Three U.S. congressmen and a high-ranking government official gathered this week to praise a man heralded for his morals and leadership. That man is L. Ron Hubbard and Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Indiana Republican Rep. Dan Burton, Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny Davis and Liz Gibson, Senior Program Manager at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, gathered to celebrate his legacy.
While European countries have either banned or prosecuted Scientology as a criminal enterprise and Hubbard was pursued by various criminal investigations and civil litigants, the VIPs joined in the opening of the new D.C. office (for full disclosure, I was invited to visit the opening of the headquarters but declined).
Jackson Lee declared “I want to thank L. Ron Hubbard for recognizing that courage is not rewarded but it is valued. And to be able to have the wonderment of people coming together and ensuring that people come together for peace. That’s what I see in the Church, that you have come together for peace. I welcome and support that,” she said.
Notably, both Burton and Davis praised the church’s campaign on child medication even though critics charge that this is an outgrowth of Hubbard’s hatred for psychiatry and psychology.
Many are likely to view this high-level support as problematic. Yet, even mainstream churches like the Catholic Church have been the subject of criminal and civil claims. Should these members be criticized for support of the Scientology record while others appear at other religious sites, including the support for faith-based politics and programs by the last four presidents?
Source: Daily Caller
OS,
Yeah … as one critic put it, “… could prove impossible under the First Amendment to cabin the terms ‘Catholic’ or even ‘Roman Catholic’ …”
Malisha,
I think it is important to differ with you on this POV:
“(NOT the people who choose it as their way, mind you, but it, itself, as a philosophy)”
I believe that one should criticize those who choose Scientology, just as we condemn those who rob banks, who commit fraud, etc generally crimes.
Because those who accept the scientology life have by necessity understood that their own personal progress is dependent on finding others who can be milked by the organization.
The system, as I understand it, demands that you do so.
And knowingly advancing yourself by dishonest practices is criminal, IMHO.
Ahhh, but they think it is for the recruit’s best. Oh, they may do so indeed. But simple thought and their knowledge of their own addiction should make their evil deeds quickly apparent after initiation.
Of course this is not the complete nor an exact presentation. I leave that to the exposés already written by those who were in it, completely. Even former leaders.
As for Dung Ho, his quavering voice of deranged devotion is familiar. It’s tones can be heard defending many “religions”. BTW Dung Ho, thanks for the insult given at Change thread. I considered the source. Snark for snark.
Blouise,
Since the use of “catholic” as a profession of faith is in the Nicene Creed, I suspect the statute has run on copyrights and trademarks since 325 AD.
OS,
The Catholics made a mint selling Indulgences and annulments, and Masses and nun or priest-hoods.
Back in 2011 (maybe 2010, I can’t remember which) the Catholic bishops in the Philippines attempted to trademark the word Catholic. Back in 2003 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta tried something along the same lines
When I looked it up to see if my memory was serving me correctly, I found this lovely quote from Archbishop Palma of the Philippines, ” “The sacraments, the prayers, even the bread and wine have no holiness or power unless properly franchised by the Catholic™ Church.”
Hubbard’s just another one in the scavenger pack of religious hyenas.
Dung Ho, you say: “My people are very forgiving of others foibles. We have been oppressed for years and ostracized. We have no tolerance for our own people’s troubles which parallels yours. Look for the good and expect the very best out of yourself. You too, if you believe can obtain all the success life has to offer.”
Actually I don’t know who “your people” are but I have nothing against them or their foibles. I do want to point out that I believe (from experience) that the Scientologist Establishment tries to use people’s troubles to make them accept the Scientology agenda, and that the Scientology agenda is based on promoting (financially and otherwise) scientology, not helping the unfortunates with their troubles. My son walked by the Scientologists’ HQ one day years back and was offered “free help” and a psychological test. The very nice peddlers of Scientology then told him that he had “stress” and their program could help him with his stress. He said, “I told YOU that I had stress; you haven’t told me anything other than what I told you!”
