Honestly, even if I make fun of the Pope and all, I can actually see value in Catholicism. On the other hand, I really get angry when I see the Scientologists. Their behavior is dangerous and they prey upon the weak. They moved in right next door to our Buddhist center. When one of our organization's leaders found out that they were our neighbors, they immediately began looking for a new location. He does not want anyone to associate us with them by mistake. We are moving soon.My mother's husband personally knows someone who was used and then discarded by this group. Actually, the guy was slightly mentally handicapped and had received a rather large inheritance after someone in his family died. In Scientology, in order to advance you must spend money. While I see the need for money in religion, this is a huge red flag for me. If someone said look, if you want to be enlightened ,you MUST give us $300, I would run as far as I could. So anyways, this guy spends all of his inheritance money to advance through their programs and when it dries up, they help him fill out a credit application. Long story short, he maxes out his credit limit and then is disposed. While he was a Scientologists he was instructed not to talk to his family.
My experience next to these people has been strange. It seems like they all walk around smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee like eternal zombies in their uniforms. Yes, (e:enknot), they are FREAKS! Most of them refuse to look at me in the eye because they know I am Buddhist. One time my friend Gerry was outside and found a young kid stumbling around after getting clipped by a car while he was ridding his scooter. It turns out he was the son of a Scientologist (haha) his mother was inside the Scientology building. Other Scientology members came out (not the mother) and they refused to call an ambulance. Gerry told me that the kid's speech was slurred either indicating he was drunk, or more likely had a concussion. The Scientology people (the mother never came out) wanted to bring the kid inside and "heal" him. Gerry called an ambulance.
Yesterday I saw a young woman with young children get sucked in by their brainwashing. It really made me sad. How much money will she lose in the hopes to make her life better/happier? Her youngest kid was so cute and he kept pointing at me and wanting her to come over to "our" door. Her older kid I saw dash out of the Scientology building without her and then attempted to cross the street. I had to yell at him to watch the car that probably would have hit him if I weren't standing there. Can't say I blame him though, kids are so perceptive.
I seriously had some issues going to see Hairspray because I didn't want John Travolta to have ANY of my money. I even thought of buying a ticket to another movie, but then I thought that wasn't fair to the other actors/actresses that aren't FREAKS. Why did they choose him to play that part? Let me tell you, he isn't any Divine by any means. Divine may be the filthiest (Pink Flamingos), but Travolta is just a FREAK with lots of money. She is probably rolling over in her grave from the insult.
I don't know anything about them. But what i do know is that I would never not go see a movie because of one of the actors realigous beliefs. I may not agree with them but who am I say that they have no right to get paid based on that.
uh oh...i guess now is a bad time to tell everyone I just signed up for scientologist enlightenment 101 for the mere introductory price of $1,000 and any shred of sanity I have...
Check the Wiki stuff for Scientology-related criticisms - you'd be astounded by what some of the upper level "enlightenment" costs.
L. Ron Hubbard flat out stated that he wanted to start his own religion because science fiction didn't pay enough. Scientologists suggest that this was bullshit, that the quote had been incorrectly attributed to him and that it was actually George Orwell that said it - lol. Its unbelievable how brainwashed some of these people are.
As you guys know I'm very sensitive to unwarranted criticism of religion, but believe me my heart turns black when it comes to the topic of Scientology.
Wow, that is so terrible, the way they riped off that handicapped dude.
It ain't just 300 bones, either. I actually out of curiosity wiki'd Scientology one day and read as much as I could. The "higher levels" of learning cost THOUSANDS. Yuck.