ABC News ‘Nightline’: ‘Inside Scientology’

"Some call it a manipulative cult...others say it's a well established religion..."

October 24, 2009 at 1:08 pm - ABC News
Dateline: New York, NY
Gandhi's Fist   October 24th, 2009 - 7:19 pm

Cult. And a kooky one at that.

Hooter   October 24th, 2009 - 7:26 pm

A bunch of cool-aid drinking comet catchers in my opinion…

Woody   October 24th, 2009 - 7:27 pm

Notice that it is the Left that always has the most kooky and violent cults (e.g. The Manson Family, Jonestown, Aum Shinrikyo, and Scientology).

Sammy   October 25th, 2009 - 7:50 pm

The bona fides of Scientology have been validated by religious scholars around the world for years. The libraries of all most every nation of the planet attest to the avid interest in the workable technology inherent in the works of L. Ron Hubbard. The facts of the effectiveness of the technology are readily available to any sincere researcher or casual reader. Whole nations attest to the life saving solutions to societal problems of drug abuse, education, criminality, ethical decline, personal failure and societal degradation. Scientology deals with man as a spiritual being and restoring the unique native abilities of the individual.

Scientologists are individuals with their own likes, dislikes and preferences. They are bound to live their lives bound by a simple but comprehensive code of ethics and code of honor readily available in the Church publications designed to guide one toward eliminating from oneself unwanted behavior one considers harmful to self and others. As in all efforts religions and sincere self-betterment groups these codes require that one not pay lip service to right conduct. Being perfect is impossible and inherent in these codes are the steps that one can take to make amends for one’s failures. Anyone who makes sincere efforts to improve is welcome in Scientology.

The Church has nothing to do with politics other the the routine concourse of it’s role in it’s engagment with it’s societal responsiblilites in administering social programs. It is engaged in addressing man as a spiritual being and his improvement as such. It does eschew the spiritual degradation of man by those who would deny man’s uniqueness as a sentient spiritual being by assaulting his personal human rights and personal freedoms with violent treatments e.g. potent psychotropic drugs etc. as practiced by some as a solution for common moral travails, and indeed such violent assaults on the individual are being prescribed for life itself as though it was a disease. For their defiant stand alone against these types of spiritual abuses, fearful for profit, powerful interests unceasingly take umbrage against Scientology and as regularly as clockwork trot out a couple of disagreeable apostates for the compliant media to ploy their besmirchment reportage to demonize, condescend, ridicule and belittle the Church all the while blatantly ignoring the enormous helpful social betterment activities and actions of the Church and membership.

To ascribe political affiliatons to the Church is nonsense. Scientologists are individuals, they have their personal preferences like anyone else. History is a testament to the failure of politics to solve spiritual problems of society. While there are many sincere and ethical politicians like any groups there are those of today’s politicians who have lost the vision of the common sense values of self-reliance and responsibility for self and one’s symbiotes which were indispensible to the formation of a civil society in America.

For 60 years the Church has championed the belief in the inherent goodness of man and his spiritual nature. The Church leaves the selection of one’s personal religion and his idea of the Almighty (if he has one) to himself. The writer believes these ideas and respect for man’s individuality were inherent in the wisdom of the nation’s founders, nevertheless religion and hence much of the wisdom contained therein has been relentlessly assaulted by their materialistic foes. Those were the same foes who speaking from their “Ivory Towers” denigrated Will and Ariel Durant for their lifetime efforts to bring wisdom to the common man. Today the same mindset of materialist “isms” speak out from ivory towers to deny the inherent character of men, women and children and not only do they routinely engage in continuous assault on the Church but indeed on all Religions and groups who champion the decency of man and his natural inclination toward spiritual freedom and personal liberty to pursue his passions. In this they have assaulted the values of the nation itself for their own perverted agenda. Rather than encouraging all that is good about man and nourishing his noble traits they insist on subjugating him to systems that subdue his genius and creativity which as we speak are being replaced with enslaving materialist philosophies wherein man is an animal to be shepherded by self-appointed High Priests.

If the belief in the inherent goodness and spiritual character of men and women and the urge to improve one’s fellows is repugnant to some who disagree to his betterment and incites some to wage dishonest, inciteful propaganda campaigns, so be it, let the empty and baseless assaults on Scientologists or anyone else who would champion spiritual freedom be a badge of honor.

Frank   October 26th, 2009 - 7:36 am

@ Woody:

“MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MORE MONEY.”
- L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 9 March 1972, MS OEC 384

This is not exactly a statement popular with the Left, or is it?

@ Sammy:

No one will deny that scientology has been a very successful racket.
It’s almost a pity to see it dwindle away as the profitable and egocentric driven decades seem to be over and science fiction creatures like Xenu aren’t so very much in vogue any more.

Maybe it’s time for some new ideas of more recently formed cults.
To pick up a suggestion from Woody — maybe from a cult a little bit more attached to the left?

John Murdock   October 26th, 2009 - 5:54 pm

I love the bit about the members buying multiple copies of their founders books to make them sell well. I used to hear about those crazy things and didn’t believe it. Now I believe it and I still don’t believe it becuase it’s too nuts.

Scientology can’t work as a religion becuase it’s not for everyone. Meaning:’Most people don’t have that kind of money.’ IT’s not the church-run shelter helping the poor and L. Ron can’t heal the leppers or bring back the dead. I read some of their stuff and it just wouldn’t swing with people wanting salvation or want a moral compass. Even people who worship the UFOs wouldn’t like it. WHo has the money to pay for all their courses.

Other   October 27th, 2009 - 2:17 pm

Sammy, did we or did we not crawl out of a volcano after our alien deliverers put us there?

Xenu   November 20th, 2009 - 12:13 pm

Yes my thetan-riddled friends, Scientology is a bona fide religion that you TOO may join for the low, low price of $300,000… Don’t let my plans for galactic domination keep you from becoming an operating thetan and discovering the truth of your trillion-year long existence.

Bona fide religion my %*!…

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