I suppose you are leaving an invitation right?

- It's an expensive fraud and a mindfuck. People are pretty messed up when they leave.
- Breaking up of families as a direct result of policies.
- Bad treatment of children and negligent medical care due to warped views on medical and childcare. Jett Travolta a case in point.
- The Orwellian environment of the Sea Org, where the most loyal member reside.
- Stalking of critics and people who leave.
- Lots more, see my ling.

Bad stuff happends in all religions, and they all piss me off. But Scientology pisses me off even more, because it was designed by the founder to be harmful.

In my case, I was in a theater troupe which was used as a recruiting front for Scientology. Everyone there had a grating, manic fervor and a Fox News-like reactionary defensive posture about them once they let down the veil and admitted that they were in fact a Scientology offshoot. I was also phoned, harassed and pestered on the street by Scientologists to return to them - in Chelsea no less! The Catholics were much more self satisfied and smugly asserted I was hellbound, not worth any effort unless I repented.

practice what they preach!

Klaatu barada nikto!

Which is outer space talk for "Rich, stupid people will believe anything!" And so will people who want to be rich and presumably are already stupid.

On the Jett Travolta thing: I bet he died and was left in the bahtroom all night. They later spun it that John was trying to save him. And that the kid had been on medictions before. All lies.

And when Travolta did "mouth to mouth" on someone, it was actually on the cute "manny" who he once did mouth to motuh on at the airport!!

The question isn't, "Is Scientology Really Worse Than Other Religions?"

Almost every "religious" belief system that claims to have the answers to eternal salvation also has a history of abuses. That's what happens when zealots "know" they're right and that they're not about to let their beliefs be questioned or criticized.

So, why even bother comparing Scientology's crazy to other religions' crazy?

The real question is: "Does Scientology commit acts that are abusive, illegal and unconscionable?" The answer to that is an EMPHATIC yes.

So, conscionable challenge them for these abuses -- and want to see them held responsible.

Just like other conscionable people challenge other organizations (religious and secular) for similar abuses.

Heck, if it was the United Way that was pulling the same crap as Scientology, they'd have 10,000 people outside their buildings protesting worldwide too.

It's got nothing to do with religion.

It's not a question of whether Scientology as a religion is better or worse than any other religion. The question is, is it a religion or a rote training system designed to *reflexively* get people into a feedback-loop to donate more and more of their time and money.

Religion is like art, you either believe that it is or not. No one, no government, no authority figure, parent, counsel of elders or Scientology lawyer has a right to tell anyone what is or is not a religion. If you can clear that hurtle, you are well on the way of seeing Scientology in it's true colors.

Apart from the fact that this "religion" originated in the addled brain of a second-rate, 1950s science fiction writer, it is sadly ironic that Scientology condemns homosexuality as "far from normal and extremely dangerous to society," while Quentin Hubbard, L. Ron's own son, was gay -- and committed suicide because of it, or rather because of his father's reaction to it. L. Ron himself was shocked to find the Hollywood community filled with closeted, and more importantly rich, celebrities and decided to keep them there with a money-making "beard-matching" system that is still in place today. For example, in 1989, Paul Baressi, a real operator who has his hands in eveything "dirty" in Hollywood (some remember his gay porno loops; others remember he handed out the tranny cash after Murphy's "good samaritan" bust), found himself viciously attacked by Scientology after he described his gay affair with John Travolta (they met doing "Perfect") in the National Enquirer. Mere weeks after the Enquirer article, Travolta married Kelly and they had a son, Jett, born with autism. Which brings us to now. Sad.

Mr. Musto, you might find reading "The Complex" by John Duignan englightening. This book reveals a criminal organization that abuses the very people who give the most (the Sea-Org) to "clear the planet". I've been on the receiving end of Hubbard's "fair game" policy. I've heard the same stories from too many differing sources to dismiss this as the sour grapes of an apostate. This is no religion.

To answer your first (and to my mind, most important) question: "Is scientology totally fictional bullshit?"
um, yes.

What other religion has a Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) to punish members that management feels have let down the group? Members can stay on the RPF for years, kept apart from loved ones while doing hard labor, eating rice and beans and studying the words of the leader until getting back into good graces.

