Google Aids Scientology-Linked Group CCHR With Pay-Per-Click Ads 186
An anonymous reader writes "The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a Scientology front group, has received a 'grant from Google in the amount of $10,000 per month worth of Pay Per Click Advertising to be used in our Orange County anti-psych campaigns.' CCHR believes that ALL psychiatrists are evil. They believe that psychiatrists were behind the holocaust, and these shadow men were never brought to justice. CCHR also believes that psychiatrists were behind the 911 attacks. Scientologists believe that psychiatrists have always been evil, and their treachery goes back 75 million years when the psychiatrists assisted XENU in killing countless alien life forms. Thanks Google! We may be able to stop these evil Psychs once and for all!"
The Harsh Light of Day (Score:5, Insightful)
The more these beliefs are discussed and examined, the more they are revealed for what they are.
Re:The Harsh Light of Day (Score:5, Insightful)
beliefs, you say? I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..
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getting people to 'believe' utter rubbish is part of the game plan
the people most likely to remove them from the con will disparage these beliefs
this will induce 'cognitive dissonance' in the person who will shrink away from the negative view of their beliefs and back into the arms of the con game
we see this all around us, and not just religions/cults, just look at the tortured souls who exhibit the same behavior with Obama derangement syndrome or global warming denial. The world behaves differently than th
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beliefs, you say? I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..
I don't think you understand how bilking "money out of desparate people" works.
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I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu..
It's no more or less believable than any other religion. Do you think people really believe that a dead guy came back to life? How about an entire ocean was suddenly parted so the good guys could get away and then collapsed again on the bad guys? Or that the earth is 6000 years old? Or that the guy who created the entire universe 12 billion years ago and billions of light years large is really really concerned about if human pe
Re:The Harsh Light of Day (Score:5, Funny)
"How about an entire ocean was suddenly parted so the good guys could get away and then collapsed again on the bad guys?"
Actually, that is plausible. I saw the proof of concept at Disneyland.
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It's no more or less believable than any other religion. Do you think people really believe that a dead guy came back to life? How about an entire ocean was suddenly parted so the good guys could get away and then collapsed again on the bad guys? Or that the earth is 6000 years old? Or that the guy who created the entire universe 12 billion years ago and billions of light years large is really really concerned about if human penises wind up in human vaginas before the correct ritual is performed?
You can s
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How about an entire ocean was suddenly parted so the good guys could get away and then collapsed again on the bad guys?
1. It was not an entire ocean. I was the Red Sea and a very narrow part in the Gulf of Aqaba.
2. It could have been a natural phenomenon [archden.org].
Please note that I do not believe in most of the things in the Bible but some things might be facts. The social aspects of the Bible are so outdated as to be laughable.
Re:The Harsh Light of Day (Score:5, Interesting)
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I think you needed a "BRB, door" or perhaps a @.;'0 no carrier in there somewhere.
Re:The Harsh Light of Day (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..
I wouldn't be so sure. I think the main reason it sounds crazy is because this particular belief is shared by comparatively few people. When few people are involved, such beliefs are called cults and are rejected by wider society. It's when crazy beliefs spread and are shared by many people that they're called a religion. Of course different societies draw the line differently [wikipedia.org].
The beliefs of the Christian church are pretty crazy too, when you stop to think about it, but they're widely accepted in our society so they no longer draw incredulity. Think how crazy this sounds: the Catholic church tells us that during communion the bread and wine literally turn into the blood and body of Christ. However, through some mysterious process, they appear to our senses as unchanged. So the Catholic church tells you that what you're seeing and tasting is wrong, and you should ignore the evidence right in front of you. Presumably, millions of people accept and believe this. Then we have the fact that many Christians believe that everything in the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Yet these same people ignore the parts they don't like (Christians choose to eat pork even though their book tells them not to), they ignore the fact that the Bible is often self-contradictory, and they ignore the fact that the Bible we have today is based on copies of copies that include known errors, additions, and omissions. If God is all-powerful, why is He unable to provide "his inerrant word" in an accurate form, and why is it that he never shows his face?
