Re: Why do so many people in this group disagree with Scientology?

ersatz@ix.netcom.com wrote:

>I'm reading the book Dianetics. I'm going through difficult times in
>my life and I thought reading this book might help. I came to this
>group to try to find out more about Scientology. The vast majority of
>this group seems to be flameage. Why?
>What I would like to know is: What are the basic and succinct
>objections to Scientology?
>What are the basic and succinct strengths of Scientology?
>How do the major religions view Scientology?
My basic objection to Scientology itself is that it's worthless, derivative, and dangerous.

The basic premise is that one can "audit" away negative reactions to past experiences. The tool for "auditing" is a wheatstone bridge device called and "e-meter." It is basically a crude lie detector.

According to "Dianetics" one can audit by using a sympathetic friend. According to Scientology, one must be a trained auditor. All auditing sessions are recorded in a folder. This would be the equivalent of a priest writing down your confessional revelations and making them available (possibly) to others.

Another objection I have to Scientology is the lack of the privacy of one's own thoughts. If your thought processes do not coincide with the beliefs of the group, you will be audited/security checked until they do.

Thirdly, this is a highly structured organization. Authority stems from Source (L.Ron Hubbard) and those above you in status have absolute authority over you, the individual.

Fourth, the organization itself is paranoid and abusive. All critics are considered criminals or insane. ANY and all criticism of the "Church" is met with a negative reaction instead of self-examination. Coercive methods are used to keep members within the group.

The sole strength of Scientology that I can determine is that it is well organized to capture and keep individuals who are emotionally vulnerable.

I cannot speak for the major religions of the world, but I imagine they would consider Scientology a semi-dangerous cult, unless they knew something about them, in which case they would probably consider them a very dangerous cult.