What other religion has a paramilitary force such as the Sea Org where members sign a contract to work for one billion years (yes, billion) in exchange for expensive courses they couldn't otherwise afford? Their mail is read, their phone calls monitored and if they try to leave their slave labor lives, they get socked with a huge "Freeloader" bill of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What other religion had their top officials sent to prison for espionage against the U.S. government or ran covert operations to ruin the lives of politicians and journalists, among others?

There is a reason the St. Petersburg Times once declared Scientology is not like any religion they know.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/052601/Opinion/Church_behavior.shtml

My condolences to the Travolta family - I don't wish this kind of tragedy on anyone. But, so much for Scientology "Operating Thetans" having full control over Matter, Energy, Space and Time (Travolta supposedly is one after spending hundreds of thousands of dollarson scientology "training"). If Travolta had the much vaunted powers that one acquires in the upper levels of the Church of Scientology's "training" this never should have happened. Perhaps this will make it a little more clear to everyone that at it's heart, Scientology is nothing but a money making scam.

For more info about the scam that is $cientology, see

http://www.xenu.net/

The Catholics ask for money, perhaps a tithing. Scientology asks for everything you have ever earned, the money from the sale of your house and car, all loans that can be made through your credit card and bank and all the money you may one day inherit. There is a difference.

You were brought up on the Garden of Eden and virgin birth. You were a kid. As an adult you found out that it was more complex than that. In scientology you are first told that they get people off drugs and that Tom Cruise is a scientologist. You don't find out about Xenu and his intergalactic overlords until you fork over $300,000 or so. It is a bait and switch religion. There is again, a difference.

Catholicism has nuns and monks and they take a vow of poverty. Still, they generally eat well, live well, see people on their best behaviour. They are often trained as teachers, nurses and social workers and some even get sizable chunks of money from the church when they leave the order. The "Sea Org" people eat rice and beans, work 90 hour weeks and have no usable skills when they leave the cult. In fact, if they can leave they are charged for all the expensive and useless "therapy" they had when they were involved with the cult. There is a difference.

Catholicism promises salvation in the next life. Personally, I think it's nonsense but it is in the next life so I can't be sure. Scientology promises "control knowingly and at will over matter, energy, space and time" in THIS life time and it will cost you somewhere around a half million dollars to get it. They can't produce it though. That's is why cult leader L.Ron Hubbard was sentenced to four years in jail in France for fraud. Again, there is a difference.

Scientology tries to stress their similarities with other religions. People who know something about scientology, and haven't been taken in by it, try to stress the differences.

Michael Musto, it doesn't seem you've done very much research on this subject at all. I sincerely hope that some of these comments have provided you with enough data to get started. Was it your intention to have your readers do your work for you?
Also keep in mind that most religions were founded in a time when education was not common and they have since become a part of culture and tradition - as unusual as the the mythology may seem. The sci-cult was founded in the 50s when education was widely available to the masses, so I feel there really is no excuse for such nonsense.

Oh, so if a religion was founded when there wasn't much education, it's OK for morons to cling onto it now when there IS education???? Please!!!!!

Whatever Ladybug, I'm just saying I am more inclined to excuse something that has become a part of culture and tradition. I don't have to agree with it or even like it, but I can understand why some people still feel the need to cling to such nonsense.
We can't very well go back in time and undo the damage that has been caused by those older religions, but we can do something about the sci-cult.

Some can not handle the truth but require rumor. Those are invited to discuss. For those who prefer truth, you'll find online opportunity, public library opportunity, and visit a Church of Scientology opportunity. Educate yourself in your own productive manner.

You know, it's not a religion until the IRS says so. The Mormon Church was considered a cult until the IRS approved it as a bona-fide, tax-deductible Organized Religion in the 1930s; hence, all donations made to the church became tax-deductible and all church property became tax-exempt.

Same thing with Scientology. The IRS deemed it a cult, donations and property were not tax-exempt, and for years investigated the financial dealings of Scientolgy. Then in the 1990s John Travolta put pressure on President Clinton to make Scientology a religion, and -- whaddaya know? -- a few weeks later, presto! The IRS declares Scientology to be a religion and drops all investigations of its financial misdoings.

So, just remember folks, a cult isn't a religion until the Internal Revenue Service says so.

At least in Germany it's still a cult!

I personally find it amusing how many people have "researched" Scientology via well-know anti-Scientology as their primary source of data.

It dosen't matter what Scientology is really about, if it actually helps people, shit, even if it cured caner, the counter is gonna always be "it's a recruiting tool to take all one's money..."

