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Inside Scientology (Rolling Stone expose of $cientology a must read!)
Rolling Stone ^ | 2-23-06 | JANET REITMAN

Posted on 02/24/2006 11:05:41 AM PST by Central Scrutiniser

Inside Scientology

Unlocking the complex code of America's most mysterious religion

The faded little downtown area of Clearwater, Florida, has a beauty salon, a pizza parlor and one or two run-down bars, as well as a bunch of withered bungalows and some old storefronts that look as if they haven't seen customers in years. There are few cars and almost no pedestrians. There are, however, buses -- a fleet of gleaming white and blue ones that slowly crawl through town, stopping at regular intervals to discharge a small army of tightly organized, young, almost exclusively white men and women, all clad in uniform preppy attire: khaki, black or navy-blue trousers and crisp white, blue or yellow dress shirts. Some wear pagers on their belts; others carry briefcases. The men have short hair, and the women keep theirs pulled back or tucked under headbands that match their outfits. No one crosses against the light, and everybody calls everybody else "sir" -- even when the "sir" is a woman. They move throughout the center of Clearwater in tight clusters, from corner to corner, building to building.

This regimented mass represents the "Sea Organization," the most dedicated and elite members of the Church of Scientology. For the past thirty years, Scientology has made the city of Clearwater its worldwide spiritual headquarters -- its Mecca, or its Temple Square. There are 8,300 or so Scientologists living and working in Clearwater -- more than in any other city in the world outside of Los Angeles. Scientologists own more than 200 businesses in Clearwater. Members of the church run schools and private tutoring programs, day-care centers and a drug-rehab clinic. They sit on the boards of the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Boy Scouts.

(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...


TOPICS: Philosophy
KEYWORDS: 2creepy2breligion; cult; flakes; flimflam; notareligion; nuts; scam; scientology
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To: Central Scrutiniser

A neighbor and her husband moved out of Clearwater 6 years ago because Scientology had absolutely infected and taken over the town and its politics.

My brother and his boss were involved in the Scientology v Lisa McPherson case and both had bodyguards for 2+ years. Scientologists are VERY scary people. I think it's Germany which has banned the practice of that religion in their country.


21 posted on 02/24/2006 11:16:14 AM PST by Peach
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To: nickcarraway

I think Rolling Stone can hold its own against the $cientology lawyers. These wackos in Clearwater harrass people who post on the internet against them, even unlawfully attempting to gain access to ISP records by intimidation -- without court orders. They stop people from speaking out through pure 100% intimidation. They will sue people until they go broke.


22 posted on 02/24/2006 11:17:17 AM PST by TommyDale
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To: Central Scrutiniser
These materials, which the Church of Scientology has long struggled to keep secret, were published online by a former member in 1995 and have been widely circulated in the mainstream media, ranging from The New York Times to last year's South Park episode. They assert that 75 million years ago, an evil galactic warlord named Xenu controlled seventy-six planets in this corner of the galaxy, each of which was severely overpopulated. To solve this problem, Xenu rounded up 13.5 trillion beings and then flew them to Earth, where they were dumped into volcanoes around the globe and vaporized with bombs. This scattered their radioactive souls, or thetans, until they were caught in electronic traps set up around the atmosphere and "implanted" with a number of false ideas -- including the concepts of God, Christ and organized religion. Scientologists later learn that many of these entities attached themselves to human beings, where they remain to this day, creating not just the root of all of our emotional and physical problems but the root of all problems of the modern world.

Remember this next time Tom Cruise goes on a talk show and claims that Christianity and Scientology are compatible and that you can be both.

23 posted on 02/24/2006 11:18:15 AM PST by wideawake
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To: PetroniusMaximus

Yes, and their "cross" is the one Crowley invented, or inverted


24 posted on 02/24/2006 11:18:18 AM PST by zeeba neighba (Onward into the fog, dear evolutionaries, there's tapioca just ahead!)
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To: Central Scrutiniser

Ping for later


25 posted on 02/24/2006 11:18:21 AM PST by kublia khan (Absolute war brings total victory)
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To: Jack Wilson
Not sure what you would call it, but not religion.

You'd call it a money-making scam to deprive wealthy megalomaniacs of their cash, but I was just being polite since they wanna call it a religion.

