Scientology

nocode

I had an encountered with this organisation today and I would like to share this story. I was walking along the street in the city centre when this person approached me and asked me would I be interested in talking a personality test, I naively said okay. While walking towards their office (which was about 1 minutes walk away) he told me who they were. At this stage it was too late to back out, but I went along with it, purely out of curiosity. The guy seemed quite chatty and friendly while we engaged in “small talk” going toward the office. On arrival I was given a questionnaire to fill out, I believe it was called Oxford Capacity Analysis (nothing to do with the university, I guess). It was composed of 200 questions which took about 30 minutes to complete.

I then met with another of the members privately who gave me the results of the exam. Almost immediately she told me that deep down I was an unhappy person and that I have not reached my full potential as a person. She told me that they could help, when I asked how, she didn’t give me a straight answer. I they asked, was it through conversation or medication? She replied, “no, but through another technique”. I asked again, “how exactly then”?, she said that I would have to attend a course and find out, she said that it wasn’t possible to explain in a brief summary. I told her I wasn’t interested, the response I got was “clearly you are unhappy, do you want to make something of your life”. It was like she was making me out to be mentally disturbed or something. When I said this to her, she finally agreed, and then proceeded to convince me to do another course. I instantly said no, and proceed to leave. At this stage, she was still persuading me to consider the offer, and that I would regret it if I don’t. I told her that I had enough and said goodbye. I got a cold sense of her while leaving.


On reflection, this has annoyed me. I don’t know how an organisation can call you off the street, ask you to do a personality exam, and within a few moments tell you what’s wrong with your life and give you the solution how to fix it. I’m also suspicious about the exam they used and the conclusions they come up with. I found this lady quite aggressive and persuasive in her technique. This tactic along with logical trickery may convince some persuasive individuals to join their dogmatic cult. The aggressive selling technique almost reminded me of a person in competition, who was hoping to receive commission for each person they persuaded to return. As an organisation this approach is surely unethical, I don’t know how they can get away with doing this. It has the potential to cause some serious harm to vulnerable individuals. Has anyone else had similar experiences? I was like to hear some other comments on this issue.

Zombrex

LOL .. I would love to do that ... God I would have so much fun

"When do I get to meet Tom Cruise!!"

Has anyone else had similar experiences? I was like to hear some other comments on this issue.

Anyone who has ever done a "personality test" with them has the exact same experience. It is a very standard cult initiation trick. I'm surprised that they still do consider I though everyone knew this is what they do

If you want to know what you should have said have a look here

http://home1.gte.net/deleyd/religion/scientology/scientologytest.html

UU

Hey there!

I was in town last week and I noticed they had displayed outside a sign saying "Free Stress Tests" which I would never do. My uncle went to their centre and they tried to brainwash him. The group controls people by playing pschological mind tricks, by making you think there's something wrong with you. I've looked into Scientology and it is a horrible, brutual and unethnical organisation. There are a few different sites out there about the cult.

This site is written by ex-Scientologists who'd know all about it. It's called Operation Clambake: http://www.xenu.net/

This e-book is brilliant. It was written by a woman whose life was destroyed by the fückers. Do read it, it very informative: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/xenu/. The PDF file is the best way of reading it as it's more neat and easier to read.

If you ever want to discuss the horrors of Scientology, don't hesitate to contact me as I'm quite well informed on it.

Cheers,

Daniel

nocode

Thanks folks for you comments

You commets are as I taught. I have head of this cult and what they do, but I heve realised before how extreme they were. I can't imagine how bad this would be if this cult ever became remotely big and have large political power, it come across as more extereme than Christininity or Islam to some extent. Perhaps RD could do a documenrty on this cult some time.

Tim Robbins

nocode wrote:

Thanks folks for you comments

I was eating some chips in Supermacs last Wed and saw them outside recruiting. Everybody was walking by them. Then when I was finished my chips I was unlocking my bike outside they managed to get a young man on his own, looked like he wasn't in Ireland long. I felt compelled to do something. I went over and I said "Excuse me, is that Scientology", he said it was. I then pointed out to the young man it wasn't just a personality test it was personality test by Scientology for Scientology. The Scientologist got really irate. He called me prejudiced, a biggot, I didn't know anything about scientology, why should I be against something I don't even know.
He went on to say, Scientology helps drug addicts, helps people with their marriages, why did I have a problem with helping people?