You all must know much more than me about Scientology, of course I've only actually studied it not just read about the stories online and conversed with others in chats rooms about how it's sooo evil.

But you are right, Scientology is a CULT, the biggest one there is. Man, if I could only get unbrainwashed...Maybe some good 'ol electro shock and twenty pills a day might do the trick, that will brighten my life right up.

Oh well.

Grant, the fact is that Scientology CAN'T cure cancer. It can't make drunk people sober in seconds (though it still makes that claim); it can't turn people into "Clears" with perfect recall (L. Ron Hubbard's own demonstration of "the World's First Clear" was a laughable fiasco, as the "perfect memory" of the "Clear" did not allow her to remember something she'd seen just minutes ago); it can't get people off drugs, as it claims (the Narconon studies which claim wonderful success rates reach their figures by HIGHLY suspect means, such as counting people who "graduated" Narconon and then went back to drugs as "drug-free permanently".) In short, IF and WHEN Scientology actually DESERVES a good reputation, THEN you can whinge about how it gets a bad one instead.

By the way, if you really believe that the "Church" of Scientology is more interested in your well-being than in your money, just try testing it sometime by withholding your money.

Me, I think that when L. Ron Hubbard instructed his disciples ""MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MORE MONEY." (yes, with that emphasis in the original) he revealed pretty well what Scientology is really about.

Let's not forget that that

300 years of inquisition alone would make Scientology look like child play and something that everybody should quickly join.

And how about the atrocities still committed in some Muslim countries? Cutting off the hands of thief, burying "sinner" woman up to the had and stoning them unto death ensues? Hanging alcoholic and homosexuals high and tight?

"Is Scientology Really Worse Than Other Religions?"

Hell, No! It's much much milder!

Scientology and the Mormons are both huge cults-for-profit. South Park did excellent episodes about both.

.....eeesh, amazing that ANYone with a brain would defend it, but then there is this thing that Scientology has in common with the big ole Catholic and/or Christian tradition:
the use of your own SHAME to keep you toting their bale of bullshit.

Given that vulnerable people [financially, emotionally, esteem-wise] people will always fall under the control of big Serious Bullshit Authorities like religions and cults.
but what keeps them there for so long?
hope , and shame that they are not perfect or strong enough to leave. shame turns to bitterness and then they really have you as a sharp tool for their own benefit [never yours, that's always the carrot you never get]
grab the carrot and lose your mooring in this world. scary but necessary to grow up and out of that stooped dependent life.

We watch these all too human 'celebs', some of whom are talented at portraying a whole lotta human emotion, we watch them fall in droves to this bullshit in the middle of the fake clawing for $ bs of LA, and it is just sad and awful that not enough people can reach out to them and make them feel ok enough to not need this. it is worse than substance addiction to admit that you 'use' a religion to frame your life and can't quit it. How much harder when you are increasingly useful to it????

so the story is now that John Travolta is gay? That is a new one to me, but....following that theory, and that his wife is an assigned beard etc... it is just heart-breakingly sad that a first son, a child he clearly loved, a sweet imperfect kid it seems, dies like this. Did he + his wife bury their own real personalities/sexualities all this time? Did they have this child and then hope this boy would grow into something more acceptable to scientology? how even more wrenching must it all be now if that theory is true?

I hope this horrible event serves them both well in crawling out of the clutches of this cult, but there will be huge 'handling' on the part of a cult to keep it's visible star. What can the scientologist's elite tell the Travoltas? the only possible way they can frame it to fit into their dogma of paid hierarchy+perfection is to make them believe that the dead child was at fault somehow. not enough, or not worthy of life. think about that.

I feel such rage at organized religion when i see what the Control via Ignorance the vatican has produced,[the original reason for the celibacy of priests? So all church property would always revert back to Rome!]
and OY! the middle east's constant bullshit is another consumer of innocent lives, but if we in America allow religion to affect how we handle 'imperfect' kids and allow religions to also be corporations then we will see the divisiveness lead to wars.

all that said, this one death is flat out random sad but maybe the spark that will begin to burn the walls of control down for the Travoltas and maybe even other stars on the brink of signing up.

maybe it will become really cool to be an ex-scientologist.

before it wuz da moonies....stop h8-n!
are they any better or worse than those f-n racists bible thumpers in middle america! the scientology center was in times square, ny for a very long time...now, why all of sudden the controversy! like, now, the islamic religion under attacc! america fosters h8!

