I was wondering what rangs they have in scientology.?
114280
The ranks of scientology are spoken of as levels. To get to the higher levels you must go to more meetings and shell out much more money. Go to the Wikipedia site posted below to see more information on it.
760454
They believe in some sort of God, but their god is some type of alien.\n\nWhile Scientologists acknowledge Jesus Christ as a great spiritual teacher, Scientology doctrine is not based on the teachings of Jesus.  Scientology has its roots in Nihayana Buddhism, and Scientology therefore acknowledges Siddharta Gautama as an exalted spiritual teacher. \nScientology however is not a philosophy of "faith" or "belief", but an application of practical principles to one's life in order to improve conditions.\n \n\nThey believe that your body is invaded with aliens that were banished from their planet a million years ago. And that when you are born, you have the spirits of about 2,000 aliens that you must rid yourself of. They call them Body Thetons (sp?) There's a book by Ron L Hubbard, called Dianetics (Sp?) in which this "religion" is based upon.... \n\nload of nutters if you ask me\n\nas for the amount of celebrities that get involved with it all i can say is they must be very bored with their lives and have way too much money that it has clouded their judgement.
920565
Looks like the Scientology cultist is pre-empting me these days.  It's quite sad that he feels so threatened by what I MIGHT say that he tries to invalidate me with ad hominem attacks.\n\nHere is an online book that you can read: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/cooper/index.html\nHere are some more books on the subject:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Scientology-What-do-they-believe/dp/B00097HC5A/sr=8-2/qid=1162674568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-7812212-0608922\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Piece-Blue-Sky-Scientology-Dianetics/dp/081840499X/sr=8-3/qid=1162674568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/102-7812212-0608922?ie=UTF8&s=books\nHere is a book written by someone who had been on the inside:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Scientology-Insiders-True-Story/dp/1596690666/sr=8-6/qid=1162674568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6/102-7812212-0608922?ie=UTF8&s=books\nHere is a recent news story regarding a family of Scientologists:\nhttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml\n\nAccording to an article which interviewed real Scientologists, auditing is purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 and $9,000 for advanced sessions.  It consists of holding a pair of tin cans in your hands.  The tin cans are connected to a small machine that detects electical resistance in the human body.  You recount specific traumatic incidents, prior ethical transgressions and bad decisions to the "auditor" who "interprets" the machine (the e-meter).  Every e-meter is required to bear this warning: "The E-Meter is not medically or scientifically useful for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease. It is not medically or scientifically capable of improving the health or bodily functions of anyone".
767364
Exactly.  It is a CULT. Despite what a few fanatical members may say, it IS a cult. The church harasses & bullies anyone who they deem an "enemy" (basically anyone who has anything negative to say about the "church"). They will RUIN YOUR LIFE if you speak out against them long enough.\n\nThe founder is L. Ron Hubbard, the science FICTION writer who once told a friend that the best way to make lots of money is to start your own religion. Though being a very outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs, it was discovered upon Hubbards death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years.\n\nScientologists believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Even members of the Church of Scientology who know of Xenu will publicly deny the existence of Xenu & Body Thetans, or attempt to minimize their importance. Scientology has many graduated levels through which one can progress. Many who remain at lower levels in the church are unaware of much of the these doctrines, which mostly begin at Operating Thetan level three, or "OT III". Because the information imparted to members is to be kept secret from others who have not attained that level, the member must publicly deny its existence when asked. OT III recipients must sign a waiver promising never to reveal its secrets before they are given the manila envelope containing the Xenu knowledge.\n\nTo rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" & also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... & we have to pay lots & lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) & to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nScientology is undeniably a cult. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:\n\n(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.
321243
I dislike this religion because of many  things. The people my dad works with are all scientologists. The church's money collector comes by ever payday to take part of their wages. Once the secretary was completely broke, only had $10 for gas money, and they took that. Why people continue giving all their money to them is unfathomable to me. Besides, the guy who formed the church (L. Ron Hubbard) was a science fiction writer for goodness sakes...As always, to each their own, but I certainly don't understand it.
271153
Check out Defamer, it's got a very good Tom Cruise/Scientology section.
560019
Scientology is a system of beliefs, teachings and rituals, originally established as a secular philosophy in 1952 by science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, then recharacterized by him in 1953 as an "applied religious philosophy." \n\n\n"Scientology is the "official name Church of Scientology, religio-scientific movement developed in the United States in the 1950s by the author L. Ron Hubbard (1911-86). Its forerunner was Dianetics, a form of psychotherapy originated by Hubbard and later incorporated into Scientology."
893090
i do accept that some people may believe in evolution, that is a credible theory, yet still, scientology? why would you believe in a book that an older man wrote back in the sixties about how aliens have affected our brains? do you also believe in every episode of the twilight zone.
471683
Yes. they are pathetic. SILENCE IS THE KEY TO BIRTH. yeah right. they are so caught up in this scientology they will probably forget about the poor thing.
