Scientology: Church or Cult?

[AnorexicPuppy]

Oh, yes. They're back. Xenu and Tom Cruise are camping in your closet watching what you type. So Don't mess up. No, really. Should scientology even be considered as a religion? Is is just a moneymaking scheme? Should they have the power they do? I think not. How about you?

[Emonquente]

cult

[His-Penis-is-on-Fire]

Just because a religion is out of the norm doesn't make it a cult.

Scientology may be weird, but it's just as fucking much of a religion as anything else.

[killxp]

At 12/1/08 08:19 PM, Emonquente wrote: cult

I partly agree. I see Scientology as a business more than as a cult though. Of course there are some that hold to only the body of beliefs and related practices created by L. Ron Hubbard, American science fiction author, however, I do not believe that the higher ups, or even Mr. Hubbard, truly believe in the Church of Scientology.

[killxp]

At 12/1/08 08:31 PM, His-Penis-is-on-Fire wrote: Just because a religion is out of the norm doesn't make it a cult.

Scientology may be weird, but it's just as fucking much of a religion as anything else.

I don't know. Like a stated a little after you did, I see it as more of a business than a religion. Here three reasons to support my point:
- The Church pays members 10% commissions on new recruits.
- Franchises/missions pay the church roughly 10% of their gross income.
- Charges for auditing and other Church-related courses run to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

These are not the only reasons for my view but they are at least an introduction to what Scientology seems to be about to me. Please check out the links. Thanks.

[TehChahlesh]

Hey guys, I watch South Park and browse 4chan too!

enough with the fucking scientology threads

[His-Penis-is-on-Fire]

At 12/1/08 08:44 PM, killxp wrote: - The Church pays members 10% commissions on new recruits.

Okay, I'll give you that, but hey, that's just good marketing. More members means more money to keep the religion afloat.

- Franchises/missions pay the church roughly 10% of their gross income.

Other religions sell things too.

- Charges for auditing and other Church-related courses run to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Expensive things to do need expensive price tags.

That's just plain economics.

These are not the only reasons for my view but they are at least an introduction to what Scientology seems to be about to me. Please check out the links. Thanks.

The fact that they're good at business doesn't mean they're not a religion.

[thedo12]

can someone please reiterate to me the diference between a cult and a religion?

[Conspiracy3]

What is the difference between a religion and a cult?

[Korriken]

At 12/1/08 09:28 PM, thedo12 wrote: can someone please reiterate to me the diference between a cult and a religion?

size.

Scientology is a sad and scary thing. I'm amazed that people fall for such scams in this day. Not to mention their main operating base is like more like a military fortress than a place of worship. They probably got more security than the white house.

Any religion that requires constant input of vast amounts of money from anyone should put up a MASSIVE red flag. And these people actually believe that Hubbard will come back? heh, he's worm food.

[SadisticMonkey]

Its a religion.

I could list a large number of similarities between largely held religions and scientology, but oh no, that's differnet.

[AnorexicPuppy]

At 12/1/08 10:22 PM, SadisticMonkey wrote: Its a religion.

I could list a large number of similarities between largely held religions and scientology, but oh no, that's differnet.

And SadisticMonkey is right. The difference is not in revenue, (Vatican City $$$!) but in the time it has existed. If someone told a story like that before other religions, it would be regarded as normal, wouldn't it?

[Korriken]

At 12/1/08 10:22 PM, SadisticMonkey wrote:

I could list a large number of similarities between largely held religions and scientology, but oh no, that's differnet.

hell go for it.

[ThunderboltLegion]

Basically, a religion is a certain set of beliefs and practices.

A cult can be and often is the same except that those beliefs and practices are considered bizzare, extreme, misguided, non-mainstream, unorthodox (etc...) or a combonation of any number of those. Beyond that a cult is usually under the leadership of a very authoritarian and charismatic leader who makes claims about having divine knowledge.

So basically popular oppinion on faiths and/or practices and in most cases the person leading it determines the difference between a religion and a cult.

[Korriken]

At 12/1/08 10:24 PM, AnorexicPuppy wrote:

And SadisticMonkey is right. The difference is not in revenue, (Vatican City $$$!) but in the time it has existed. If someone told a story like that before other religions, it would be regarded as normal, wouldn't it?

It would be kind of hard to push "the only way god loves you is if you pay us these massive amounts of money for testing to see if god loves you" on the local peasantry.

and yes, the Vatican has an insane amount of valuables in it. Which is why I refuse to believe in Catholicism. what the hell kind of church uses the name of a peasant messiah to make itself incredibly wealthy? If the messiah was around today, he would probably go into the Vatican with a whip and clean house.

