The Evil's of Scientology

One of my close friends got caught outside a Sciencetology church and was convinced to go into it by one of their guys and all of a sudden he doesn’t come out anymore or socialize whatsoever. He completely changed and seems really odd now I can barely talk to him. I also know for a fact that their manipulating him into giving them a lot of money and he too suborn to realize what’s happening and won’t listen to anyone’s advice.

I don’t know much about Sciencetology except that they are a bunch of crazy people who brainwash, manipulate and take money from the vulnerable.

Can anyone tell me what their really about and what advice I could give my friend. He’s in a bad way now and suffered from mental illness in the past.

EDITED: to correct spelling in title for easier search option.


[edit on 16-1-2007 by Gazrok]

I have to admit I know nothing concerning the cult of scientology. I understand that these people have a presence in London in the U.K.
All religions are based on manipulation and empty promises of eternal life and their distorted doctrines are nothing more than mind control to the vunerable.
I've posted a link that outines some facts about this cult that you may find helpful.
Scientology

Moving this to the appropriate forum (as no reference to aliens made), but here's my two cents. I actually work in the capital of Scientology here in FL...so I'm exposed to it on a regular basis. It is essentially a cult, but there are varying degrees of course, just as there are with any "religion"...

Basically, it's amateur psychology that states that everything bad in your life is due to "engrams" that caused you trauma. Through "dianetic" techniques, it's said one can become "clear" of these engrams and succeed in life. Just like other religions, works for some, but not a one size fits all. Just like a cult (or severe religions), they encourage you (to varying degrees) to cut ties with those not of the faith, and of course to give generously to the church.

I'm assuming, that your friend is probably taking "dianetic" classes, and this is where his money is going. You can attempt to talk sense into him, or maybe even look into getting a cult "deprogramming" specialist involved, but if it's working for him...it's doubtful your friend will cooperate, at least until he's realized himself and sees it for what it is...

You can read the other side of the coin at their web-site.
www.scientology.org...

I was a member of the Sea Org. for a number of years and like any large organization they have some bad apples. They also have many sincere members that are doing a job that they believe in. People that are trying to help others do better in life.

They are no more a cult than the Catholic Church, the Muslims, or that Baptist Church on the corner.


EDIT: Other threads about Scientology on the ATS boards can be found here.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Just type the word Scientology in the search box at the top of the tag search page.

[edit on 16/1/2007 by anxietydisorder]

Your friend is in grave danger. You should immediately make every attempt to speak to him, as regularly as possible. You should ask him about how the church is funded, ask him about the strange deaths that have occurred, etc. Educate yourself about the group if you value this person. There is a chance he'll get wise on his own, but the system is very powerful and designed to drain all cash monies from the person while mushing up their brain for total robotic servitude.

Scientology is not a religion. It is a money making scam. You will pay upwards of $200,000.00 to purchase your salvation through Scientology. This is why you see rich Hollywood types embracing it. They have more money than common sense. The founder of Scientology pulled it out of his A**. Somebody needs to put it back.

I don't know much about scientology. I tried to read Dianetics way back when... It just really didn't do anything for me...Actually it kind of bored me. Anyway, from what I can gather, scientologists essentially believe that existence is primarily in your mind, with that much I agree with them on.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by Gazrok
Basically, it's amateur psychology that states that everything bad in your life is due to "engrams" that caused you trauma.

and yet they denounce psychiatry as a whole.

perhaps because our licensed psychiatrists don't believe in xenu

Originally posted by Crakeur
and yet they denounce psychiatry as a whole.

perhaps because our licensed psychiatrists don't believe in xenu

I hate to tell you this, but psychology and psychiatry are nothing more than money making schemes themselves. Hell, they label everything a mental disorder to get you onto drugs. You're not shy anymore, you have "social anxiety disorder,"or worse, "anti-social disorder." You're not paranoid anymore,you're "paranoid schizophrenic," now. It's all a scam for money in my honest opinion.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
I hate to tell you this, but psychology and psychiatry are nothing more than money making schemes themselves. Hell, they label everything a mental disorder to get you onto drugs. You're not shy anymore, you have "social anxiety disorder,"or worse, "anti-social disorder." You're not paranoid anymore,you're "paranoid schizophrenic," now. It's all a scam for money in my honest opinion.

