Things that make you go hmmmm.....

I've always been curious about just how far 'out there' Scientologists are but this makes me even more curious! I had no idea there was an expose type of book out there but now I want to run out and buy it!

Glad you shared this. I have no idea how much truth there is in it but IMHO t was entertaining, a curiosity sparker and a good way to inspire me to take a jaunt to the bookstore!

Jemison

For anyone wanting to view the presentation, it DOES show dead people from car accidents and apparently one person who's skin was burned off in a hotel room.

There are several books out there about scandals in scientology, but the organization actively works to supress them. Members who leave scientology often get harrassed, and people in 'the free zone', which are people practicing hubbards scientology outside of the official church corporation, are apparently harrassed.

Scientology is a cult, and like most cults, people've died while inside it.

As far as I can tell, it basically started when hubbard, a science fiction writer, came to beleive that psychology doesn't explain a person's behaviour, but rather Engrams do. Hubbard didn't invent engrams (that is to say, one can't claim that he 'made it up' or anything liek that). He claimed that a person in fetal stages of their life could 'pick up' engrams, ideas that get nearly hardwired into their brains, and dictate their actions. Similar to how some newly hatched birds will 'imprint' onto any largish animal around them for a while and follow it around. Hubbard beleived that engrams were responsible for our psychological problems, our bad habits, depression, not reaching our potential, etc. He beleived that he ahd found a process by which a person could have their engrams revealed, and then done away with, similar to how a psychologist will have a session of psycho-analysis.
The problem is that the idea of engrams, especially hubbards absurd forumulation of them, is bunk. Its literally bad science fiction. And from it seems to have grown the whole panopoly of scientological beleifs, that engrams are alien spirits, that there is an evil overlord called Xenu, becoming 'clear', that hubbard is super-human, etc.

Hubbard also wrote "Dianetics", which is appparently 'scientology lite', less of the weird theology, more of the engrams and auditing.

I had a brush with Scientologists back in 1993 - I was young and experimental - and they had a booth outside their church outreach center across the street from the University of Texas.

They offered "free personality profiles" and being inquisitive, I sat down and took the test.

They assessed my answers and invited me inside - where I was offered an "employment opportunity" by one of the most neurotic men I have ever met in my life - he chain smoked and twirled his hair incessantly - all the while extolling the virtues of his organizations methods to "cure" any problems with your life. (Provided I coughed up loads of cash and brought people into the fold.)

I was given a free copy of "Dianetics" and went home to read my new book. After three days of reading and highlighting passages - I walked back down to the center and tossed the book through the main doors rather scornfully.

Utter rubbish!

Do you recall anything that especially stood out in your mind as 'rubbish'?

Unfortunately - no.

But I will be more than happy to check out a copy at the local library and refresh my memory.

Give me a few days...

If you want the inside track on Dear Ole El Ron then check out the Biography 'Bare Faced Messiah' it's a hoot!

Did you know he was wanted on all 5 continents? That's why he took to sailing around his 'fleet' in international waters full of bunny girls.

Between him and Crowley it's hard to work out who was the maddest!

Scientology is first and foremost a business and as such they will do whatever it takes to protect the bottom line

Originally posted by GENERAL EYES
But I will be more than happy to check out a copy at the local library and refresh my memory.

Go get another free copy.

I hear they ditched the chain smoker for Tom Cruise.

Xenu Monkeys, not just for running the Galactic Confederacy anymore...

[edit on 30/1/2007 by Mirthful Me]

Actually Dianetics was very useful.




It held up the corner of the couch when I broke a leg off it... it was the perfect size

But I believe that Scientology really is not dangerous, and people have the right to practice it how they please, even if I don't agree with it. Most of the things in that presentation could be said about many other religions. There are several fundamentalist Christian groups where people have died from lack of proper medical treatment because they rely on God to cure them. Then you have the people who give their last dime to the TV preachers, and on and on.

Cug, of cours, is correct. Scientology is not the pristine and pure and holy organization it claims to be, but then again, neither is any organization. The number of people who've died in the name of Elron is infinitessimaly smaller than the number who've died in the name of jesus or mohammed.

yeahright
The "Clambake" name comes from a belief (apparently) that humans evolved from clams. Or something.

I think that its an extension of the engram idea. The idea is that not only do humans pick up engrams in the womb, or at early developmental stages, but that evolutionary stages also have left angrams in modern humans. So, at least the reasoning on operation clambake is that hubbard claimed that humans have a awe and respect for birds, because birds eat clams by picking them up, and dropping them from the sky to crack them open, and the human lineage includes, in early stages, clams.
I am not so sure as to whether scientologists beleive this, but it hardly makes sense. Invertebrates are certainly included in the earliest stages of animal evolution, so in that sense they're right, but by the time there was a long enough split to have actual molluscs and birds, the seperation was complete. It would require that they beleive that man evolved from clams AFTER birds existed, which is just plain silly.

L Ron used to drop acid a lot before he invented scientology. There are stories of him locking himself in his room and screaming I am god at the top of his lungs over and over.
A few months later he unveils scientology. HMMMMMM?

You all should write a book - "View From The Ouside" - - - and "How to Find ONLY Negative Websites on a Specific Subject".

Morman's get the same kind of "outsider" abuse.

OK - but if you've actually been a member for a reasonable amount of years - - a true insider - - would love to hear your viewpoints and how it has affected your life.

See - told ya. I threw Mormon in there on purpose.

"Who on the outside - know nothing - yet claim Truth"

Still waiting for person who is actual Scientologist to speak on this thread.

Originally posted by kickoutthejams
Throwing children 40 feet overboard into the sea? How do you defend that?

I guess I'd have to know the kid.

FWIW, they werent' making people 'walk the plank' to drown at sea. They were taking people and tossing them into the water, then pulling them back. Certainly not nice, but they're not killing anyone in doing that.