[Imperator]

well #1, thank you for writing something original on the topic.

#2, depending on what you're using for the definition of cult, they're not necessarily opposing terms there......

It can be a cult, and it's a Chucrh. In the same way, you could easily consider Christian branches as "Jesus cults"; he IS a "cult" figure as it were.

But I'm assuming you're taking cult as the suicide pact, hawaian punch drinking type. In which case, no it's not.

And it's becoming more mainstream, so chances are even going off a mainstream definition is a little disingenuous.

[Tancrisism]

At 12/1/08 08:31 PM, His-Penis-is-on-Fire wrote: Just because a religion is out of the norm doesn't make it a cult.

Scientology may be weird, but it's just as fucking much of a religion as anything else.

Yeah, it's a religion that costs 100,000 dollars to become a full member and then sues or threatens anyone who tries to discuss it.

[poxpower]

At 12/1/08 09:28 PM, thedo12 wrote: can someone please reiterate to me the diference between a cult and a religion?

Some key differences:

- Cults isolate members from non-members. They will tell you to leave your family and friends if they doubt your way.
- Cults charge money, or demand money of rights to your proprety to join them. Religions are free to join.
- Cults try to keep secrets about the beliefs and their agenda.
- Cults are often led by FUCKING PSYCHOPATHS

It's a very blurry line of course, there's no real answer here.

[mikailus]

cult

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=rD9bCdHqU3 s&eurl=http

[mikailus]

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-
5694888509800082473&ei=wvU0SaXUEYTs-wGQ8 -2mCQ&q=Scientology&emb=1&dur=3

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-
7922220836261464038&ei=wvU0SaXUEYTs-wGQ8 -2mCQ&q=Scientology&emb=1&dur=3

[mikailus]

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=4 595729596527335458&ei=wvU0SaXUEYTs-wGQ8-
2mCQ&q=Scientology&emb=1&dur=3

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=8QGDxnrYqK g

[AnorexicPuppy]

But I'm assuming you're taking cult as the suicide pact, hawaian punch drinking type. In which case, no it's not.

It was Kool-aid

[mikailus]

The only position I can agree with Scientology on is their views of psychiatry. It's a pseudoscience based on speculation and not the scientific method.

[Brick-top]

In all honesty it doesn't make any LESS sense than any other Religion. But then again, name a Religion that does make sense.

[Imperator]

At 12/2/08 08:50 AM, mikailus wrote: The only position I can agree with Scientology on is their views of psychiatry. It's a pseudoscience based on speculation and not the scientific method.

.....psychiatry?....the medical discipline?.......

????

Please dear god tell me you confused Psychiatry for something else....

[HungarianSupermarket]

Randomly, i was in a restaraunt today that is owned by scientologists. Needless to say, i decided to pick up the latest issue of nexus from their magazine rack and have a read. It was full of ads for weird stuff like water ionisers, so you can refresh your cells and stuff like that. I didn't bother reading the articles, but they looked hilarious, such as their list of mind-reading computers.

[mikailus]

At 12/2/08 09:13 AM, Imperator wrote:
.....psychiatry?....the medical discipline?.......

????

Please dear god tell me you confused Psychiatry for something else....

It doesn't mean I'm a Scientologist, jesuschristgoddamnit!

[Imperator]

At 12/2/08 10:07 AM, mikailus wrote: It doesn't mean I'm a Scientologist, jesuschristgoddamnit!

Wow....

Kay....

I was talking about your thoughts that psychiatry is a pseudoscience.....and hoping you confused psychiatry, a medical specialization requiring an MD and several years of post-doctoral work, with something else. You said the one view you agree with them is that psychiatry is a pseudoscience.

I'm hoping you don't actually mean psychiatry, because psychiatry is so NOT a pseudoscience it's not even funny.......

It's a legit, interdisciplinary medical field.

Let's try to lay off the coffee a bit, mmkay?

[W31RD0]

Scientology: Church or Cult?

I wasnt aware that there was a difference between the two.

[ThePretenders]

Scientology is a danger to the medical profession because of their unorthodox 'medical' practices like not taking drugs that could help their condition. It's also a money making scheme where they charge extortionate amounts of money to achieve a 'thetan level'. Even L. Ron Hubbard said the movement was bullshit money making scheme to make a million dollars.