Scientology on trial in France for organised fraud.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Fun facts regarding Scientology

1) They have a facility of some sort, possibly a recruiting center, complete with book store in Sacramento California
2) They do no sell or rent "Top Gun" at said book store (presumably because it is a book store)
3) Nor do they sell or rent "Day's of Thunder"
4) There is no such thing as a novelization of "Top Gun" or "Days of Thunder"

[Flames Draft Watcher]

There is a scientology post in downtown Vancouver that is quite prominent on Hastings. They offer tests and such. At my University there was recently a lot of stapled up messages about protests against Scientology.

I thought there used to be a Scientology bookstore on 17th Ave in Calgary near where Tequila was/is?

[troutman]

Wikipedia bans scientology:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_208967.html

Wikipedia has banned the Church of Scientology and its members from editing its site after discovering that members of the church were editing articles in order to give the church favorable coverage.

The move is being hailed as "an unprecedented effort to crack down on self-serving edits," and it is the first instance in which Wikipedia has banned a group as large as the Church of Scientology.

[Rhyme]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

I thought there used to be a Scientology bookstore on 17th Ave in Calgary near where Tequila was/is?

That was the book store for the Church of Christian Scientist, another sect that is completely unrelated to Scientology (and mostly unrelated to science as well). They have a world newspaper as well called "The Monitor" if you ever come across it. They started around the turn of the 19th century and belief that Mary Eddy Baker provided the key to perfect health through 'proper' interpretation of the Bible.

They do, however, have their own healing practice and register practitioners. They are very "mind vs body" in their thinking (i.e. all injuries can be healed by merely realizing that you don't have a body and, therefore, cannot be injured). This might be a fairly ungenerous and unsophisticated view of their beliefs, but I think it's pretty close.

(I used to live near their church on 19th NW, so I read up about them)

[jeremywilhelm]

They are on Whyte ave all the time. Idiots!

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Bagor

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8066743.stm

How can you win a case like this? Can't they argue that they simply believe in what they're selling just like e.g. other so called religions and how do you prove "pressured" unless there's a threat of violence or something?

Couldn't any individual launch a similar case against any religion and have an inquistion conducted?

I might be missing something, but what other religion requires one to pay to achieve any level of 'enlightenment' let alone infinite and varying levels?

[ResAlien]

Tithing seems awful close to me

[flip]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I might be missing something, but what other religion requires one to pay to achieve any level of 'enlightenment' let alone infinite and varying levels?

All of them? Collection plate anyone? Jihad? etc, etc.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I might be missing something, but what other religion requires one to pay to achieve any level of 'enlightenment' let alone infinite and varying levels?

Admittedly a simplistic way to look at it, but the mainstream religions didn't build those fancy buildings for free. You have to pay to play in all of them.

Granted, it's not quite as bald-faced (well, maybe indulgences are) as "give us 5 grand and you move up the ladder" like scientology appears to do it, but it ain't free to be an active member of a religion.

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Admittedly a simplistic way to look at it, but the mainstream religions didn't build those fancy buildings for free. You have to pay to play in all of them.

Granted, it's not quite as bald-faced (well, maybe indulgences are) as "give us 5 grand and you move up the ladder" like scientology appears to do it, but it ain't free to be an active member of a religion.

Maybe? Absolutely they are (or were, I guess). Pay X, get out of hell free card. That was one of the major issues that caused Luther to leave the Catholic church.

[flip]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Maybe? Absolutely they are (or were, I guess). Pay X, get out of hell free card. That was one of the major issues that caused Luther to leave the Catholic church.

Indulgences are just a tad bit dated though eh? Not sure if there is any direct equivalent to the rip off that is Scientology.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Maybe? Absolutely they are (or were, I guess). Pay X, get out of hell free card. That was one of the major issues that caused Luther to leave the Catholic church.

I read recently that indulgences are back, but it isn't quite like it used to be -- you have to do good things like volunteering and donating to charity to shave time off your stay in purgatory.

[flip]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I read recently that indulgences are back, but it isn't quite like it used to be -- you have to do good things like volunteering and donating to charity to shave time off your stay in purgatory.

I think that is actually exactly what indulgences are supposed to be. You can't just bribe your way out of purgatory with money you have to make up for it with good deeds. In fact I wish all of society was run that way.

[SebC]

In Grade 9 my class studied a novel that involved a cult. We looked at a test that could be used to determine if an organisation is a cult. It came with a disclaimer that it could not be applied to religions, as they share many of the same traits. It made me wonder, why the disclaimer? If it looks like a ducks, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck...

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Tithing seems awful close to me

No. It's not forced. Plenty of people don't tithe.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by flip

All of them? Collection plate anyone? Jihad? etc, etc.

Again, collection plates are optional. There may be some peer pressure involved, but they don't hold out the sermon until you put in your $10.

Not even close to the same thing Scientology does.

[flip]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Again, collection plates are optional. There may be some peer pressure involved, but they don't hold out the sermon until you put in your $10.

Not even close to the same thing Scientology does.

jk

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I might be missing something, but what other religion requires one to pay to achieve any level of 'enlightenment' let alone infinite and varying levels?

Catholicism.

Want a mass said for a deceased friend/ family member you pay for it. Priest throws in a few words with the persons name in the middle of the mass and there ya go. Easy money.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Catholicism.

Want a mass said for a deceased friend/ family member you pay for it. Priest throws in a few words with the persons name in the middle of the mass and there ya go. Easy money.

I'm not very familiar with Catholicism, so I appreciate the insight.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by flip

jk

Did I misunderstand the post of yours I replied to?