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Yet these same people ignore the parts they don't like (Christians choose to eat pork even though their book tells them not to),
Acts 10 9-16 repeals the unclean animal laws that the Mosaic Law brought in to keep nasty diseases out of the population. Both the prohibition and the repealing are couched in "Orders from God" terms, but are actually based on prevailing understanding of health and hygiene at the time of each event. And which got unfortunately ritualized.
In a primitive civilization, pork and other meats can be severe risks if they don't know how to cook it properly. A lot of early civilizations had pork prohibiti
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Think how crazy this sounds: the Catholic church tells us that during communion the bread and wine literally turn into the blood and body of Christ. However, through some mysterious process, they appear to our senses as unchanged. So the Catholic church tells you that what you're seeing and tasting is wrong, and you should ignore the evidence right in front of you.
Ah, but you forget that Jesus was not of this world, and who are you to say that the bodies of the residents of Heaven are not, in fact, made of substances that to our limited senses are indistiguishable from bread and wine?
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I was going to argue with you, until I realized you were claiming the Heavenly Host was actually made up of something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike bread and wine. I for one welcome our animated bread-and-wine overlords!
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I think he likes beer. Just look at an aardvark, that's a morning-after-the-night-before job if ever I saw one..
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I think he likes beer. Just look at an aardvark, that's a morning-after-the-night-before job if ever I saw one.
Hey, I'm an aardvark,you insensitive clod. (ok,you saw that one coming. So maybe god's real joke was inventing beer?)
Re:The Harsh Light of Day (Score:5, Interesting)
beliefs, you say? I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..
I may be able to provide a few insights on this.
My parents were in Scientology in the 1970s and early 80s. My mom signed up because of her sister and brother, and my dad signed up to meet girls (he was successful, as my parents are still together, so I guess some good can come from the organization!).
There are a few things you have to realize about Scientology; some of it has already been said. First, the nutso stuff isn't presented early on. It only gets revealed at a certain point, after you have invested years and tens of thousands of dollars. During that time, you are constantly bombarded with Scientologist propaganda and vocabulary, which serves to drive you away from your non-Scientologist friends. When you do "go clear" and learn about Xenu and the other stuff, they have done their hardest to brainwash you into their way of thinking. These days, they even install Internet filters onto your computer to block anti-Scientology websites.
Leaving Scientology presents its own problems. When my parents left, they lost all their friends. Their Scientologist friends would no longer talk to them, and they had already alienated their non-Scientologist friends. People higher up in the organization face more obstacles, including personal and legal threats. (My parents were never high up--an ex-Scientologist told them what it was all about, and they left. The church later sued him for all he was worth, and he had to publicly apologize and retract his words.)
Some of my parents' Scientology friends eventually left the church as well, and they've stayed in touch. One couple in particular was high up in the organization (well past OT3x--I think 6 or maybe even 7). Even after all these years, they still have a hard time not believing in Scientology's teachings, even the Xenu stuff. To paraphrase, they say they have a hard time accepting that they spent so much of their lives believing in a lie. It's not a rational thing, but then, faith often asks people to be irrational. When you've spent so much time having one set of beliefs drilled into you, it's hard to just let it go.
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You're the first person I've heard of who's gotten something positive out of Scientology (your existence :-). Hope you and your family can recover from the rest of it.
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It really is a terrible organization. There are actually some positive aspects to their teachings, but there are so many subtle, subversive elements that it's a net negative (to put it very mildly). To this day, my parents sometimes have a hard time getting out of the mindset that if something bad happens--no matter how unavoidable or random--it was somehow their fault. That kind of thinking is just plain toxic.
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Some of my parents' Scientology friends eventually left the church as well, and they've stayed in touch. One couple in particular was high up in the organization (well past OT3x--I think 6 or maybe even 7). Even after all these years, they still have a hard time not believing in Scientology's teachings, even the Xenu stuff.
Why did they leave, then?
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The Scientology organization is abusive enough even if their teachings were true; peoples' disillusionment can be with the organization while still keeping their brainwashing with regard to their beliefs.
