October 31, 2007
This article highlights a growing trend of Christian ministers turning to Scientology to create some kind of hybrid religion.
Brian and I are fortunate that we were able to pick up the giant book of Scientology and a bunch of books written by L. Ron Hubbard at the university book sale when he was working on his PhD. They are hilarious - they read like bad sci-fi novels and the logic is completely circular. The terminology they use is entirely ambiguous and the basis of the religion(?) is basically to pay your way to the top using the rationale that Scientology will make you more money so you will have more money to give! The most humorous part is that it really seems more like a giant pyramid scheme than a religion. The book is full of glossy pictures and ridiculous non-explanations (we can’t tell you what this level is because it’s secret!) and “laws” which Brian and I were able to tear apart with basic logic.
Having grown up in the Deep South and also having been forced to attend an ultra-conservative Southern Baptist (some members threatened to kill the minister if he hired an interim music minister who was a woman) church for all of my childhood and teen years I can personally attest to the fact that Christianity was completely insidious and had some extremely creepy methods for recruitment and coercion into the faith which I will not get into now. Adding Scientology to Christianity is such a joke - but such an alliance is not surprising. Scientology as an organization has much more money to launch campaigns and it does not seem to have the number of factions that Christianity has - it will be interesting to see just how far Scientology can make its way into the realm of Christianity. Personally, I think I would worry about any religion that touts its celebrity factor as a selling point. Celebrities are stupid and should not be emulated!
I would be interested to hear any thoughts people might have on this subject…
Popularity: 28% [?]
Sphere: Related Content
March 15, 2002
I had a discussion with my mother this evening about religion. I asked her if she would kill me if God told her to. She said “Yes, if I was certain God was telling me to do so.” I asked her, “How would you be certain without doubting God which is a sin?” She said, “I would seek counsel before I did it.” I said, “That’s doubting God and also you would locked up in a mental institution.” She said, “If God appeared here and said to kill me would you do it?” I said, “Hell no, I’d kill him. If he wants it done so badly he should do it himself” Then I proceeded to go off the deep end with my comical antics on religion about the Yates woman killing her kids (not that I find it at all funny) but I used it to prove a point. I said, “What if God told her to kill her kids? Did she do anything wrong?” My mom says “Yes, of course.” We got into a heated discussion, although, mildly amusing I must admit. So amusing that I was driven to put red paint over my door and print the words “Passover” on it. I told her that I was taking up all the keys to the doors in the house and running her through a metal detector before she ever came in. Religious zealots are psycho. My own mother who is typically full of rational thought is too a zealot that can be nuts if God so inclines to tell her to murder her own child. And yet she’s still my best friend…
Popularity: 7% [?]
Sphere: Related Content
I had a discussion with my mother this evening about religion. I asked her if she would kill me if God told her to. She said “Yes, if I was certain God was telling me to do so.” I asked her, “How would you be certain without doubting God which is a sin?” She said, “I would seek counsel before I did it.” I said, “That’s doubting God and also you would locked up in a mental institution.” She said, “If God appeared here and said to kill me would you do it?” I said, “Hell no, I’d kill him. If he wants it done so badly he should do it himself” Then I proceeded to go off the deep end with my comical antics on religion about the Yates woman killing her kids (not that I find it at all funny) but I used it to prove a point. I said, “What if God told her to kill her kids? Did she do anything wrong?” My mom says “Yes, of course.” We got into a heated discussion, although, mildly amusing I must admit. So amusing that I was driven to put red paint over my door and print the words “Passover” on it. I told her that I was taking up all the keys to the doors in the house and running her through a metal detector before she ever came in. Religious zealots are psycho. My own mother who is typically full of rational thought is too a zealot that can be nuts if God so inclines to tell her to murder her own child. And yet she’s still my best friend…
Popularity: 7% [?]
Sphere: Related Content
