News that makes us laugh, cry, or both

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:44 pm

Sometimes I wonder if Scientology is intentionally used as a lightning rod by other religions.

Meikle641 · Post by **Meikle641** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:21 am

Scientology is a dangerous cult, and people need to know the truth. It's made to make money, seriously. It fits pretty much all cult signs as well, since it is one. People are slowly brainwashed and the Co$ becomes their life, and become hugely indebted/invested in it. Which is how the structure works.

Yeah, most of the people believe what they're selling, but so what? There's a *free* offshoot that isn't out to bleed people dry, or disconnect them, etc. If people wanna do that, I don't think anybody will stop them. But the exploitation perpetrated by the "Church" of Scientology must be stopped.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:50 am

I meant to say that the reason why more people don't go after Scientology is that it provides convenient cover for more 'mainstream' religions.

So when people are focused on the fucked-up things that Scientology is doing, the Catholic church can get away with insanely evil shit like excommunicating a doctor for giving a life-saving abortion to a pre-teen girl or actively trying to block the distribution of contraceptives.

Josh_Kablack · Post by **Josh_Kablack** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:59 am

As near as I can tell the difference between a "dangerous cult" and a "major world religion" is merely the number of worshippers.

When the Church of Scientology goes on crusades to recapture the holy land, tortures heretics into forced confessions, declares a jihad against other countries, massacres the hittites, burns slums in calcutta or pulls any actually big league moves, then I'll be concerned about it.

Interfering with the psychiatric treatment of individuals, is just not a way to get into the history books.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:17 am

A tangent question on a related note. I had heard a while ago about a cultish religion that had almost a millionish followers in which the leader said that he was the antichrist or something along those lines. He said he was the savior come as the antichrist or some wierd logic along those lines. It was primarily a hispanic population apparently because of the locale or something or maybe of how he was targetting it. Anyone know anything about this? It was a couple years ago?

Meikle641 · Post by **Meikle641** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:00 am

Given it has tried to infiltrate several governments (generally failing), and is responsible for some killings, and the Fair Game tactics... Sure it isn't on the scale of other ones yet, but it doesn't mean it isn't worth stopping.

Fact is, telling people to lay off it because it hasn't done atrocities "yet" is horseshit. Just how much worse does a cult have to be to warrant action? This is a group that engages in some really scary shit, and manages to get off with little problems by throwing money, lawsuits, and (veiled) threats at problems.

If you'd like, I can find stats and numbers and that fun stuff. We're not pulling this out of our asses here.

Draco_Argentum · Post by **Draco_Argentum** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:49 am

Josh_Kablack wrote:As near as I can tell the difference between a "dangerous cult" and a "major world religion" is merely the number of worshippers.

Well Scientology is fake in that the upper types know its a bunch of shit concocted by Hubbard. Thats one difference.

The reason its worth going after is that its a perfect test case for attacking religion's tax free status. Its fringe enough and horrible enough and fake enough to be split off from the pack of religions and destroyed.

The fact that stopping them would be doing society a service in and of itself is icing.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:03 am

Cynic, this is the guy you were probably thinking of. He's hella charismatic if you see him in a real interview, really reasonable and personable. He comes across alot less fake and money mongering than most evangelicals... And yet his creed is far more out there.

-Crissa

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:10 pm

Draco_Argentum wrote:
Josh_Kablack wrote:As near as I can tell the difference between a "dangerous cult" and a "major world religion" is merely the number of worshippers.
Well Scientology is fake in that the upper types know its a bunch of shit concocted by Hubbard. Thats one difference.

The reason its worth going after is that its a perfect test case for attacking religion's tax free status. Its fringe enough and horrible enough and fake enough to be split off from the pack of religions and destroyed.

The fact that stopping them would be doing society a service in and of itself is icing.

Hell, Hubbard created Scientology on a bet.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:23 pm

Here's something that made me shake my head in disbelief...

The Governor of South Carolina went missing on Thursday, without telling his staff where he was going.

As of yesterday evening, they still hadn't heard a peep from him.

But they weren't *too* worried. Why?

Because he does this kind of thing all the fucking time.

Apparently, the governor (can't remember his name and I'm too lazy to immediately look it up), is a really self-effacing guy who values his solitude. He's said many times that if he could dispense with the constant security detail, he would.

He was once overseas and his own staff didn't know it until they got in touch with him.

mean_liar · Post by **mean_liar** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:22 pm

He's a special brand of crazy they only make in South Carolina.

Mask_De_H · Post by **Mask_De_H** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:49 pm

South Carolina: the only state that is proud of having their major college mascot be a gamecock.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:13 am

"I'm sorry, we can't use Cocky, he has representation - they have a lot riding on him, so-"
"Wait. You're saying they have a lot riding on the cock?"
"-so we can't bring him out for this segment."
"The cock is out?"
"Yeah"
"All we wanted to do was give the cock some exposure - and it's so frustrating, first he was in, then he was out, in, out, in, out..."

