Column.
Posted on 11/14/2005 6:24:28 PM PST by null and void
Dunno. That is not something that has wide currency inside the church. I'm more inclined to believe it was on a bet.
If you are no longer a scientologist, or whatever, what do you see youself as? Buddhist, Christian, agnostic, aethist?
The best way I can describe it is by analogy to 'blind sight' where someone has no conscious awareness of seeing, yet they can flawlessly navigate a cluttered room.
I have faith, but I don't feel faith.
Although I do not regard myself as a Christian, I do my best to live by Christian principles. Although I mostly don't believe in God, I try to follow His commandments as best I can. I believe in the End Times, not so much because they are in the Bible, but because of the inertia of a couple millennia of people believing them. I have moral clarity the Satan does exist, and that his works are enjoying near full flower. I know what side I'm on (or more accurately, which side I'm against) in the final battle, yet I don't expect any eternal reward for my service. I expect nothing more than yet another turn of the wheel of life. I suppose I've got a touch of pantheism, as I can see a splinter of the divine in everything. As near as I can figure we live in a wondrous universe, that is utterly devoid of any morality or evil that we don't (or some other agency doesn't) put there.
I haven't really been looking for a replacement practice, either. For some reason that is even more uncomfortable than where I am currently.
Were I looking, I probably would ignore what is said by or about any particular practice, I think the best I could do is know the tree by its fruits.
And if you, Sensei, can make ant sense of all that, please explain it to me...
"Of wisdom generally, I haven't all that much to declare. I find myself more impressed by the mysteries of life and more certain that most of the interesting questions it poses have no persuasive answers, or at least none likely to arrive before I depart the planet. I haven't even settled the question of whether I believe in God. I try to act as if God exists--that is, the prospects of guilt and shame and the moral endorphins that good conduct brings still motivate me to act as decently as I'm able. I suffer, then, some of the fear of religion without any of the enjoyment of the hope it brings. I don't, meanwhile, have a clue about why there is suffering in the world, whether there is an afterlife, or how to explain acts of truly grand altruism or unprofitable evil. You live and you learn, the proverb has it; but in my case, You live and you yearn seems closer to it."
Hi everyone. Please forgive my abstracting all of your names from up thread, but, each of you has expressed some interest in scientology, or had someone who thought that you might have some interest ping you.
Recently I bumped into an old scientology friend. He is still in the church, and knows I’m not.
Anyway, in the course of our conversation, he let me know that all the scientology materials have been rewritten to ‘correct all the errors the transcriptionist and editors have introduced into The Tech’.
There are several possible translations of this, not the least of which is everyone gets to buy all new books...
It’s also possible that The Tech is being altered to better control the members.
We could speculate on this and while away endless hours, but that’s not why I pinged you all.
This upgrade was announced in a big event at Flag, their world headquarters. There is a DVD of this event. He gave me a couple copies, and said I could get more from him if I wanted to pass them on to my friends (as in, but not explicitly stated, all those other guys who left when I did).
I watched all 3 hours of this event. It wasn’t all that different from any other generic scientology event in my experience.
Since it is so typical of scientology, and I can get free copies, I’d like to offer my services as a go between to get a copy to anyone who is interested.
It’s an opportunity to see scientology as it sees itself, without getting on the damnable mailing list.
I think most of you will find it - what? Amusing? Illuminating? Frightening?
If any of you are interested, FReepmail me, and I’ll see if I really can round up copies for all.
My interest in LRon’s cash cow could fit on the point of a pin.
I paid close attention to the McPherson situation when it was at it's hottest, and I saw Scientologists stalking participants in a candlelight vigil at the Clearwater compound and peppering them with insults. A Current Affair cameras captured one Scientologist blowing out the candles. Tom Davis, the son of actress Anne Archer and a Sea Org member , harassed and provoked a BBC reporter into a screaming rant that made him look just as nuts as the Scientologists.
What is the strategy behind being so maddog rude? The only ones who react worse to criticism are Islamists.
Uh, I forgot to tell you all the name of the DVD:
“Golden Age of Knowledge for ETERNITY”
Subtitle, “The Event that Changed Scientology Forever”
Whatever...
The "zorch"? I thought that was from an old I Love Lucy -- one where Lucy pretends a plethora of symptoms (including amnesia) to persuade Ricky to let her be in a show. Ricky finds out it's all phony and calls an old show biz pal to pretend to be a doctor. He tells Lucy it's her zorch, which might have to come out if it's not too late. Really!
Column.
Or, why does Tom Cruise jump on couches?
If he were at this event he’d be jumping up and down like a school girl...
This is very interesting thanks.
Like most cults people get caught in a web that is difficult to escape from.
Where are you now spiritually?
Somewhere.
See post #243.
Or maybe #187...
This is beginning to sound like the JFK script...
So two conspiracy theorists die and go to Heaven.
After they’ve been the a few weeks, who should they bump into on the gold paved streets but God himself.
They get to talking and finally one says, “Uh, God, could you tell me who really shot JFK?”
God looks him in the eye and says, “Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, shot JFK.” He continues, “Jack Ruby, acting alone, shot Lee Harvey Oswald.”
Dead silence.
The two conspiracy theorists look at each other. Finally one says,
“The conspiracy is deeper than we thought...”
I’ll have to remember that one ;o)
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