The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that, after once being banned from classrooms, Scientology is back in California classroom spreading its controversial theories on drug use. The program is run by Narconon, an organization that was created by the Church and founded on the theories of L. Ron Hubbard. Narconon offers the lessons for free, but experts say that the theories are not only unfounded but directly connected to the religious organization that some accused of being a cult or criminal enterprise. Scientology has long objected to what it views as discrimination directed against it while ignoring mainstream religions. It also insists that Narconon is a successful and independent and secular organization.
In 2005, medical and educational experts studies the Narconon material and sessions and concluded that they were not based on actual science but unfounded and wrong concepts founded in Hubbard’s teachings. Those findings led to the removal of Narconon from the schools, but now a decade later Scientology has found its way back into classrooms — offering its materials and instruction for free to school officials. Many teachers who are trained by Narconon were not aware that they were in a Scientology offshoot.
Scientology insists that its materials have been rewritten and that there is separation between Scientology church affairs and the work of Narconon.
Hubbard, a former Science Fiction writer, created the futuristic theories of Scientology and its aggressive (and controversial) recruitment system. The Church opposes drugs and alcohol, which the Church says are impediments to achieving a state of mental purity called “Clear.”
Narconon’s lessons include such debunked theories that drugs reside in body fat for years and can cause people to feel high during times of stress. It also teaches that drugs burn up vitamins and nutrients, resulting in pain and relapse. It claims that the “munchies” resulting from marijuana use is due to a loss of vitamins and nutrients. All of these theories by Hubbard have been ridiculed by experts as ridiculous. (By the way, there is an excellent science piece in the Smithsonian on the real reason for munchies here).
After the study in 2005, Jack O’Connell, then the state superintendent of public instruction, sent out a letter on Feb. 24, 2005 that warned “Narconon’s drug prevention program does not reflect accurate, widely-accepted medical and scientific evidence.” However, the department does not have the authority to ban such programs, a decision which must be made by school districts. Some did so, however, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, which concluded their own expert reviews of the materials and theories.
However, the Chronicle found Narconon workings in other school districts including thirteen in the bay area alone, including Fremont, Los Altos, Morgan Hill, San Jose, San Ramon, Santa Clara and Santa Rosa.
The newspaper found copyrighted material being distributed in schools that directly incorporate religious Scientology concepts like “tone scale,” a Scientology doctrine dealing with emotions. It is a concept created by Hubbard who encouraged his followers to “just draw a horizontal line on the page. Put the people who are less alive on the bottom and the people who are more alive on the top.” The theory is explained in Hubbard’s 1951 book Science of Survival that a “tone” has many manifestations including appearance, chronic emotion, the way the person handles other people, how well the person can pass on a communication given to them, and other characteristics.
Scientologist and President of Narconon International Clark Carr has publicly claimed that “[i]n the last couple of years, the number of youth who heard the anti-drug message have increased from 11,000 to 22,000” and says that “Narconon has been responding to increasing demand from schools in Northern California.” He adds that “Narconon provides this program as a public service at no charge, funded entirely by Narconon centers.”
In fairness to Scientology, there is often little objection to other churches being incorporated into government programs. President Obama fulfilled his pledge to not only continue President Bush’s faith-based programs but to expand them. For those who believe in strict separation of church and state, this line has long been blurred by those who want to see public money go to religious institution for vouchers and educational programs. What is interesting about this controversy however is that the underlying theories have been debunked by experts. However, the free program clearly appeals to cash-strapped school districts.
Source: SFGate
davidm:
I don’t see the dems parading around claiming some deity made ’em do it. That is the sole province of the Bible -Thumping, Party of Stupid (Not my words, Bobby Jindral’s) Repubs. So I say if it’s a cult you want, the Repubs offer the best Kool-ade.
Mark, ignoring for the moment your Flip Wilson approach to defining political parties, surely you must admit that you left yourself open to a very funny comment. It might be best to laugh along before attempting to salvage or rewrite your definition of a cult.
mespo, You can sign up w/ the Church of Spinelli by sending $29.95 to: The Church of Spinelli PO Box 666 NY, NY. You will receive literature and a t-shirt as an introductory offer. You will then be billed a mere $9.95/month.
“Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.” ― Garrison Keillor
hu·mor (ex cathedra)
…
2. a mood or state of mind.
3. each of the four chief fluids of the body (blood, phlegm, yellow bile [choler], and black bile [melancholy]) that were thought to determine a person’s physical and mental qualities by the relative proportions in which they were present.
verb 1. comply with the wishes of (someone) in order to keep them content, however unreasonable such wishes might be.
