Scientology's Nut Job Founder

The Smoking Gun ^ | June 24, 2005

[laishly]

"Show me where in any historical documentation-besides the Bible or Christian texts- that speaks of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

I believe there is a mention in the writings of Josephus, a Jewish writer about the time of Jesus.

[Pharmboy]

---

Josephus' Testimony to Jesus
(Testimonium Flavianum)
Josephus, Antiquities 18. 63-64




The words in ALL CAPS are likely interpolations added by Christian copyists over the centuries in an attempt to make Josephus support faith in Jesus as the Christ. We have only three Greek manuscripts of this section of Josephus, all from the 11th century. These phrases, added rather clumsily, appear to be rather obvious additions even to the modern reader in English. Once restored to its more original reading Josephus offers us a most fascinating reference to Jesus. Indeed, it is the earliest reference to Jesus outside the New Testament, and its rather matter of fact, neutral reporting, makes it all the more valuable to the historian. It is worth noting that in his earlier work, The Jewish War, written shortly after the revolt under the auspices of the Emperor Vespasian, he mentioned neither Jesus, nor John the Baptist, nor James, while in Antiquities, written in the early 90s C.E., he mentions all three. For an excellent discussion of this text see John Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus (Doubleday, 1991), Vol I, pp. 57-88.

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man IF IT BE LAWFUL TO CALL HIM A MAN, for he was a doer of wonders, A TEACHER OF SUCH MEN AS RECEIVE THE TRUTH WITH PLEASURE. He drew many after him BOTH OF THE JEWS AND THE GENTILES. HE WAS THE CHRIST. When Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, FOR HE APPEARED TO THEM ALIVE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY, AS THE DIVINE PROPHETS HAD FORETOLD THESE AND THEN THOUSAND OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT HIM, and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day (Antiquities 18:63-64).

Professor Shlomo Pines found a different version of Josephus testimony in an Arabic version of the tenth century. It has obviously not been interpolated in the same way as the Christian version circulating in the West:


At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. Accordingly they believed that he was the Messiah, concerning whom the Prophets have recounted wonders.

[CaliGirlGodHelpMe]

"This is one of those cults you want to avoid."

Yeah, no kidding. Even a brief, superficial examination of Dianetics reveals that this "religion" is a spiritual, emotional, mental and financial Black Hole.

[raybbr]

Greta's a big scientologist nutjob also.

Greta who?

[Capn TrVth]

"Greta's a big scientologist nutjob also."

Yep yep, I've been watching her like a hawk, hoping she would either comment on Cruise, or someone would ask her about her ties to the Space Clam, she never utters as much as a PEEP about Scientology. (not like she's supposed to) but.....

Not many people know that Greta is involved with this scurrilous cult. It might some to light w/ all Cruise is doing to further ill repute these whackjobs.

[Pharmboy]

van Sustern

[veronica]

Real ironic hearing Tom Cruise condescendingly defame psychiatry as a pseudo science.....

No kidding.

[BlackRain]

"Hey! He was a con artist, not a nut job. The followers are nut jobs."

No. According to historical documents, L. Ron Hubbard was a 'nutjob'.

May a present for your entertainment:

Letter from Hubbard to US Military requesting mental health care.

http://www.clambake.org/archive/ronthenut/beg.htm

F.B.I. investigation files on Hubbard discussing his "possible mental instability and rambling and incoherent nature of his letters.."

http://www.clambake.org/archive/ronthenut/appears-.htm

[Aetius]

Does Hollywood ever portray born again Christians as anything other than kooks?

[infocats]

As Tom Cruise and his Scientology cohorts...

Another day...another dollar...another cult. Why anyone would pay attention to Tom Cruise expounding upon the evils of psychiatry any more than they would about Sean Penn's espousing his political heresy is beyond me.

[TADSLOS]

I know someone who was in Scientology and got out when she realized they want you to believe weirder and weirder things. It is very difficult to get out of it, though. First they try to talk sense into you, and when that fails, all your Scientology friends turn their backs on you and treat you like an enemy. She was officially declared a "Suppressive Person". You can't just be friends who have different religious points of view. This is one of those cults you want to avoid. Even writing negative things about them is dangerous because they will sue anyone who speaks against them.

Has a muslim ring to it.

[muir_redwoods]

Most of them were also considered the son of G-d who were sent to earth to save humanity

[Ladysmith]

IIRC, he died the day before or the day the Challenger blew up on lift-off. I have the Time mag about the Challenger disaster and there's a blurb in there about Elron's death. However, there's a lot of suspicion about his death - how the guy had become a total loon, if he was assisted in his demise (so to speak) and the power control of the whole Org.

[alpha-8-25-02]

thanks,
first smile of the day!

[OldFriend]

In 1993 the Clinton administration declared Scientology a religion and granted them tax exempt status.

[OldFriend]

Christian Scientists have been imprisoned following the death of one or more of their children after having been denied medical attention.

[DoctorMichael]

Whack-job Cult Bump.

[Bear_Slayer]

Vistaril is an antihistamine with anticholinergic and sedative properties My wife takes vistaril. At best it enhances the pain medicine she is taking.

It's not psych medicine.

Taking vistaril might be contrary to Scientlogy teaching, but it is no psych medicine.

[Voir Dire]

Select the choice that does not appear to fit:

a) Jerusalem
b) Kashmir
c) Rome
d) Clearwater, Fl.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Here is an interesting bit on this topic...

Cults and Cosmic Consciousness: Religious Vision in the American 1960s, http://www.bu.edu/arion/paglia_cults00.htm