Scientology... and cult fascination

[Patafix]

Although most of the world knows about the amount of BS the Church of Scientology is based upon, and it's likely to have only thousands instead of millions of parishioners, I've always been fascinated with all that came from Scientology (and most obscure cults in general). A few interesting reads and the documentary series Scientology and the Aftermath showed things were even worse than what I believed were happening.

Maybe you have read or heard about stories from ex-scientologists or other cults ? What did you think of it ?
Do you have a similar interest in those subjects ? Some people find me a bit twisted but I always said millions of people hooked on violent crime stories - real or fictional - aren't any less twisted, right ?

Feel free to share any book or documents to feed my weird fetish for those cults

[Easygliderpro]

Its simple, Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, anything else not in the bible (word of God) is false and not true.

Anything else is just a religion, a man made telling us the wide road to hell. If you are not following Jesus, you are following a religion or a false cult.

[RogerCarmel]

Scientology is one of the more interesting atheist religions. Interesting...and devious. It uses buzzwords like Church of Scientology, there's the prefix scientific in it's name, Scientology and it uses the Christian crucifix on its buildings and documentation. All this help to give Scientology an aura of...legitimacy? In this, the Church of Scientology is also helped by its high-profile members among the Hollywood royalty.

Other atheist religions are more mainstream: Buddhism, Confucianism, Satanism, Taoism; Buddhism has crossed over into acceptability, if not outright desireability.

My favorite wacko religion is Raëlism. More information at www.rael.org

[Patafix]

Scientology is one of the more interesting atheist religions. Interesting...and devious. It uses buzzwords like Church of Scientology, there's the prefix scientific in it's name, Scientology and it uses the Christian crucifix on its buildings and documentation. All this help to give Scientology an aura of...legitimacy? In this, the Church of Scientology is also helped by its high-profile members among the Hollywood royalty.

Other atheist religions are more mainstream: Buddhism, Confucianism, Satanism, Taoism; Buddhism has crossed over into acceptability, if not outright desireability.

My favorite wacko religion is Raëlism. More information at www.rael.org

Oh my, Rael, I should look into that ! It was much talked about, around 2000 I believe.
I also listened to a radio show about UFOs and extra terrestrials (from what I see on the main page, it shares some links with Raelism apparently). A part of the guest's arguments would sound valid but after 2 hours you get lost in such intricate thoughts about what's true and what we can perceive or not and alternate realities that you wish you neever started asking yourself about that.

[Patafix]

Its simple, Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, anything else not in the bible (word of God) is false and not true.

Anything else is just a religion, a man made telling us the wide road to hell. If you are not following Jesus, you are following a religion or a false cult.

It's so simple it doesn't need further evidence of its truth ?

[RogerCarmel]

Oh my, Rael, I should look into that ! It was much talked about, around 2000 I believe.
I also listened to a radio show about UFOs and extra terrestrials (from what I see on the main page, it shares some links with Raelism apparently). A part of the guest's arguments would sound valid but after 2 hours you get lost in such intricate thoughts about what's true and what we can perceive or not and alternate realities that you wish you neever started asking yourself about that.

Raël invented a great atheist religion. Most of the faithful are well-educated professionals. Raëlism holds that all of the prophets from the past are extraterrestrials now living on a planet circling the star we know as Sirius...serious!!!

Abraham, Moses, Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad - to name only the most illustrious - are all alive and well on that far off planet.

[Patafix]

Raël invented a great atheist religion. Most of the faithful are well-educated professionals.

Exactly, that is what strikes me every time. When you listen to Radio Ici et Maintenant http://www.icietmaintenant.com/ (which I did sporadically since it first aired a few decades ago) you get every conspiracy theory and every ufo interpretation that you like. And it really is interesting to hear even though you don't buy it after a while. The energy they put into it is incredible in a way. Although apart from the mostly serious and professional guests, regular listeners phoning in really sound from a different galaxy called lunatic asylum

[RogerCarmel]

Exactly, that is what strikes me every time. When you listen to Radio Ici et Maintenant http://www.icietmaintenant.com/ (which I did sporadically since it first aired a few decades ago) you get every conspiracy theory and every ufo interpretation that you like. And it really is interesting to hear even though you don't buy it after a while. The energy they put into it is incredible in a way. Although apart from the mostly serious and professional guests, regular listeners phoning in really sound from a different galaxy called lunatic asylum

Well...conspiracy theories generally arise because an event's effects seem to be way out of proportion to the event's cause. The 9/11 attacks are perfect example of this: a few terrorists using simple tools changed the course of history. People think, "There has to be something else behind this!" and a new conspiracy theory is born. The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines MH370 is another classic example of how conspiracy theories arise. People refuse to accept the most likely explanation because the effects are just too great to be explained away so simply.

