Running down the rainy streets of Mountain View, CA today, this reporter took shelter in the nearest bookshop to prevent her tiny self from drowning in a puddle. She soon wished she’d picked drowning. Because the shop she was sheltering in turned out to be a Scientology bookshop.
But rather than beat a hasty retreat into the rain, she decided instead to leaf through a few copies of the scores of brightly coloured books lining the shelves. It was almost a magnetic pull. A force. In search of some fitting mood music t go with this revelation, she pulled out her iPod and scrolled to Vangelis: 1492.
And that’s when it occurred to her. The striking similarity between Apple and the Church of Scientology. Why, these two cults and their followers are so similar, it is actually uncanny.
Both sects were created by a charismatic leader believing they actually have the inside track on the human psyche and the universe at large, both push themselves on the general public in an uncomfortable way and then charge you through the nose for their “product.”
And let’s not even mention the creepy hordes of fanbois and evangelistic followers who will relentlessly pursue and tear you to shreds if you diss them in any way. Or the lawsuits slapped on whoever dares challenge or speak out against the all encompassing awesomeness they both believe they are privy to.
Both are secretive to a fault, and outsiders can never know what happens in the inner sanctums of either, and any embarrassing problems are quickly buried and all knowledge of them is denied.
Even the followers themselves seem similar - egocentric, superficial, both believing in only one divine path to enlightenment, radiating their serene smiles and smugly nodding to each other when they come across fellow believers. And yet, both have that crazy glint in their eyes, the kind of glint that tells you they’d have no qualms about snuffing you out if you tried to prove them wrong.
Hmmm. The rain has stopped. Perhaps I’d better step back outside again and get some fresh air.
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Someone else has even suggested UNIX is Eastern orthodox.
"This reporter?"
Rather than a "glint," Scilons tend to have dead zombie eyes. Brainwashing does that to a person.
/cri10/mar/03/bulldozing-the-american-dream/Average 5.00
after
Time to kick
For Demi Used to TEN, Fivor Wasn't Enough. Death, Vi LinkBack.qaum. BathTub silicon'd to death. Terrible. Terrible is Scientology that let next in Line Stray from narrow Path into Darkness. BeHeaded & Dead, running into GAS Chamber Like Nice Home Squat.
Why do they cometome 2dye. RED Porcelana. Once Method in Place, aspparently NO STopping Machine. Way long after ALL Dead, Building Occupants Still Treated Person Exact Same. In Some Cases forgotten Refug of Hope. Locked in by Sore Muscles & Dander, course af least resistence. never pays out, fake cheques of xchequr'
Cultish characteristics?
I am a scientologist and I don't use a Mac. :-)
In Scientology you can find any kind of person as you can find in any religion.
If you start to offend a person' religion you will get some reaction. And this is for any religion or core belief!
So if you don't want to get into "arguments" just respect other
people beliefs and you will happier!
Ah... if you know a better religion than Scientology let me know... for now, those in the internet against Scientology, have not given me better data than those I can find in Scientology books.
John Davis and FrankG are Sceintologists who patrol the Internet for entheta, do you suppose Apple does that? Anyways they never mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars that Scientology costs, the money element.
Both companies/products might have plagiarized their corporate logos too, Scientology's cross from Aleister Crowley's Tarot deck, Apple's name from the Beatle's record label.
Or what about billion year contracts for employees? If an Apple employee leaves the company, are they given a bill to pay for training or classes they took for the job? Are they "disconnected" from other employees they may have befriended if they choose to leave the company? Any coerced abortions? What about prison camps like the cult's RPF?
What about mysterious deaths? Charges of fraud? Has Apple been banned in any countries and/or currently under investigation? Has Apple ever infiltrated the U.S government in order to steal and/or destroy any negative information about it? Have Apple's founders ever fraudulently claimed to be decorated war heroes, or falsely claimed scientific and other credentials?
pffffffft might have taken out a second mortgage on his house to pay for Scientology courses, he can't feel bad about it.
I'm been a Scientologist for 30+ years, but I have no idea if "Scientology is the best way". The subject and practice of Scientology has worked for me. Incredibly well, in fact. And it's also worked for many others. So I guess like Apple, the product can be pretty cool. But is Scientology the best "road to enlightenment"?
I'd say Scientology's worked for me because I've remained at arms length (in fact, now completely independent) from the organization -- the "Church of Scientology".
When one looks deeper -- and honestly -- however, at all things Scientology, one finds a remarkable subject: but at the same time, an endlessly dysfunctional leadership. In fact, the "leadership" of Scientology has utterly eviscerated what could be a remarkable group. Through it's heavy-handed sales, recruitment and ultimately harsh treatment of it's members and staff, it has destroyed the lives of far, far too many -- financially and, all-too-often, emotionally and spiritually. The group has truly become a cult.
What you guys see on the surface are all the PR and Hollywood stunts ("Scientology helping the Travoltas overcome grief","Scientology helping in disaster sites", etc.) that attempt to somehow keep a vestige of positive spin on Scientology and its group. This has been hard to do, considering all the foot bullets and bad PR in recent years (Cruise video, South Park, etc.)
Go beneath the PR, and you see all the individuals that have been destroyed by Scientology's leadership, and are now speaking out on the Internet.
And beside those, you see even more people who have been enormously helped by the subject and practice of Scientology, but who are now, in the wake of this actual help, allowing themselves and their lives to be controlled and manipulated by a cunning (but clueless) cultic leadership.
Go further beneath THAT, and you actually find an incredibly intelligent subject -- a brilliant synthesis of the world's greatest philosophies and wisdom -- available to all as a practical spiritual path to enlightenment.
It's a bizarre paradox.
Like the Apple computer, the *subject* of Scientology -- the actual *product* -- is a jewel and a marvel to behold. Unlike Apple, though, the top guy in Scientology (and his henchmen) have truly made his organization a "cult", and new leadership is sorely needed.
Scientology takes over its subject's mind and life for a billion years. As pretty as the Mac Pro is, and no matter how well it functions, I don't even think many Apple owners would sign a billion year contract....or would they.
You've been manipulated by the anti-Scientology propaganda and PR, Mook. The Xenu story has practically nothing to do with subject of Scientology.
"Scientology takes over its subject's mind and life..."
May be true of the Scientology organization in far too many cases. But isn't necessarily the case with the independent study/use of the subject or its practice.
How droll you are. I haven't been "manipulated" by anti-Scientology propaganda. Instead I've formed my opinion on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, his uber-nutty delusions in his lectures, his documented history of lies, his shameless rip-off of Freud in that best seller no one in their right mind takes seriously, and the total lack of a "clear" or "super powers" as he defined them.
I know, I did it without command hypnosis, but well...
The fact is, Hubbard was not that good a communicator, a mediocre writer, far short of brilliant intellectually, but a superb hypnotist and con artist.
As long as you don't Fair Game anyone or suck innocent vulnerable people into this con, well....hope you wake up.
The Xenu story has EVERYTHING to do with the Scientology con, as developed by Hubbard and perpetuated by Miscavige.
I guess being totally brainwashed, you know of several people who have died from pneumonia, while reading OTIII, before being fully prepared. (LOL)
It's like the number of people who choked on an apple and died after they switched from a Mac to a PC.
I've read the original OTIII materials in Hubbard's handwriting. Are you saying that is propaganda? It's piss poor hogwash.
You clearly have learned all you need to know about Scientology.
All the best to you.
I know exactly what you mean, Sylvie.
It never rains but it pours.
It never drains but it bores.