The Latest Scientology News


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Mr. Teg
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The Latest Scientology News

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Our help is yours
The ad claims the church is helping people understand "psychiatric abuse,

With Brian's oft stated psychiatric abuse or troubles, after reading his heart stirring words regarding Mr. Magic, perhaps it's understandable why Brian Herbert was attracted to the WTFs.

Simply looking for a helping hand...





(second comment: "Yeah, like I'm gonna be a sheep in some religion started by a bad sci-fi writer."
or "Yeah, like I'm gonna be a sheep in some stupid writing seminar rip-off started by a bad sci-fi writer.")
CHOAM
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by merkin muffley »

That was a great article in the New Yorker. The good work Paul Haggis is doing to expose these people may even be enough for me to forgive him for how fucking corny "Crash" was. It was interesting to see that, actually, there are more people in this country that identify themselves as Rastafarians than there are "Scientologists." I hope the FBI destroys them.
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Post by TheDukester »

Agreed, the New Yorker article was excellent. I kept reading, even though I was going farther (further? ... whatever) and farther past my sleepy-time.

Pretty scary stuff ... well, like all cults, I guess.

Article linkage: http://nyr.kr/ePwYcv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by SadisticCynic »

TheDukester wrote:Agreed, the New Yorker article was excellent. I kept reading, even though I was going farther (further? ... whatever) and farther past my sleepy-time.

Pretty scary stuff ... well, like all cults, I guess.

Article linkage: http://nyr.kr/ePwYcv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
:shock: That is indeed scary.
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by Kojiro »

A book I recommend: L. Ron Hubbard—Messiah or Madman? It spilled so much information about Scientology that the "Church" tried its damned best to block the book's publication. It reveals how horrifying Scientology's human trafficking practices are. These poor wretches were former members who "misbehaved" and were classified as "dangerous psychotics" and thus pressed into slavery for the "Church" until they weren't "psychotic" anymore. A lot of the stuff that the FBI is investigating is true and I hope the damn cult gets shut down for good as a result of it.
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Woman “imprisoned” on Scientology cruise ship for 12 years

Post by Freakzilla »

Woman “imprisoned” on Scientology cruise ship for 12 years

By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow – 4 hrs ago

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For most people, an extended stay aboard a luxury cruise liner sounds like a dream vacation.

But Valeska Paris says she was held against her will aboard the Scientology cruise ship "Freewinds" for more than a decade. During her stay on the vessel, she alleges, she was forced into hard labor and never allowed to leave the ship without an escort.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC News) Lateline program, Paris claims that Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige sent her to the ship when she was 18 in order to prevent her family from pulling her out of the organization.

"I was basically hauled in and told that my mum had attacked the church and that I needed to disconnect from her because she was suppressive," she said. "He decided the ship, and I found out two hours before my plane left, I was woken up in the morning and I was sent to the ship for 'two weeks.' "


Paris was born into a Scientology family, but her mother quit the group after her husband committed suicide, blaming Scientology for coercing him out of a self-made personal fortune of more than a million dollars.

Instead of the promised two week stay, Paris found herself unable to leave the ship without an official Scientology escort and was often forced into hard labor on the lower levels of the ship for stretches as long as two full days. "It's hot, it's extremely loud, it's smelly, it's not nice. I was sent down there at first for 48 hours straight on almost no sleep and I had to work by myself," she said.

So, why didn't Paris simply escape from the ship when it would take port? The Freewinds has a relatively small sailing route, traveling throughout the Caribbean and occasionally docking at small islands.

"I did not want to be there, I made it clear I did not want to be there and that was considered bad ethics, meaning it was considered not right," she said. "They take your passport when you go on the ship and you're in the middle of an island. So it's a bit hard [to escape] and by that time I was 18, I'd been in Scientology my whole life, it's not like I knew how to escape," she said.

The Church of Scientology calls Paris' claims false but declined ABC requests to make church officials available for interviews for the story. The church, which has a well-known litigious history, threatened Lateline with legal action for taking part in an alleged breach of confidentiality between Paris and the church. In a statement, the Church of Scientology said Ms Paris' claims were false.

"She certainly wasn't 'forced' to be there. She was also never forced to perform labor in the engine room," the statement said. "The Freewinds is a wonderful place, as even Valeska said on numerous occasions. Her allegation that she could only leave the ship with an escort is totally false."
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Somebody seriously needs to just slaughter these people and get it over with, screw religious freedom - this religion seems to be corrupt and dangerous from top to bottom, no such thing as moderates involved. (Slight hyperbole with "slaughter", but serious, someone needs to crush these people and destroy this religion utterly).
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Post by lotek »

I saw somewhere there is a whole town owned by the cult, where they fund up to the local sheriff's departement, can't remember the name though but I could find it.