Here's a Web site especially for former members of Scientology to gather and share their stories:

http://www.exscientologykids.org/

Read it and see what you think.

Here's a clear distinction for you: Christianity has no one leader dishing out orders for things to happen. It's just been certain people throughout history claiming something in the NAME of God, that makes what the've done bad and shed Christianity in a bad light. Same for Buddhism, Hinduism, you name it. Whoever cited the Inquisition, you need to blame the Spaniards that implemented that, not Christianity as a whole.

Scientology has BUT one leader. And these guys try to mute people or sue others if they say anything negative against them. This is why it's wrong.

It's not bad for someone to seek enlightenment, but when you belong to that kind of organization, something really needs to change.

Grant, sarcasm will get you nowhere. You have made some horrible mistakes. Get out of there before your brain is fried like a strip of bacon and you become a zombie.

All of you people who are hyper acutely aware of all of Scientology's faults but don't really know of any of Christianity's faults or don't really care or think they couldn't be so horrible are precisely making MMs point. From the Old Testament's prescription of stoning or execution for various "sins" to the inquisition to GWBs Holy Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Christianity has been a tremendous source of hatred, violence and wars not to mention misogyny, homophobia and just plain stupidity.

This has been going on worldwide for 2000 years and has involved billions of people. Even if the 8 million Scientologists had been running human abattoirs 24/7 since the 50s they could never hope to do as much damage as Christianity has done.

Here's a thinking tip for understanding the world better. Whenever some sanctimonious person starts beating their chest loudly about some horrible travesty over there, not here with us good and decent people, but way over there, start looking closely. Look very very closely in and around yourself and in and around that person because that's where the real problem they're trying to distract you from is likely to be.

Amen to that, Hortensia Redcock. And to your name as well.

re: postacomment:

christianity itself can't be blamed for it's results?
because individual human actions 'shed it in a bad light'???

a. so guns kill in wars, not the people who shoot them? or the distant safe bastards who teach and order other people to shoot them? faulty logic there .... i for one can trace MANY paths back from a whole lot of past and current dark shit to the miseducation/abuses of religion.

b. So many historical baddies are ok but one live one is bad?
Scientology as a system is wrong in a uniquely modern way, [which should make it easier to combat socially and legally...]
Christianity may bleed your actual holy cash slower but it is worse for your intellect+self esteem than booze for your liver. and forget it if you are female or gay or handicapped or addicted! it's main enduring symbol is a guy suffering torture on a stick!!!

c. shed? WTF kind of grammar is that? light is something that is used as a metaphor for truth, and it is shed on the 'darkness' of lies and wrongdoing. This results sometimes in ugly icky reality, particularly when something dishonest is trying to HIDE itself, perhaps in the cowardly dark or back underneath the slimy rock from where it has been involuntarily exposed.
There is no 'bad light', just dim or bright light, which can be focused on the complicated materialistic greed and medieval social control of ALL 'christian' religions, Catholicism especially.

i will love Madonna forever-no-matter-what because in the late 80s or so, during her first euro tour, while in Rome she was literally asked by the then Pope whoever to visit the Vatican, and her actual response was: "No, thanks!"

i know it's not that easy for many to just say no to religion and outgrow it's creepy tendrils but whoah that one move made me love her.

sorry to rant, I should've expected apologists for various religions [some of which I only sorta dislike!] would pop up here. scientology is just a new cult flavor of an old old old idea: control.

Terrible things have been done in the name of religion, that's impossible to dispute. It's also fair to say that by contrast, the crimes of Scientology pale by comparison.

However Scientology is NOT a religion.

Hubbard had a sophisticated understanding of a number of psychological techniques, which he used collectively to create a system that over time, has real potential to covertly capture the minds of people subjected to it.

There's a lot of hogwash surrounding the term brainwashing, but Scientology is laid out as a carefully graded mental trap. It starts with simple, appealing effects, that do produce positive results; but slowly - and in an entirely calculated manner - ensnares people's thinking and behaviour in such a way that after a point, it becomes almost impossible to get out, or even see that there is a way out.

Hubbard literally wanted to enslave people, for his own egotistical and sinister ends.

The religion tag is a complete misnomer. Scientology presents itself as a "science," was started, and continues to be run as a business, and only styled itself a religion, to defend itself from legal assault in the US.

