After taking a recent beating in the press the Church of Scientology is engaged in damage control. Trying to polish its tarnished image, the religion developed by L Ron Hubbard is giving a big push to a television commercial extolling the supposed virtues of Scientology.
The church is reeling from a recent profile of former member Paul Haggis. The profile is extensive and exhaustive, detailing Scientology crimes and misdemeanors, incriminating the secretive Sea Org, and making allegations of slave labor and human trafficking.
The long (two minutes) commercial has been given national air time during The Today Show on CBS. At two minutes long, the ad is hard to miss. The TV commercial is an attempt to promote its social programs such as “mental health reform” and “criminal reform” which — it claims — reach 2.2 million people every day.
The recent allegations against Scientology came to light in the recently released profile of former Church of Scientology member Canadian writer-director Paul Haggis, a profile written by Lawrence Wright entitled "Apostate: Paul Haggis vs. the Church of Scientology."
The ad claims the Church of Scientology sponsors social programs that reach 2,208,975 people every day: Tutoring, mentoring, drug education, human rights education, drug rehabilitation, criminal reform, and mental health reform—in 189 nations.
Comments
Good to have another view to this story.
Sure is good to see something positive about Scientology for once!
Yup, they sure do make good commercials!
That video should do a lot to overcome the negative image that Scientology has due to it's founder L Ron Hubbard faking his war record and claiming to have had war injuries even though he never saw combat, claimed to have won medals that he was never awarded and claimed to have a degree in Nuclear Physics when he actually dropped out of College!
This video will totally win over the people who think Scientology is just about space aliens that were brought to Earth (they called it Teegeeack!) by the evil Overlord Xenu.
Heck no! Scientology is about helping people get those invisible body thetans off - Buzz off, Thetan! Vroooom!
So yeah, good to see the other side of Scientology, see this video, it's got a lot of great wisdom on L Ron Hubbard in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZobrQF9p108&feature=related
They should do another one showing what drives these people (Scientology philosophy):
Scientology Religion
The Scientology religion was founded by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed by Scientologists in Los Angeles in 1954. Today the religion spans the globe with more than 9,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups in 165 countries.
The word Scientology is taken from the Latin word scio, which means “knowing in the fullest meaning of the word,” and the Greek word logos, meaning “study of.” It literally means “knowing how to know.”
Scientology holds that Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized. He is basically good, and his spiritual salvation depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.
L. Ron Hubbard discovered that a person is neither a body nor a mind but is a spiritual being, independent of both. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results. The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for the individual.
You're so right Jeffrey. For further information about this wonderful religion, people might want to visit www.xenu.net.
That's right Jeffrey, Scientology works by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results. So did the Nazi's, and look how that turned out.
Right on, Jeffrey! But lets get the full picture: Hubbard lied about every aspect of his life. Especially, but limited to being a war hero (WW2). He wasn't. Never saw combat! I was told he was blinded and crippled after the war and had been "raked across the back with machine gun fire." All lies. I was told he had a degree in Math & Engineering and was a nuclear physicist. All lies. He flunked out of college.
Hubbard was an enthusiastic practitioner of Satanism and black magic in Pasadena, CA., during the 1940s. The cross that this cult uses is the cross the Great Satanist, Alister Crowley used, It's a crossed out cross, or church of the double cross.
I'm old OT7. Formally the highest level attainable. After OT3 it's all about "body thetans" or disembodies alien spirits that are attached to your body. Hubbard said that every man woman and child on earth has between 2,000 & 3,000 (more of you're rich!) of these alien space parasites attached to your body or floating around it. And for between $500 and $1,000 PER HOUR, they will help you contact and get rid of these space cooties. Seriously, I"m not kidding.
Scientology, simply put is a : mind bending, brain washing, family destroying (official policy), financial ruining, First Amendment hating, U.S. government hating (just like Al Qeada!), public school infiltrating (scary!), criminal enterprise cult with Satanic and black magic roots.
...but, hey, find out for yourself! Or not...
Hey Jeffrey! Nice bio on this greatest of humanitarians! Truly, mankind's best friend! But shouldn't we talk about the "core beliefs" of this church so people can understand what they're getting themselves into?
Go to: www.xenu.net. Scroll down the home page to the very bottom where it says, "Always Remember to Laugh." Click on "South Park Takes On Scientology." Let it ramp up and enjoy the show! Why does this "church" keep this information secret until you've handed over about $100,000? Because of they told you upfront what they actually believe, you'd be ROTFLYAO (Roll on the floor laughing your a** off!). After which you'd be walking out the door with all of your bank accounts still intact.
This scam will go down in history as the biggest in the20th century extending into the 21st.
The asthmatic, psychotic dwarf that runs the show now has back off claiming 10 million members. The true numbers? Probably no more than 40,000 worldwide. The internet is their downfall. Let the collapse continue!