I challenged him as to why I was a biggot.
He said, I had a problem with scientology.
I asked him to point out when I said that?
He said I went out of my way to stop the young man coming in. I said I pointed it wasn't just a personality test it was scientology. I asked him, was there anything factually incorrect with that point. He said there wasn't.
I asked him had I said anything that was factually inaccurate.
He said I hadn't. Then I asked him to point out anything that I had said which he had admitted was factually accurate, which was biggoted.
He couldn't.
I then asked him why he was withholding the fact it was scientology and not just a personality test? He couldn't answer. I asked has him why he had a problem with me pointing out it was scientology i.e. has he got a problem with scientology then?

He admitted I had said nothing biggoted, prejudiced, but that he didn't like me tone. He emphasied "tone". The next day I look up scientology on wikipedia and found this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology#Tone_scale
hillarious

monkeyfudge

nocode wrote:

I can't imagine how bad this would be if this cult ever became remotely big and have large political power, it come across as more extereme than Christininity or Islam to some extent. Perhaps RD could do a documenrty on this cult some time.

Oh they are very big. I believe in Germany they're getting to be a large problem.

They had a booth at last years Toys for Big Boys gadget show... I couldn't believe the amount of people lining up to use their e-meter.

MrB

Don't forget the rather excellent South Park episodes on Scientology, not to be missed, one even got withdrawn from TV for a while! (apparently)

robindch

> Scientology helps drug addicts, helps people with their marriages

Depends on your definition of "help". They turned up in droves after the WTC attacks in 2001 also, "helping" people to come to terms with the attack in the right, scientological, way, as well as offering detoxification courses to people "toxified" at the WTC site.

For about a week, they had a lorry-trailer parked up at the top of Dawson Street two years back, so I went up and hung around it one afternoon asking difficult questions until they gave me some books to go away (I must be the only guy in the world who ever got anything free out of them). Still have them somewhere too -- imagine a book on something called "ethics" by Elron's outfit -- uurrrk!!

aidan24326

I did their 'personality test' about 7 years ago out of curiosity. I didn't know so much about them at the time, had just heard stories of their 'brainwashing' and the like, so decided to find out for myself. No way they're gonna brainwash me I said (to myself in a macho voice ), and in I went.

The whole thing is a steaming pile of poo but then ye all know that already.
Problem is, if it were just a load of nonsense it could be dismissed as such, but there's a dark and sinister side to them that they go to great lengths to try and keep hidden from the public eye. Guys who have tried to investigate them have been harassed and threatened.

Anybody who joins scientology nowadays is a moron, and scientology and morons are a match made in heaven.

One only need look at the raving loony tune tune Cruise has become over the years, even by the usual standards in hollywood la-la land he is beyond help.

Beruthiel

aidan24326 wrote:

Anybody who joins scientology nowadays is a moron, and scientology and morons are a match made in heaven.

Considering the fact that they prey on the weak minded individual who is most likely having some sort of personal issue, it's not hard to understand how they draw them in under those circumstances. It's a nasty, low way to operate.
I remember being asked once if I wanted a personality test, I said "no thanks, I've already got one".

MoominPapa

I read, or tried to and gave up bout half way through, Dianetics years ago, utter sh*te, how anyone could be converted by this nonsense is probably why they are so agressive with the street level jive. Its seemingly obsessed with mental health and construes a straw man argument about lobotomys as if every next person was in danger of having their frontal lobes extracted through their nostrels by ice picks cause they looked at their gp in a funny way. Of course if scientology courses were compulsary in school there would be no mental health problems and no need for psychiatry and we'd all be happy

Binomate

I heard Tom Cruise is directing a film about Scientology co-staring posh spice for her "comical genius". Strangly enough he has to fund it, act it and direct it himself because none of the production companies, acting guilds or directing guilds will support him at all. Lawl.

Zombrex

Binomate wrote:

I heard Tom Cruise is directing a film about Scientology co-staring posh spice for her "comical genius". Strangly enough he has to fund it, act it and direct it himself because none of the production companies, acting guilds or directing guilds will support him at all. Lawl.

