Report #1 Weird Ass Religions
Today's subject is Scientology. After a week worth of mining for information, being contacted by email by a member of Scientology to take "Dianetics" courses, and almost (ALMOST) being tempted to do so just for hilarity factor (I don't have $50 to spare and after all I am reading the book of Moron Mormondammit) I have finally prepared a summary for the religion for your enjoyment. If you would like a bibliography, I would be happy to present that to you upon request. Anyway, since the research is over and the report ready, let's go on with it.
Scientologists at the bottom levels believe that Scientology helps them by fixing the way the mind thinks and approaches problems. They do not believe in psychiatry or drugs for psychiatric problems. They do not believe in using drugs at all for any reason but vitamins are OK. (I pity poor Katie and the fact she had to deliver the Cruise larva without an epidural) At the upper levels, most vie to get involved with the "org" that is at the highest level of Scientology, called the Sea Org. There are several ships in the fleet of the Sea Org, but the flag ship (creatively referred to as "Flag") is most important.
They also believe in a god alien named Xenu who created thetans (souls) that are in each human.
They believe, at base, that they are thetans (souls) that are bombarded by attacking things that want them to fail. They use "Audits" to uncover these attacks or failures in other incarnations by using the E Meter (which I really want for my box idea). The "Audits" assist by solving the attacks or failures using techniques (really creatively called "tech") of mind control akin to some form of hypnosis mixed with psychology. They believe that they are here to save the world. They are here to do something about every problem humanity has (which in itself seems harmless).
However, on the upper tiers of the "org" the idea is to infiltrate the government at some level and begin to take it over for Scientology purposes. This was almost achieved twice by the church. Once in the bay of Morocco, he almost conned the King into believing his influence was innocent until other countries he had tried to do this in (like Britain and Canada) warned him of the scam. L. Ron Hubbard's wife (the founder of the religion who wrote Dianetics) was arrested and jailed after being convicted of crimes associated with them destroying IRS documents, tapping phones, and destroying evidence about the religion's tax status and other information. L. Ron Hubbard is convicted of fraud and sentenced to four years in prison.
While harmless in its appearance, the church is not so harmless in action and has caused the death of one member positively who is named Lisa McPherson. She mysteriously died in a hospital dehydrated and malnourished with cockroach bites all over her body. Of course, this is used primarily as propaganda against Scientology, but the fact remains she did die in their care. So some credence can be lent to that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCGP-0545EU For more information on propaganda.
So the religion is harmless at its base but possibly cult-like in its chewy center.
Scientologists at the bottom levels believe that Scientology helps them by fixing the way the mind thinks and approaches problems. They do not believe in psychiatry or drugs for psychiatric problems. They do not believe in using drugs at all for any reason but vitamins are OK. (I pity poor Katie and the fact she had to deliver the Cruise larva without an epidural) At the upper levels, most vie to get involved with the "org" that is at the highest level of Scientology, called the Sea Org. There are several ships in the fleet of the Sea Org, but the flag ship (creatively referred to as "Flag") is most important.
They also believe in a god alien named Xenu who created thetans (souls) that are in each human.
They believe, at base, that they are thetans (souls) that are bombarded by attacking things that want them to fail. They use "Audits" to uncover these attacks or failures in other incarnations by using the E Meter (which I really want for my box idea). The "Audits" assist by solving the attacks or failures using techniques (really creatively called "tech") of mind control akin to some form of hypnosis mixed with psychology. They believe that they are here to save the world. They are here to do something about every problem humanity has (which in itself seems harmless).
However, on the upper tiers of the "org" the idea is to infiltrate the government at some level and begin to take it over for Scientology purposes. This was almost achieved twice by the church. Once in the bay of Morocco, he almost conned the King into believing his influence was innocent until other countries he had tried to do this in (like Britain and Canada) warned him of the scam. L. Ron Hubbard's wife (the founder of the religion who wrote Dianetics) was arrested and jailed after being convicted of crimes associated with them destroying IRS documents, tapping phones, and destroying evidence about the religion's tax status and other information. L. Ron Hubbard is convicted of fraud and sentenced to four years in prison.
While harmless in its appearance, the church is not so harmless in action and has caused the death of one member positively who is named Lisa McPherson. She mysteriously died in a hospital dehydrated and malnourished with cockroach bites all over her body. Of course, this is used primarily as propaganda against Scientology, but the fact remains she did die in their care. So some credence can be lent to that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCGP-0545EU For more information on propaganda.
So the religion is harmless at its base but possibly cult-like in its chewy center.