Scientology a cult or a real religion

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[quote="Magnus_Rex"]

Oh how I'd love to do that Go back to the times we relied on ourselves and others, instead of technology. I'm industrialised now though, couldn't live without my computer or phone.

UnvoicedMercy, if you mean to address your comments to a specific member would you please use the conventional method of adding the "@" symbol to their name - eg @Magnus_Rex.
By using only the first half of the BBCode "quote" tag pair it looks like you're incorrectly quoting someone.

Thanks.

My question regarding Scientology is:
What do they worship?
What do they serve?
Do they acknowledge God, or A god?
Do they help others in obedience to God?
What specific rules, as in Christianity's and Judaism's Ten Commandments, and Buddhism's Eightfold Path, do they follow?
What is their teaching regarding an afterlife?

Anybody know?

Sylkat

http://www.scientology.org/what-is-scie ... op_beliefs

There is no difference between a cult and a religion

As one example, cults are good at providing confidence to introverts. After you've gotten into the habit of proselytizing to strangers, you're not likely to be afraid of public speaking anymore. Certainly, cults are harmful in many ways as well. The people who get the most out of cults are probably people who didn't have much to begin with. For example, if you don't really have a family, then you don't need to worry about the cult cutting you off from your family.



Calling a religion a "joke" is usually making a judgment about whether or not its claims are true. That is not the same thing as whether it can help people.

My main concern regarding Scientology is that psychiatry and psychology are presented as phony and/or harmful.
Scientology teaches that Autism does not exist.
This seems to indicate that Asperger's does not exist.
Scientology also teaches that all psychotropic meds and SRIs are harmful in some way and those taking them should stop immediately.
Originally Scientology condemned homosexuality.
Now, it seems that Scientology accepts it.
If only L.Ron Hubbard had authority to formulate policy, who changed this, and by what authority?
In addition, I could not find a clear list of behaviors or commandments as in most other religions, though I did look at the website that Cornflake provided.

Sylkat

Last edited by Sylkat on 30 Dec 2012, 12:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think that it's difficult to say whether Scientology is a valid religion or a bogus cult. The two are not mutually exclusive. It's possible that certain aspects of Scientology have valid merit, while other aspects are complete rubbish. I can think of at least a few Scientology drills that ostensibly improve a person's communication. For example, there is a drill where you are required to sit comfortably in a chair, looking into a person's eyes for an extended period of time. That drill can train you to consistently make eye contact in everyday life.

Does it connect its adherents to anything? That's the only thing that determines whether a phenomenon should be treated as a religion or not.

Dear Valk,
Excellent comment....stunning avatar, too!

Sylkat