What is scientology and why are so many people against it?

Question

What is scientology and why are so many people against it?

Answer 1

There is a fine write-up on Scientology found in Wikipedia.  Best source I've found to date.  It will get you started with your questions.

Answer 2

I think Zer0 C00L nailed it.

Answer 3

The "Church" of Scientology is a dangerous cult.  It extorts its victims, drives families apart, ruins the lives of anyone it perceives to be an "enemy"... There are multitudes of people who have suffered tragic experiences during their involvement with Scientology. Read about them here:

http://www.lermanet.com/persecution/

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/

http://xenu.net/archive/personal_story/c...

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf...

Here are more "bad experiences" with the cult including an illegal plot to infiltrate the government, brainwashing techniques, mind control camps, attacks on critics, and DEATHS caused by Scientology doctrine and members:

● Operation Snow White – Under this official program, Scientology operatives committed infiltration, wiretapping, & theft of documents in government offices.  This program constituted the single largest infiltration of the United States government in history.  Among the 11 prominent Scientologists convicted of this conspiracy was Mary Sue Hubbard, the wife of Scientology’s “prophet”.

http://lisatrust.freewinds.cx/scientolog...

http://en.allexperts.com/e/o/op/operatio...

http://www.lermanet.com/reference/77Gran...

● Operation Freakout - Their campaign of sabotage & intimidation against Paulette Cooper, the writer who published her research & findings on several cults, including Scientology.  Scientology’s official plan: to frame Paulette, ruin her career & reputation & get her either incarcerated or locked up in psychiatric confinement.

The official plan: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Krasel/cooper...

Her book: http://holysmoke.org/cos/books/scandal-o...

More info: http://www.holysmoke.org/pc/pc.htm

● Fair Game - the Scientology policy detailing how the organization may confront & handle critics & perceived enemies. Here is a direct quote: "Enemies may be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.”  Though they claim this policy is no longer in effect, Scientology still goes to great lengths to bully all known critics, opponents, “enemies”, etc, often through malicious litigation & character assassination, even going so far as to falsely accuse them of crimes.

http://www.xenu.net/archive/disk/fairgam...

http://www.planetkc.com/sloth/sci/Fair_g...

http://www.fairgamed.org/

http://www.solitarytrees.net/racism/hara...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocw90W44B...

● Physical & psychological punishment - Scientologists who "break the rules" while members of the "Sea Org" must subject themselves to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF),  which includes regimes of harsh physical punishment, forced self-confessions, social isolation, hard labor and intensive ideological indoctrination.

http://www.xenu-directory.net/practices/...

http://www.lermanet2.com/scientology/gul...

http://www.scientology-lies.com/birgitta...

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rpf/es...

● Brainwashing & mind control - Scientology exerts control over its members by means of typical cult tactics, including but not limited to controlling information about internal doctrine & criticism of the organization, severely restricting social contact outside the cult (including the practice of “disconnecting” from family, friends & ex-members who question the credibility & trustworthiness of the cult & are therefore considered “suppressive persons” by Scientology), creating an “us against them” mentality by villainizing a specific out-group (for Scientology, it’s psychiatrists), & claiming all those outside the cult are dangerously unenlightened.

http://www.scientologydisconnection.com/

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/24/Tampab...

http://www.factnet.org/Books/SocialContr... http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecen...

http://xenu.net/archive/personal_story/f...

● Tax Fraud - One of the only reasons they enjoy "tax exempt status" on religious ground in the United States is because they bullied the IRS into a "deal" through extremely aggressive barratry (which is the offense of persistently instigating groundless lawsuits) against said government agency and its officials, and arranged to drop all 2,500 frivolous lawsuits only when an "agreement" was reached. In addition, Scientology's lawyers hired private investigators to dig up any "dirt" on IRS agents which was then used to blackmail or publicly smear all "vulnerable" agents.

http://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/fe...

http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/...

http://www.factnet.org/headlines/give-aw...

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Cowen/essays/...

● Violent Kidnapping - Lisa McPherson was a Scientologist, was involved in a car accident & resultantly became mentally unstable.  She was kidnapped from the hospital by agents of Scientology, held against her will, refused proper psychiatric treatment & allowed to STARVE TO DEATH.

Video: http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/

News Coverage: http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/Lisa_...

Websites: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/room174.ht...

http://www.holysmoke.org/sdhok/lisa.htm

● Tragic Murder - A CBS “48 Hours” special on Jeremy Perkins, the mentally disturbed son of Scientologist parents who, because of the Scientology doctrine of opposing psychiatry, refused to put him on the anti-psychotic drugs that would have stabilized him & prevented him from killing his own mother.

Video: http://www.scientomogy.com/jeremy_perkin...

CBS article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/2...

Website: http://perkinstragedy.org

Answer 4

you gotta give it to zero cool; but in short - it's a nation.  this nation vs that nation = war = control of the masses.  therefore scientology was created by the secret services to pair the common man/woman against the common man/woman rather than the common man/woman against the secret state.  the fact that so many people are against it proves that they succeeded.  and that poofter jumping around on oprah's sofa lost his #1 status due to scientology.  matt damon took his place as hollywood's #1 drawcard.  proof is in box office takings.

Answer 5

Scientology has variously described itself as a religion, a philosophy and a form of therapy.

According to Sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard, who invented Scientology, people are infested with clusters of thetans, which cause all sorts of mental and social problems for every person on earth. By 'Auditing', these thetans can be cleared away, and that will make you all happy.

After these thetans are cleared, you can begin to utilize the powers of your own unfettered thetan (called OT or operating thetan).

These thetans are (note, only OT3 or higher scilons are allowed to know this) the souls of aliens who were deported, massacred, and brainwashed on this planet, thousands of years ago by a galactic dictator named Xenu.

Seriously.

The real point of the Church of Scientology (if we ignore freezoners, who operate outside the church and sift the useful from the useless when it comes to Hubbards works) however, is to take all of your money, and make you believe everything the church says, to make you emotionally dependent of the church, and to harass anybody who is critical of the church, and to recruit more and more Scientologists who still have money. That is why so many people believe it is a cult.

Anonymous has declared war on Scientology – ask them why

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Anonymousu...

Answer 6

it is best to look up Scientology on wikipedia, main reason people are against it is because of the way it portrayed by media in a negative light. if you look at christianity or other mainstream religion it holds a strong relationship with the state and reinforces norms and values. as it is considered a cult and is not controlled by social institutions many consider it wrong as it against the social norm and promotes individualism rather than collectivism. so people are more likely to go against it as  it produces anomie and conflicts with wider society,