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I just thought that the Church of Scientology were interested in getting people to sign up for endless costly courses that would turn them into "operating theatans". I'm not surprised by the revelations about Hubbard, but the homophobic dimension to the cult is deeply concerning. Apparently many people benefit from talking about their problems, so in a sense "Dianetics" might indeed be therapeutic. For many, though, it seems that they end up penniless wrecks.

It may be the big religion story of the week in the States, but I must be out of the loop.I've not heard about it til now.
I could be wrong, but I don't think a great many folk outside of Hollywood or Manhattan care much about Scientology-or read "The New Yorker." Or for that matter, consider Scientology to be a religion.
We live in what the more elite call "Fly-over Territory." So I guess I should not be surprised that I'm uninformed.

mscracker,

There is quite a vociferous anti scientology movement in Northern Ireland (google anon scientology )and a scientology church and movement.

You should open your eyes.

I do not recommend either, I am just saying they are there.

Dave :
Thank you for the info. I did not know that about the North of Ireland nor that the "New Yorker" article was big news in America.
I try-even in this obscure part of the States-to keep my eyes open.That's why I read the news on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ & several other sources.

Scientology certainly seemes to be a very cruel money making scam as Newlach says. Went to LA when I was 17 with a best friend and we walked past a shop sign on Hollywood Blvd saying "free personality test". Thinking it would be harmless, like the many tests you get online, we went in. Had no idea it was a Scientology place & we were separated into booths after the test and ripped to pieces. Being only 17 and not prepared for what was happening I was taken by 2 of them to my hotel room safe to give them money for books. I know now we should have just walked away, but it was only after being in stunned-rabbit-infront-of-headlights mode I really took onboard what had happened. I guess I was lucky to only have an hour experience of them and not 30 yrs lol

Crikey Ryan - glad u escaped and survived! It's dangerous stuff alright. Not good news at all. Sooner it's exposed the better.

Ryan -

I had a similar experience on Tottenham Court Road in London back in the early 80's when I was 18. I did the personality test and, frankly, my graph showed that I was a seriously hopeless case. The line of my personality was drawn along the very bottom of the graph, to indicate that I was about as sad a case as one could find! However, the "good news" was that if I didn't mind bankrupting myself, I could do their course and they might be able to raise the line to a quarter of the way up the graph. I would still be a manic depressive, but not as much of one. And, of course, I would be far freer, having been liberated of my cash!!

Thankfully, there was no frogmarch to any safe. I left the shop and somehow just shook the experience off. A few months later I had another experience, which cost me nothing financially, and which was far more successful in liberating me from the gremlins in my system, but I don't want to start preaching now...

I was suckered into starting L Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth dekalogy. I think I read about five books before I was rescued by my self and sought refuge in Robert Heinlein.

logica_sine_vanitate,

...my graph showed that I was a seriously hopeless case,

If you are a hopeless case to them, we will have you back with open arms.

It is interesting because I don't see the work of Creflo Dollar and any other megachurches operating in the USA being any different from scientology except they have refined it even more. In northern Ireland we have our own churches which demonise people their and relatives who do not 'believe'.

At school I had a chemistry teacher who would teach us chemistry but spent the rest of the time reading his bible and wouldn't speak to us unless it was about our chemistry lesson (I think he was Plymouth Brethren) .

My Great Aunt outed her daughter in church (iron mission) to the entire congregation in the loudest terms for having a glass of sherry one christmas. My great aunt was always dressed in black and would only speak to us to give us biblical instructions because we were not the same church.

I paid no attention.

"So it was," claims the profile of L. Ron Hubbard on the Scientology site," that Lieutenant L.Ron Hubbard commanded* warships in both the Atlantic and the Pacific."

* My emphasis.

I can't help wondering what the ships' captains might have had to say about such mutinous behaviour.