Tom Cruise scares the shizzle out of me.

[DoñaNina]

http://gawker.com/5002269/the-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientology-tried-to-suppress

Now granted, I'm pretty sure most religions feel like they can change the world.. but holy hell...

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

"I'm gonna sue you in England!"

:-)

[Rhia]

I have no idea what the hell he is talking about in half that video - it's like he's thinking in code or something.

Way off the deep end!

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

I have no idea what the hell he is talking about in half that video - it's like he's thinking in code or something.
One of the tactics of a cult is to create a lot of terminology that is unique to the cult. It helps in isolating their members from outsiders.


For everything you wanted to know about Scientology but were afraid to ask, go to: clambake.org

[Pathos]

For everything you wanted to know about Scientology but were afraid to ask, go to: clambake.org
But do it on someone elses computer.

Prefferably someone you don't like.

::tinfoil:

[Sorcha Griannon]

You should try walking down Hollywood Blvd. The Scientologist are EVERYWHERE, they even have a museum they give "free" tours and talks in. They all sound like this. It's scary. I was down there a few years ago with the hubby (before he was the hubby), and a friend from out of the area so he could sight-see. I refused to go in, but they popped their heads in for a minute. I had a nice argument regarding the cult-like properties of their religion with one person too:)

Sorcha

[Lis Elfwench]

I thought Scientologists don't believe in taking drugs....but he's sure on something. :shock: :shhh: I only watched two minutes. After that my brain started to hurt.

[Pathos]

I thought Scientologists don't believe in taking drugs....but he's sure on something.
He's not on anything. That might actually be the problem.

The dude needs to hit a fat blunt and chill.

8-)

[Ysobelle]

Oh, don't you know? You don't need drugs to help you. Depressed? Take vitamins. There's no such thing as post-partum depression, either.

Ass. I'm so glad Brooke Shields ripped him a new one.

[Pathos]

I still defend him as an actor, though.

Paying to see his movies doesn't make scientology more powerful.

There's too many non-scientology people involved in the process for that.

[Lis Elfwench]

I still defend him as an actor, though.

Paying to see his movies doesn't make scientology more powerful.

There's too many non-scientology people involved in the process for that.

Except...I have trouble enjoying films by people I find to be total idiots in real life. Perhaps that's why I generally stay away from celebrity gossip and news - if I found out too much, I'd be severely limited in my film choices.

Please don't tell me if Jason Isaacs or Alan Rickman are scientologists. *rotfl*

[Pathos]

Please don't tell me if Jason Isaacs or Alan Rickman are scientologists. *rotfl*
Is it only scientologists you'd have that issue with?

What if they're just simply assholes? Would you pay to see them then?

And btw...Tom Cruise isn't the only high profile Hollywood scientologist, you know.

John Travolta, Will Smith, the list goes on and on.

There was a whole thread recently about Will Smiths latest movie.

[Ysobelle]

Will Smith?! Aw, crap....


See, this is why I have a problem with Wagner. Brilliant composer, total fucking whack-job racist.

[Lis Elfwench]

Is it only scientologists you'd have that issue with?


Nope. Pretty much anyone who's an asshat. I'm just picking on scientologists because that's the soup of the day on this thread. Scientology is actually not really much of an issue for me...whatever people want to believe, that's their business. It's the couch-jumping, off-the-crazy-chart proclaiming the-loonyness-of-me Tom Cruise brand of Scientology that rubs my nerves raw. If Will Smith has done anything that's objectionable to me personally, I haven't heard about it. And yeah, I'd like it to stay that way - don't tell me if he kicks kittens or went on a drunken anti-semitic rant recently. I still haven't been to see I Am Legend, and I'd like to be able to enjoy it! :snicker:

[renren]

I thought Scientologists don't believe in taking drugs....but he's sure on something. :shock: :shhh: I only watched two minutes. After that my brain started to hurt.


Yeah, mine's hurting from watching that much bull sh*t, too!
*freaky*

[Ysobelle]

I always considered scientologyto be a cult but i followed a link after the video where some guy that writes about cults made said the scientology, though weird, does not rally qualify as a cult, largely because they do not try to separate members from their families or non - scientologists.


Wellll...my friend Kyle wound up with two of his cats when their owners, Scientologists, sold everything they had, dumped the cats, gave all their money to the "religion," and moved to what basically amounted to a Scientology commune.

[Kathryn Blakeley]

Please don't tell me if Jason Isaacs or Alan Rickman are scientologists. *rotfl*

Jason Isaacs is Jewish, I believe. :-D Mostly because of this quote - "Look, I play all these tough guys and thugs and strong, complex characters. In real life, I am a cringing, neurotic Jewish mess. Can't I for once play that on stage?" -to the producers of the stage version of "Angels in America" while auditioning for the part of "Louis.

[Gemdrite]

I still defend him as an actor, though.

Paying to see his movies doesn't make scientology more powerful.

