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.
Thanks for the advice FFLEO, but it’s not Buddha’s words, it’s the fact that those words are considered acceptable in an environment that promotes the exchange of ideas, that influenced my determination to withdraw from participating.
I’m heading out to cool off (literally). My dear friends (hard core liberals) have invited me over for a little time in the pool, followed by dinner. -You’d be surprised at how well people with opposing viewpoints can get along when the response isn’t to go F yourself.
Jill:
I thought I did answer.
BIL:
where do you get your info, NAZI stands for National Socialist-they were socialists, i.e. progressives.
Buddha,
I have no essential disagreement with that. I just generally caution against over simplification. I think the discussion is hugely crippled by our one dimensional view of the political spectrum. It’s like discussing flavor limiting yourself to sweet and dry (As an aside, I think that the English Language is woefully short on descriptors for taste and sound).
hidflect,
Feeding and educating are not equivalent. 😉 But I know where you are coming from.
Jonathan, last night a Scientology media person emailed me about placing links to a YouTube playlist on my blog. They offered me money in exchange.
Sorry, Jim.
It’s your own words that did you in.
Gyges,
“This conversation would be make a lot more sense if we’d all acknowledge that there’s been no purely liberal or conservative political movements. I’d also suggest that we’d be best served by recognizing that tyranny knows no ideology other than whatever language gets it in power in that moment.” I generally have no issue with this either and the observation about tyranny’s word choice is astute. But I put to you this, organizational psychology and individual psychology are distinct for this reason: humans are organic and organizations are a construct. A construct can be made to have a specific ideology by enforcement of rules top-down, but it can never actually force the individuals within to uphold that ideology due to the differences in individuals and what levels of action they are or are not willing to do to comport with maintaining their self-image. Not every Nazi was a true believer, I mean look at Rommel and von Stauffenberg. Some hated the Nazis but joined for survival reasons right along side the true blood goose steppers, but the organization was far right as dictated from the top and since an organization is a structure and not a man, the espoused organizational values were fairly consistent across its’ life.
Jim Byrne,
Ignore people with whom you have a conflict on this blawg; I do that when needed.
Jill writes: Thanks for passing the praise of Benny Hinn. I hadn’t heard of him, (which has been my supreme loss). Until now I didn’t realize I could get such really neat stuff such as:
me: well honey, you ain’t seen nothin’ til you’ve seen Benny at work. there was an expose done about him a few years ago. he has a fleet of luxury cars and airplanes all bought with love offerings, the gate and donations at his “concerts” and no doubt from the sales of all that dreck you found on his website.
if you ever have a slow day and get TBN on your cable check him out. he has the most amazing hair. and his suits are impeccably tailored but not out of any fabric I’ve ever seen before. No one really knows where he comes from. Might be India. maybe Pakistan.
all this is just background music to how he operates. he fills these huge stadiums and preaches like a demon for hours and then when it’s time to separate the faithful from their money the light go down, the temperature is turned up and the smoke machine and colored lights come on. his voice goes down… low and smooth and soft and he goes into his pitch after getting the audience all plastic and mellow.
he is sublime. he is just like jesus when he offers you his love and promises of abundance in your life.
and this is what passes for religion.
Buddha said; Lube up, buttercup.
Wow Buddha! You’re a true assett to this blawg.
I won’t stoop to your level. And I will not continue to provide commentary on a blog that permits such.
You win! I hope you’re happy.
Much thanks to Prof. Turley for providing, what has the potential of being, a forum to debate our differences.
Goodbye
Buddha writes to IS: You said you’re willing to learn. Start with some history before you say something like that again. You’re making assertions again that are manifestly historically incorrect. Judging by your continuum of your comments, history is a weak spot. Self-improvement is the process of shoring up your weaknesses.
me: If I can join in for a moment… I’d like to recommend The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. It is long and turgid in some places but is considered by most historians to be the most accurate and in depth primer on the subject.
if after reading this iS still thinks that the Nazi party was on the left there is nothing we can do. IS is doomed.