Were they really given the status of religion though ? In France at least we have a history with separation of church and state (even if the right wing has strong ties with the Catholic church), and cults are treated as such and watched as closely as funding allows it.

I actually read some hubbard berfore I knew who he was and I was not impressed...

I wonder if people in antiquity looked at christians or muslims thinking what a bunch of weirdos these guys, are following those nutters high on shrooms...
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Yes, they are officially a religion. Official religions get a bunch of extra stuff that helps them out, I can't remember it all though.

And yes absolutely that's how people at one time viewed Christianity and Islam. Some people still do view them that way. :wink:
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by Freakzilla »

They don't have to pay taxes.
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by Hunchback Jack »

I think they get even more tax exemptions than non-profits do. Non-profits don't pay taxes on income, but still have to pay other kinds of tax - property tax on buildings/land, for example. Religious organizations don't even pay that.

I would prefer it if there were no tax breaks at all on religious grounds, but that if a church can qualify as a non-profit organization, it could get those tax breaks. I don't think "freedom of religion" should justify state-sponsored religion.

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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by Freakzilla »

I don't mind so much that churches don't pay taxes, just when they start slinging their weight around in DC. If they want to be involved in government they should pay.
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Post by A Thing of Eternity »

I'm with HBJ, I'd like to see them rolled in with not for profit companies.

Not sure how that'd work for the Catholics though, as they pull some serious profit! Though they do use most of it to gold plate things in the name of god and pay off people who've been sexually abused, so maybe not much is left at then? :?
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by lotek »

Hunchback Jack wrote:I think they get even more tax exemptions than non-profits do. Non-profits don't pay taxes on income, but still have to pay other kinds of tax - property tax on buildings/land, for example. Religious organizations don't even pay that.

I would prefer it if there were no tax breaks at all on religious grounds, but that if a church can qualify as a non-profit organization, it could get those tax breaks. I don't think "freedom of religion" should justify state-sponsored religion.

HBJ

yeah so in a market econonmy and if you're trying to build an organisation designed to swindle people from their cash, it makes sense in a twisted logic to go for the economic model that allows for the most profit...

That's one good thing I can still say about one of my countries, that the scientoloshits are just about to be labelled legally as a cult, with everything it implies. People in power will always make friends with fellow money grabbers don't get me wrong, it's just the old fashionned way we see things. If it hasn't been around for 2000 years it's not a religion, full stop.

I found a lot of cults have one thing in common, their leader is a social inadequate that comes up with a story about angels telling him to have sex with your wife if she's hot, and quite often with your daughter(s) too... Just look at Rael/Claude Vorilhon. But I don't recall anything of the sort with the SC, they just want your money, they just want your consciouness (all religion suck. Dead Kennedys)


NB :

a cruise ship ? For the scientologists ? And no one smelled a rat ?
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by SandChigger »

Freakzilla wrote:I don't mind so much that churches don't pay taxes
Why not?

As I've mentioned before, I've got a special place in my heart for wannabe mega-churches that consume neighborhoods just to build parking lots.

Fuck 'em, I say. :evil:
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

SandChigger wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:I don't mind so much that churches don't pay taxes
Why not?

As I've mentioned before, I've got a special place in my heart for wannabe mega-churches that consume neighborhoods just to build parking lots.

Fuck 'em, I say. :evil:
BURN I think has the definition you were looking for. :wink:
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by SandChigger »

No, actually I was envisioning something anal involving a big crucifix or brass candlestick... :)
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by Nekhrun »

At the very least they should be paying property taxes to pay for the city services they consume. I've got a megachurch down the road from me that has at least three cops working traffic every Sunday morning on the roads surrounding the eye sore. If the place caught on fire I'll bet they'd want the Fire Department to come over and help out as well.

Mine go up while my home value drops and there are at least 6 churches within a mile of me consuming more of the city's resources.
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Re: The Latest Scientology News

Post by Hunchback Jack »

Nekhrun wrote:At the very least they should be paying property taxes to pay for the city services they consume. I've got a megachurch down the road from me that has at least three cops working traffic every Sunday morning on the roads surrounding the eye sore. If the place caught on fire I'll bet they'd want the Fire Department to come over and help out as well.

Mine go up while my home value drops and there are at least 6 churches within a mile of me consuming more of the city's resources.
I completely agree; this is exactly the point.

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