Didn't John Travolta do something like that ... directed a movie based on L. Ron Hubbards drunken sci-fi ramblings?

Binomate

He could have done. It would be understandable if nobody has heard of it.

Tim Robbins

robindch wrote:

> Scientology helps drug addicts, helps people with their marriages

Depends on your definition of "help".

It also depends on who is saying it. Scientology claims they help people, no independant organisation (that I know off) has agreed with this claim.

It's a classic argument, Christianity / Islam / My magic stones / homeopathy / etc. helps people.

But it's logically flawed because it contains two classic logical fallacies:
* Anecdotal evidence
* Cause and Effect

Saruman

I think a bunch of people should get together and go in for the test... then spend all day preaching and trying to convert them to everything from Christianity to Jedi knights and even a little Human Sacrifice Azetc type stuff! Would be a blast

monkeyfudge

Binomate wrote:

He could have done. It would be understandable if nobody has heard of it.

Battlefield Earth

It comes as no surprise that it's utterly terrible... but I heard was more of a way of moving money around, as the $70 million budget doesn't seem to all have been spent on screen.

nitrogen

Saruman wrote:

I think a bunch of people should get together and go in for the test... then spend all day preaching and trying to convert them to everything from Christianity to Jedi knights and even a little Human Sacrifice Azetc type stuff! Would be a blast

I'm all for this, when can we get together...

Sangre

Battlefield Earth was one of my favourite books ever. The L Ron Hubbard can brainwash me anytimek

Zillah

A few days ago some of my friends decided they'd go and cause some unpleasantness for the Scientologist.

They arrived for Stress Tests. One went in and did the test fairly normally. The second went in and took the piss out of the entire affair. While the second was on his way out of the test the third promptly took all his clothes off except for boxers. When he saw him, the Scientologist promptly exploded with rage and physically ejected them from the premises. But a moment later they saw the same Scientologist talking to some police who then arrested them for "Disruption of a workplace" or some such nonesense.

They weren't charged and were released later that day. That was almost exactly a week ago actually...

monkeyfudge

Of course they couldn't charge him... it was the thetans that made him do it.

Fallen Seraph

Saruman wrote:

I think a bunch of people should get together and go in for the test... then spend all day preaching and trying to convert them to everything from Christianity to Jedi knights and even a little Human Sacrifice Azetc type stuff! Would be a blast

Verily, sounds like a quite a larf.

Scientology is really something that makes me quite irate. It's really disgusting to see money being made from selling people lies... I mean Hubbard is quoted as saying that a great way to make some easy money is to make up your own religion....


That said, people do have a right to be wrong. I mean Scientology should be hounded legally, and every effort possible should be made to disseminate information on the truth behind it, but if thetans are your thing...

lostexpectation

OP I can't believe you admit to being persuaded to do the test...



anyway move this this thread to the spirituality forum

stevejazzx

Tim Robbins wrote:

I was eating some chips in Supermacs last Wed and saw them outside recruiting. Everybody was walking by them. Then when I was finished my chips I was unlocking my bike outside they managed to get a young man on his own, looked like he wasn't in Ireland long. I felt compelled to do something. I went over and I said "Excuse me, is that Scientology", he said it was. I then pointed out to the young man it wasn't just a personality test it was personality test by Scientology for Scientology. The Scientologist got really irate. He called me prejudiced, a biggot, I didn't know anything about scientology, why should I be against something I don't even know.
He went on to say, Scientology helps drug addicts, helps people with their marriages, why did I have a problem with helping people?

I challenged him as to why I was a biggot.
He said, I had a problem with scientology.
I asked him to point out when I said that?
He said I went out of my way to stop the young man coming in. I said I pointed it wasn't just a personality test it was scientology. I asked him, was there anything factually incorrect with that point. He said there wasn't.
I asked him had I said anything that was factually inaccurate.
He said I hadn't. Then I asked him to point out anything that I had said which he had admitted was factually accurate, which was biggoted.
He couldn't.
I then asked him why he was withholding the fact it was scientology and not just a personality test? He couldn't answer. I asked has him why he had a problem with me pointing out it was scientology i.e. has he got a problem with scientology then?