Jill,
To I.S. “You get your original question answered, then you simply move on to some other thing without addressing the questions asked of you.”
Give him/her a chance. You posted your question at 3:17, and at 3:33 you’re chastizing I.S. for not answering the question. It is quite possible that he/she had not even seen your 3:17 post, when I.S. made the 3:22 post.
Jim,
Technically the term you used was “un-American”, the propagandistic equivalent.
Jim Byrne 1, June 23, 2009 at 11:39 am
“I almost can’t believe that I am reading such ignorant, un-American rhetoric from such elitists. You think anyone who does something you don’t like, or lives their life in a manner, or takes action in a way that you think is stupid, perverse, or irrational should be prevented from doing so.”
Lube up, buttercup.
I.S., Buddha, Jill
So who exactly gets to define what’s a conservative society? IS’s conservative sounds like what Buddha would call liberal with “Free market” (which actually is called economic liberalism) thrown in.
This conversation would be make a lot more sense if we’d all acknowledge that there’s been no purely liberal or conservative political movements. I’d also suggest that we’d be best served by recognizing that tyranny knows no ideology other than whatever language gets it in power in that moment.
IS,
Man, where do you get your information? You need a new source, that’s certain.
Out of the oh, millions, of legitimate history books written about the Nazis where they have only ever been identified as he very farthest right in the left/right spectrum, you seem to have found the only one that calls them leftists.
You said you’re willing to learn. Start with some history before you say something like that again. You’re making assertions again that are manifestly historically incorrect. Judging by your continuum of your comments, history is a weak spot. Self-improvement is the process of shoring up your weaknesses.
“I can still tell you to go fornicate yourself once you’ve gone to “Anti-American.”
Tell me Buddha…Do you know why quotes are used? If so; why did you put Anti-American in quotes? Attributing words to one who has not used those words is extremely dishonest.
I must say; I am impressed with your ability to communicate.
“go fornicate yourself” -What will you learn in 4th grade?
“Because “Anti-American” is pure propaganda language, Jim. It’s fascist anti-liberal smear in the Rove mold. A Neocon word of choice. Perhaps everyone would like to review the above comments to see who made use of the word “Anti-American”. I can assure you; it was not I.
I.S.
You are very dishonest in your “arguments”. You get your original question answered, then you simply move on to some other thing without addressing the questions asked of you. This is a classic technique of someone who can not or will not respond with integrity. I will let your intellectual dishonesty speak for itself.
Bil:
Aaargh… Troll alert! You’re feeding the monster! Just ignore I.S. …
IS,
He didn’t “have to”. Pinochet “wanted to”. There was a choice.
IS,
No, Anti-American is not a component of treason. Treason is defined as crime against the nation or against national interests in the simplest of terms.
Treason is defined by Art. III, Sec. 3 of the U.S. Constitution as “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.”
Anti-American, by contrast, is an interesting phrase indeed. It has no use but slander. During the run up to the war, recall it was a favorite slander of the Bush enablers. Here is just one example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6GUF4qrlFw
If you are a citizen, you are a citizen and that is that. There are no “levels of citizenship”. It’s like being pregnant. You are or you aren’t. The use of the term Anti-American has one purpose and that is to demonize the opposition in the crudest form possible. It also speaks to state of mind instead of action, another easily refutable fallacy. Unless they declare it verbally/in writing or physically attack the country, you cannot say anyone is “Anti-American” unless you’re psychic. For it is possible, indeed likely, that Dick committed treason all the while thinking he was working for U.S. interests, an incredible self-rationalization for his greed, but I’m pretty sure he actually believes he’s a good guy despite the huge mountain of evidence otherwise. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” No, the phrase “Anti-American” is a propaganda landmark, but it has nothing to do with the crime of treason other than an afterward, a footnote as to motive of the individual, but it’s not a component element of the crime proper. The only other uses of “Anti-American” are nefarious fascist smear.