Yoinked from Best Week Ever ---Scientology

[sereneorange]

http://bestweekever.vh1.com/2005/02/clearing_the_pl.html

Seems like forever since Best Week
Ever did a package on Jenna Elfman. What, we never did? Well, there's
a first time for everything. MSNBC.com's Jeannette Walls got the scoop on
the Dharma And Greg star's latest
project:

"I intend to make Scientology
as accessible to as many people as I can. And that is my goal,"
Elfman said. To do this, she says, it is my "duty to clear the
planet." By “clearing” she means to rid the world of "body
thetans" — aliens who Scientologists believe inhabit the earth from a
nuclear explosion 75 million years ago.

Now, I know I think lots of religions are crackpot,
but, this does seem a little more out there than
some of the other's, right?

Comments

[lil-ms-drama.livejournal.com]

Um...yeah. Aliens. Walking among us from thousands of years ago.

I thought she was a little more stable than that. I guess she's more like Dharma than I thought.

My husband thinks that we're trying to look appealing to aliens with our movie/tv stars. I mean, just look at most of them. Tiny bodies, big heads. Since when is that not the description of most aliens? *ahem*AllyMcBeal*ahem*

[virexmachina.livejournal.com]

yeah, scientology is just a little more than kooky.
too bad everyone in entertainment pushes it.

[lil-ms-drama.livejournal.com]

*ahem* not everyone, thank you very much. I prefer atheism.

[richmackin.livejournal.com]

Here's a brief rundown of Scientology.

In the 40's, there was the beginning of a movement called Co-Counselling. The basic idea of this is that humans don't really connect with each other, and that we could get a lot of what we get out of therapy simply by taking the time to have meaningful discussions- the format usually is "you talk for 20 minutes and I will only listen, or ask you thought-provoking questions to get you to delve deeper in whatever you are talking about" and then parties switch. Pretty simple of an idea.

Thing is, it's simple, but unusual for our society, so a lot of people felt amazing afterwards, and thus it's easy to give a lot of power to the person who introduced you to it. When someone teaches us something we really appreciate, we often confuse the teaching for the teacher. Thus, through it's history, co-counselling tends to get sucked into cult-like situations (I'm actually a fan of co-counselling, but see this happen.)

Much of co-counselling works on the idea of bad things happen to you, if you don't heal from them you carry them in you, and this effects your life until you deal with it. Problem is, a lot of these bad things are either so old, or such a recurring part of your life, you often don't have a standard of comparison to think to work on them. Again, simple, but when someone does this work with you, you feel an emotional release you easily think the other person did for you.

So, Mediocre Sci-Fi author L.Ron Hubbard, years later, wrote a book about a mediocre sci-fi author who forms a cult. Isaac Asimov reads it and dares him to try it in real life. So, Hubbard, a fan of co-counselling, tweaks it a bit and presents it as a 'religion'...

He said this much right before he died. Allegedly, members of his immediate family have concurred.

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

I thought it was fairly common knowledge that Hubbard started Scientology as a joke, on a dare. Which actually leads to a rather interesting question if one is interested in the history and development of religion, which I am: if it was started as a joke, does that invalidate the results? (Ask a Discordian.)

[serene-orange.livejournal.com]

this is stuff I have heard when I went searching online for it about 2 years ago. Is the alien thing a joke or is this something that is widely believed in Scientology?

[richmackin.livejournal.com]

It's not "widely" believed... but the whole deal with Scientology is that there are layers, and you have to pay more and more and more to get to each one. They don't start with "Hey, the aliens say hi" they start with the basic ideas that seem reasonable, but as you get "sucked in" they bring out the stuff about aliens and how we all evolved from clams (directly, or something)and by that time, it seems plausible.

The annoying thing is that Scientologists like to compare themselves to Buddhists, but you don't see Buddhists returning that favor.

[serene-orange.livejournal.com]

LOL..I am guessing it is the alien part...lol well, for the most part.

The early stuff sounds sensible and healthy. So maybe poor cheap bastards are the one's who fare better

[richmackin.livejournal.com]

Well, but then they get sucked in.

The thing is like this. Imagine if you never heard of Christianity, and have always been unhappy, and some guy said "wouldn't it be nicer if we all loved each other, stopped fighting, and focused on simple things like food, helping each other, and community?" And then you feel really great about life after this talk, and he says "if you give me money, I can make you happier" You'd likely give it.

Thing is, you don't stop to look to see that 30 other dudes are saying more or less the same thing next door, down the street, around the corner, etc.

[serene-orange.livejournal.com]

and he says "if you give me money, I can make you happier" You'd likely give it.

Good thing I have heard of it.
What about all the people that have. I think that is the problem I have with tithing. The churches where the preacher is really insanely well off and wealthy for spreading the "word of God" when that is what they are all supposed to do. The fact that any yo yo can become a preacher and still be immoral and damaging and people pay him like crazy to do so. There are several churches in Houston like that.

[davidfcooper.livejournal.com]

Hubbard started it not only as a joke, but also as a get rich quick scheme. Point taken about self-appointed/ordained clergy. I'm glad that the non-orthodox branches of Judaism require 5 or 6 years of post-graduate study; not any joe shmoe can become a rabbi overnight.

[onnotangu.livejournal.com]

look for Xenu.

[onnotangu.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

he'd be a good science fiction writer

horse shit

[mrama.livejournal.com]

Man, and I used to like her....

[alichick2004.livejournal.com]

Ugh, too strange for me....

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

seems as though the character she plays is somewhat of an accurate representation of the crackpotiness of the actress. She should hang with Anne Heche and learn the alien language.