Tom Cruise knows Xenu. Katie Holmes likely does not.

In his tit-for-tat with Today Show host Matt Lauer, an awkward Tom Cruise made a number of sensible points--arrived at in part through Scientology--regarding the overmedication of America and the modern fetish for psychiatric therapy. While Cruise was quick to highlight these aspects of his belief system, he failed to mention Xenu, who plays a large role in the upper-level teachings of Scientology. Who is Xenu? Read this short pamphlet, which I first came across in a Harvard Square record store fifteen years ago, that details a side of Scientology that strikes normal people as really peculiar.

All religions contain teachings that weird-out non-believers. Where Scientologists differ is that they try hard to obscure some of their stranger beliefs. Tom, believe anything you want, but c'mon: let your freak flag fly.

From the way that I'm laughing, you'd think this was a joke.

So basically they are like freemasons?

I think in the 1980s, several leaders of the "church" did some time for financial shenanigans, and there may have been a breaking-and-entering charge too. Stay away from these people.

People in the Catholic Church have done time for financial shenanigans and thensome.

I would like to start that the blog never remembers my information even though it is checked. just a heads up.

Look he made great points. Lauer is a joke of a journalist, as is Couric. He had no idea what he was asking about. He did no research. He was, as usual, superficial, and frankly his religion aside, he has a real point.

But let's not let that get in the way of the idiot today shows perception. This is what happens when the I want good looking people tell me what i want the hear crowd mixes with journalism.

Dumbing down of The U.S.(I was admonished about using America by a Canadian just today)

Seriously, Obi Juan, what is that? I dare say that members of every faith on earth have done time for practically every crime on earth. You wanna mention that some Hindus who have done time for murder or that many Televangelists scheister people?

John Ruberry didn't make comment about members of scientology, but about their _leaders_. And also scientology IS a huge money scheme, with levels of secret teaching that money helps people get through. Although they are secretive about it all, some of the leaders have been caught. I think John's point is fair. It is not true of Catholics that it's a big money-making scheme (look at preist salaries!), or of Hundus, or of televangelists, maybe.

Tom proves it - you don't have to be an intellectual to be a moron.

Thanks for your supportive post, short. Hey Dan, I looked around that Xenu sight, it's only the tip of the iceberg--and then, there are other links to other, shall I say, alternative views on Scientology. The Chicago Sun-Times has an article, no Xenu, but a lot about "auditin"

A goal of the auditing sessions is to ultimately be "clear" of what is referred to as the "reactive mind," the part of the mind that is not under a person's control, that works on stimulus-response.

According to church teachings, during times of emotional or physical pain, the reactive mind takes over and records images -- called engrams -- which can later lead to problems that a person can't explain. To become a "Clear" is to erase the engrams and no longer be under control of the reactive mind or its ill effects.

But it's not cheap. Auditing can cost thousands of dollars when done by a professional auditor. Ahmad (a Scientology spokesperson) said costs can be reduced when local church auditors trade services. But members also pay for a series of courses and for literature. Some experts estimate the cost can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-scientology26.html

The leaders of the Catholic Church have certainly been implicated in some nasty things. Cardinal Law anyone? I believe he had some pretty nice digs too.

Yes, it is disturbing that "Bernie the Pimp" was complicit in the molestation of children and it's even more disturbing that he gets rewarded with a prestigious and powerful position in the Vatican.

I believe that JPII was a great man but saint? No way, in that he knew what was going on and still took a politician like Law under his protection.

Bernie will rot in Hell for his crimes.

I don't think the US evangelical movement is a scam to get money. But if we compare evangelical ministers' incomes to Catholic preists' there is no question who could be accused of scamming. The average parish preist salary in the US is like $17000-20000 a year, and many preists take vows of poverty.

But evidently Obi Juan thinks that the leaders of the Catholic Church get too much money? Apart from the homosexual pederast scandal, which is irrelvent to the question you brought up, let's seriously not try to pretend like the Catholic Church is a money scam.

Seriously, the usually wise Obi Juan is grossly off-base here. Someone points out that SCIENTOLOGY is, at least in part, a money scam, and your response to to imply that the Catholic Church is too. The bigotry among US evangelicals against Christians of other traditions is completely weird to me. I don't get it. And on the money issue, it really is a case of a glass house.

