Anderson Cooper on Scientology

[Beckwin]

I get so mad at consecutive posts and I also like to play derp's advocate for shit posters like ksandra. also my priest really really loves me

I'd say you used to be more interesting, but well, that wouldn't be true.

[Jaybar]

humanity + 0 = degradation

humanity = degradation

idk man, up to you if you wanna make that argument.

Oh logical math, I love that standpoint!

"Scientist rapes little boys and teaches them meaning of life for sucking cocks." Am I doing it right?

[Neosutra]

Because the number of physics teachers raping children and being released of charges by their supervisors = number of catholic priests right?

[Jaybar]

It's just not recorded, because no one wants to hear about scientists. They are nerds and just trying to push their dorky agenda on children. Don't try to skew this. Also lol-celebacy.

[Acturus]

Because the number of physics teachers raping children and being released of charges by their supervisors = number of catholic priests right?

It's entirely possible.

In fact, I believe I've seen more news stories about school teachers molesting children in the last two years than I have catholic clergymen.

[Neosutra]

Ya, but the school teachers raping kids are usually hot mid twenties female teachers raping 12 year old man childs.. Not exactly a tragedy. 45 year old priest ass raping an 8 year old boy.. that's kinda in a different league. Toss in the supreme leader of their church being like "no big deal buddy" and you have some major WTF going on.

[Qalbert]

I think the problem with physicists molesting kids is the Schrodinger's Cat dilemma. Until such time as a rape kit is performed, and observations are made as to whether or not there was molestation, the child exists in a state of being both molested and not molested.

[Neosutra]

Qalbert wins 10 internets.

[Alleya]

You also have the fact that scientists don't depict themselves moral authority then utterly contradict their own beliefs (ordained by God no less) in utter hypocrisy, violating public trust that they vest in themselves by exploiting the public's capacity for benevolent faith.

[archibaldcrane]

Scientology is significantly more exploitative to its average regular members than any other religion (lets say with more members than Scientology).

Just sayin'

[Alleya]

My post wasn't about scientology. Read the thread etc.

I don't really understand this distinction people make for scientology on the basis of the whole pay-to-play thing. Jesus says to give up your belongings, or at least to give 10% of your income to the church. Scientology is just more up front about what the churches use scripture and guilt to get out of you anyway. The free-stress-tests are no different from the baptists who show up at my door to hand out pamphlets about staying away from gays and blacks every spring, or the jehova's witnesses I've thankfully never had to deal with yet. The guilt and ostracizing atheists and other converts can be made to feel in their community really no different from the cult mentality of scientologists.

I suppose you could argue that you have more choice in traditional religions about how much you give and when, but really, that just depends on where you are. There are sects far more restrictive that are given a free pass for things scientology would have national news articles "exposing".

[Beckwin]

Scientology is significantly more exploitative to its average regular members than any other religion (lets say with more members than Scientology).

Just sayin'

in what sense? that they take more money or interfere more with medical treatment? Mormons and Jehova's Witnesses, respectively, would put up a good fight for those titles. Not to mention lots of religions strongly cut ties with anyone who leaves (social ostracizing, etc).

when it comes to serious tragedies/moral inversion, scientology really doesn't come close to the bigger religions.

[Jaybar]

@Alleya

Saint Francis of Assisi and the Franciscans were the only ones that really took the "go forth in poverty" notion extremely literally. Not many other sects will do that to that same extent. What most people do is give some of their wealth to charities or use it to go on missions trips (not the same thing as missionary trips). It's not necessarily something that people feel "forced" to do, but rather they want to do it (noting that there are rich assholes that sit on their gold while preaching the Word).

Tithing is also a hard topic to discuss, simply because some believe it should have been carried over from OT law and others don't. I don't believe it should. The Catholic Church back in the hay days obviously used it, but not anymore (at least where I'm from). Also, giving money during church services is not mandatory, in case you are going to go that route.

[archibaldcrane]

in what sense? that they take more money or interfere more with medical treatment? Mormons and Jehova's Witnesses, respectively, would put up a good fight for those titles. Not to mention lots of religions strongly cut ties with anyone who leaves (social ostracizing, etc).

Yes, those are some of the senses I'm referring to. I think people underestimate the sheer amount of money that most Scientologists are spending here - and the resulting Sea Org-slavery that results when they run out.

@ Bold - Not to the widespread degree of Scientology - some sects of Mormonism, etc. may do it as well or even worse, but as a whole? Eh.

Other religions might, as a whole, perpetrate "greater evil" (if it can be quantified) - but only because their memberships are so vast.

The other thing is, you can't mention (for example) Catholicism without someone's mind immediately going to child-molesting priests. Mormonism for polygamy, etc. People know the general bullet point punchline faults of most religions. Scientology (partly due to its extreme litigious nature and efforts to characterize itself as a religion and/or self-help group depending on what circumstances are required at the moment) sneaks up on people more - which makes programs like this one (in OP) important to raise awareness, despite its limited scope.

Having been personally followed to my car after an anonymous protest that I was videotaping by a couple of Scientologists was honestly the creepiest experience of my entire life. They are crazy, brainwashed, creepy fuckers, and arguing that "well compared to Catholicism they're practically angels!" is willfully ignorant.

[Beckwin]

People are pretty aware that scientologists are batshit crazy; it's constantly parodied and made fun of in media nowadays.

until there's a massive pedophilia cover-up campaign in scientology, I'd still say catholics make them look good. as of now it's mostly just swindling yuppies out of their money and being really bitter with break-ups. speaking of excommunicati- I mean bitter break-ups....

[Ksandra]

I hope beckwin makes the same posts in the thread about the sorcery, molesting priests, muslim extremists, otherwise he's just being a stupid hypocrite.

Oh wait he doesn't.

We have just as many threads bashing other religions as we do scientology, so who gives a shit if I happen to find this one interesting?


Hypocrite.

And no I'm not responding to anything you say because you just ranted and raved as if you didn't know what the fuck you were talking about.

[Beckwin]

we get a lot more threads about other religions; can't expect me to cover them all.

I just have a bone to pick because you're doing all this faux internet outrage shit while muslims are killing people for sorcery, muslim extremists, christian militias plotting rebellion, and catholic priests are molesting boys and covering it up.

fuck you, fix your own fucking house first you hypocritical cunt.

[Melena]

You call her a hypocrite, yet all you do is troll (poorly). In the end I think Ksandra contributes a whole hell of a lot more then you.

[Beckwin]

for 1400 posts you're looking mighty unfamiliar.

not to mention illiterate, as you apparently haven't grasped the reasoning presented as to why she's a hypocrite.

[Melena]

Uh oh, he pulled out the post card count. Ironically after insulting someone for making a comment about your horrible machine gun spam posting. I R trembling in my intraweb boots.