Sorry, scientology Obviously RIDICULOUS From Start

I'm afraid I have to agree with with you. In the end, who falls for their garbage? Nobody forces them to buy their stupid books, pay all their outrageous fees. They entered into this of their own free will.

Costly mistake.

Scientology should NOT be a tax-exempt religion.
Maybe our new president elect, in his infinite wisdom and knowledge, can do something to revoke their tax exempt status. Doubt he cares.

One thing that bothers me is when some say (specifically about the Scientology origin stories, Xenu and all that) "all religions have fantastical origin stories."

Well, ancient religions have fantastical origin stories partly because they were created a couple thousand years ago (or more) when man knew nothing about science.

But Scientology's origin stories were created in the 20th century!

If people could have been persuaded into joining cults like the Manson Family and Heaven's Gate, then a lot more can be persuaded into joining Scientology.

Not just about the money and the OJ cans....but the fact it's written by a SF author! John Travolta even did that horrible flick "Battlefield Earth" written by Hubbard...and Scientologist believe that crap!

Could you image a 'religion' born out of the works of Isaac Asimov? Or Ray Bradbury?

agree,..

one can kind of see how those who were born into it or brought into it when they were very young by their family and this is all they knew/know,.. however, for those who were adults who got into it? that's a whole other story, even more so the celebs whose entire lives are based on their reputation and who and what they are involved in and who never ever ever even thought much less DID look into what they were getting involved in? that defies belief...FIRST FACT: you going to get involved and live your life by a secretive little sect of a religion that was invented by a science fiction writer! BAM! BOOM!...(and never mind, what kind of person he really was!?! course some will say that the whole truth about him and scientology wasn't known until recent years, which is BULL! the truth about both was always out there for people to find out if they truly truly wanted to or tried! it's like saying and using the excuse "well before the internet we didn't know anything! oh brother! yeah, how did we all know and learn anything before the internet was created! how did we all survive!!!)...

i will say though that how they supposedly suck people in, is that the very beginning "cheap" courses/classes are all supposedly very helpful and self help stuff....and that is how they suck people in from the start, until they go further and further and pay more and pay more until they are truly sucked in whether thru brainwashing or the fact that they don't want to admit they were indeed suckered in and fooled and they have spent so much time and money already, they can't go back and so on..

of course, the truth is that anything that is helpful in those early beginning courses/classes of self help are ALL STUFF one could find in a 10 dollar self help book and having a great friend you can talk to about anything... anything in those courses/classes that "work" is also common sense and stuff that was ON PURPOSE STOLEN BY THE FOUNDER FROM PREVIOUS BEFORE HIM SELF HELP WORK THAT HE ON PURPOSE RE-WORDED, CHANGED WORDS AROUND, CREATED NEW WORDS TO MAKE IT SOUND SO UNIQUE, ORIGINAL AND EVEN "TECHIE" AND TO MAKE IT AND FOR HIM TO CLAIM IT AS HIS OWN BRILLIANT WORK! END OF STORY!

It does appear to be complete nonsense but no more so than any other religion when you think about it just because most peoples religions are 2000 and 1500 years older than theirs, it all comes down to a bunch of guys lying to get people to give them money.

So's Trump, but morons fell for that one, too

I feel the same about Christianity. Or any religion for that matter. But religion is a stable of society, a natural thing in a way, and Scientology is no different or any more incredible than the rest. You just get desensitized to how crazy Christian mythology is.