Indeed in the MAJORITY of countries it operates in, it's not only not recognised as a religion, IT ACTIVELY STATES THAT IT IS NOT A RELIGION. The claim, always depends on the social and religious colour of the country in question.

A tactical business decision. Nothing more, nothing less.

So the question should be, "is Scientology really worse than other self-help schemes?"

You only need to read a little bit about it's history to come to the conclusion, that in that light, it's a monster.

One huge difference between scientology and most other religions is that scientology teaches that it is an ethics violation to question anything about your religion. You are in huge trouble if you express any doubts, and Xenu forbid if you try to leave.

Stop going to the Baptist church? You might get a phone call and an offer to discuss your concerns.

you're kiddin'? scientology a religion??? this is 100% aggro-marketing. psychological violence. mobbing. desctruction of others with the goal of only moneyprofit through icecold narcistic strategic communication. the last, i think, that could be called "democratic" oder "spiritual"

ok, perhaps some kind of nazi-religion. i'll never understand this collective "don't-look-there.." of the american media. now travolta became a victim himself...? i'm not sure..

Catholics do not force you to give money, but scientologists are forced to.

Catholics do not force you to give money, but scientologists are forced to. Also, scientologists rape children in order to live longer and the kids must commit acts of incest to appease their leaders.

For that person above who defended Scientology, you said "hell". You are actually believing Christians then because you expressed the existence of hell. Didn't you just break one of yur alen king god's laws. Have fun giving your money to cult that uses its members for it's own selfish needs.

-They use lie detectors called e-meters as spiritual devices. All confessions are documented.

_ scientologists are made to disconnect from people who do not agree with the 'religion' including their children, parents, spouses. (divorce is encouraged)

-A branch of the 'church' called the "Sea Org" don MILITARY uniforms and are not not allowed to have children or they are encouraged to have abortions. They sign billion year contracts with the 'church'
http://www.unchain.gr/seizeddocs.html

-Another part of the 'church' named OSA or Office Of Special Affairs is the church's own PR and CIA Secret Service type agency. They dig the dirt on member and critics. Google Operation Snow White

-Before taking part in scientology, their programs and Sea Org one has to sign legal waivers/ contracts...a nice touch
http://file.sunshinepress.org:54445/scientology-staff-contract.pdf
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jeta/scn/scans/Introspection-Release.html
http://www.unchain.gr/contract.gif

-scientology has it's own jail called the RPF or Rehabilitation Project Force which can enslave members for years. Members are sent to RPF for wanting to leave the church, thought crimes, breaking scientology policy. Members apparently 'volunteer' for this enslavement. They wear uniforms, sleep in squalid quarters, eat only leftovers and provide custodial jobs for the 'church'

Want More?

Scientology is definitely not worse than other religions. The majority of the people who are against it have never read any book of Scientology. They are just interested in gossip. IF one person wants to know if Scientology is valid or not he should read a book such as "Scientology, the fondaments of thought" and see if the data he finds there can be applied to improve his life.

Regarding the money point, I know of no religion that is "free"... I don't think that the catholic churches were paid with checks from god... People spent time and money to build them. They also have priest that spend all their lifes to promote the beliefs of the catholic chuch. Similarly there are Sea Org members that spend their life in Scientology and to promote the church of Scientology.
Scientology more than a "belief system" where if you are a member of a church you have to believe in x,y,z is a path of discoveries. A person in Scientology receives auditing and studies courses and he arrives to certain conclusions. He could find out that this is not the first time he "lived" or that this is not the only populated planet.... but these will be his discoveries and he will not impose them to others.
For example before starting in Scientology I didn't believe in past lives... actually I was thinking that people believing in them was crazy... then I started to receive auditing and started to remember incidents of when I was 3 years old... 2 years old... and one day I remembered something that didn't have anything to do with this life. I told my auditor that "I was just telling this to him to get rid of that thought to go then to something more real"... After one hour I was still finding more and more about what happened and it was like starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together... after that I received more and more auditing...
So I totally understand people who think "Scientology is crazy", I do! but if people would FIND OUT what happened to them personally... as beings they would definitely have a differend viewpoint... their viewpoint.