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“Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources” – A. Einstein
David, LOL x 5!
apieceofblueksy
Site keeps banishing my comments. 🙁
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It is not JT’s site it is WordMess, the underlying Smaug.
Only two links per comment.
No unauthorized dirty words.
And not too much formatting.
And … WordMess must be in a good mood.
And also how WordMess rolls the dice.
Wall Street and T-bagger political parties turn people into snakes … take that Moses!
You know you might be right Paul, but the only history we have is what has been written. I still think Jesus is a practicing Jew. Just tired if the commercialism.
Annie,
On the snake handlers you’ll have to go back to the Old Testament where Moses turned the snakes into a staff. Our abilty to do those things has diminished. Very few have a command over nature as our forefathers. So from what I have been led to believe.
Keebler – Moses turned his staff into a snake, not the other way around. And it was not uncommon for magicians of the time. And I agree, Jesus was a good Jewish boy/man.
That one went through; maybe the other two were too long. Just trying to say that scientology is a cult but not a religion. It is a criminal business enterprise which brainwashes its members. In my opinion, the brainwashing is what makes them a cult. The fact that do not worship a higher power keeps them from being a religion, in my opinion.
I always considered those Penetcostal snake handlers a cult. Yet their belief system is Protestant and it’s basic tenets reflect mainline Pentecostalism. They just incorporate that odd twist of poison and snake handling because of a certain Bible passage. So are these people a cult or a religion?
Site keeps banishing my comments. 🙁
Mr. Keebler:
Depends on what they believe.
Annie,
No worries the Catholic Church started out as a cult. In parts if the world is it still considered a cult. The Catholic Church you know in the states is not the same as the one in Central America.
keebler- Christianity started as a sect of Judaism, not a cult. However, there was a point in time when it did share space with a cult and may have picked up some of its rituals.
Some cults started out small, grew in numbers and Voila! It’s now a Religion! How long did it take for Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, to become accepted as ‘legitimate’ religions?
Mespo,
Would a coven of Wiccan in MA be a cult? Would the sangraist be a cult in carrolton, Texas?
Query. “the sangraist”? Unable to find reference elsewhere.
Can you elucidate?
In my opinion, scientology is a criminal/financial cult, but not a religious cult. Scientology only calls itself a religion out of convenience, so it can enjoy the freedoms afforded to religions, such as freedom from paying taxes on their profits from the sale of scientology retail products and services, and freedom from being questioned and perhaps prosecuted for their rampant human rights abuses. Also, claiming to be a religion affords them freedom from criticism. Any time anyone criticizes scientology, they cry “religious bigot!” It works like a charm. The mafia should try it. They too could “convince” (meaning threaten) the IRS into declaring their organization a religion, and then would be awarded free reign to commit crime while they hide behind the cloak of religion. Scientology and the mafia are very similar, in my opinion.
apieceofblueksy, I found your comment in the spam filter: I don’t know why it snagged your comment.
Folks: apieceofblueksy’s comment can be read above at 11:52
Hey Darren, I used to be daily follower and commenter about a year or so ago and after I stopped for awhile I began getting obvious spam comments from the site though I was no longer receiving posts (even though I never turned them off). You know the type: Thank you so very much my dear friend. I would ;like to congratulate you on your excellent writing style and editorial skills. I have been read your work and am anonymous in my agreement that you are a fine workman.
Anyway; I don’t know if this is related but it might be a problem with the filter I guess.
Oooh! Oooh! Right here Mark. Just send $29.95 and a sworn statement; signed in your own urine; to the effect that you agree never to divulge the existence of our religion while you go about helping people in fulfillment of your pledge to our religion to do good and never divulge the existence of our…..
Paul:
“a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous.”
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That’s the definition of a cult from Merriam-Webster. It’s rare to see a definition based on subjective things like acceptance by society. That makes it a weak definition in my view since we are talking about a noun with definable characteristics. it seems our definer has gone to great lengths to distinguish cults from religions but in the end it boils down to what I told nick: We like religions; we detest cults. We do so because we disbelieve the beliefs of the cult.
I like my definition of a cult better than most. A cult is a group of people who come together to believe preposterous things.
mespo – here is a definition that seems to make more sense than the ones you offered about cult and includes mine.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/cult
mespo727272 wrote: “I like my definition of a cult better than most. A cult is a group of people who come together to believe preposterous things.”
Oh, you mean like the Democratic Party?
david – you owe me a new keyboard. Spit out my coffee!!!
“I believe in God. I believe nothing pleases God more than when we help others here on earth. So, that’s my religion, helping others”
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Where do I signup for that one?