Hey Obi Juan, the pedophile scandal is a disgrace. Cardinal Law: Bad. Are you happy? Now, are you here just do knock the Catholic Church?

Scientology is a big and profitable scam. But unlike Catholicism (or any other great world religion) it doesn't have a legacy of offering great spiritual and moral insight and rectitude to its adherents. Instead, it's a knock-off of that, a spiritual pyramid scheme. It's fair to call it a cult. Don't let Hollywood gossip trump common sense when it comes to Scientology!

http://www.ex-cult.org has a detailed entry on Scientelogy and its pseudo-scientific lifestyle, Dianetics.

Uncoop Blogger

Tell that Canadian to bite it like I told the Mexican, Spaniard and Italians who all thought they were awfully clever critizing me for saying I was an American when I was stuying in Europe.

The U.S. o A has America in its name therefore we are perfectly legit in referring to ourselves as "Americans." What other country in the two American continents has "America" in their name? Canadians and Mexicans are NOT "Americans" they are, like us, NORTH Americans. But when referring to nationality what are we supposed to say: "I am a United Statesian"? People from Mexico are Mexicans, From Canada, Canadian, From the USA, American.

That whole stupid complaint is one of my biggest pet peeves. If I am referring to my continent then yeah, I am a North American like Canadians and Mexicans but context makes that clear. Seriously, there isn't even a continent named "America" . . . that wouldn't differentiate Northern Ams from Southern Ams.

And scientology, I remember reading once, only became declared a "religion" and tax exempt b/c of some serious shenanigans with the IRS. They are not a religion at all but a stupid shakedown cult that gets the dirt on rich people as a means of then manipulating them.

i had an argument with an advanced OT in Boulder colorado. i am a psychic astrologer and, well...i understood and refuted allof his arguments. he really wanted sex with me and my other male friend. my friend was repulsed as was I. we said no. he followed us around boulder, co, telling us "become a thetan" - i attempted to debate with him...there's nothing like the old "reductio ad absurdem" forensic approach to make a scientologist really apoplectic with arrogant hatred. itblows their cool...try it. A gift from the presocratic Philosopher xeno of elea...which maybe whythe Scientologist dogma references him with a slanderous hatred...Cenno is famous for bviting off his tongue and spitting it into teh face of some tyrant of his times.

scientology must be exposed and ridiculed into pointlessness. the Confidential abilities reproduce things tibetan buddhists call minor siddhis, including the overwhelming of anoter person's wil, "psychic ventriloquism" where a weakened target can be made to speak the words the O. T. wants them to say i.e. channeling...Most of teh H'wood trend Scientologists don't KNOW how to do any of that stuff...but there are powereful psychics who are involved with the organization...this guy who was queer had a few books he carried around.

to break it down, Hubbard went into early Buddhism and saw magic powers. he raped Buddhism and put into western Left-brain scientific "jargonese" -- and therein the deep er idea -- that Scientology hates what it calls the 'reactive mind' -- the artistic, intuitive, soft, is despised by the Scientologistic dogma -- Scientology states that the rigid is to p\be preferred -- identifying itself with the "static" and rigidly set.
that's what it is -- i hacve been debating on metaphysics with people for many years and i made this one Operating thetan verym very angry. he exacted a sort of revenge that I won't go into here, sufficeit to say i was drunk on some vodka there...
as an astrologer i deral with things like Amazing Randi lying aboutthe existance of psychic powers. What scientology is is ukltimately antifeminine - all that it calls the reactive mind, to be annihilated -- is called in daoist cosmology YIN, the maternal feminine. It is...where there is also a great ugliness in truth, in a truth that seeks only to dominate and has no concept opf tehvalue of love oter than to produce progeny. cientology must bedealt with, Outlawing it would make it a marty's philosohy, it would Coolify the idea.

nasty stuff. some good journalism here. And - also if you look up the mane P. Donald Chitester on the search engines you will find info about his peccadlilloes. in some cases he brags about doing boys and having "some weak" mental powers.

Jenna Elfman intellectually has stated that all Operating Thetans must be removed from the planet. Hers is almost an enlightened view in light of what is known to be confidential -- but of course...better locks make better lockpickers.