Tom Cruise's religion

[NightAngel]

I live in Scientologist Central.

In general, most people around here quietly hate them and/or are afraid of them. I know where the celebs like Tom Cruise and John Travolta shop, etc. I make no point of going to those places and maybe make a point to stay away.

Driving through downtown is disconcerting to say the least. There are hundreds of them- all dressed alike with their weird, blank stares.

One day some people I know and I were driving through downtown. At a stoplight I was looking out the car window at the throngs of them. One of my passengers, terrified, says, "DON'T LOOK AT THEM! They may decide to kill us! Or worse! Try and convert us!" She was Dead. Serious.

Now, outside that centralized area it's actually a bit rare to see them. I've been here 5 or 6 years and not once has anyone ever approached me about Scientology. Other than when I have to go to the courthouse or something I never see them. It's also rare to hear people talking about them... really, they may as well be a thousand miles away.

[ArenaBoy]

Nightangel I take it that you live near Clearwater then? That is a haven for them as I'm sure you already know. A lot of creepy stuff has happened in that area BTW. I know of one COS in my county but it's on the other side of the county.

[NightAngel]

Yes, I live in the Clearwater area.

A year or so ago the Scientologists attacked the Clearwater Police Department. A lot of people hoped that they'd be driven out of town after that- but they weren't. They own a great deal of the downtown area so I think they're here to stay.

[Brede]

One of the things I really dislike is their insistence of using vitamins to cure severe ilnesses. Mainly cause it makes nutritionist look like wacko's. The right herbs and vitamins can IMPROVE symptoms of sever mental and physical illnesses, but only alongside conventional treatment.

*sigh* It is a cult. No question about that. It fills all the requirements.

[NightAngel]

I have to say this even though it's slightly OT.

I had a guy come in to my store asking me to recommend movies to him. I thought it would be no problem as that's what I do for a living.

After some discussion to get on track with what he was in the mood for I suggested several movies. He declined them ALL stating that he wouldn't watch anything with any Scientologists in them. Now, I understand disliking Scientology and maybe it was just the way this guy said it but it grated my nerves and sounded really idiotic.
Well, that and the fact that some of the movies didn't even have any Scientologists in them as far as I know which made it that much worse.

I'm just not going to punish myself by not watching good movies because I don't agree with an actor/ress personal view points.
Plus, it takes a lot of people to make a movie- not just that one Scientologist.

Gah!

[AFPheonix]

I think in the case of that guy, I'd just lead him to the subtitled foreign films and let him go to town there

[Seshat]

The right herbs and vitamins can IMPROVE symptoms of sever mental and physical illnesses, but only alongside conventional treatment.

Except in the case of deficiency disorders.

Why yes, I AM a smartass. Nice of you to notice.

[NightAngel]

I think in the case of that guy, I'd just lead him to the subtitled foreign films and let him go to town there

You assume that my customers can read. That's sweet of you.

[AFPheonix]

I always try to presume the best out of people....keeps me somewhat sane

[CancelMyService]

I don't usually let actor's beliefs get in the way of enjoying a movie, but I can't watch Tom Cruise in a movie and not immediately think of him as a couch-jumping crazy cultist rather than whatever character he's supposed to be.

I mean, I can watch Chuck Norris movies and not have my liberal sensibilities offended by the fact he endorses Fundimentalist whackadoodles for President , but Tom Cruise just takes me right out of any movie I see him in.

[rahmota]

Well this is intersting:http://http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD....ap/index.html

The interior ministers of the nation's 16 states plan to give the nation's domestic intelligence agency the task of preparing the necessary information to ban the organization, which has been under observation for a decade on allegations that it "threatens the peaceful democratic order" of the country.

Apparently they feel that this ology is not a good thing and very not beneficial to society in general.

Whats funny in a side not is this

The U.S. State Department regularly criticizes Germany in its annual Human Rights Report for the monitoring practice.

Does the US State Department have a good enough credability and history on human rights themselves to be able to criticize anyone else?

[Boozy]

Does the US State Department have a good enough credability and history on human rights themselves to be able to criticize anyone else?

No.

But they sure do like to criticize.

[AFPheonix]

It's kind of one of those "do as I say, not as I do" sorts of things, I suppose.

[tropicsgoddess]

Scientology

I just don't see how something that uses e-meters,dianetcs and has a membership system that was created by a dead science-fiction writer classifying as a religion. Sounds more like a cult to me.

[Dreamstalker]

Oh, it is. Google "Operation Clambake". That's all you ever wanted to know.