There's even a non-CoS scientology organization, I think it's called "free zone" or "free zoners" or something.
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I don't think it's really my place to tell, sorry. It was something highly abusive; there's a book called Going Clear which details similar circumstances to what they experienced.
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I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..
Does anybody actually believe it? Given the tenacity of the Co$, sadly I'd have to say the answer is yes. Not everyone involved in that group is exchanging winks off-stage. Some have actually drunk the kool-aid.
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I'm going to start this post by saying I think they're all crap; $cientology, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, any and all brands of Neo-Paganism; the whole lot of them.
But there are some pretty clear cultural differences between, say Hinduism and Christianity on one side, and Scientologists on the other. While the former religions may have started out something like the latter ones (though I suspect it was far more complex than some guy sitting down and writing a religion purely out of his imagination), th
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The scientologist view on psychiatry is not an accident, or a fetish. They utilize brainwashing techniques when acquiring converts, and exposure to a trained psychologist would risk deprogramming. How better to protect your brainwashed followers than to train them to hate and fear the cure?
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I would hope so. On the other hand, it didn't help much against other superstitions like chrisstianity either.
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Bad science fiction
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The more these beliefs are discussed and examined, the more they are revealed for what they are.
Sure, but do we need to discuss forever? In France, scientology is officially considered as a sect.
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PsyOntology. ScientTautology. As American as apple pie!
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It all makes sense now!
http://tech.slashdot.org/story... [slashdot.org]
http://search.slashdot.org/sto... [slashdot.org]
http://tech.slashdot.org/story... [slashdot.org]
http://tech.slashdot.org/story... [slashdot.org]
http://tech.slashdot.org/story... [slashdot.org]
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/... [slashdot.org]
Xenu is google!
It's not Psychs ... (Score:1)
It's Psychlos.
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Khronos was just the front man?
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Psychlopsops - the art of using them for military propaganda.
Belief (Score:1)
There is no belief so stupid, so crazy, so totally deranged that it won't speak to someone.
19 days late (Score:1)
You can't make this shit up.
Messed up organizations with happy names. (Score:1)
Just based on their name, you would think that it is a good group of people. They might as well be called the 'Children's Safety Council', while they barbecue infants.
Re:Messed up organizations with happy names. (Score:5, Funny)
I'll have you know that the Children's Food Safety and Quality Control Council cannot endorse the barbecuing of infants. The harsh smoke is too strong for the tender meat. We recommend braising or low-temperature smoking
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My favorite are "Peoples' Republics", which obviously aren't. At least "Islamic Republics" are honest about what they are.
Credible Source? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Credible Source? (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, interesting. It's an unsourced statement from somebody's blog. But it has two of the Slashdot keywords - 'Google' and 'Scientology' so, as someone mentioned in the last thread about some other Slashdot keywords (Guns, 3D printing, drugs and The Feds), grab your popcorn and super size your Mountain Dew.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
One word: Dice and page views.
Re:Credible Source? (Score:5, Informative)
FOTF2012 says
April 18, 2014 at 11:26 am
The Boris letter is misleading. Makes it sound like CCHR applied for and got a grant from Google in the sense of a monetary gift.
Pretty much anyone can set up a Google ad words account (https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/1704354?hl=en) and then learn how to manage the details (https://www.google.com/grants/details.html). Here are the basic qualifications: https://www.google.com/grants/... [google.com].
One requirement is to be a 501(c)3, which CCHR is. You can search for them on GuideStar (http://www.guidestar.org/?gclid=CKDF0e2q6r0CFVKFfgodPrMAHA) and you get 38 results. Apparently CCHR sets up separate entities in each state — maybe they have to as a charity.
One of the Google Ads program restrictions is that you can only link to one legitimate website. So I imagine they will link to http://www.cchr.org/ [cchr.org].
Anyway, this “grant” is something that any “non-profit” can use. It is nothing significant Google has given CCHR specifically. It is part of a program that no doubt profits Google while they can say they are helping non-profits. Further, given the eligibility criteria (which CCHR meet), if Google were to deny CCHR use of the program, they would be in a lawsuit and would probably lose.
