The biggest Nigerian Scam
September 17, 2007I do not like sects and cults like scientology (lower-case ’s’). In fact, I hate them, and I expect my government to do whatever it takes to ban and combat dangerous cults like scientology. This may sound weird seeing my strong belief in ‘live and let live’, but let me explain.
I’m all for religion. Everybody should believe whatever they damn well please. That is one of the most important pillars of a modern society, and I’m proud that my country was one of the first countries in the world to implement a rudimentary form of religious freedom; even though Calvinism was the state religion, the government was tolerant towards non-Calvinists.
Should we therefore be tolerant towards dangerous sects like scientology? No. A line must be drawn between a true religion and a money scam: you don’t have to go to church to be a Catholic, you don’t have to pay lots and lots of money to the Mosque to be a Muslim, and you don’t have to commit fraud to uphold the Jewish faith. This is where you can severe the money scam from the proper religion: Scientology and its members have to do all those things (and more) in order to be part of the church mob of scientology. It’s the biggest Nigerian Scam ever.
I hope my government will, just like the Belgian government, act strongly and justly with scientology. I hope they burn it down to the ground, and wash its ashes away, just like it ought to do with any other money scam that feeds off the hopes and fears of innocent people. I hope for a coordinated justice assault by the EU and the US government, to wipe the earth clean of the criminal organisation that is scientology.
I can dream.
I guess passing around the collection plate doesn’t count ? Christianity was a cult, and look how it turned out. Give Scientology 1000 years and we’ll see what happens.
Comment by mikesum32 — September 18, 2007 @ 9:40 am
The only difference between a ‘true religion’ and a cult is cultural tolerance. A true Catholic is supposed to be subservient to the Pope and tithe. That there are “Catholics” that do not speaks more to the weakening influence of formal religion in the West. It doesn’t make it any less of a tool of social engineering for the benefit of the anointed.
The only problem with Scientology is that it was started in the 20th century by a science fiction author. It’s clearly bullshit, and its adherents are clearly tools. Of course to people that haven’t swallowed a supernatural world view all religions are clearly bullshit, and their adherents are clearly tools.
To the superstitious, new cults are dangerous, scary things, but the cults they belong to are normal, traditional, and safe. They’re a bunch of hypocrites. You’re a real bigot.
Comment by Fluffy — September 18, 2007 @ 1:05 pm
Of course to people that haven’t swallowed a supernatural world view all religions are clearly bullshit, and their adherents are clearly tools.
I am not religious, and if you read my blog regularly, you’d know I detest supernatural nonsense like UFOs and the like. If there is one person on this planet who hasn’t ’swallowed a supernatural world view’, it’s me.
Yet, I do not see religion as bullshit. I see a dangerous sects as bullshit, and will call them the money scams that they are. Like scientology.
To the superstitious, new cults are dangerous, scary things, but the cults they belong to are normal, traditional, and safe. They’re a bunch of hypocrites. You’re a real bigot.
I’m not superstitious, nor am I religious. So your statement makes absolutely no sense.
Maybe you should dive a bit more into how the scientology money scam destroys lives, families, and so on.
Comment by Administrator — September 18, 2007 @ 2:03 pm
I guess passing around the collection plate doesn’t count ?
Since when arr you forced to donate to the church in order to participate in a religion? Churches in America might be all corrupted, but here in my country, less so. I can walk into any church ceremony I want without having to pay or whatever. THAT is what real religion is about.
Scientology, on the other hand, needs your cash before you can participate in their little money scam.
Comment by Administrator — September 18, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Please note, that even established religious communities and chuches like for example the roman catholic church have - in some countries - the power to collect a church tax from their members:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_tax
In my home country (Austria), it is compulsory to pay this tax, otherwise you can (and eventually will) get sued. The only way to avoid paying this is to leave the catholic church. Austria is far more secular then what it was when I grew up (which is a good thing), but I can remember that not being catholic was a serious social stigmata (no pun intended, really), especially in one of the more rural parts (where I was raised).
DISCLAIMER: I’m agnostic and have precisely zero sympathy for sects like Scientology.
Comment by setec astronomy — September 18, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
Ah the old tithing argument. Lets take a look at this shall we? No one forces you to tithe. If you go into any church, temple, mosque and ask any priest, pastor, rabbi, cleric, ect..and ask them what their religion is all about, they will tell you. Ask them what are their tenets, they will tell you, and they will do this without their hand out. Go to any scientology church[?] and ask them what are their tenets and beliefs and they tell you that scientology can give you tools to help you with your life. Ask what these tools are and they will tell you that have to buy their books to learn what these tools are and that you need to take courses also( for a fee). You must also be hooked up to an E-meter, take a personality test, confess your sins to someone who is not bound by ethics to keep your secrets safe( in fact they put all of your confessions into a file). All of these things come at a price. Tell them that you don’t have the money to do these things and the first thing they do is to ask you if you can get a loan from someone, OR maybe you could work for the CO$. Sure you could do that, for 16-18 hours a day and forty dollars a week. No health insurance, lousy food and vitamin supplements. Oh wait I’m sorry, you don’t need health insurance because scientologist never get sick. They don’t get colds, they don’t get cancer, they don’t get fat, oh wait, Sorry Kirstie you must be a bad scientologist. And then there is Xenu…………………..
Comment by Flash — September 18, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
Wow - such hate and intolerance. There’s no excuse for this kind of hate mongering.
Comment by Jay — September 18, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
I should’ve added my response yesterday I see the Ron-bots have pounced all over this blog.
I agree with this this blog’s author, $cientology isn’t a relgions, it’s a pyramid scheme, a criminal organization. $cientology is vengeful organization, that only cares about money. They only call themselves a religion when it suits them. When they seek to sucker in new members through their various front groups ie; Applied Scholastics, ABLE, NARCONON, WISE, TWTH, etc then they no longer call themselves a religion.
They chew people up then spit them out (offload in Hubbard speak) when they’re out of money and no longer of use to them. Here are two examples of the Co$’s handy work in the community:
Consider the case of David Feickert of Sacramento. In September 1991, 40-year-old Feickert, with the help of his grandfather, sued his Scientologist father, the Church of Scientology–Mission of Sacramento–and a church employee for fraud. Feickert, who in the opinion of a detective in the sexual and elder abuse bureau of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department could not live on his own, was allegedly scammed out of $170,000 he received in inheritance when his mother died. Feickert’s grandfather (who in court documents stated he felt David was retarded) accused the church employee of moving into the Feickert home and, with the help of David’s father, getting David to sign over his inheritance checks to the employee of the church. Feickert’s grandfather sued them all for $10 million. Two months later the parties settled the case for an undisclosed sum in a confidential agreement.
Source:http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=8220
That’s what this heartless criminal organizations does.
and next example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2GPjjydMko
Their founder L Ron Hubbard was a charlatan, and the Co$ is fraudulent to it’s core. It has no redeeming values at all.
Comment by Clam Baker — September 18, 2007 @ 8:54 pm
OT Levele I-VIII Get Them BEFORE DMCA TAKEDOWN!!!
http://listverse.com/religion/10-religious-scriptures-explained/
Mirrors:
http://frater.googlepages.com/CompleteOTLevels.txt
http://listverse.com/CompleteOTLevels.txt
Comment by Freedom of Information — September 19, 2007 @ 4:14 pm