There's too many non-scientology people involved in the process for that.
Heh, that's kinda what I told my gramma when she got mad at me for going to see Sweeney Todd. "Johnny Depp is a horrible person who criticizes the US but has no problem reaping the benefits of his job through its citizens." I said, "So? He makes good movies. If everybody who criticizes America weren't allowed to be here....it'd be a hell of a lot emptier. America ain't perfect. If I worried about every little shit thing celebrities did, I'd never get to see any movies!"

Now I just don't bring it up.

[Lis Elfwench]

Jason Isaacs is Jewish, I believe. :-D Mostly because of this quote - "Look, I play all these tough guys and thugs and strong, complex characters. In real life, I am a cringing, neurotic Jewish mess. Can't I for once play that on stage?" -to the producers of the stage version of "Angels in America" while auditioning for the part of "Louis.

All's right with *my* world, then! *rotfl*

[Phoenix McHeit]

I just can't recall tommy doing much to help anyone with his Scientology powers.


I'm not defending his Scientology beliefs in any way, but I had to correct this misinformation.

He has done quite a lot ... whether this is his belief in Scientology that's doing it, or just his celebrity status being used 'for good', I don't care. He's helped quite a few of our "Men In Blue" ... and women, and red.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,649658,00.html

That article was written in '04, and I think they're up to 4 centers now. Following the Scientology theories or not, it's working & helping people. Results are what matters.

[Lady Brigid]

I think Hubbard always refused to call Scientology a religion, insisting it is a hard science. Hubberd went deliberately went after entertainers so he could get to the fans.


Dynetics was marketed as a self help book but after a lot of people (including well know skeptic Martin Gardner) crtitized it, he decided to call it Scientology and call it a religion. Two immediate benefits; fewer critics (how many people are gonna diss God?) and because it was now under the 1st ammendment protection, income from the books was now tax free. This information comes from a fairly reliable source, writer Harlan Ellison, who I met at a con a few years ago. Someone in the audience (I believe this was just after "Battlefield Earth" had come out and had a LOT of people talking about Travolta's cult connections) had asked him about his long-time aquaintance with Hubbard. He had plenty to say, and not all of it flattering.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Dynetics was marketed as a self help book but after a lot of people (including well know skeptic Martin Gardner) crtitized it, he decided to call it Scientology and call it a religion. Two immediate benefits; fewer critics (how many people are gonna diss God?) and because it was now under the 1st ammendment protection, income from the books was now tax free.

Getting that tax-exemption wasn't automatic though. The IRS initially refused, declaring Scientology primarily a business. But after a systematic campaign of harassment against the IRS and individual IRS agents, they relented and not only gave them the tax-exemption, but the agreement between the Co$ and the IRS was sealed. It was the only secret tax code in the country. It wasn't after numerous court battles that the secret deal was finally made public.

That's what's so scary about the Co$. They're the only organization that actually could make the IRS scared of them. ::tinfoil:

You can real all about Co$ and IRS here: http://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/irs.html


Here's an excerpt from a NYT article (http://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/nytimes.html) on the subject:
The full story of the turnabout by the IRS has remained hidden behind taxpayer privacy laws for nearly four years. But an examination by The New York Times found that the exemption followed a series of unusual internal IRS actions that came after an extraordinary campaign orchestrated by Scientology against the agency and people who work there. Among the findings of the review by The New York Times, based on more than 30 interviews and thousands of pages of public and internal church records, were these:
Scientology's lawyers hired private investigators to dig into the private lives of IRS officials and to conduct surveillance operations to uncover potential vulnerabilities, according to interviews and documents. One investigator said he had interviewed tenants in buildings owned by three IRS officials, looking for housing code violations. He also said he had taken documents from an IRS conference and sent them to church officials and created a phony news bureau in Washington to gather information on church critics. The church also financed an organization of IRS whistle-blowers that attacked the agency publicly.
The decision to negotiate with the church came after Fred T. Goldberg Jr., the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service at the time, had an unusual meeting with Miscavige in 1991. Scientology's own version of what occurred offers a remarkable account of how the church leader walked into IRS headquarters without an appointment and got in to see Goldberg, the nation's top tax official. Miscavige offered to call a halt to Scientology's suits against the IRS in exchange for tax exemptions.
After that meeting, Goldberg created a special committee to negotiate a settlement with Scientology outside normal agency procedures. When the committee determined that all Scientology entities should be exempt from taxes, IRS tax analysts were ordered to ignore the substantive issues in reviewing the decision, according to IRS memorandums and court files.
The IRS refused to disclose any terms of the agreement, including whether the church was required to pay back taxes, contending that it was confidential taxpayer information. The agency has maintained that position in a lengthy court fight, and in rejecting a request for access by The New York Times under the Freedom of Information Act. But the position is in stark contrast to the agency's handling of some other church organizations. Both the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and an affiliate of the Rev. Jerry Falwell were required by the IRS to disclose that they had paid back taxes in settling disputes in recent years.