The more you listen to such BS as conspiracy theories and to their proponents, the more you are influenced by them and the greater the danger you will begin to believe. (Police investigators who must watch child porn in the course of their jobs have a limit set on how much they can watch, and they must be under a psychologist's supervision.) The more you subject your mind to something, the more it affects you. "Garbage in, garbage out" as one popular maxim goes. And it's true!

Another observation: Specialists in any domain usually sound very credible, and the rank-and-file members will only sound as credible as their understanding & communication skills allow. Rank-and-file proponets of some idea don't always understand the full implications of what they are affirming, and communication of ideas is an art in itself. So I'm not surprised that the UFO enthusiasts calling into that show you mentioned sounded like fruitcakes. To wit: ask the average guy on the street to explain evolution and you'll get a lot of confused answers. It's also human nature to latch onto an idea that seems somehow credible.

[Han1977]

Why don't you start you own cult? It might be more interesting than just reading/analyzing about cults. Of course be nice though, don't take advantage, or do something that harm your victims, perhaps you could ask them to pray to your divine power once a day and post in your twitter/fb/anything, when they got what they wish for after they pray to you . You know, start a cult, just for fun.

[Patafix]

Why don't you start you own cult? It might be more interesting than just reading/analyzing about cults. Of course be nice though, don't take advantage, or do something that harm your victims, perhaps you could ask them to pray to your divine power once a day and post in your twitter/fb/anything, when they got what they wish for after they pray to you . You know, start a cult, just for fun.

I already started that cult, we call it parenthood
"Worship daddy for all the good things he did for you" !
Of course the number of potential believers is limited and a good following is never certain.

More seriously, is it still a cult if there's no advantage taken and no harm ?

[Han1977]

Haha, in my case I'm losing my only believer. Now, friends is more important than daddy and teachers are the source of truth.

I think it's a cult even when there is no advantage taken and no harm. As long as you form a group of people, having a rituals, have certain object to venerate, it's a cult. I'm not sure though. Perhaps cult have more nuance than I thought.

Would you consider North Korea as a form of cult, considering how they venerate the Kims?

[Patafix]

Haha, in my case I'm losing my only believer. Now, friends is more important than daddy and teachers are the source of truth.

I think it's a cult even when there is no advantage taken and no harm. As long as you form a group of people, having a rituals, have certain object to venerate, it's a cult. I'm not sure though. Perhaps cult have more nuance than I thought.

Would you consider North Korea as a form of cult, considering how they venerate the Kims?

I don't know what to think, everything and its opposite has been said about this case since I was born. Communism has certainly something of a cult and some rituals can still be found in new political movements.

[RogerCarmel]

I already started that cult, we call it parenthood
"Worship daddy for all the good things he did for you" !
...

Based on my experience, that's not a good cult. Your followers are happy to be with you and believe everything you say for a limited number of years... then they start doubting you... and later they think you know nothing and would rather you left them alone.

A really successful cult made up of members who would love you for a lifetime and always be happy around you would be made up of...DOGS.

Start your own kennel...

[Patafix]

Based on my experience, that's not a good cult. Your followers are happy to be with you and believe everything you say for a limited number of years... then they start doubting you... and later they think you know nothing and would rather you left them alone.

A really successful cult made up of members who would love you for a lifetime and always be happy around you would be made up of...DOGS.

Start your own kennel...

Well I'm past the full worship status but they're still calling me every other day. So there's hope for the church.

As for dogs, there are also people treating their dog as a god - after all the two words use the same letters... Wait, did I just uncover the biggest mystery ever ? Is god a dog ? (I knew my old dog Zieg was a chosen one, you just feel those things).

[Han1977]

Well I'm past the full worship status but they're still calling me every other day. So there's hope for the church.

As for dogs, there are also people treating their dog as a god - after all the two words use the same letters... Wait, did I just uncover the biggest mystery ever ? Is god a dog ? (I knew my old dog Zieg was a chosen one, you just feel those things).

No you haven't, you just unveil a part of it. Wait until you learn about cat.