Cult-ivating an Opinion

2008-05-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

I happened upon the Scientology Religion Blog the other day, and encountered a post that bemused me. The proprietor of the blog, a Mr. Grahame, posted the following;

"Although it is not a quote from a Scientologist, this quote from Helen Keller very much aligns with the views of Scientologists and with the strong interest in Human Rights that members of the Church of Scientology have.So don't forget that May 15th is the day when bloggers all over the world will be Blogging for Human Rights. Make sure you join in and promote Human Rights for All!"

I took mild offence to this statement. Scientology does not strike me as a phenomenon that has even met the concept of human rights. I'm even surer that Helen Keller would not wish to be associated with it. I posted a reply saying as such, and surely enough Grahame replied with entirely the response I expected.

"Hey Brazen Laird,

The lies told about Scientology are like those "Microsoft will give you $10,000 if you send this to everyone in your mailing list" emails. I first got such emails 10 or more years back. Everyone got the idea that they were false and we all thought they'd disappeared. Then a couple years later they were back for another round. Many newbies fell for it and we were once more bombarded with those emails. That same cycle has repeated several times and still new people are fooled.It's the same with the lies told about Scientology. They circulate round, then they are disproven, then they come round again and the new kids on the block fall for them and we (Scientologists) have to waste a lot of time proving they are false and just when we think the lies are dead and buried, like zombies from the Night of the Living Dead, they come back to haunt us.

So, Brazen Laird (nice picture, by-the-way, where is that?), Your comments are first and foremost generalities. You give no specifics, you just make unfounded accusations. Like most people who have fallen for the lies you don't consider that if the lies were even partially true then there would be a lot of people in jail because of it. If an accusation won't hold up in a court of law then you really shouldn't give it much credence and you should not spread it around. One of the most important principles of law is "innocent until proven guilty." When someone with an agenda of hate comes along they try to circumvent that principle by making accusations and then repeating them as often as possible so that people will start to believe them and will attack the target of the hatred. It is an old, tried and true method and (like the "Microsoft" emails) every new generation seems to fall for it.

Finally here are some links to assuage your curiosity:
What is "Fair Game"?
Answer to Comment on Fair Game
Fair Game Comment
Fair Game - More about
Reply to a Comment from "Titch"
Scientology versus the world - Part 1
Scientology versus the world - Part 2
What have you done for me lately?"

In face of an answer which bizarrely cited chain e-mail scams, zombies and a frustrating "you have no evidence"-oriented response, I feel I am no nearer to an answer. I would like to initiate reasoned debate about the dubious veracity of Scientology, not have some pawn play conditioned mind games with me.

"Nice picture, by-the-way...where is it?"

A shiver ran down my spine. It is not a threat, I assure myself. These people will not get to me. I posted in response, detailing various past controversies of the 'Church'.

In general, I am very much against the recent trend of celebrities joining bizarre pseudo-religions, such as Mavericks' gradual transformation into Scientology's Heinrich Himmler, and Madonna joining Kabbalah (or Kabbollocks, as I've heard it described). What's wrong with standard Judaism?

I fear for the youth of today, who will be convinced to join daft, fruity little cults because their role models join them and that therefore makes it 'cool'.