Scientology is an authoritarian structure religion that has been document as breaking the law on numerous occasions. Their central teaching is that psychiatry is evil and that aliens inhabit the bodies of people causing ills. They deny the aliens until you have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to them or signed a billion year contract for your future lives so why wouldn't they deny the medicine hating? They deserve the bad press and should lose their status as a religion.

Scientology is not a religion. Religion is free, scientology is not.

No parent, whether as otherwise famous and fortunate as John Travolta, should have to see his or her own child die. It is as equally tragic whether for a major Hollywood actor or any of the hundreds of millions of parents in the world's poorest nations.

And unlike Hollywood's other top Scientologist, Mr. Travolta has never made a fool of himself by bouncing on couches, condemning Brooke Shields for using Paxil, stating that psychiatry "is a Nazi science", or that methadone was actually originally called Adolophine after Adolf Hitler, ect. Mr. Travolta has spoken - and outstandingly - through his work.

However, and the questions need to be asked, considering the stellar medical claims of Scientology*, why did Travolta's son even have medical problems or have these conditions cause the son's death?

*
Cure goiter DIANETICS TODAY (1975 ED.) P.280 "I've seen a goiter the size of a baseball visibly shrink and disappear in the space of one-half hour right after an engram was run."

Cure polio DIANETICS TODAY " P. 353 "A girl crippled by polio was able to throw away her crutches after my first session."

Cure arthritis History of Man p. 7 "Today, Eleanor has arthritis. She is audited... tonight she doesn't have arthritis"

Speed broke bone healing DIANETICS TODAY " P.110 "A broken limb will heal (by X-ray evidence) in two instead of six weeks."

Cure effects of drugs DIANETICS TODAY " P.481 "ONLY processing by Dianetics and Scientology can handle the effects of drugs fully."

Raise the dead Magazine Articles on Level 0 Checksheet 1968, "Dissemination of Material" p.75 "A child had died, was dead, had been pronounced dead by a doctor, and the auditor, by calling the thetan back and ordering him to take over the body again brought the child to life."

Cure migraines DIANETICS " P.125 also see HCOB 15 Jan. '79 "Handling with Auditing"

Cure cancer THE HISTORY OF MAN (1961) P. 20

"Cancer has been eradicated by auditing out conception and mitosis."

Cure skin cancer ALL ABOUT RADIATION (1979 ED.) P.114
Cure radiation sickness ALL ABOUT RADIATION " P.109 also PAB no. 82 "Scientology is the only specific (cure) for radiation (atomic bomb) burns."

Improve eyesight PAB no. 111 "Eyesight and glasses" also Dianetic Auditor's Bulletin vol. 2 no. 7 January 1952 "An afternoon with Ron" "You are only three or four hours from taking your glasses off for keeps."

Cure a broken ankle HCOB 30 July 1973 "Scientology, Current State of the Subject and Materials."

Cure insanity HCOB 28 Nov. '70 "Psychosis""The alleviation of the condition of insanity has also been accomplished now..."

Cure bronchitis HCOB 14 Dec. '63 "Case analysis Health Research" "12 days after this auditing the coughing was still in abeyance."

cure brainwashing HCOB No. 19 Dec. '55 "The turn of the Tide" "... in Dianetics in particular, we have the total antidote for the eradication of brainwashing."

Miscellaneous claims DIANETICS (1987 ED.) p.72 "arthritis vanishes, myopia gets better, heart illness decreases, asthma disappears, stomachs function properly and the whole catalogue of illnesses goes away and stays away."

from http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/medclaims.htm

So to answer your question, Scientology is not a religion, it is a cult.

spirituality costs you nothing [or if it does it is 100% your choice to spend $ to buy education/experiences and you are the main one benefitting] It is a religion with one adherent: YOU. some call the idea that no one has to mediate between you and your idea of god 'mysticism'. religions sorta hate that.
TM meditation and martial arts, once learned, can cost nothing. yoga too...
solo intellectual pursuit or web groups can be free.
primitive and pagan belief systems can cost zilch to learn and maintain.

but anything known as a 'religion' is not ever free.
it is not freely chosen by those born into it, and never does a religion 100% freely allow you to walk out of it without some spooky penalty [damnation? excommunication?stink eye? cooties?]

you always gotta buy in somehow.
if a it consists of more than a few people [3?] agreeing on a way to view reality and the 'big questions' ......It requires an individual to willingly GIVE time, presence + attention, validity, agreement + adherence to set of rules [dogma] and then there are suddenly all those material things that suddenly are needed to make it look persuasive [we live right so see us flourish!] to new converts.

