Christianity is the same as Scientology

[Crunchy]

You should look into Freezone Scientologists, they're not as crazy as the regular ones.

That's a pretty low bar.

[Alex K]

The recent episode of Reza Aslan's "Believer" focused heavily on Freezone scientologists in case you're interested in learning more about them.

I know you weren't talking to me but I will have to check that out. I'm always interested in things to do with Scientology.  

I'm also strangely fascinated by them (not as in a fan, obv). The best inside infos and technical detail way beyond what you'd hear in mainstream productions are in the podcasts by Jeffrey Augustine (husband of the scientology president Heber Jentzsch's ex-wife) and Chris Shelton.

[Isis]

Thank you!

[Crunchy]

Who said they were?

The last line in the post above mine

Ahh Ok. 
Germany did try to ban them as a commercial enterprise and I think that somehow the failed attempt has been miscast as a success.

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I know you weren't talking to me but I will have to check that out. I'm always interested in things to do with Scientology.  

I'm also strangely fascinated by them (not as in a fan, obv). The best inside infos and technical detail way beyond what you'd hear in mainstream productions are in the podcasts by Jeffrey Augustine (husband of the scientology president Heber Jentzsch's ex-wife) and Chris Shelton.

What do you make of Leah Remini's show? I'm wondering if its worth starting to watch it as it is several hours long.

[Alex K]

The last line in the post above mine

Ahh Ok. 
Germany did try to ban them as a commercial enterprise and I think that somehow the failed attempt has been miscast as a success.

---

I'm also strangely fascinated by them (not as in a fan, obv). The best inside infos and technical detail way beyond what you'd hear in mainstream productions are in the podcasts by Jeffrey Augustine (husband of the scientology president Heber Jentzsch's ex-wife) and Chris Shelton.

What do you make of Leah Remini's show? I'm wondering if its worth starting to watch it as it is several hours long.

It's a very good show for what it is, namely an attempt to provide an account of Scientology that packs more emotional punch and is more personal than the more rational approach by e.g. the documentary "Going Clear" . It's greatly enhanced because the former OSA head Mike Rinder (the division of scientology in charge of harassment and persecution of enemies) is the co-host, and he adds a great component of personal struggle and redemption. Don't expect too much raw detailed information, but impressive personal stories.

[Minimalist]

You should look into Freezone Scientologists, they're not as crazy as the regular ones.

Huh. I'm not familiar with Freezone Scientologists. I'll look into that now.

Freezone at least removes your corns.



Religion, sadly, only rapes your wallet.

[AceBoogie]

I think it requires the same amount of faith to believe in the mythology of both religions.

The higher ups in scientology seem to be much more obsessed with stealing your entire life away from you, however. They seem to be this way across the board, whereas only some extremist Christian groups operate in this manner.

So, same in theory, yea, but not the same in practice, so to speak.

[Alex K]

I think it requires the same amount of faith to believe in the mythology of both religions.

The higher ups in scientology seem to be much more obsessed with stealing your entire life away from you, however. They seem to be this way across the board, whereas only some extremist Christian groups operate in this manner.

So, same in theory, yea, but not the same in practice, so to speak.

There has been some discussion among ex-scientologists, especially in connection to the whole freezone and independent scientology thing, whether the sucking you dry and eating you whole part, the disconnection policy and hard sales tactics are inextricably woven into scientology such that there cannot be scientology without them, or whether there can be a reformed scientology without the most harmful elements which would then kind of carry on as a more benign practise. From what I've seen, the harmful elements are so explicit in Hubbard's instructions how scientology has to be run, that I think you'd need at least a few hundred years to allow for as lax an interpretation of them as we have it in the Abrahamic religions, where there is clearly evil stuff which is simply not taken at face value any more by all socially acceptable denominations. With scientology, for now, the whole thing is so tightly bound to the heaps of Hubbard policy letters micromanaging what everyone has to do for every conceivable detail, that scientologists have a hard time not being fundamentalists. In addition to that, I've heard it said that the whole scientology auditing and training stuff kind of loses its placebo power once you remove all the authoritarian theater around it. This is evidenced by the fact that a lot of people leaving the Scientology organization do the independent Scientology thing for a while as a kind of cultural transition process, but then lose interest.