So.....mikeybaby72 and me were walking up to City Hall when all of a sudden we see a big yellow tent. Oooooo says I....let's go and see.

It's a campain tent for the Church of Scientology - you know the L Ron Hubbard crew patronised by Tom Cruise and the like.

I am confused now......so the tent has a cross on it, the uniforms have a cross on them.....they call themselves a Church.....the people are called ministers....on their literature they call themselves a religion. YET....on further questioning they say they are nothing to do with Jesus Christ and they live their lives by certain lifestyle choices and have nothing to do with what we know as Church :huh:

So WHY call yourself a religion, WHY call yourself a Church, WHY use the recognised symbol of Christianity and WHY call yourself ministers?

Am I missing something? :suspect::suspect::suspect:

All I can say is that is was a good job I had my Jesus Army hoodie on...with a BIG red cross on the front to keep me safe from something that is obviously masquerading as something they are not. :hihi:

No idea, fortunately I know there is no god so I am perfectly safe.

Is this a Cult?

Is this a Cult?

Is the last word a spelling mistake?

lol yeah it is

Hang on a minute... Is this someone who's in a cult complaining about people in another cult?

Hilarious. Just hilarious.

Ah but MY particular cult doesn't use symbolism from something else, call itself something it is not and appear to be something it is not......Jesus Army....does what it says on the tin. Church of Scientology is what exactly???? :D

Ah but MY particular cult doesn't...

As long as we both agree on the first part. ;) I'm sure they'll be pleased with you for admitting it.

Jesus Army....does what it says on the tin.

What? Invades countries in the name of Jesus?


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is enough religion-bating for today. :P

So....doesn't anyone know why a lifestyle organisation not linked with Jesus Christ or any other deity for that matter would call itself a Church, have a cross as the symbol, have ministers, call itself a religion and yet clearly not be any of those things.

Still confused????

Why are Sheffield City Council sanctioning a cult to push itself on Sheffielders, potentially damaging their lives? Eg :

The Church of Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control over their money and their lives. Its aim is to take from them every penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to further its wicked ends.

It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to make money. It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a religion in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it "Scientology".

Scientology is a confused concoction of crackpot, dangerously applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, idiotic and inapplicable rules and ideas and science-fiction drivel that is presented to its members (at the "advanced" levels) as profound spiritual truth.

Very thorough explanation there...thank you :D

you don't normally have to pay to join a 'religion'....

Did all the 'ministers' have big white teeth and plastic smiles (where the eyes don't squint like they do when smiling genuinely)?

Did all the 'ministers' have big white teeth and plastic smiles (where the eyes don't squint like they do when smiling genuinely)?

Yes...and they oozed that sickly sweet "we can help you with your troubles" niceness.....and then tell you the relevant pamphlet for your particular trouble will be £3.50 :hihi:

From the official UK Scientology website

Scientology is a religion in the deepest and most traditional sense, for it is concerned with no less than the full rehabilitation of man’s innate spiritual self — his capabilities, his awareness and his certainty of his own immortality — and his relationship to the divine.

Scientology holds in common with many of the world’s oldest religions the belief that man was put here to work out his own salvation and that only by doing this can he fully understand his relationship to God the Creator.

Although this appears to be pretty much all of the information on the website. Its not very clear at all, neither is the US one. Hmmmm....:confused:

it all makes for interesting reading on wikileaks, don't think i'll be trying this anytime soon.

Hang on a minute... Is this someone who's in a cult complaining about people in another cult?

Hilarious. Just hilarious.

Im sorry but Ive got to agree here. What makes scientology any worse or any better than the jesus army

What makes scientology any worse or any better than the jesus army

I got free hot dogs off Jesus Army on my way home for clubbing every weekend for 2 years.

And they have gaudiliy painted minibuses driven by Ned Flanders lookalikies. It's a no brainer really.They win.

These mentalists being able to push there cult in the centre of Sheffield is wrong. Does no-one else on here feel mad that they are able to do this? They destroy people's lives. Am I the only one on here who was angry to see them allowed to do this?...

if people are that concerned, just walk past and don't talk to them.

simple :thumbsup:

Im sorry but Ive got to agree here. What makes scientology any worse or any better than the jesus army

Tom Cruise. (vile little man)

But you're right.

YET....on further questioning they say they are nothing to do with Jesus Christ and they live their lives by certain lifestyle choices and have nothing to do with what we know as Church

There are many religions that don't worship "christ".

I'm confused by your confusion:confused:.


So....doesn't anyone know why a lifestyle organisation not linked with Jesus Christ or any other deity for that matter would call itself a Church, have a cross as the symbol, have ministers, call itself a religion and yet clearly not be any of those things.

Still confused????

OK..

Here goes.....

1 - There are many religions that do not worship christ.
2 - The cross could be a symbol of a meeting of minds.
3 - We have ministers in the Government. The word minister means head of a government or organisation.

Why are Sheffield City Council sanctioning a cult to push itself on Sheffielders

It's only a tent for crying out loud. The other cults have got cathedrals and are promoted far more by councils and the government.

