Poll: Scientology is a cult - True or False?

Just a straight up poll but just for context's sake, you can go youtuby 'Secret Life of L.Ron Hubbard', 'BBC Panorama: Scientology and Me', and 'John Sweeney, BBC: Scientology And Me, How He Was Provoked'.

I voted yes. I know you guys hate religious thread. Im bored.

I don't think it is a cult. Just because a few members are a bit erratic and highly defensive of Scientology doesn't make it a cult.Shiggums

Scientology is a cult though. It's crazy and very dangerous to it's members. Whistleblowers have proven it's just a cult. Everything about it is dodgy.

Cult:

formal religious veneration

a system of religious beliefs and ritual

a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious

a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator (AKA health cults)

great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (books, films) such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad

all organized religeon = cults

religeon are cults that can get away with genocide, murder, molestation, etc...

religion imo will be the downfall of human species.
it kills, it hates and destroys the people that feed it...yet none of it is real. its all storys written by other people...who came up with whatever guide that religeon follows. guides that say my way of life is correct and urs is incorrect. yet people kill each other in the name of their so called "gods".

be your own neutral god...that way when u want to use an excuse for hatred u have no one to blame it on but urself.

I consider Scientology to be on the same level as this:

http://rael.org/rael_content/intro.php?elan=English

religion imo will be the downfall of human species.

incred_davis

Well since religion has been around almost as long as mankind has, I seriously doubt that.

[QUOTE="incred_davis"]

religion imo will be the downfall of human species.

deshields538

Well since religion has been around almost as long as mankind has, I seriously doubt that.

Well religion (any, take your pick) now has more power than ever so I agree incred_davis.

Wars, death etc. can be caused by religion. Millions of people blindly following and doing what the "good book" tells them are a powerful force. It's a very scary thought actually how out of hand religion has got now.

considering what they do to their members, its pretty culty in my book.the1stfandb

Religious gathering and ceremonies are often used as an attraction. Much like any other attraction. So it's easy to use any faith as a scam or the basis for A cult.

^ well they didnt give nukes to religions in 203 ad....now religons have weapons like ak47s and bombs...so whats that u were saying about religions with guns always being around?

religon was always around but it wasnt starting wars with guns and nukes buddy. any one who has weapons to use in the name of thier "god" is a ticking time bomb waiting for someone to push the red button

Well religion (any, take your pick) now has more power than everColdRush88

What a silly thing to say. Religion does not have more power now than it did in the past.

[QUOTE="Shiggums"]I don't think it is a cult. Just because a few members are a bit erratic and highly defensive of Scientology doesn't make it a cult.ColdRush88

Scientology is a cult though. It's crazy and very dangerous to it's members. Whistleblowers have proven it's just a cult. Everything about it is dodgy.

How is it crazy and dangerous exactly?

Of course it's a cult. I'm in no way religious, but you shouldn't have to pay to be a part of it.

It's a cult that's (poorly) disguised as a religion in order to fleece it's "believers" out of their cash.

Yes. It follows a lot of the signs of a cult, which I learned in Psychology this year

And look at my post count!(11111)

All religions could be considered cults.Jaks_Secret

I agree 100%

Just a straight up poll but just for context's sake, you can go youtuby 'Secret Life of L.Ron Hubbard', 'BBC Panorama: Scientology and Me', and 'John Sweeney, BBC: Scientology And Me, How He Was Provoked'.

I voted yes. I know you guys hate religious thread. Im bored.

Captain_Swosh69

of course it is. this "religion" has the least validity of any of them. Its not the only religion to come from fiction sources, but its the only one to come from ONLY a fiction source which is pretty sad. It has even less validity than wicca (claiming its the oldest religion on earth when in fact it was created in the 50's by gerald gardner)

pagan/hethen is most likly what they ment by oldest religion in the world. not wiccanincred_davis

neither one of them were actually religions though, pagan was a derogitory term aimed at people who were not christian. Heathen essentially has the same meaning.

there were no really organized religions outside of the middle east in that time, one may argue that the celts had the druids in which nobody disobeyed but even then it was actually quite loose because every little region of the Le Tene culture had its own way of doing things.

Gerald Gardner, the person who first introduced wicca sold it as the oldest religion, al ot of the followers say that as well. Not all of them though.

[QUOTE="ColdRush88"]

[QUOTE="Shiggums"]I don't think it is a cult. Just because a few members are a bit erratic and highly defensive of Scientology doesn't make it a cult.Shiggums

Scientology is a cult though. It's crazy and very dangerous to it's members. Whistleblowers have proven it's just a cult. Everything about it is dodgy.

How is it crazy and dangerous exactly?

Here somthing.

I use to think it was just a modern religion with aliens and an extra dose of crazy but I was wrong.

[QUOTE="ColdRush88"]Well religion (any, take your pick) now has more power than everOleg_Huzwog

What a silly thing to say. Religion does not have more power now than it did in the past.

All religions are technically cults who just got enough followers to be recognized by the government as a religion.Squire_Ramza

its a business in my booksThevenin167

yeah.. You have to pay, to practice a religion? no im sorry, thats bull

its was all made up by L. ron Hubard er whatever that worthless waste of spaces name was as a horrible scam (ive seen the video of him admitting to it).. thats the worst thing you can possibly do is toy with peoples beliefs and use it as youre own gain, for money, and power...

All religions could be considered cults.Jaks_Secret

true that

All religions could be considered cults.Jaks_Secret

Organized Religion rather..

cult isnt the word i would use. i would say it was more along the lines of...

hilarious.

[QUOTE="Squire_Ramza"]All religions are technically cults who just got enough followers to be recognized by the government as a religion.jim_shorts

Yes I do, heres cult defined by the dictionary

1.a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

2.an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.

3.the object of such devotion.

4.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

5.Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

6.a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

7.the members of such a religion or sect.

So tell me where religion doesn't fit?:)

Yes I do, heres cult defined by the dictionary

1.a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

2.an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.

3.the object of such devotion.

4.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

5.Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

6.a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

7.the members of such a religion or sect.

So tell me where religion doesn't fit?:)

Squire_Ramza

cult (pluralcults)

1. A group or doctrine with religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existent on the margins of society and/or exploitative towards its members.

Not all religions are cults, because not all religions exploit their members. That is the true mark of a cult.

[QUOTE="Squire_Ramza"]

Yes I do, heres cult defined by the dictionary

1.a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

2.an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.

3.the object of such devotion.

4.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

5.Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

6.a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

7.the members of such a religion or sect.

So tell me where religion doesn't fit?:)

jim_shorts

cult (pluralcults)

1. A group or doctrine with religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existent on the margins of society and/or exploitative towards its members.

Not all religions are cults, because not all religions exploit their members. That is the true mark of a cult.

Then that would fall under opinion. People can have an opinion of what explotation is to them. In my opinion all religions exploit its followers in some way whether it be big or small.

[QUOTE="jim_shorts"]

This is the definition I was looking for:

cult (pluralcults)

1. A group or doctrine with religious, philosophical or cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existent on the margins of society and/or exploitative towards its members.

Not all religions are cults, because not all religions exploit their members. That is the true mark of a cult.

Squire_Ramza

Then that would fall under opinion. People can have an opinion of what explotation is to them. In my opinion all religions exploit its followers in some way whether it be big or small.

1. (transitive) To use for one's own advantage.

If you're charging people to follow your religion (Scientology) you are exploiting them, because you are using them for your own advantage (money). Once again, not all religions do that.