Early War of the Worlds reviews

[wingsandsword]

Are you joking about this, or is that really their belief?

I must not judge...

Wow. Well, it's definitely different.....

Dead serious, that is really the core of their belief.

Now, they won't tell you that at first, in fact most everyday Scientologists probably don't even know the story. Like mystery cults of old, the real secrets aren't told until you're in for quite a while and have progressed through many levels of initation. Thanks to the internet and extensive litigation, those secrets have been leaked to the entire world. If you doubt any of this, just start searching the web and you should find ample backing for everything I've said.

Their public face of their belief system is that they offer counseling (which they call "auditing") to cure you of all your psychological problems (occasionally they have claimed it cures physical ills too). Their initiation rite involves taking very large doses of vitamins while taking repeated saunas to purge your body of the effects of every mind-altering drug you've ever taken in your life. Their "auditing" is much like a normal religious confession, except Scientology is noting everything in extensive files for future reference, you have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for the privliedge of each confession, and you are hooked up up to a crude lie-detector (an "e-meter" in their jargon) during the whole process. In their beliefs, you're purging those jumbled past-life memories from your mind, so they can't bother you anymore by making you worried, or afraid, or anxious.

They say that this helps your reach the vaunted state of "Clear", where you no longer have any fears, worries, or mental problems. Then after you reach that, you can begin the "OT" training where you begin to get psychic powers and discover the secrets of the universe.

They hint to their regular members that the highest levels involve incredible secrets, the truth behind the whole universe. They won't tell anybody not properly initiated what it is, because they've been taught that regular folks will die if they ever hear that information.

 

[KenM]

So if I ever meet Tom Cruise, I should'nt shake his hand and say "Hi, i'm Xenu."? Some people thought at one time that I had a chemical imbalance and needed "meds" to help me. I never took any. I knew the drugs would change me. The last thing I want to do is get dependent on drugs and go though life on a happy pill all the time.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Are you joking about this, or is that really their belief?

I must not judge...

Wow. Well, it's definitely different.....

Banshee

Way back when, when Ron H. was writing Deitnetics (sp) there was a 'rumor' that he bet his publisher he could create a religion, so, was born the movement.

God, getting old when you can remember the creation of a cult.

 

[Rackhir]

So if I ever meet Tom Cruise, I should'nt shake his hand and say "Hi, i'm Xenu."? Some people thought at one time that I had a chemical imbalance and needed "meds" to help me. I never took any. I knew the drugs would change me. The last thing I want to do is get dependent on drugs and go though life on a happy pill all the time.

That is a common misperception. Anti-Depressants don't make you "Happy" they aren't "Happy" Pills. Both my mother and I suffer from depression, so I can speak from personal experience.

You know how a rainy day can make you feel? Picture a dull grey rainy day, one where it's cold enough that if you get wet you will feel miserable and its raining hard enough that if you try to go anywhere you will be promptly soaked, regardless of rain coats, umbrellas and boots. Now on top of that there is nothing interesting to do and nothing you feel like doing.

Depression is feeling like that all the time.

Anti-depressants just help make that feeling go away. So that you can feel happy or sad as you would normally. You could say I'm "Dependent" on anti-depressants, but considering the alternative, it's like saying I'm "dependant" on Food and water.

 

[Storm Raven]

I'm thinking this may be a risky statement on these boards. It's very easy to ask the next question, which is why the foundation for Tom's beliefs are so unsound, when other religions that are better established have beliefs with unsound foundations.....

Other religions that make statements concerning the validity of science and medicine are just as unsound (for example Christian Scientists views regarding medecine, and some fundamentalist Christian sects' views concerning evolution). Note, this is different from religions that object to certain things on moral grounds, but that's not what the deal with Scientology and psychiatry. Scientology teaches that psyciatrists are part of an evil alien conspiracy to keep humans enslaved to incorporeal evil spirits (engrons) that cause all mental disorders and antisocial behaviour, as well as most physical illnesses.

 

[Storm Raven]

What's the problem? Western society is increasingly over-medicated. I'm no graduate student, but my Honours and undergraduate were in psychology. Medication *does* mask the symptoms....it doesn't get rid of the problem in many cases.

Yes, but Scientology doesn't just oppose the use of medications to treat mental illnesses, it opposes any sort of treatment (including counseling and so on) other than their "auditing" procedure which is supposed to clear out all those nasty "engrons" that infest your body and make you sick and/or antisocial.

 

[Rackhir]

Other religions that make statements concerning the validity of science and medicine are just as unsound (for example Christian Scientists views regarding medecine, and some fundamentalist Christian sects' views concerning evolution). Note, this is different from religions that object to certain things on moral grounds, but that's not what the deal with Scientology and psychiatry. Scientology teaches that psyciatrists are part of an evil alien conspiracy to keep humans enslaved to incorporeal evil spirits (engrons) that cause all mental disorders and antisocial behaviour, as well as most physical illnesses.

Let's not get into religions. Scientology is only a religion for tax purposes. There is no question of faith when it comes to something like this, any more than there is with regards to the question of if Sasquach is real.

 

[Desdichado]

You are connected to the internet, you can do the research yourself.

That's nice.

Here's a link: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/fishman/home.html

 

[Desdichado]

Way back when, when Ron H. was writing Deitnetics (sp) there was a 'rumor' that he bet his publisher he could create a religion, so, was born the movement.

God, getting old when you can remember the creation of a cult.

I had heard it was a bet between him and Frank Herbert -- either way I suspect it's an urban myth.

Although apparently Hubbard was heard by several to say something along the lines of "the way to get rich is to create a religion" which, if true, does kinda make one wonder about the legitimacy of the movement.

 

[Storm Raven]

Let's not get into religions. Scientology is only a religion for tax purposes. There is no question of faith when it comes to something like this, any more than there is with regards to the question of if Sasquach is real.

Oh I agree, but there's always someone out there who, when you point out the silliness of Scientology's positions on the treatment of mental illness, says "Yeah? Well other religions reject science-based stuff too, so there" and thinks that they have scored a point or something. They haven't. Other religions that make those sorts of claims are also silly in my book.

But that's the extent of how far I'm willing to discuss other religions in this format, as opposed to the pseudo-religion quackery that is Scientology, which I will happily make fun of for hours on end.