LostInEmulation
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Joined: 10 Feb 2008
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,047
Location: Ireland, dreaming of Germany
03 Jan 2009, 10:38 am
03 Jan 2009, 11:07 am
The Catholic Church is looking a lot better now, isn't it? 
03 Jan 2009, 11:37 am
slowmutant wrote:
The Catholic Church is looking a lot better now, isn't it?
Right. Pedagogy with pedophilia and Mr.Madoff are nothing compared to Scientology
Chibi_Neko
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Joined: 23 Oct 2007
Age: 42
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Location: Newfoundland, Canada
03 Jan 2009, 1:24 pm
03 Jan 2009, 1:32 pm
electric_black wrote:
Argh its late and im having trouble finding the right words to describe something thats fascinated for some while. Maybe i can show you what i mean by quoting some of the things he had to say on the subject of satire, he was fanatical about it. He goes into great detail on the origins and breakthroughs in satire throughout history.... he's made a breakthrough of his own that im sure some day will be mentioned alongside the roman/greek poets that he was so fond of. He made a lasting impression on the world.... he created a new medium for satire.... that fuels itself. All he had to do was light the fire then sit back and have a giggle about it.
...
So to summarise, i reckon scientology aside from being a big scam is his greatest work of satire and scientologies followers provide an awesome parody of religious nuts..... who believe in lord xenu.....
...
So to summarise, i reckon scientology aside from being a big scam is his greatest work of satire and scientologies followers provide an awesome parody of religious nuts..... who believe in lord xenu.....
I want to agree, because that would be the most awesome scam ever... but the extreme anti-psychiatry bias makes me wonder. If he was just taking the piss, I don't think he would have done anything that had the potential to cause serious harm.
_________________
Diagnosed but unconvinced... I reckon I'm just a rude and arrogant wierdo
03 Jan 2009, 2:47 pm
03 Jan 2009, 4:04 pm
03 Jan 2009, 4:15 pm
03 Jan 2009, 4:25 pm
03 Jan 2009, 4:28 pm
03 Jan 2009, 9:15 pm
03 Jan 2009, 11:02 pm
04 Jan 2009, 1:48 am
04 Jan 2009, 3:09 am
04 Jan 2009, 3:53 am
04 Jan 2009, 4:26 am
electric_black wrote:
Gromit wrote:
Crocodile wrote:
I've read several things about it on the internet, some saying it's a great, rational religion, some saying it's a dangerous cult that wants to control its members totally, or even the world. I'm not sure who to believe. What do you think?
I read that Hubbard started scientology about a year after saying to a friend that the way to get rich was to start a religion. I read a little about the tenets of scientology, and it made me suspect that Hubbard deliberately designed the most ridiculous cult he could think of, perhaps on the principle that people who could believe this rubbish deserved to be parted from their money. An essential element of scientology is that you pay to advance to the next rank and be introduced to the next level of the doctrine.
My thoughts exactly.
I'd like to let loose a few of my vague opinions on scientology and L.Ron hubbard. Im just speculating here so dont amp up if you think im crazy lol.
After reading one of his books 'mission earth' and getting a feel for his style of satire i've become of the opinion that scientology was, aside from being a way for him to get rich, Hubbards ultimate creation of satire. He created a religion so ridiculous that it is itself form of satire, passing off the ultimately ridiculous and unbelievable as fact with fanatical and obnoxious conviction. Even now, long after his death, what he started continues to live on and forever illustrate just how gullible and malleable stupid people can be. His followers are caricatures. A sheep running with a herd of crazies will follow them off of a cliff...
Scientology is a parody of other religions similar to the satirical style of Stephen Colbert. His followers will relentlessly and obnoxiously defend their beliefs in the face of logic and truth and refer to the so called facts in their book (dianetics, much like the bible to christians) to try and justify their ridiculous beliefs.
He loves his espionage. Loves writing from the viewpoint of the 'bad guy'... the greedy and manipulativey foil to the clueless but beloved hero. The cowardly puppet master who always hides his cards and sneers at happy and malleable people around him.
Argh its late and im having trouble finding the right words to describe something thats fascinated for some while. Maybe i can show you what i mean by quoting some of the things he had to say on the subject of satire, he was fanatical about it. He goes into great detail on the origins and breakthroughs in satire throughout history.... he's made a breakthrough of his own that im sure some day will be mentioned alongside the roman/greek poets that he was so fond of. He made a lasting impression on the world.... he created a new medium for satire.... that fuels itself. All he had to do was light the fire then sit back and have a giggle about it.
-quotes coming later, im thumbing through this book trying to find the bits i had in mind.
Science Fiction and Satire wrote:
George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945) is funnier if you know communism, unless you happen to be a communist. But the targets of satire are always the last to laugh. due to various personal reasons, they cannot see the joke. But satire is not written for them. It is written for others so that, like the fable, they can see that the "emperor has no clothes". That is why Satire is fun.
.....
Although satire is sometimes identified with comedy and certainly it can be funny - it is essentially concerned with exposing some flaw or excess.
........
.....
Although satire is sometimes identified with comedy and certainly it can be funny - it is essentially concerned with exposing some flaw or excess.
........
So to summarise, i reckon scientology aside from being a big scam is his greatest work of satire and scientologies followers provide an awesome parody of religious nuts..... who believe in lord xenu.....
Interesting, what you wrote here. I think it might be possible, but thereis a big BUT. My mother believes all sorts of spiritistic nonsense. Sopmetimes I looked in one of her books, in which one of them a man claims to have spoken to Toth and that we are all victims of secret nasty UN scams including chemtrails. This man sold a lot of books, (calls himself Drunvalo Melchizedek) and I knew immediately he was a fraud. Come on, there can't be any sane person that believes he has spoken to an ancient Egyptian god.Though many people take him seriously, believe him, buy his books. His lying apparently works very well for him. This one is a lying fraud, I'm totally sure. I'm wondering how my mother is able to believe that rubbish. He must have guts to publish that. I know I'd never, I'd think everyone'd see that it's complete nonsense.
She has other books, from which I believe are from sincere people. It's complete bullsh*t, but from their writing style and written down spiritual experiences I know they're not lying, just delusional.
I don't know to which group Hubbard belongs. If you're right and it's satirical, his other books should be good, since he has the idea of doing this. Satire is mosly a thing for the more intelligent. I've read his books are rubbish, which suggests he might be serious. I don't know, I've never read anything of him. What I'm trying to say is that some people actually believe such things. I know a guy who is absolutely certain he's abducted by aliens. It can be that sone people, Hubbard for instance, actually are sincere.
Maybe he just wanted to get money and didn't mind satire at all. All possibilities. Your thought is interesting, really. It reminds me of these spiritistic scams and frauds. They know the subject is ''hot'', and know too how to get money out of it.