while I don't disagree about the abuse of prescription drugs in the profession, I do think that the field has some merits. I remember when my wife's dad died. We were only dating at the time and our relationship was slowly getting destroyed as a result of some issues she had and she went to a shrink to work things out and we're now married with two kids so there was some good that came out of it. no scrips given to her. sometimes an ear trained to root out a problem is a good thing.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
I hate to tell you this, but psychology and psychiatry are nothing more than money making schemes themselves. Hell, they label everything a mental disorder to get you onto drugs. You're not shy anymore, you have "social anxiety disorder,"or worse, "anti-social disorder." You're not paranoid anymore,you're "paranoid schizophrenic," now. It's all a scam for money in my honest opinion.

If you have ever seen someone suffering from schizophrenia and then become able to function to a decent degree due to the avaliable treatments, you may see they can do good.

Over-treatment is an issue, but in a world where time is money, talking cures and long-term psychological treatment are not the favoured options. A cure in a pill is the ideal. The system in the US is the problem, hard sell direct to the 'patients' who then pester doctors for these costly drugs, most of which are minimally better than the old treatments.

Clinical Psychology predominately focuses on talking cures and behavioural treatments rather than medication. But they are costly, time-consuming, and not for every patient.

Shyness can be just a pain in the ass, or it can be a crippling deficit that causes an individual to avoid social situations completely. If it is affecting the individual, they have the option to be treated. Anti-social personality disorder has nothing to do with shyness.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by melatonin]

Originally posted by melatonin

Shyness can be just a pain in the ass, or it can be a crippling deficit that causes an individual to avoid social situations completely. If it is affecting the individual, they have the option to be treated. Anti-social personality disorder has nothing to do with shyness.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by melatonin]

Well, on the face of it, no, I guess shyness has nothing to do with "antti-social" personality, but it certainly can lead to it. From what I understand, "anti-social" personality causes a person to be non-conforming, seemingly uncaring, et cetera.. Many shy people can seem this way...

For example, a typical person will pick up a book for a stranger who just dropped it. A shy person will not typically do this and a person with an "anti-social" personality certainly will not. So, while on the face of it, they may have nothing in common, but there are some similar underlying traits. I have been diagnosed as having a "borderline personality disorder," so I somewhat know what I am talking about here.
Borderline Personality Disorder

[edit on 16-1-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
I don't know much about scientology. I tried to read Dianetics way back when... It just really didn't do anything for me...Actually it kind of bored me. Anyway, from what I can gather, scientologists essentially believe that existence is primarily in your mind, with that much I agree with them on.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Ha - it kind of bored you? That's the best indictment I've read yet, considering Ron L Hubbard started out as a science fiction writer who decided creating a religion would be a plausible way to make money.

Con artist and adulterous thief. Now the courts are clogged with his army of lawyers defending scientology's right to dictate the strictures of a sci-fi ladder climbing, ego-puffing mythology.

Everyone has the right to believe what they like, but I don't think they should win the right in court with money (because money often is the deciding factor in who wins a case) to shut up their critics.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by clearwater]

Originally posted by groingrinder
Scientology is not a religion. It is a money making scam. You will pay upwards of $200,000.00 to purchase your salvation through Scientology. This is why you see rich Hollywood types embracing it. They have more money than common sense.

Thats exactly what i thought when i saw on the news that Tom Cruise was advising David Beckham on his move to the US.

You watch, the Beckham's will end up converted to scientology thanks to thier pal Mr Cruise, and of course they have plenty of cash to donate whilst they are enlightened. Then because Becks is a member, you'll have all his fans converting too! That would indeed be a sad day.

Then again, i find it hard to find the good in many other religons so i'm not sure whats worse!

CX.

The only religious institution that isn't a cult is the Roman Catholic Church.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by cognoscente]

Originally posted by cognoscente
The only religious institution that isn't a cult is the Roman Catholic Church.

[edit on 16-1-2007 by cognoscente]

Well, considering that modern day "Christianity" is a derivative of that you may be right. However, you cannot equate Scientology with "Christianity" so your argument really doesn't apply here.

