In the News II

Quote: missedhervee

A big trial as whether Scientology is a fraud is about to start in Portland.

https://www.wweek.com/archive/2024/12/14/a-cult-goes-on-trial/

Is there something in Scientology that hasn't been done at some point in other religions? What contradictions, money making schemes, inquisitions, or fraudulent leaders disqualifies it? AFAICT, the only thing that ends them is when people all leave, quit, or someone can successfully kill off all the members.

Scientology is not worse than many other cults, but I would call it a cult

yes, it requires a value judgement to say ' a cult is bad, mainstream religion good' . However, you can name some bad cults all can agree on, like the Jim Jones one.

Quote: GenoDRPh

Can they take a picture of my roof? I want to know what kind of shape it's in, and I don't like to get up on ladders to check myself.

Many roofing companies and insurance companies are using drones for exactly that reason.

Quote: odiousgambit

Scientology is not worse than many other cults, but I would call it a cult

yes, it requires a value judgement to say ' a cult is bad, mainstream religion good' . However, you can name some bad cults all can agree on, like the Jim Jones one.

A cult is just a small religion that is annoying to the main religions and secular people. Your family member rejects the god Jupitar leaves his good job to join a guy wandering saying he is the son of god, who eventually commits suicide by cop. Your family member gets arrested by the government and thrown in jail for it.
and claims new beliefs and doesn't want to follow the family beliefs.

Quote: rxwine

A cult is just a small religion that is annoying to the main religions and secular people. Your family member rejects the god Jupitar leaves his good job to join a guy wandering saying he is the son of god, who eventually commits suicide by cop. Your family member gets arrested by the government and thrown in jail for it.
and claims new beliefs and doesn't want to follow the family beliefs.

I knew you would not want to make a value judgement. Perhaps I should 'leave it alone', but I have to say your example is really weird

In the case of Mormonism, I'd say it's an example of a cult that later became an acceptable religion. The mendacity of Scientology is so deep I think there is no hope

Christmas time, 1976: I hitch hiked to the Bay Area: hadn't been there before.

Got off BART in the heart of downtown SF: I was immediately surrounded by weirdos singing xmas carols.

I was going to blow them off when a woman told me "Watch out...they're Moonies!"

Curious, I responded to them and let them "pick me up" and take me to their HQ.

Weird day: they watched me like a hawk, followed me when I walked the neighborhood, and I helped them prepare a blah vegetarian meal which was followed by recruiting speeches.

It got late; I said "time to go" and they damn near kept me prisoner, insisting I get in their van for transportation to their rural property...uh, no thanks.

A tense moment but with me being 6' 4" and 240 they knew better than to push it.

A strange yet oddly memorable xmas day.

Quote: odiousgambit

I knew you would not want to make a value judgement. Perhaps I should 'leave it alone', but I have to say your example is really weird

In the case of Mormonism, I'd say it's an example of a cult that later became an acceptable religion. The mendacity of Scientology is so deep I think there is no hope

It’s because I was so used to it when I was growing up, that I never thought it was weird, but one time Michael (the wizard) brought up how weird it was that people symbolized eating the body of Christ and drinking his blood. That actually is bizarre. You’re free to explain why it isn’t weird and why it sounds so normal. A talking bush? And some endorse snake handling, drinking poison. Funny how most people don’t want to test that one. Holy rollers, being consumed with emotion, speaking in tongues. Purgatory, etc., etc.

I won't argue that this stuff isn't weird when you think about it. But I don't think it's the standard for 'cult or not cult'

I suppose someone could name a cult that's unobjectionable in its practices and also free of weirdness. I can't.

Quote: missedhervee

Christmas time, 1976: I hitch hiked to the Bay Area: hadn't been there before.

Got off BART in the heart of downtown SF: I was immediately surrounded by weirdos singing xmas carols.

I was going to blow them off when a woman told me "Watch out...they're Moonies!"

Curious, I responded to them and let them "pick me up" and take me to their HQ.

Weird day: they watched me like a hawk, followed me when I walked the neighborhood, and I helped them prepare a blah vegetarian meal which was followed by recruiting speeches.

It got late; I said "time to go" and they damn near kept me prisoner, insisting I get in their van for transportation to their rural property...uh, no thanks.

A tense moment but with me being 6' 4" and 240 they knew better than to push it.

A strange yet oddly memorable xmas day.

That sounds awesome. I would have loved to do something like that.

Now Trump is suing the Des Moines Register and Ann Seltzer for election fraud and election interference for the fake poll that she posted there. He is also suing CBS News and 60 minutes for them doctoring the camel face interview they did. He's suing them for election interference. This is why the Press is scared to death of him now because he's going to sue people and he's going to win some and he's going to lose some but it's going to cost them a fortune to go to court. So if people think this is going to be 2016 all over again, Dream On.