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Ah, thank you.
These are not the Evils you are looking for.
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if Google were to deny CCHR use of the program, they would be in a lawsuit and would probably lose.
Google is under no obligation to provide free services fairly and without bias.
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Google recently renamed the program: It used to be called "Google Grants" and you would get all the benefits at once. It appears that you now need to request each one only if you plan to use it.
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Mod parent "+1 informative and no further discussion required".
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This kind of misleading crap posted as front page news is the reason I read Slashdot less and less these days.
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For that matter, why don't why all take the blame for allowing these organ
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No matter what someone puts on a web site it is still illegal to discriminate based on a protected aspect such as race or religion. Policy statements do not override law. Denying the Scientologists would be the same issue as denying the NAACP.
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Except that giving everybody the ability to say "We're a religious group, you have to give us what we want" isn't what equal rights and protected classes are about. There are certain specific circumstances under which you can't discriminate on religious grounds, and even asking questions relating to religion (and some other things) can lead to problems. Grant programs aren't one of them.
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If Google is giving grants to all charities, and it looks like they are, and they deny a specific religion that there could be in a problem.
We're a religious group, you have to give us what we want
True but it does give the ability to say "We are a registered charity and your are required to treat us like all other registered charity regardless of our religion".
The key question is "has Google ever turned down a registered charity?"
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Hilariously, we didn't know about these nutjobs before. Now we do. Looks like Google just elevated the idiot campaign to the public mind, and probably did more than $10,000 of damage with this little PR slip.
You would be surprised how easy it is to get somebody attacked by helping them, if you can handle the heat from the splash damage.
The answer to bad speech (Score:2)
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That doesn't mean they need to be actively funded by others.
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Well, imagine if Google supplied a $25,000 public grant to the National Coalition for the Advancement of Marriage Rights in America, a group with a fancy name whose primary goal is to make it a capital crime to be a nigger-lover.
Oh sure Google might take some heat on that. But then everyone would know that there is a group out there lobbying to make it illegal to marry, impregnate, or hook up with a black chick if you're white. Possibly if you're black, too.
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This isn't "free speech", it's advertising. Google needs to be more selective about who it gives free advertising to. That's certainly not silencing anyone.
Entertaining, but dated (Score:1)
Non event... (Score:3)
After reading Slashdot for many years, I am coming back after two months of not visiting and what do I see? Another anti-Google posting using all the power of the anecdotal... This is a non-event, and Google will change track in this case as soon as they are pointed out their mistake.
I am not sure if I will have the courage to go through today's list. I remember this place as one where I could read intelligent comments, but those who used to make this place what it was have now almost all left...
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Sorry froggy, they've been on an anti-google kick for years. I'll tell exactly when since... since Jobs declared nuclear war on Android!
Most of the old-timers are on soylentnews dot org
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Dice Dice Baby, Dice Dice Baby
All right stop, collaborate and listen
Dice is back with my brand new invention
Something grabs a hold of me tightly
Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly
Will it ever stop? Yo – I don't know...
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A growing portion of the intelligent users left for a fork [soylentnews.org] after Dice started to push the disastrous beta on everyone.
Well, 10 stories on front page, averaging 15 comments per story... growing slowly!
CCHR has made some valid points... (Score:2)
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I would say the field of psychiatry is long overdue for an overhaul. It has a great deal of baggage that it refuses to put down. It's unfortunate that Scieentology has gotten involved. They do have a few good points here, but bring a lot of baggage of their own and then muddy the water by WAY overreaching and injecting the crazy Xenu stuff into the discussion.
Re:CCHR has made some valid points... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is precisely how crazies work. They take a perfectly reasonable statement - The practice of psychiatry has problems / Vaccines CAN cause harm, etc and then push their agenda far and beyond any rationale discussion. Yes, the practice of psychiatry is primitive and has been subject to considerable abuse in the past (lobotomies, insulin shocks to name a few). Yes, this country is overmedicated - but not just with psychoactive drugs - and this isn't just the 'fault' of psychiatrists but instead involves doctors, patients, drug companies, government and bog knows who else.