I loved that video. I was pretty impressed. I had no idea they do so much, and I really liked the way it was put together. I wasn't all that impressed with the New Yorker article, and frankly I think all the press has been ridiculous. How many times can you read the same story? What I don't understand is this. It didn't get much coverage when Haggis first left two years ago, so why now. I figure it's the FBI hook but nobody has come up with anything conclusive on that either -- he says she says.
Totally agree agathat. I thought scientology was an evil cult that uses child labour, tears families apart, treats low-grade sci-fi as scripture, etc. Now I realise it's all about helping people. Where do I sign up?
I think I will go straight to the nearest Scientology center right now and take a stress test to find out exactly what my "ruin" is, and which book I can buy and which course I can take right now to sort out my damaged life!
Then, once I am hooked on auditing and being shocked with low voltage stimulation (e-meter) I will be ready to empty out my bank account to buy my way "up the bridge" and then I can join the Sea Org and sign a billion year contract to serve Scientology.
And then David Miscavige can beat me and punch me and kick me, and maybe lock me up in a trailer in the desert. But that's okay because I'll be able to talk to my body thetans and tell them to buzz off, "Zooooom!" just like L Ron Hubbard.
Oh my Xenu, there's more! They're all over me! Get them off me... AhhhhhHH!
When you say "Scientology holds that Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime" does that mean Scientologists get to remember who they were before?
No, exactly the opposite. They forget who they were before. People with family ties, open minds, moral principles, aspirations to help others and improve themselves. They become scientologists.
The 'church' is a cult. I feel lucky to have escaped while retaining most of my family and friends. They will suck you dry of your money, your liberty, and your present relationships.
My son didn't escape and we lost him to mental breakdown and defining his family as his enemies. That was over 20 years ago, and he's still lost to us.
They "The Church of Scientology" should not be advertising for new customers. If they had any smarts they would realize that any and all publicity should be avoided at this time. But, I don't think they get it. This is just the beginning-of the end, for Scientology!
"The ad claims the Church of Scientology sponsors social programs that reach 2,208,975 people every day"
That's roughly how many people take airplane flight per day in the US. Go to an airport and see how many people are there. Scientologists really expect us to believe they are as busy as that? All their locations would be common knowledge due to the vast number of people and roads that would have to be set up to handle all the traffic to Scientology "Churches". Scientologists are liars.
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2,208,975 people per day? What nonsense. Doesn't the USA have a body similar to the Advertising Standards Authority, to filter out such blatant untruths?
The American Religious Identification Survey, ARIS showed that the Scientology cult had just 55,000 members in 2001, and this had fallen to 25,000 victims by 2008. Scientology is in a death spiral, and no glossy TV campaign is going to change that. Its leadership have never seemed to grasp the idea that when you're in a hole, you stop digging!
agathat, you're a Scientologist, right? OSA internet patroller or something along those lines?
You nailed everyone of their talking points.
The Mexican drug cartels would put commercial with puppy-dogs and nice old ladies who look like your grandma, if they could.
Scientology is very good at destroying families and ruining lives with "fair game" and "disconnection", not to mention labeling and beastifying anyone critical as a "suppressive person." It's lofty goal and good deeds are a smoke screen to hide what they really want - your money, your time, and your very soul. Become informed at xenu.net.
A lawless cult doing damage control. lulz
All I can say, is that what I've read about scientology brings it on par with the Church of Jim Jones. It's fascinating, but can't figure out what compels one to join after hearing these stories. I feel really sad for the children who had no choice but to be brought up this way.
Federal authorities need to raid this cult's "re-education" camp NOW. There are people being held against their will, most likely some are children. What the hell is the FBI waiting for? Just outrageous that these ruthless bullies not only engage in such brutal human rights abuses, but that our government has given them tax-exempt status to do it.
And this happy-happy joy-joy commercial comes across as creepy and duplicitous. Absolutely no one is buying this lie and their made up figures are further proof that Scientology couldn't tell the truth if the lives of their body thetans depended on it.
Glad I got the hell out of Scientology. Luckily I didn't get that deep, but about a year in, once I had an ethics violation (don't want to say what it was, since if I mentioned it, I might get harassed, but trust me it was really trivial), it started getting creepy and manipulative and I left.
Scientology is build on lies from a liar. To be a Scientologist is to live a lie.
So Bernard Madoff bilked billionaires who went to Harvard and Oxford. These guys bilk mostly high school dropouts who desperately need to be part of an exclusive club and become a STAR. Who in the world has ever said Vinny Barbarino or those others were "intelligent"? It is easy to be in deeply and not want to believe the truth. Just ask former Nazis, more recently look at what happened with Egypt. Cheers to waking up and putting an end to dark tyrrany! I knew a Scientologist once and he was just looking for love.
Scientology was created as a fictional religion for a collaborative sci-fi universe between many authors. L. Ron Hubbard built the structure for the sci-fi religion.
It's basically role-playing at a 1/1 ratio in science fiction reality)
The Thetans made me do it!
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