He did not become a Scientologist. The program of the scientologists is pretty transparent and whoever wants it can have it; for others to criticize it (NOT the people who choose it as their way, mind you, but it, itself, as a philosophy) is perfectly all right and non-harmful as well.
This, regardless of my belief.
Hubbard was a mediocre science fiction writer who once bet someone, I think it was Robert Heinlein, that he could start his own religion and get rich doing it. Con man. Who ever heard of a genuine religion copyrighting their religious texts and making believers buy them at a ridiculous markup? Or trademarking their “symbol of faith” as well?
Frankly,
It was NOT a snark. I apologized for your doing my work for me. I have learned long ago to stop asking questions. This is not an information service or Google substitute. But I can try to make a joke and this time it came our as a request. And you did it, not realizing it was a joke. So I was embarrassed. Can’t spell either.
I tried to recover by making another joke to cover up, re postulation of a rotation of representation service by congressmen.
Result: Falling on ones own words on your own face—by me.
So let’s erase the memory and start over.
Last joke: Don’t think any of them had their political base among the moonies!
Danny Davis is also the rep who crowned Rev. Moon the King of the Universe or some ridiculous shit in the Senate building a few years ago.
What a whore.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61932-2004Jun22.html
If it quacks money like a duck.
If it poops money like a duck
If it talks money like a duck
It ain’t a duck,…. it’s something a politician will quack, poop, and talk with.
707 – guess I’m dense! I didn’t see that as snark but actual interest in what sorts of dingbats would voluntarily show up for this nonsense. I’d say its a prima facia case (you law type guys did I use that right?) case to never vote for anyone on that list for any public position.
And what Blouise said. Good call, James in LA.
Nothing says morals and leadership like making up a patently ridiculous and obviously bullshit religion and Ponzi scheme to bilk millions of dollars out of emotionally compromised people.
Who you lionize says a lot about the you.
And what Jefferson (via mespo) said.
Malisha,
My people are very forgiving of others foibles. We have been oppressed for years and ostracized. We have no tolerance for our own people’s troubles which parallels yours. Look for the good and expect the very best out of yourself. You too, if you believe can obtain all the success life has to offer.
Oh ooops, sorry. Here I thought L. Ron Hubbard was a creep and a lunatic but I guess he was a genius, my bad.
L. Ron is well respected member of community. You people should be ashamed of how you talk about him. He is deceased now, my he rest in peace. People now see the value of him word. For shame, for shame in comparing this genuine genius to some immoral pest.
“We had to destroy it in order to save it.”
Establishment dogma once upon a time.
I read Hubbard’s book once — a piece of fantastical misogynist “florid” mania the likes of which you could not even keep reading without busting a gut. He claimed that women brutalized their gestating foetuses [sp?] by allowing light bulbs to shine near their abdomens or something — I can’t remember the meaning of that crap; it was so far beyond stupid as to leave everything else I had ever read behind. And I had read a lot of stupid up until that point. It almost made me give up reading, but I still had to check on the ingredients in the breakfast cereal.
Considering how theocracy and the nominal non-theocratical leaders have kept the muslim world in bedlam, then why would the American christians want to achieve the same level of running things?
I am, of course, not forgetting the help our colonial ambitions have contributed, but that is only am excuse.
It is the totality and requirement for unity that they themselves can NOT achieve that condemns most ME muslim nations fot the eternal class in remedial thinking.
The jewish question I leave for another time.
As for these lawmakers, was it simply their turn on the representation list. And where politicians are, the officials are not far behind cruising for advancement.
N’est ce pas?
Frankly,
Ask and yee shall be given. My humblest humble. It was meant as a joke. Are you seconding for GOD today, Mr knowitall. Not snarking, just working off my embarrassment.
“Had Joseph Smith been born 100 years later he would be known as L Ron Hubbard.” (James in LA)
Astute observation