why don't atheists support scientology?

[Raven]

Nora said:

I actually think Scientology is one of the less crazy religions. Most people are just too used to older religions to notice that they're a million times crazier.

I believe that you have a very good point there. Scientology, for all it's wackiness really isn't any more wack than Xtianity, especially the YEC variety. But in America nobody notices because the vast bulk of us were brought up in some version of Xtianity regardless of where we are now. Nobody even seemed to pay much attention to not one, but three of the Republican wannabe's in the last Presidential election claimed God himself told them to run. (I guess that means he ain't so all-powerful, he backed not one but three losers!) Maybe I'm wrong but somehow I can't see that happening anywhere but here.

I still find myself shaking my head in wonder that it's the 21st century and we still have all these people who buy into the creation myth, talking snakes, the actual existence of angels and demons..... So, yeah, is Hubbard's nonsense really any zanier?

Seems to me sometimes that we have a lot of overgrown kids running around that are only chronologically adults.

[Chas]

They're a cult of personality as far as I see it. Hubbard is their god, in their mind. I suppose its debatable whether they lack any concept or belief in a god or gods.

What's not debatable is that they're all a load of space cadets.

I actually think Scientology is one of the less crazy religions. Most people are just too used to older religions to notice that they're a million times crazier.

And I think that Scientology is as crazy and as obviously invented as Mormonism.

[NoraBrimstone]

I actually think Scientology is one of the less crazy religions. Most people are just too used to older religions to notice that they're a million times crazier.

And I think that Scientology is as crazy and as obviously invented as Mormonism.

How does that differ from any other religion in the slightest?

[Chas]

And I think that Scientology is as crazy and as obviously invented as Mormonism.

How does that differ from any other religion in the slightest?

I think the obviousness does it for me.

But maybe that is my confusing the believers with the belief.

[Faith No More]

Well, at least Christians have the sands of time to obscure the founding of their religion. Scientologists have no such excuse. It was obviously just made up by a man.

But yeah, Christianity and Scientology both believe crazy shit.

[DeistPaladin]

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has already been discussed, but aren't Scientologists atheists? I mean, there aren't any Gods in Scientology, are there?

(later post)...I actually think Scientology is one of the less crazy religions. Most people are just too used to older religions to notice that they're a million times crazier.

I've posted this earlier but my training in business leads me to a different conclusion based on how I ran the numbers.

Atheism's take on your income: 0%
Christianity's take on your income: 10%
Scientology's take on your income: 100%

Therefore, Scientology is ten times crazier than Christianity.

Again, as a business person, I tend to go by the numbers. You may have a different way to evaluate a religion's crazy.

[DeistPaladin]

Well, at least Christians have the sands of time to obscure the founding of their religion. Scientologists have no such excuse. It was obviously just made up by a man.

Scientology may be useful then in being a case study for how religions get started and the unwary can be conned by it. Christians are, after all, fond of reasoning that nobody would have converted if it had all been false or people would have cried "false" if the Christian leaders had written things about Jesus that were not true. If Scientology ever took over America the way Christianity did Rome, you can bet they would write the history books to their favor as well.

[Mutant13]

There isn't anything particularly new in Scientology it's essentially just some of the elements of the esoteric/occult Western tradition repackaged in science fiction and delivered as an expensive self help course. The E-meter was originally developed by C. G. Jung as well. Throw in some hack science fiction about aliens being blown by nuclear bombs inside volcanoes. If you really want to know the truth here are the essentials you need to utilize on your spiritual journey.









I'll include the last one as that will build a sense of community and grounding in the world. All of this is free of course, or at least not as expensive as an auditing session would. And a good and much cheaper alternative psychiatry and self help courses.

So I need a cartoon book, a bird, a place outside to kneel and a large room full of gullible people?

[Jackalope]

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has already been discussed, but aren't Scientologists atheists? I mean, there aren't any Gods in Scientology, are there?

(Amusingly, I tried to look this up on scientology.org and found it was blocked because "This Websense category is filtered: Non-Traditional Religions and Occult and Folklore." Haha)

My employer's filter blocks AF for the very same reason. Which is a bit of a facepalm if you ask me.

[Angrboda]

The beliefs of Scientology may not be all that unusual, but the behavior of the church of Scientology is. They focus on one thing: control. They devote a lot of effort to controlling members and ensuring that they don't defect, and that they dedicate themselves to Scientology. They devote a lot of effort to controlling information about their core doctrines and preventing outsiders from becoming aware of the practices of the church. One example is Hubbard's doctrine of 'fair game' in which anybody who is an enemy of the church is considered fair game for any kind of harassment or intimidation, physical, psychological, or legal, to prevent them from harming the church. Journalists who have covered Scientology will routinely report being followed and filmed by private investigators, and the church is fond of burying its detractors in mountains of lawsuits. The church was even able to secure its tax exempt status by harassment of individual IRS agents (I believe that effort was referred to as 'operation snow white'). An example of control of members is a church compound with high walls topped with barbed wire and cameras. The barbed wire is to keep people in, not out, and all the cameras point into the compound. The church, like the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, control their members by keeping them isolated and insulated from the non-church world. For a glimpse at one of the more high profile controversies, look up the case of .