The organization known as the Church of Scientology, best known for its unbalanced celebrity spokesperson Tom Cruise, combines the worst aspects of a cult, a pyramid scheme, and organized crime. It controls its followers through brainwashing, isolation, abuse and blackmail, and extorts them for hundreds of thousands of dollars per person. It spends millions of dollars annually to maintain a ruthless legal team and an intelligence gathering system said to rival that of the FBI, and uses these tools to crush all negative press and destroy the lives of its critics and ex-members. It breaks up families, sends children to forced labor camps, engages in kidnapping, and has contributed to the death, through neglect, suicide, or preventable tragedy, of a number of its members. It demands legal protection from its own followers, forcing them to sign contracts giving up their right to sue the organization for any reason, including violation of their human rights. And, while throughout much of the world this organization is recognized as a predatory business or banned outright as a criminal organization, in the United States it enjoys an unconstitutionally preferential tax exempt status, courtesy of a secret agreement with the IRS.

That's the short version. The long version is to look at this info packet: http://forums.whyweprotest.net/showthread.php?t=6775
These 80 pages provide a solid background on the formation of the CoS, its founder and current leaders, and its crimes, including verifiable sources and scans of official documents that support all of the allegations made therein.

Im sorry but Ive got to agree here. What makes scientology any worse or any better than the jesus army

:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o

But surely, thanks to South Park we don't need to join up and pay $$$$$$$$ to know their secret about XENU anymore?

:huh:

:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o


From what ive read about the jesus army they claim to originate from Baptist roots. I know several baptists that are family friends and out of those half of them had never even heard of the jesus army and the other half had heard of them but denounced a baptist involvement with the jesus army. Which left me pondering what do people perceive to be wrong with the jesus army that the faith where its roots are doesnt want any involvement with them. When I asked this I found out about the jesus army's views on women and most people felt like from reading material about the jesus army that women appeared to be inferior to men. So much for equality. From reading literature on the jesus army website I must say it does come across that way. Suffregettes and feminists have fought for equality, why do we want to take a step back from this.

If I have understood the literature wrongly I would find it enlightening to know what the jesus army's views on women and equality are.

From what ive read about the jesus army they claim to originate from Baptist roots. I know several baptists that are family friends and out of those half of them had never even heard of the jesus army and the other half had heard of them but denounced a baptist involvement with the jesus army. Which left me pondering what do people perceive to be wrong with the jesus army that the faith where its roots are doesnt want any involvement with them. When I asked this I found out about the jesus army's views on women and most people felt like from reading material about the jesus army that women appeared to be inferior to men. So much for equality. From reading literature on the jesus army website I must say it does come across that way. Suffregettes and feminists have fought for equality, why do we want to take a step back from this.

If I have understood the literature wrongly I would find it enlightening to know what the jesus army's views on women and equality are.

A scoot around the internet told me all I needed to know about the Jesus Army.
I don't doubt there are many members who are genuinely good hearted people but they have some dodgy ideas for sure. As do many organised religions to be fair. But other religions aren't quite as INTENSE as the JA.

The word minister means head of a government or organisation.

I understood that the word minister means servant. From Wiki:

The term Minister is an Middle English phrase, stemming from the Old French word ministre, originally minister in Latin, meaning 'servant'

So the Prime minister would be the Monarch's first servant to run the country, a Christian minister is Christ's servant.

Im sorry but Ive got to agree here. What makes scientology any worse or any better than the jesus army

Tom Cruise.

I understood that the word minister means servant. From Wiki:

Stuff a Wiki entry.

I used the OED definitions.:)

I don't see any difference in the Scientologists having a yellow tent in town and trying to tell people about their made up religion and the jusus army camping outside cole brothers and telling people about their made up religion and the guy on the moor who tries to convert people to his made up religion by shouting the bible at them.

All religion is made up and a waste of time and one is not better or more valid than another.

Its nice in a way that the people who aren't able to deal with life themselves can turn to a perceived higher power and have decisions made for them. If it helps them then great, whatever floats your boat but keep it to yourself. Don't have a yellow tent/minibus/soapbox in town and try and talk me into joining you. You are wasting my time and yours.

So WHY call yourself a religion, WHY call yourself a Church, WHY use the recognised symbol of Christianity and WHY call yourself ministers?

Am I missing something? :suspect::suspect::suspect:


They call themselves a religion so that they get beneficial tax rates and because it allows them to sucker the easily led into parting with their money.

Much like any other religion really.

They call themselves a religion so that they get beneficial tax rates and because it allows them to sucker the easily led into parting with their money.

Much like any other religion really.

Good point.:thumbsup:

you don't normally have to pay to join a 'religion'....

very true but the opposite is also true in the church of scientology....

...very interesting concept but flawed from the fact that a science fiction writer is the founder.....

and fyi The Jesus Army is only a cult by dictionary definition not in practises or beliefs.

Pauls

I don't see any difference in the Scientologists having a yellow tent in town and trying to tell people about their made up religion and the jusus army camping outside cole brothers and telling people about their made up religion and the guy on the moor who tries to convert people to his made up religion by shouting the bible at them.

All religion is made up and a waste of time and one is not better or more valid than another.

Its nice in a way that the people who aren't able to deal with life themselves can turn to a perceived higher power and have decisions made for them. If it helps them then great, whatever floats your boat but keep it to yourself. Don't have a yellow tent/minibus/soapbox in town and try and talk me into joining you. You are wasting my time and yours.

maybe, maybe not...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126941.700-born-believers-how-your-brain-creates-god.html