I'm sooo not ready for kids...

[Inazuma]

A cult is a small, unpopular religion.

A religion is a large, popular cult.

The difference is one of scale, not substance.

In the country of the United States, they are recognized by the government as an actual religion and were granted tax exception status. It's true that there are many countries who do not view Scientology as an official religion, but since they are official in their main country, I'd say that counts. They are closer to a small religion than a large cult.

If you want to go strictly by the definitions, Scientology would be both a cult and a religion. Same with every other religion out there, actually. I guess we shouldn't even be arguing about this since we are both correct.

[Luke]

If you want to go strictly by the definitions, Scientology would be both a cult and a religion. Same with every other religion out there, actually. I guess we shouldn't even be arguing about this since we are both correct.

Do you have friends that you would like to see leave Scientology?

[Inazuma]

If you want to go strictly by the definitions, Scientology would be both a cult and a religion. Same with every other religion out there, actually. I guess we shouldn't even be arguing about this since we are both correct.

Do you have friends that you would like to see leave Scientology?

Family and friends, yes. I have tried talking to them a few times but it never works. Even though they can't even begin to explain their side, they get upset and refuse to continue the conversation. The brainwashing powers of Scientology are quite powerful, I gotta say. Hard truth is useless against it.

Sadly, I've pretty much given up on trying to help them. I'd like to respect their choice and not worry about it, but I can't ignore the fact that it has a very large negative effect on them.

*edit*
According to Scientology, you basically become a god when you reach the higher levels there. You are able to change reality with your mind at will. The interesting part about these ridiculous claims is that no one has ever been able to prove it. One common excuse for this is that the highest levels of Scientology are still being developed and they need more money before they can release them.

What does this remind you of? That's right, prayer. Well, a much more expensive version of prayer...

[Ack]

Uh...not really chief, at least not to me. I think it's a bit of a jump to say that quiet contemplation of the universe or requesting the aid of a potentially benevolent universal being is the same as thinking I can simply bend the universe to my will.

Plus, at least prayer and meditation are cheaper.

[Inazuma]

Uh...not really chief, at least not to me. I think it's a bit of a jump to say that quiet contemplation of the universe or requesting the aid of a potentially benevolent universal being is the same as thinking I can simply bend the universe to my will.

Plus, at least prayer and meditation are cheaper.

Jimmy wants a bigger cock.

Prayer - Jimmy asks God, "Please make my cock larger."
Postulate (That's the term Scientology uses for this. Instead of asking, you are deciding.) - Jimmy decides that his cock will become larger.

According to God and Scientology, they will both happen. If you ask/decide, it will happen. It's the same pile of shit, except one is brown and one is greenish brown.

Prayer = Postulate. Obviously L. Ron Hubbard (founder of Scientology/mother fucking asshole) saw prayer and decided to copy it. He merely changed the supposed method behind it, and changed the price from "free" to "many hundreds of thousands of dollars".

[Luke]

...prayer and meditation are cheaper.

Amen.

I mean, Get out of my head again!

Family and friends, yes.

The ones you love the most...

[Ack]

Uh...not really chief, at least not to me. I think it's a bit of a jump to say that quiet contemplation of the universe or requesting the aid of a potentially benevolent universal being is the same as thinking I can simply bend the universe to my will.

Plus, at least prayer and meditation are cheaper.

Jimmy wants a bigger cock.

Prayer - Jimmy asks God, "Please make my cock larger."
Postulate (That's the term Scientology uses for this. Instead of asking, you are deciding.) - Jimmy decides that his cock will become larger.

According to God and Scientology, they will both happen. If you ask/decide, it will happen. It's the same pile of shit, except one is brown and one is greenish brown.

Prayer = Postulate. Obviously L. Ron Hubbard (founder of Scientology/mother fucking asshole) saw prayer and decided to copy it. He merely changed the supposed method behind it, and changed the price from "free" to "many hundreds of thousands of dollars".

A) Clean up your posts, you don't need to go for the crude language and references immediately.