i use to love the word 'persuasion' and how churchy folk can politely yet scathingly ask 'what persuasion are you, dear?'
: it can be inflected in the most seething snaky way to mean 'i know you are something less than my religion, so admit to my suspicions...'

it starts with a spark of human need X persuasion, and ends in control and 'voluntary servitude' [often material] to the higher good of a material political org.

wow frank g : are you the only scientologist with the balls to engage here? if ya'll are so legion and intellectual, then

also, please realize that if i take a hairpin and poke it into your brain at various proven points [or use certain vitamins, drugs,light, sound etc on it in specific ways] I can make you happy, sad, angry, fearful,or asleep, and I can make you see aliens, gods, angels,living vines,robots, dinosaurs, bugs and demons.

also; the structure buddhism can tell you all you want to know about past lives, and the idea that you can clear karma by simply paying for it in time, allegiance, sweat and mainly large amounts of filthy fleeting money is just so insanely offensive an idea that they should be shamed into a hole in the ground for even having it, not allowed to be called a 'religion' and get off tax free.

but all ex-religious can tell you horror stories of control and abuse.

get a good comparative religion book and start at the oldest ones, work foreward, be nice and fair to your world, and stop with the sci-fi drama.
yes it is fun to read about like sci-fi and porn are fun to imagine, but it has all gone too far and gotten too sad.

I think Tom is right!

Geez Michael, did you do any research at all for this piece? It isn't about the difference between Scientology and others religions because Scientology isn't a religion. It was cloaked in religion for the tax breaks, to avoid fair labor laws and as a shield when its adherents die from Hubbard's quackery. No one cares if people want to believe in the evil, intergalactic warlord Xenu from the planet Teregeeack- be my guest. But this "church" has far more in common with the Mafia than any religion.

I'm surprised this actually appeared in the Village Voice. Typically your articles are much more thoroughly researched.

Scientology is a self help pyramid scam that should be taxed out of existence. LRH was a drug user and liar, skilled at deception and the occult.

Where was the nanny?

I can't beleive you've even bothered to compare church donations for ANY Christian denomination, to the enormous fees that are essentially mandatory in scientology. It's ridiculous to even try make an argument of it.

Donations paid by Catholics or peoples of any other religion are voluntary. People pay maybe a £1 a week if they fancy. Some pay more, some less. It's their choice.

In scientology the costs begin in the tens of pounds and exceed to tens of thousands, amounting to hundreds of thousands paid within years. These payments are in exchange for goods and services, merely learning about the truth of mankinds problems aliens infesting your body) will costs you hundreds of thousands to reach.

People interested in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism etc can walk in to a religious centre for that group and learn EVERYTHING they have to offer without ever paying once.

As for protests, not a single protest has been held questioning scientology beliefs. Every worldwide protest and even the small single town ones have been directed at the fraud and abuses perpetrated by the scientology organisation. This is not a bout religion. It's about truth.

Pick a fairy tale, any fairy tale: Xenu, Odin, Jesus Christ, Zeus, Cthulhu, Apollo, Mohammed, etc.

Hiding behind any of these fictional characters is a sad joke.

Hehe, uno mas
http://www.theinsider.com/news/1822068_Is_Tom_Cruise_forcing_Katie_Holmes_to_diet
Through out the American History, from the Pilgrims to the Native American's to even American Muslims, spirituality has always been an issue. The Europeans where band from practicing their religion and came to the Americas to practice their spiritual beliefs. Native Americans where almost completely wiped out and in many cases their spiritual practice was band by the great grand children of the Pilgrims.

Scientology I believe is no different than many beliefs. In all it is a belief in something, definition of a belief: confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.

At the end of the day it is your right to practice your religious belief.

Honestly I would like to know what religion do most Anonymous activist practice?

I hope someone responds to my question.
anonymous 3/13/09

just convicted in france not for their beliefs
but for scam organized crrok and illegal medecine and pharmaceutical malpractice
they are fined $1 000 000 fine
voila
a bunch of crooks convicted not "a philosophical applied religion "

Thanks a bunch! I really enjoyed reading this. It makes me want to create my own webblog. I do not know what subject thought? I am a engineer but can't imagine most people wanting to read about that! Possibly Im wrong. Any ideas?