But the victrolic, angry and anti intellectual approach of CCHR and Scientology in general should continue to be exposed for what it is - a scam. They should be allowed to express their opinions and, if the IRS says they are a 501C3 corp and Google gives something extra to non profits, well then, let'em at it. But it's still a scam. Along with quite an number of other 'non profits'.
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Before we absolve the sainted American people of medication, who's taking the illegal drugs, binge drinking, etc.? A good segment of the American people is predisposed to self-medication for whatever they think ails them.
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Every crazy person has a few valid points. Black people have sickle cell anemia much of the time, as this prevents malaria--a worse problem than clots caused by anemia. A highly racist group could advocate cleansing this damaging disease from our genetic assets by cleansing ourselves of every drop of nigger blood.
How is this different than christianity? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How is this different than christianity? (Score:5, Insightful)
Motive comes into question. Imagine if the christian church charged admission for services.
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Mormonism doesn't outright force a 10% income "tithing", but you are pretty much ostracized if you don't pay up.
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On the other hand I've never met a pastor who got paid for his preaching that I felt i could trust. As soon as those preachers are motivated to get more people in church because they will make more money
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Imagine if the christian church charged admission for services.
Imagine if a christian church ran a vast real estate and financial empire, built palaces with 15,000€ bathtubs for Bishops of Bling, and systemically obstructed justice in cases of sexual abuse of minors.
Oh, yeah . . . no need to imagine. They should be hit with RICO charges.
I can't see any difference between political action committees and churches. The NRA spends money supporting a pro-gun political platform. Churches spend money promoting their own religious beliefs in political platforms.
Like
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Like it or not, those Tea Party folks could probably register themselves as a religion. All those Ayn Rand Objectivism rants, like, "Altruism is evil" sounds like religious beliefs to me.
Have you ever heard a tea-partier say "altruism is evil?" Serious question.
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Have you ever heard a tea-partier say "altruism is evil?" Serious question.
Yes, in a TV interview a Tea Party spokesman who identified himself as John Galt said it. Serious answer.
The Tea Party seems to have a lot of folks named "John". Other Tea Party rally folks said their names were:
John Whorfin
John Bigboote
John Ya Ya
John Small Berries
John Fledgling
John Milton
John Nephew
John Two Horns
John O'Connor
John Grim
John Many Jars
John Coyote
John Chief Crier
John Littlejohn
John Mud Head
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BLACKS ARE HERE IN NEW JERSEY TO DESTROY US!
Bring me my overthruster! John Bigboote I swear!!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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You're making stuff up when you talk about their actions, too. Try doing research to find how much tea-partiers actually give to charity. You will be surprised (assuming you ever actually thought they hate altruism, and weren't just trolling).
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There's a lot of very good material already written on the topic. Quick summary:
1. The people who founded Scientology explicitly stated that was not a religion, but a scientific practice. They changed to calling it a "religion" solely for tax/legal purposes. That's an official statement from Hubbard himself, not speculation.
2. Fairly dangerous and abusive. Look up Lisa McPherson, or Paulette Cooper.
3. Lots of very shady practices, like pressuring members to have abortions so they won't be wasting money on k
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Such pessimism and loathing as this truly is the ranitng of a primitive mind. No progress will grow from persons such as this.
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No, not all churches operate that way. Many churches are religious organizations that may or may not even be structured enough to need a legal existence. Only one "church" I've ever heard of specifically claimed not to be religious until the tax consequences showed up.
Your other points are, well. You didn't do any research and you didn't say anything coherent. Try again?
It's all about the dosage level (Score:2)
Trouble from religion seems to be associated more with dosage level than theology. Once a week seems to be a safe dose for most people, while several times a day is an overdose. The nuttier religions tend towards the overdose end of the scale. Islam and the haredi branch of Judaism go for All Religion All the Time. Scientology goes in that direction, but more through intermittent intense experiences rather than constant daily obsession.