I don't want to be accused of making fun of anybody.

26 posted on 02/24/2006 11:18:43 AM PST by FormerLib (Kosova: "land stolen from Serbs and given to terrorist killers in a futile attempt to appease them.")
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To: oyasuminasai

Give L.Ron some credit...he was a science fiction writer above all other things. The guy could have easily written Star Trek episodes or been one of the best science writers of the century...and instead...he gleefully started a whacked up religion as a joke...and it just never did stop. No fool today could mount this kind of episode and hope to carry it on. Look around...most of these guys all get into tax trouble today or their members end up committing suicide. L.Ron was years ahead of his time.


27 posted on 02/24/2006 11:18:50 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: Central Scrutiniser

Bookmark


28 posted on 02/24/2006 11:18:50 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: pepsionice

Given where L Ron is today, I think he would like to have a "do over."


29 posted on 02/24/2006 11:19:48 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Central Scrutiniser
There are few cars...

Not entirely true, but even if it were it's primarily because Clearwater finally got a bypass bridge in so traffic to the beach doesn't have to go through downtown. Until a few months ago it was a constant traffic jam.

Sitting here about a mile from downtown.

30 posted on 02/24/2006 11:20:13 AM PST by Restorer
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To: Central Scrutiniser

I'm not sure if those folks need to grow some balls or brains first.


31 posted on 02/24/2006 11:20:21 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Central Scrutiniser
"...it gives you a pretty good overview of this cult. People are trapped by these nuts!"

You could ditto that in many more parts of the world with Islam.

32 posted on 02/24/2006 11:22:03 AM PST by TheClintons-STILLAnti-American (It isn't Right vs Left anymore but Right vs WRONG)
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To: zeeba neighba
Founded by two satanists, Hubbard and Jack Parsons, followers of Crowley

Actually, Parsons had nothing to do with the founding of Scientology, unless you count having your money and wife stolen by Hubbard as "founding" it.

Nor were either Satanists. Parsons definitely had a dark streak to him, and was affiliated with Crowley's occult order, but he was never a Satanist.

There are a number of interesting biographies on Parsons, I reccommend "Sex and Rockets".
33 posted on 02/24/2006 11:23:02 AM PST by augggh (Falsehood is invariably the child of fear in one form or another. - AC)
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To: zeeba neighba

Both members of Golden Dawn branches.


34 posted on 02/24/2006 11:23:14 AM PST by kallisti
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To: augggh

If you say so


35 posted on 02/24/2006 11:24:17 AM PST by zeeba neighba (Onward into the fog, dear evolutionaries, there's tapioca just ahead!)
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To: Central Scrutiniser

From your excerpt, I see nothing that is "chilling", just Leftists resentment of whites in khakis.

(Rolling Stone's website sucks as bad as their magazine - it won't load...)

Of course -- if one mentions blacks in khakis or anything but Fubu, and then see how angry and paranoid a democrat gets...


36 posted on 02/24/2006 11:25:14 AM PST by SteveMcKing
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To: TommyDale
"These wackos in Clearwater harrass people who post on the internet against them, even unlawfully attempting to gain access to ISP records by intimidation -- without court orders. They stop people from speaking out through pure 100% intimidation. They will sue people until they go broke.

Another instance where the statements apply equally to Islam.

At least I haven't heard of Scientologists using violence yet, though. To their credit, so far they separate themselves in their censorship efforts from Islam in that way.

37 posted on 02/24/2006 11:26:04 AM PST by TheClintons-STILLAnti-American (It isn't Right vs Left anymore but Right vs WRONG)
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To: Central Scrutiniser

Ping to self for later reading.


38 posted on 02/24/2006 11:26:36 AM PST by Kaylee Frye
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To: zeeba neighba
If you say so

Not me, but the many biographers of Parsons say so.

He's a fascinating character, regardless of the darkness he dabbled in. Our aerospace program wouldn't have gotten off the ground without his work.
39 posted on 02/24/2006 11:26:51 AM PST by augggh (Falsehood is invariably the child of fear in one form or another. - AC)
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To: pepsionice

On a bet actually not just as a joke.


40 posted on 02/24/2006 11:27:49 AM PST by oyasuminasai
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