Originally posted by anglosaxon
I have to admit I know nothing concerning the cult of scientology. I understand that these people have a presence in London in the U.K.
All religions are based on manipulation and empty promises of eternal life and their distorted doctrines are nothing more than mind control to the vunerable.
I've posted a link that outines some facts about this cult that you may find helpful.
Scientology

Consider all religion a philosophy. It's not the philosophy that is flawed, it is the people who follow and interpret those teachings, usually with their own personal values mixed in.

When you mix love with godzilla, you get destructive love.

If you follow certain teaching or beliefs, doesn't this qualify you as a cult?

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
For example, a typical person will pick up a book for a stranger who just dropped it. A shy person will not typically do this and a person with an "anti-social" personality certainly will not. So, while on the face of it, they may have nothing in common, but there are some similar underlying traits. I have been diagnosed as having a "borderline personality disorder," so I somewhat know what I am talking about here.
Borderline Personality Disorder

Aye, you point out why an in-depth assessment is required, which certainly doesn't mean a 10 minute consultation with a GP (which does happen for diagnoses of mild psych disorders in the UK).

Psychiatrists will use the method of differential diagnosis to differentiate disorders, I'm quite sure that social anxiety and APD (which is a mix of sociopathy and psychopathy) - which involves a lack of social empathy, including reckless, deceitful, and remorseless behaviour - is a bit different to a person who suffers debilitating fear and worry in social situations. In fact, most psychopaths and sociopaths show low levels of anxiety. Of course, a psychopath could remorselessly deceive a doctor in expressing symptoms of social anxiety, as that is one characteristic they have.

Personality disorders are some of the more controversial diagnoses in the DSM/ICD.

Here is a post I made in the epic thread

"The Spanish Inquisition, the Anunaki Reptillians, NWO, and all that Jazz"

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
1. L. Ron Jr. publicly discredited his own father saying

"99% of what my father ever wrote or said about himself is totally untrue."

2. L Ron’s decision desire to make money from the teachings, and regarding Scientology as a business rather than a religion. L. Ron himself was quoted saying.

"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."

3. His poor son Quinton

Wikipedia
Hubbard had another son in 1954, Quentin Hubbard, who was groomed to one day replace him as the head of the Scientology. However, Quentin was deeply depressed, allegedly because he was gay and his father was homophobic, and wanted to leave Scientology and become a pilot. As Scientology rejects homosexuality as a sexual perversion and views mental health professionals and the drugs they can prescribe as fraudulent and oppressive, Quentin had no avenues available to deal with his depression. Quentin attempted suicide in 1974 and then died in 1976 under mysterious circumstances that might have been a suicide or a murder.

4. Here’s a Wikipedia excerpt about a policy known as Fair Game that L. Ron had instated to battle any opposition to Scientology.

"Fair Game" was introduced by Hubbard, and incites Scientologists to use criminal behavior, deception and exploitation of the legal system to resist "Suppressive Persons", i.e. people or groups that "actively seeks to suppress or damage Scientology or a Scientologist by Suppressive Acts". He defined it "Fair Game" as:
ENEMY — SP Order. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.
The Church of Scientology today claims that it has removed those policies from its doctrine and it is no longer in existence, but this claim is just as vigorously contested by its critics.

5. L. Ron was also racist. An excerpt from his journal from a visit to China:

"As a Chinaman can not live up to a thing, he always drags it down. Hence Tsingtau is rather dirty in spite of Japan's efforts to clean things up." and "They smell of all the baths they didnt(sic) take." As well as " The trouble with China is, there are too many chinks here."

6. Spousal abuse reports:

Hubbard later married the girl he claimed to have rescued, Sara Northrup. This marriage was an act of bigamy, as Hubbard had abandoned, but not divorced, his first wife and children as soon as he left the Navy (he divorced his first wife more than a year after he had remarried). Both women allege Hubbard physically abused them. He is also alleged to have once kidnapped Sara's infant, Alexis, taking her to Cuba. Later, he disowned Alexis, claiming she was actually Jack Parsons' child.

He doesn’t seem to me to be immaculate enough for me to think of him as any type of messiah

This is why I believe that Scientology is evil.

But lets wait for the Scientologists to chime in.