Fortunately, Scientology is stuck, by policy, with Hubbard's 1930s te
Scientology wins! (Score:4, Funny)
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Free speech? (Score:2)
Where are all the Freedom of speech proponents? .... Oh, I forgot, it's freedom of speech for things I agree with. Sorry.
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The first amendment is a restriction on THE GOVERNMENT from abridging a persons right to free speech. Google is NOT the government. Why is it that people who want to bring up the constitution, bill of rights, liberty and freedom and such almost never have a clue what they're talking about?
Well... (Score:4, Funny)
What Scientologists believe .. (Score:2)
How is this any less believable than, we killed our deity, and once a year he comes back to life and we consume of his flesh?
they've always hated psychology (Score:2)
Great read if you want to learn about the sociopath: http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/b... [holysmoke.org]
CCHR is an old concept ... (Score:2)
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I think there may have been a true statement somewhere in there, but it was too subtle for me to find. The anti-ADHD stuff is pure Scientology spin, promoted aggressively precisely because the benefit of ADHD medication for most people is so very, very, obvious. Similarly, the "not much better than placebo" claim is a massive overclaim. There's some specific drugs that are pretty unreliable, but the key is that that's averaging over a general population; if you look only at the people who react well to them
Re:But is their criticism of Psychiatry wrong? (Score:4, Insightful)
Scientology's beliefs are idiotic, but not much more idiotic than believing in some guy walking up a hill and coming back down with slates with "commandments" apparently handed to him by some deity.
The problem with scientology is the frequent intimidation, their extremely litigious habits, the abusive behaviour towards members, the rampant commercialism, the indocrtination techniques and a bunch of other things that are decidedly evil and beyond the comprehension of any decent human being.
Scientology isn't a church, nor is it a cult. Scientology is a corporation. And whereas most corporations are just greedy and soulless, scientology doesn't stop at mere ruthless money grabbing; scientology seems to want to actively hurt it's victims as well.
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I usually refer to it as an organized crime syndicate, myself. The main difference that comes to mind is that instead of selling psychoactive drugs, they prohibit their people from buying psychoactives - even ones that they desperately need - from anybody.
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Scientology's believers are far more ignorant because L Ron Hubbard said 'if you want to make a bunch of money, start a religion and charge for it' ... and then he did ... and its a pay for play religion ... and people like Tom Cruise and John Travolta actually pay ridiculous amounts of money to 'move up' the chain of 'believers'.
Its one thing to believe in what you believe is fantasy (God) ... its an entirely different thing to have some guy tell you he's going to rip you off ... and then you let him rip y
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Patently false.
A guy walking up a hill and coming back with stone tablets handed to him by the creator of the universe is somewhat believable. Failing that he actually encountered a weird deity, we can at least accept that the tablets contain good advice, and he may be hearing voices.
The whole alien conspiracy theory thing that Scientology pushes is a huge ball of weirdness, and any rational person would look at this and go, "None of this is good advice, and you're all looney." Nobody is going to loo
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Gotta love these statements. What have you been reading? I would prefer my life experience as proof. I have taken antidepressants and after finding the right one I can attest that some do work.
Psychiatric drugs are often given freely for solving administrative problems (Ritalin or Adderall for "ADHD").
Autism and ADHD is not an "administrative problem". I have Aspergers Syndrome (a form of Autism) and I know how it feels during an episode. To put it simply my cognitive mind would recede and my lizard brain would take over. The problem with the lizard brain is that it only knows fight or flight. Too often it chooses
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LIZARD!
I'm hyperplastic or something; the rules don't work on me. What is called the "lizard brain" (basal ganglia) does not strongly activate the amygdala (emotional center) in times of conflict. Usually people face conflicting facts by shutting off the analytical mind (prefrontal cortex) and activating the amygdala--your basal ganglia does not like hearing facts it disagrees with, and your prefrontal cortex takes a lot more energy than anything else, so you throw a cheap tantrum to avoid spending ener