Go to The Reverend Kooka Speaks About Religious Bulls#!t
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Adaman
I will not deny that people are looking for any kind of B.S. they can find that they believe will give them some new spiritual enlightenment. There are a lot of foolish people out there. If there were not then religions in general would not have any followings at all.
Now in those numbers you did not say how many actually joined the cult, nor how many people who have been members left. Just the numbers of people who started the process tells you next t nothing. Yeah, there were a good numbers of curious people looking into it, but that is all those numbers say.
More and more I can not help but wonder what kind of crowds I could attract if I started up my own religion. There is just no end to the amount of people willing to follow just about any set of beliefs.
posted by
kooka_lives
on January 4, 2006 at 9:19 AM
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Hey, man, guess what? 1.8 million people started a Scientology course
for the first time last year. That sure is a lot of people studying Mr. Hubbard's works! Apparently the people who studied his writings on how to promote things sure found some information which must really work!
posted by
Adaman
on January 4, 2006 at 1:02 AM
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Adaman
It is FACT that his books do not sell well to anyone outside of Scientology. When he would put a book out there, his followers would go and buy dozens of copies each, as well as the church itself buying up hundreds of copies at a time.
"If that's true, he must have either some amazing religious philosophy, or at least millions of positive, ardent followers! How many people are capable of generating either of those?"
Yes, he was one amazing con man. Really it is easy to start up a religion and gain followers. Especially the way Hubbard did it. He went after celebrities in order to gain attention to his religion and use them as a form of recruitment.
Yes, people will buy books for no reason especially if they believe they are doing some kind of service to their religious beliefs by buying them up.
I have studied Scientology and nothing I state here is a lie. All my statements in this post were confirmed before I posted them here. I do not just throw up whatever I feel like. It is case where I did go and do the research ahead of time and then openly gave my views on the facts of the beliefs themselves. Feel free to disagree with me, but please do not challenge the legitimacy of the facts stated here unless you have more proof than a web site which is going to very much be giving a one sided view of it. I have seen the Scientology an ahd checked it out before I wrote this post. I could actually find nothing there that went against what I had written. As with all religious organization they do not talk about their beliefs fully, but instead only point out the more seductive aspects, and holding back the facts of the history and the various questionable events that they have been part of. In fact if you take all your information form just the main source of the religion, then you are guilty of not doing the research. Just the group's sales pitch is not enough to say you know the truth about the group itself.
No, I have never been 'betrayed by a religion' outside of the simple fact that organized religion is destroying our world and by that it is betraying us all. Are you trying to claim that Scientology does not have 'odd points of faith my rationality won't accept'? It is well documented that Scientology very much is based on some really odd points that any sane person would not be able to accept. The Xenu story is really a part of their beliefs.
Yes, I am published. Not much right now. I am working on short fiction at the time, with hope of expanding.
posted by
kooka_lives
on December 7, 2005 at 8:23 AM
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Dear Kooka, with all respect, I think you're believing false information.
If, as you say, "all he did was start a religion to make a demand for his writings," then are you saying that the only reason why he's sold over a hundred million copies of his books is because his religious followers are supporting him so earnestly?
If that's true, he must have either some amazing religious philosophy, or at least millions of positive, ardent followers! How many people are capable of generating either of those?
People don't just buy your books for no reason, do they?
Do you really believe it's so easy to start a major world religion, with millions of followers? In this modern age, it takes a sound philosophy and an understanding of the actual needs of man. If you're interested in some true information about Scientology, this can be found at www.scientology.org. Please read a little and then let me know what you think.
By the way, has religion ever betrayed you? If so, maybe a better, more rational experience would be a bit refreshing, and one that doesn't try your wits with odd points of faith your rationality won't accept.
On a brighter note, I'm glad you're a good storyteller. Have you published yet? I going to publish in 2006.
posted by
Adaman
on December 7, 2005 at 12:32 AM
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Adaman
Well you got a few things a little mixed up there.
To begin with, what I posted here about Xenu is really what they believe, although you have to be at a certain level before you are told all of it. This is from various people who were followers, but then got out. Of course now due to all the legal papers you need to sign, the newer followers can not reveal any of that information on fear of law suits. Dianetics only has sold as well as it has because the followers buy those books up by the dozens. This is recorded fact. It is not like the Harry Potter books where you can find a copy in just about every home. Hubbards main success is because his followers are willing to spend all their money to make anything with his name on it successful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu
Second, Hubbard was not finically successful until after he did Dianetics and started up Scientology. Most of his money was made due to using Scientology to sell his books.
So you are telling me that Battlefield Earth, the book does not have a bunch of aliens in it going after gold? Or that these aliens are not so stupid that they ignore that humanity reached the nuclear age? Or that people somehow can learn to fly fighter jets perfectly as skilled pilots on just a flight simulator? There was nothing at all of good science fiction in the movie which according to Travolta is suppose to be true to the source materials. If even the slightest bit of the movie is in the book, then it is pure crap Sci-Fi.
I can already tell a better story than him without even working at it. All he did was a create a religion in order to make a demand for his writings. After all the only people who seem to buy and enjoy his stuff are Scientolgists, which from the sounds of it you are one as well.
Also, people have found happiness and peace through all kinds of religious beliefs. Christianity, Satanism, Buddhism, Wicca, Atheism and so on. Just because some people find whatever they are looking for through Scientology that is meaningless in the big picture, because there are many ways to that same path. In the end Scientology has nothing to present that is better than any other set of organized religious beliefs that are out there.
The main point of my post was that Scientology is just as ridiculous as Christianity or Hinduism. I was not picking it out as being better or worse, but more or less equal in not making any sense at all.
posted by
kooka_lives
on November 21, 2005 at 8:32 AM
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Scientology is great! Sorry, but you're way misinformed. Just go to
www.Scientology.org for the true data. (As an aside, the sci-fi movie didn't do the book, Battlefield Earth, justice in the slightest. The book's one of the most interesting, well-written stories ever, as any good writer could find out for himself.) It's an interesting point that the founder of Scientology funded his research into the nature of the mind and the spirit with the millions of dollars he made as a successful writer in numerous genres. I think that it's only fair that relatively amateur writers at least show some measure of respect to wildly successful and very well-respected multiple best-selling authors, let alone someone who has literally helped millions of people with his philosophy. I mean, anybody who's sold over 80 million copies of his books has got to have been pretty darn smart. Dianetics itself has sold over 20 million! I'm still working on my first million and I'm roughly a million shy of that target; how about you?
posted by
Adaman
on November 20, 2005 at 10:06 PM
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I read and posted about Xenu a while ago... really scary that anyone
would believe in a story written in the 1980's about something that happened 75 million years ago? The whole thing is incredible.
posted by
-blackcat
on November 20, 2005 at 5:43 PM
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they're just a group like any other group
a prophet preaches
people believe.
posted by
Xeno-x
on November 18, 2005 at 6:29 AM
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