destructive cult?
In Europe, there is no separation between Church and State. Competing religions cost the State money. So, they are not looking after people when persecuting rival religions or heresies.
So does this surprise you? What is that religion that John Travolta is a member of again? Thought so.
🙂
This is a live action Milgram experiment. After seeing the picture of the Admiral I now know what a living corpse really looks like!