1133260
Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American author [1][2] L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. By 1960 Hubbard had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets".[3] The Church of Scientology, by far the largest organization promoting the belief system of Scientology, is sometimes referred to simply as "Scientology".\n\nThe Church of Scientology presents itself as a religious non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the human spirit and providing counseling and rehabilitation programs. Church spokespeople claim that Hubbard's teachings (called "technology" or "tech" in Scientology terminology) have saved them from addictions, arthritis, depression, learning disabilities, mental illness, cancer, homosexuality[4][5] and other perceived problems.\n\nThe controversial organization has attracted much criticism and distrust throughout the world because of its closed nature and strong-arm tactics in handling critics.[6] Lawmakers, including national governing bodies of several countries, have characterized the Church as an unscrupulous commercial organization, citing harassment of critics and exploitation of its members.[7] Scientology's principles have been characterized as pseudoscientific by scientists, medical doctors and psychotherapeutic practitioners. Although some religious scholars have deemed Scientology a religion [8] it has frequently been perceived as a cult and a pseudoreligion. [9][10]\n\nThere are approximately 55,000 Scientology adherents in the United States according to a survey published by the U.S. Census bureau.[11] The worldwide number of adherents is disputed. The Church of Scientology claims between 8 to 10 million followers. Adherents.com suggests there may be 500,000 adherents worldwide [12] while other groups say the number is likely to be less than 100,000 in total.[
832852
Probably the fact that people like me are willing to speak out about the REALITY of their dangerous cult.\n\nIt's a CULT. Despite what a few fanatical members may say, it IS a cult. The church harasses and bullies anyone who they deem an "enemy" (basically anyone who has anything negative to say about the "church"). They will RUIN YOUR LIFE if you speak out against them long enough.\n\nThe founder is L. Ron Hubbard, the science FICTION writer who once told a friend that the best way to make lots of money is to start your own religion. Though being a very outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs, it was discovered upon Hubbards death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric and pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years. (link to page explaining what hydroxyzine is: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/v/vistaril.html )\n\nScientologists believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (called "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Even members of the Church of Scientology who know of Xenu will publicly deny the existence of Xenu & Body Thetans, or attempt to minimize their importance. Scientology has many graduated levels through which one can progress. Many who remain at lower levels in the church are unaware of much of the these doctrines, which mostly begin at Operating Thetan level three, or "OT III". Because the information imparted to members is to be kept secret from others who have not attained that level, the member must publicly deny its existence when asked. OT III recipients must sign a waiver promising never to reveal its secrets before they are given the manila envelope containing the Xenu knowledge.\n\nTo rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" and also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”... & we have to pay lots and lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) and to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nScientology is undeniably a cult. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:\n\n(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.
200073
I believe it, but I do not know the truth. I think it's ironic that after years of ridiculing all other religions nothing is said until Scientology gets ranked.
749062
It is a CULT. Despite what a few fanatical members may say, it IS a cult. The “church” harasses & bullies anyone who they deem an "enemy" (basically anyone who has anything negative to say about the "church"). They will RUIN YOUR LIFE if you speak out against them long enough.\n\nThe founder is L. Ron Hubbard, the science FICTION writer who once told a friend that the best way to make lots of money is to start your own religion. Though being a very outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs, it was discovered upon Hubbards death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years. (visit this link to read about the uses of hydoxyzine: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/v/vistaril.html )\n\nScientologists believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Members who know about Xenu will attempt to deny it or pretend like it doesn’t matter.  They are required to sign a contract binding them to silence on the matter.  Lower level members don’t know about Xenu & accordingly deny everything because they honestly don’t know.\n\nTo rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" & also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... & we have to pay lots & lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) & to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).\n\nScientology is undeniably a cult. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:\n\n(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.
322160
Scientologist here,\n\nThe fact that Scientology is not in the slightest bit intersted in the\n"media's" usual "let's stir up some scandle, controversy, alarm, rumour\netc. to sell our "product", should demonstrate that what you have "heard" may not be factual. I have no idea who your sources are for this idea about Scientology in the past with regard to negative press.\n\nThere have been some very momentous legal battles won in the past by Scientology, but they have been to preserve religious freedom, and none involved the press.\nThe press also does not print this kind of positive outcome, nor does it promote any other good works accomplished by Scientology.\nIt's what you don't read or find out in the press that actually counts.\nWe do not take it personally since they do this with many individuals and groups. Our viewpoint with regard to the media is that they always howl the loudest when we are expanding and doing the most good.\nSo in a way negative press is an index for us, re our impact and expansion, a compliment. And they are right, Scientology is growing very fast at the moment, considering it is a new religion, only 55 years old infact, we are expanding internationally more than at any other time in our very brief past.\nHaving been a Scientologist for the past 35 years and been through the various "attacks" that have been launched in the past by the media, which were a lot more vicious than the silly stuff that has been printed recently, for me this is a big yawn, actally it is even a bit amusing.\nAs to whether this affects Scientologists in general, Huh! \nWe all have a lot more certainty about what we are doing with and in Scientology to even give this our attention.\nWe are all very busy expanding right now, and have much more important things to give our attention to.\nIf you knew our aims and purpose you would know we still have a lot of work ahead of us.\nDespite "rumours" to the contrary we are very much here to stay!
596700
Scientology to an extent. there is a bigger story to it. \nTry not to judge unless you know about it. \nCan we really say we are the only forms of consciousness in this vast, vast universe?
566334
Well according to Wikipedia, Scientology claims people evolved from clams. I'll spare you the lecture and you can see for yourself. People believe anything these days...\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology
6217
Is Scientology posing a real threat to Christian America or summink?  This is the third or fourth paranoid question about that organisation in a week!\n\nIf they're crackpots let them carry on cracking pots. \n\nYou can ask a similar question about Christian (blind) faith.  How on earth does a Jewish guy being murdered by the Romans on a cross save humanity either then or now - especially as Hebrew scripture forbids (1) human sacrifice and (2) the deification of a human sacrifice?\n\nSome Christians find the real answer to that question and carry on believing in their faith. This is because faith is often the replacement or removal of rational reasoning, facts, evidence, and logic.\n\nWhy is Scientology being held up to higher standards than other blind faiths?