[Selena]

Hackers respond!

http://mensnewsdaily.com/2008/01/20/church-of-scientology-website-being-attacked%20-by-hackers/

[Lis Elfwench]

Here's an excerpt from a NYT article (http://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/nytimes.html) on the subject:[INDENT]
The full story of the turnabout by the IRS has remained hidden behind taxpayer privacy laws for nearly four years. But an examination by The New York Times found that the exemption followed a series of unusual internal IRS actions that came after an extraordinary campaign orchestrated by Scientology against the agency and people who work there. Among the findings of the review by The New York Times, based on more than 30 interviews and thousands of pages of public and internal church records, were these: [LIST]
Scientology's lawyers hired private investigators to dig into the private lives of IRS officials and to conduct surveillance operations to uncover potential vulnerabilities, according to interviews and documents. One investigator said he had interviewed tenants in buildings owned by three IRS officials, looking for housing code violations. He also said he had taken documents from an IRS conference and sent them to church officials and created a phony news bureau in Washington to gather information on church critics. The church also financed an organization of IRS whistle-blowers that attacked the agency publicly.

Okay, first I was rather terrified by the Scientologists' actions above. Then, I had to laugh. It's kind of poetic that someone turned the IRS' gestapo tactics back on them. For the first time, I'm having a sort of a warm fuzzy feeling toward Scientology!

[Lady Brigid]

Getting that tax-exemption wasn't automatic though. The IRS initially refused, declaring Scientology primarily a business...

Thanks, I've never had that information and it does make a fastinating story. Not to mention confirming that these guys are nuts!

[LdyJhawk]

Travolta is, Smith definitely is not. He is Babtist. Being buddies with cruise, he speaks well of scientology but refused the invitation to join.

Nope. In recent interviews he has admitted to converting to Scientology which he was "introduced to by his good friend Tom Cruise. Smith is Baptist no longer

[Pathos]

Nope. In recent interviews he has admitted to converting to Scientology which he was "introduced to by his good friend Tom Cruise. Smith is Baptist no longer
He gave gifts of coupons for a free Scientology "reading" (or whatever they call it) to the crew of "I Am Legend" when they wrapped.

Of course...it was only good for one reading. The rest they have to pay for.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

He gave gifts of coupons for a free Scientology "reading" (or whatever they call it) to the crew of "I Am Legend" when they wrapped.

Of course...it was only good for one reading. The rest they have to pay for.

Which is really funny, because Co$ gives those first free readings away for free anyway. Anytime you see someone on the street offering you a "free personality test", it's the Co$. Run. ::runfore:


(and of course, the results of that first free reading somehow always comes out such that you are going to need more help from their pay services. Funny that.... :roll: )

[WenchLadyKate]

Which is really funny, because Co$ gives those first free readings away for free anyway. Anytime you see someone on the street offering you a "free personality test", it's the Co$. Run. ::runfore:


(and of course, the results of that first free reading somehow always comes out such that you are going to need more help from their pay services. Funny that.... :roll: )

Oooh, I hate when they're all set up on the subway going from the S to the 6... Hate them soooooooo much!

[DoñaNina]

I took one of those personality tests, once. Apparently I'm very angry at my brother ((NO SHIT?!)) and if I read the book on Dienetics, I'll be on my way to being cured of my bipolar disorder.

Praise Hubbard and all his glory!

[WenchLadyKate]

I took one of those personality tests, once. Apparently I'm very angry at my brother ((NO SHIT?!)) and if I read the book on Dienetics, I'll be on my way to being cured of my bipolar disorder.

Praise Hubbard and all his glory!


When I was like 12 or something, Dianetics came out. I wanted that book so bad... I thought it was about a volcano. My mom bought it for me after getting tired of hearing me beg her for it (it was all over TV). I started reading it. BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! I think I got to page 25 or something before I realized it wasn't quite what I thought it was. It's still hanging around my house somewhere. I didn't know until recently what it actually was. Now I keep it around for entertainment value.

[WenchLadyKate]

You know, L. Ron Hubbard just sounds like a science fiction novelist's name...

[DoñaNina]

I honestly wouldn't have a problem with Scientology if it didn't require so much money and try to get people off of medication that could very easilly be saving their lives.

[Ysobelle]

You know, L. Ron Hubbard just sounds like a science fiction novelist's name...


You know that's cos that's what he did, right? Write scifi novels?

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

You know, L. Ron Hubbard just sounds like a science fiction novelist's name...


He was a science fiction novelist. And not a particularly good one. Then he realized that religion is where the money was.

[WenchLadyKate]

You know that's cos that's what he did, right? Write scifi novels?

He was a science fiction novelist. And not a particularly good one. Then he realized that religion is where the money was.

Really? I had no idea... That explains SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!

[Pathos]

I thought you were being sarcastic, Kate.

L.Ron wasn't that bad. Some of his early stuff was ok. In an old-style silly pulp adventure kind of way.

It was when he started throwing all the social commentary into everything that he started sucking.

[Lady Laurel]

After the Crap with Brook Shields I have no respect for him or his cult religion.

[Ysobelle]

After the Crap with Brook Shields I have no respect for him or his cult religion.

Ding ding ding! I wanted to pop him upside the head for that shit.

[Selena]

Jerry O'Connell doing a parody--- *rotfl*

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3f716ffebe

[Phoenix McHeit]

Jerry O'Connell doing a parody--- *rotfl*

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3f716ffebe
OMFG that was Brilliant!!!