B) While it is unfortunate that prayer is often used in the manner you describe, it's still a different act to ask for something, as opposed to demanding. Prayer does not mean it will happen, or is even expected to happen, just that there is the hope of it happening. And it is often used for selfless wishes, such as the alleviation of the suffering of others, be it family, friends, or strangers. Can it get misused? Yes. Does it get misused? Yes.

Does that mean that there is something innately wrong with hoping you can sway an ambivalent God or whatever you believe in to possibly do something? Hey, that's hope, no matter how ridiculous.

Chief, you've been pretty badly burned by a religion, and the folks here are sorry for that, including the ones you've repeatedly insulted and berated the beliefs of. And it's true, religion can be used for the wrong purposes and often is. That said, some of the nicest folks I know also follow their chosen religions, and they don't attempt to cram it down the throats of everyone else.

Hey man, whatever you believe is your own prerogative, be it Atheism, Catholicism, Scientology, Shinto, Baha'i, Islam, Southern Baptist, or whatever else. But please stop being such a zealot about it. You're really just being as bad as any of them, and we both know you don't want that. Live your own life, and don't be concerned with whether I follow a God, Odin, Allah, Glycon, or nothing at all.

[ZeroAX]

an actual religion and were granted tax exception status.

you know this isn't freaking fair. I'm an atheist and I run the church of "Zeroax doesn't give a shit about any religion" I DEMAND A TAX BREAK.


we can also start our own religion. The House Of Sega. we'll ask people for money so we can prepare for the second coming of Dreamcast (which we'll launch with the money we've collected)

[Inazuma]

A) Clean up your posts, you don't need to go for the crude language and references immediately.

B) While it is unfortunate that prayer is often used in the manner you describe, it's still a different act to ask for something, as opposed to demanding. Prayer does not mean it will happen, or is even expected to happen, just that there is the hope of it happening. And it is often used for selfless wishes, such as the alleviation of the suffering of others, be it family, friends, or strangers. Can it get misused? Yes. Does it get misused? Yes.

Does that mean that there is something innately wrong with hoping you can sway an ambivalent God or whatever you believe in to possibly do something? Hey, that's hope, no matter how ridiculous.

Chief, you've been pretty badly burned by a religion, and the folks here are sorry for that, including the ones you've repeatedly insulted and berated the beliefs of. And it's true, religion can be used for the wrong purposes and often is. That said, some of the nicest folks I know also follow their chosen religions, and they don't attempt to cram it down the throats of everyone else.

Hey man, whatever you believe is your own prerogative, be it Atheism, Catholicism, Scientology, Shinto, Baha'i, Islam, Southern Baptist, or whatever else. But please stop being such a zealot about it. You're really just being as bad as any of them, and we both know you don't want that. Live your own life, and don't be concerned with whether I follow a God, Odin, Allah, Glycon, or nothing at all.

Good advice. I should just stand back and let evil people fuck over the minds, wallets and lives of others. Seriously, I really should since I am incapable of improving things. No sarcasm here, really.

If you have a problem with the "crude" language I use, go ahead and change it yourself. I'm sorry that certain words bother you, for no good reason at all. At least I have an actual reason to be upset. See ya.

[Ack]

Inazuma, I'll admit that you have a good reason to be going up against Scientology, but in the process, I think you've lost sight of what you're supposed to be fighting against, and now you come across as more infuriating than enlightening. And that severely hinders any argument you make, because you just manage to upset many of the folks who bother you.

Now I know you can make good points and reason through your arguments, I've seen you do it. But you sometimes come off as having an attitude that is more blatantly insulting than anything else. I'm not telling you to back off what your opposed to or give up what you're fighting against, but I do think you've lost your way while fighting it, instead taking the same zealous attitude while sitting on the opposite of the spectrum. Just realize that, while yes, you may not agree with or may even openly despise some of these organizations, they're made up of people, and those people aren't all going to be bad. And, even in religions you absolutely despise, there might be one or two ideas that you might actually appreciate, even if you don't feel the followers of that religion emphasize them enough.

As for your language, we get all types here: kids, international folks, non-native English speakers, men and women of varying ages, etc., and I'm trying to keep them in mind. Your points could be conveyed without your swearing, and we both know you're intelligent enough to do that.