Will Scientology last as a religion?

They have been around for a long time and its been suggested that they've also done a heck of alot of shady stuff.

Will this Religion grow as time passes or shrink?

No wai!

I sure hope it goes away eventually, but I won't get my hopes up, people will believe anything...

It's a scam masquerading as a religion.

If people remain as sheepish as they are, no it won't.

The German government recognizes Scientology as a commercial organization, not as a religion, and quite frankly I hope more countries follow suit, given the documented actions of the organization's leadership. I would even go so far as to describe it as a criminal organization and as a pyramid scheme.

I certainly hope not.It's not even a "religion" in my eyes.

The German government recognizes Scientology as a commercial organization, not as a religion, and quite frankly I hope more countries follow suit, given the documented actions of the organization's leadership. I would even go so far as to describe it as a criminal organization and as a pyramid scheme.

GabuEx

The German government recognizes Scientology as a commercial organization, not as a religion, and quite frankly I hope more countries follow suit, given the documented actions of the organization's leadership. I would even go so far as to describe it as a criminal organization and as a pyramid scheme.

GabuEx

Yeah scientolgy is just a comercial enterprise. The story behind it is just bizzare. All hail Xenu and his dc-8 like spaceships.

All belief systems will have a end point.

Scientology is not a religion. It never has been and it never will be.

Scientology is not a religion. It never has been and it never will be.

vaultboy_ninja

[QUOTE="vaultboy_ninja"]

Scientology is not a religion. It never has been and it never will be.

_en1gma_

[QUOTE="vaultboy_ninja"]

Scientology is not a religion. It never has been and it never will be.

_en1gma_

L. Ron Hubbard has all but admitted to have started it in order to get rich, for one. The original founders of religions like Christianity did not exactly gain a whole lot from doing so.

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"][QUOTE="vaultboy_ninja"]

Scientology is not a religion. It never has been and it never will be.

GabuEx

L. Ron Hubbard has all but admitted to have started it in order to get rich, for one. The original founders of religions like Christianity did not exactly gain a whole lot from doing so.

All belief systems will have a end point.

Yandere

Isn't what you just said a belief system on it's own?

I still don't see how that makes it not a religion.. :P_en1gma_

For something to be a religion, it seems to me that it first has to be something that its original founders truly believed to be true. Otherwise it's just a bunch of fiction made up by someone who couldn't make it as an author.

As long as people are stupid, there will be religion. So religions will be around a long damn time.hillelslovak

So you are saying all of religous people are stupid?

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"]I still don't see how that makes it not a religion.. :PGabuEx

For something to be a religion, it seems to me that it first has to be something that its original founders truly believed to be true. Otherwise it's just a bunch of fiction made up by someone who couldn't make it as an author.

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"]I still don't see how that makes it not a religion.. :PGabuEx

For something to be a religion, it seems to me that it first has to be something that its original founders truly believed to be true. Otherwise it's just a bunch of fiction made up by someone who couldn't make it as an author.

I've always thought a religion must consist of a purpose for life, how we got here, and a god of some sorts.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"]I still don't see how that makes it not a religion.. :P_en1gma_

For something to be a religion, it seems to me that it first has to be something that its original founders truly believed to be true. Otherwise it's just a bunch of fiction made up by someone who couldn't make it as an author.

I don't exactly think you can count something as a belief if the guy who first thought it up doesn't actually think it's true. The very notion of "belief" implies that one thinks it's true.

I don't see any other organised religion being much better.

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]

For something to be a religion, it seems to me that it first has to be something that its original founders truly believed to be true. Otherwise it's just a bunch of fiction made up by someone who couldn't make it as an author.

GabuEx

I don't exactly think you can count something as a belief if the guy who first thought it up doesn't actually think it's true.

Plenty of people seem to..what of them?_en1gma_

If the guy who started the religion just did it to get rich, then it's pretty much known to be pure fiction, and I would have a hard time arguing that something known to be such even to its founders constitutes a valid religion. You can't just lie to people and then say you have a religion.

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"]Plenty of people seem to..what of them?GabuEx

If the guy who started the religion just did it to get rich, then it's pretty much known to be pure fiction, and I would have a hard time arguing that something known to be such even to its founders constitutes a valid religion. You can't just lie to people and then say you have a religion.

I see your point, but it still fits the criteria to be defined as a religion.. I am personally indifferent on this topic. :P

I searched around, and no religious scholar says that the founder has to believe in what he created for it to be a religion. All that matters is that a particular community of people believe in it.

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"]Plenty of people seem to..what of them?GabuEx

If the guy who started the religion just did it to get rich, then it's pretty much known to be pure fiction, and I would have a hard time arguing that something known to be such even to its founders constitutes a valid religion. You can't just lie to people and then say you have a religion.

Just for the sake of argument, let's say jesus' disciples didn't really believe him to be the son of god and that he rised from the dead, they just viewed him as a leader and went about spreading his message after he died. Then that roman emperor (damn, I forgot his name :x) came along and made christianity the empire's official religion, making jesus up as the son of god. Everyone just had to accept it as fact from then on and nowadays we just take it for granted that the very first christians believed jesus to be the son of god when they actually didn't. Would it still count as a "valid" religion, then?

Wow, that came out WAY more convoluted than I intended... :P

Tom Cruise is their "Pope" so NO it won't last.

Despite being started as a bit of a hoax, it will definitely become more accepted. Mormanism was started in the same way with a lot of the same accusations thrown its way and now it's recognized, for the most part, as a legitimate religion. The more time goes on the more people will do the same for Scientology.

It's not a religion. Scientology is and always has been a violent cult.

Then that roman emperor (damn, I forgot his name :x)

black_cat19

Constantine.

It's not a religion. Scientology is and always has been a violent cult.

Theokhoth

Pastor Mark Driscoll once said of Scientology, "Jesus is an 'implant' forced upon a Thetan about a million years ago. I would explain that position more thoroughly but I have never smoked weed or done any drugs; subsequently, I apparently lack the imagination to understand a religion started by a science fiction writer that has unleashed Tom Crazy Cruise on the world as Billy Graham's evil doppelgänger."

And now you know why he is one of my favorite pastors.

As long as people are stupid, there will be religion. So religions will be around a long damn time.hillelslovak

*sigh*

Your ignorance is showing.

Hard to tell, who could have thought the 3 major religions would have lasted and gained so many followers.btaylor2404

Then you have the small secular religions that have been around for just as long but are relativelu unknown.

I think they are just as credible as any other religion.. you can take that however you like.

[QUOTE="_en1gma_"]I still don't see how that makes it not a religion.. :PGabuEx

For something to be a religion, it seems to me that it first has to be something that its original founders truly believed to be true. Otherwise it's just a bunch of fiction made up by someone who couldn't make it as an author.

EDIT: Also, Scientology will be around as long as Xenu wills it to be!!!!! :D

EDIT2: I forgot to mention, I also had little success with my book Writing Books and Being a Awesome Author For Dummies.

They are just doing it for money.

I hope not...I don't consider it a religion as it is...just a scam buisness... Darth-Caedus

It wont last much longer... hopefully, the number of Scientologists have been dropping, there are now more ex-scientologists than there are scientologists.