He admitted I had said nothing biggoted, prejudiced, but that he didn't like me tone. He emphasied "tone". The next day I look up scientology on wikipedia and found this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology#Tone_scale
hillarious

Did this really happen? Did you really eat in Supermacs?:D

On a serious note though well done for the intervention..I hate those peolpe, half way down abbey street, right? A old school friend of mine joined them years ago, she has 'voluntarily' over the years (been brainwashed) donated thousands to them (and their cause, somethging to do with aliens I believe) over the years. Charlatans..they were on the late late show a few years back defending their position, they were so fake it was uncomfortable.

aidan24326

Beruthiel wrote:

Considering the fact that they prey on the weak minded individual who is most likely having some sort of personal issue, it's not hard to understand how they draw them in under those circumstances. It's a nasty, low way to operate.

I take your point and I'm well aware these people prey on the weak minded and most vulnerable. But there is alot of info available nowadays on scientology. There is really not much excuse for anyone to not be aware of their sinister side and the potential dangers before they become involved. Anyone who will readily sign up to an organisation like scientology (or any religious cult/movement/organisation etc.) without first knowing a little about them is being very naieve and pretty stupid. And anyone who reads their spiel about thetans and xenu and all the rest of it, and still decides to join, is most certainly being a moron.

That said, I do feel sorry for some of the people who've been caught in their web and had their lives damaged or even ruined by it. Their lies begin right from the word go 'Would you like a free personailty test' really meaning 'step into our office so we can begin to chip away at your confidence and hopefully turn you into such a dependent wreck that you will be one more sheep under our control'.

Fallen Seraph

aidan24326 wrote:

There is really not much excuse for anyone to not be aware of their sinister side and the potential dangers before they become involved. Anyone who will readily sign up to an organisation like scientology (or any religious cult/movement/organisation etc.) without first knowing a little about them is being very naieve and pretty stupid. And anyone who reads their spiel about thetans and xenu and all the rest of it, and still decides to join, is most certainly being a moron.

Not quite that easy I think you'll find. One does not find out about xenu until you've bought your way into OT 3 (level 3 or something). I believe that the lower level scientologists think that xenu is just a lie spread to defame scientology. It does, in fact, seem reasonable credible to a lot of people. And understandably so. All they see is this e-meter telling them when they're sad and the explanation they're given involves thetans. I reckon the e-meters are actually reasonably accurate at identifying when people are thinking of something stressful. From what I've heard of them they're pretty similar to lie detectors, and I can understand this being convincing to someone used to the behind the curtains magic of christianity. It's so much more tangible, and it works.

Certainly ignorance would make a person more susceptible to scientology, but it's not amazing idiocy on their part by a long shot.

beans

It's one good argument for the continuation of religious education in schools. As long as children of the future are taught about Ron Hubbard and his insane egotism, tendencies toward pathalogical untruths and his damaged psyche then perhaps a few less of them will be taken in in the future.

There's a great quote that comes to mind in relation to L. Ron Hubbard. "Cranks by definition believe their theories, and charlatans do not, but this does not prevent a person from being both crank and charlatan."

Whichever applies in his case, suffice it to say that the man was a dickhead

Hobbes

Its like being in a time machine!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=177167&#post177167

GWolf

I'm fairly opened minded about peoples belifs, but Scientologists are insane.

I'd love to take a test hehe, they wouldn't know what hit them

Asiaprod

I still want to know how the hell they snagged John Travolta. I thought he was cool, guess I was wrong.

Zombrex

Asiaprod wrote:

I still want to know how the hell they snagged John Travolta. I thought he was cool, guess I was wrong.

I am constantly amazed who they manage to snag. Isacc Hayes! WTF? How can someone who did a voice in South Park have such a crap BS dectector. And the hot wife in King of Queens? Her character didn't take crap from anyone yet in real life she has no issue just giving money to a religion who promises to "fix" her. They even got the voice of Bart Simpson? What was Nancy not paying attention when they did the "The Leader" episode?

It seems to be the classic "I did scientology, I then became a famous actor, it must have been the scientology" line that Travolta uses. You convince someone that success can only come from scientology. If that person actually finds success then they go "see, what did I tell you, it was the Scientology" and use that success as "proof" that scientology works. That could explain what a lot of actors are Scientologies.

http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_scientologist.html

Its nuts!