Gawker 
Enter your username and password.
New York, 12:48 PM
Sat Nov 28
15 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@gawker.com
Tipline: 646-214-8138
Editor-in-Chief:
Gabriel Snyder | Email
West Coast Editor:
Richard Rushfield | Email
Contributing Editors:
Valleywag:
Ryan Tate | Email
Media:
Hamilton Nolan | Email
Politics:
Alex Pareene | Email
Investigations:
John Cook | Email
Entertainment:
Brian Moylan | Email
Nights:
Adrian Chen | Email
Azaria Jagger | Email
Ravi Somaiya | Email
Weekends:
Foster Kamer | Email
Video Editor:
Richard Blakeley | Email
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
10/28/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
There are a million reasons why Scientology is ridiculous, but this is patently absurd, offensive, and blatant in its elitism and lack of integrity. If one were seriously interested in becoming a member and devoting their lives to Scientology, but could not afford to take even the most basic of courses, would they be turned away at their initial consultation? Would they be squeezed for whatever they - or their family - had of value? Under what grounds will they find as a reason to deny someone admission, as surely someone cannot join if they cannot afford to be a member? Only the wealthy can afford to be swindled out of this much money in the first place. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/28/09
10/27/09
Enjoy!
[www.timesonline.co.uk] #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
There really is a sucker born every minute. #scientology
10/27/09
[www.ramtha.com] #scientology
10/27/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Seriously, fuck the Neiman Christmas catalog, I need to see this shit. Can you pleaaaaaase post it somewhere, how many colors does it come in? Are we talking primal colors or does it get it funky? Is there a sleeve like for iPods? How big is it? Are there different e-meters or a one size fits all thing? what else is in there? Can we meet?
If they want to get paid , they need to sell that catalog because I would certainly send xenu a check, oh I mean cc #, nope just some unmarked cash.. Do you think there is a Easter catalog as well with Easter egg colored e-meters? #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Also, the involvement of an employer does indeed make the problem worse. As others have noted, employee rights are near-sacred in France, but even here that shit won't fly.
Vive la France, baby. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
I think maybe those outside the range of the Big X were mighty soft in their cynicism as a result. It's like being flabby because you don't work out. I don't think there were any Scientologists in my flatland prairie region, and we were uneducated hicks.
10/27/09
They're still around, preying on the edge of society. I went to Wikipedia and read about Brinkley. Never heard of him before. #scientology
10/27/09
We live in a hotbed of the paranormal. You could not empty a chamber pot from an upper floor without dousing a divine light healer or astral traveler. There is in the family one who has done nothing but "energy work" for decades, and rarely at that, and another who is a "Doctor of Chinese Medicine" plus acupuncture.
It's great power if you can get it, and it is a wonderful position in that you need show no goods nor service, sort of like Madoff, and the only clients have an investment in the scam. It's like a convention of used car dealers in Santa Barbara.
As happens to us all, there are symptoms which trouble us on occasion, and when these occur to either of the miracle workers, or indeed to at least two passing gurus of the sleight of mind, they all drop their karmic urges and rush to ER, same as any of us would.
The secret is not to confuse the dealer with the product. As a military vet with a bad discharge complained to me a long time ago, "They said I was a user! A user! I wadn't no user; I was a pusher!"
Pride, and then the foil. #scientology
10/28/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Churches don't ask for tithing so that you won't go to hell--you can get into heaven without tithing. They ask for tithes so that you can support the church.
In many cases, advancement in the Scientology religion is directly tied to the amount of money that you pay into it--something that is impossible for most churches anyway, but also illegal for non-profits like that in the US. #scientology
10/27/09
On the other hand, so does Scientology. Those Christian churches probably don't get away with as much in France--which may be why those guys hate France so much. #scientology
10/27/09
1) Scientology successfully combines the confessional with a kind of wacked out psychotherapy, and a lie detector (err, "E-meter" reading "psychic" energy). From the get-go, they have the goods to extort $ from you.
2) No other modern religion has been as vigorous in conducting dirty tricks against its critics.
3) No other modern religion has been as vigorous in opposition to psychological sciences. #scientology
10/27/09
Scientology, on the other hand, preys on people who really don't have great lives and demand that they pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to complete the process. It's a scam, it's immoral, it should be illegal, and I think jail time for these assholes is far too good. Not to mention the fact that doing these things in the name of religion in order to scam even more people should earn them a nice warm spot in hell.
10/27/09
Other religions may recommend that you donate to charity, but they do not charge you a fee for basic services. You don't have to pay the priest before Mass. You don't have to pay before daily prayers in a Mosque. Certain services sometimes traditionally involve a nominal fee (I think you sometimes pay the Mohel for performing a bris), but that's about it. Encouraging philanthropy is very, very different from literally charging fees for everything, especially when that fee is exorbitant.
Second, Scientology withholds the fundamental belief (Xenu et. al.) from new members. You must proceed pretty far along, and pay them quite a bit of money, before being told about that. Imagine if the Catholic Church didn't tell believers that Jesus was God until they'd progressed far enough in the Sacraments. Or if Islam didn't explain Muhammad's role as a prophet. These are the fundamental beliefs of these religions, but Scientology withholds it from some of its followers. That's not how true religions operate.
I understand that many people distrust organized religions, but conflating them with a dangerous cult like Scientology is just dishonest. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Oh, did I mention, six members of the formerly Supereme Court are followers of that scary cult?
On that account, Scientology is like Palin, a mindless joke. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
The US Government does not make judgments about the context of the religion, only the religion's behavior with regards to its finances. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Dude, they decimated the Church, it's part of their proud heritage. You're not in the USA anymore. #scientology
10/27/09
Doing my best to stay away from all things related to Scientology hasn't really helped me learn much about Scientology, I'll admit. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Eliminating special treatment of religion -- tax breaks, exemption from workplace rules -- would be another good step. #scientology
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/28/09