-Triple H and Shawn Michaels, regarding not being able to utilise the gamecock in a segment in South Carolina.

Sir Neil · Post by **Sir Neil** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:18 am

"The state rivalry is between a tiger and a gladiator chicken."

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:34 am

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/988 ... n-god.html -- Now this is a case of how somebody uses a catchy one liner to get your attention but almost doesn't use it in the story. I won't to kill th reporter. THis story wants to make me cry for the quality of the writing in this newspaper. It used to be awesome.

Absentminded_Wizard · Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:23 am

Prak_Anima wrote:
Draco_Argentum wrote:
Josh_Kablack wrote:As near as I can tell the difference between a "dangerous cult" and a "major world religion" is merely the number of worshippers.
Well Scientology is fake in that the upper types know its a bunch of shit concocted by Hubbard. Thats one difference.

The reason its worth going after is that its a perfect test case for attacking religion's tax free status. Its fringe enough and horrible enough and fake enough to be split off from the pack of religions and destroyed.

The fact that stopping them would be doing society a service in and of itself is icing.
Hell, Hubbard created Scientology on a bet.

Details? I've always wondered if Hubbard created Scientology just to see if he could turn a sci-fi novel into a religious text.

Fuchs · Post by **Fuchs** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:42 am

Maxus wrote:Here's something that made me shake my head in disbelief...

The Governor of South Carolina went missing on Thursday, without telling his staff where he was going.

As of yesterday evening, they still hadn't heard a peep from him.

But they weren't *too* worried. Why?

Because he does this kind of thing all the fucking time.

Apparently, the governor (can't remember his name and I'm too lazy to immediately look it up), is a really self-effacing guy who values his solitude. He's said many times that if he could dispense with the constant security detail, he would.

He was once overseas and his own staff didn't know it until they got in touch with him.

Well, members of my country's government take train and busses to work. And when the minister in charge of finance had a heart attack one day he was lucky a personal friend was around to drive him to the hospital - he surely had no security with him. So while the minsters don't go missing they are not all the time in touch with their staff.

PhoneLobster · Post by **PhoneLobster** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:35 am

You guys have nothing on us. We're still waiting for one of our prime ministers to come back from the beach.

He HAS been at the beach for 42 years now, but we know he is coming back.

Because he left behind his pants.

Though that is apparently not an unremarkable thing for Australian prime ministers to do since Malcom Fraser did the same thing in a Memphis brothel in 1986. (that is lose his pants, not dive into the surf and promptly vanish to never be seen again)

Absentminded_Wizard · Post by **Absentminded_Wizard** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:00 am

And now we know where he was.

Apparently, this time he was in Argentina breaking up with his mistress. Presumably, a bunch of those other times he was fooling around with said mistress.

TOZ · Post by **TOZ** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:33 pm

And of course everyone is in an uproar about how shameful it is this time.

You know, like every other politician's affair.

Something Positive says it best.

Fuchs · Post by **Fuchs** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:49 pm

Oh, yes, the bingo!

Mask_De_H · Post by **Mask_De_H** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:26 am

Hey, here's something to make you laugh and/or cry: Michael Jackson died today

He's the third one this week, Farrah Fawcet and Ed McMahon preceded him.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:21 am

Mask_De_H wrote:Hey, here's something to make you laugh and/or cry: Michael Jackson died today

He's the third one this week, Farrah Fawcet and Ed McMahon preceded him.

Maybe it's just me. But no matter who it is. I can't laugh at death. No matter who it is. I am not that desensitized yet. It brings me a twinge of sorrow for these people. Even in the entertainment topic when I talk about dying authors who've lost me, it's because their death has made me sad rather than numb or happy.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:30 am

What's weird is all the people at work were...well, they made jokes. But they also mourned the loss of someone who was great when he had his shit together. Even my own parents are like, "Yeah, he probably ruined his health with god-knows-what, but it's a tragedy..."

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:41 am

Well, I tend not to feel sad when a famous person dies - no matter how much I liked them or their work - simply because I don't know them personally and likely don't even know who their families and loved ones (the ones who feel it the worst) are. It would just seem a bit... shallow? As though the fact that they're famous should not make a difference and that there are millions of other people I don't know who are dying.

That being said, I don't find it funny or anything. I might cheer if someone I dislike is hounded from office, fired or found guilty in court of the things that I don't like them for, but I won't cheer or laugh or celebrate if they die.

Still, it is *news*, so it does belong here. And I will admit to repeating the above comic, just because Horatio is awesome and I'll take any opportunity to do the Horatio routine. I even found my sunglasses.