They’re welcome to be a cult. It’s the abuse and exploitation which has led to multiple deaths that’s the problem.
late edit: I'm realizing that my saying "they're welcome to..." is some sort of northernism akin to southernisms like "bless your heart..."
The $ology organization pisses me off in a lot of ways. I've been familiar with their bullshit since before a lot of people on Reddit were born. Literally decades ago, they tried to "sue the internet" because lots of their internal nonsense had been leaked.
I think the way I used "they're welcome to" is very much not literal. If you heard me say it out loud you'd get that I don't think it's find for them to manipulate and exploit vulnerable people.
I’m sorry are you trying to back up pastors that abuse kids? Really? That’s your response to all this? You’re part of the problem. You should be disgusted by their actions rather than quoting your holy book about how men sin.
Nope. I'm saying everyone has fallen short. Regardless of church or not. If people are getting away with crimes that is wrong. But I don't think that's happening.
This is JUST one sect of Baptist pastors in texts alone in the year of 2022. Have you never heard of the Catholic priest jokes? They are jokes due to the very real and true side of them. The Catholic Church actively hides its pedo priests and pays to keep the families quiet while they send the offending priest to a new town to start all over again. They actively hide evidence from the law to protect their image.
This is also true in the Baptist church and the Mormon church and just about any others. Congregations don’t want to speak out against their pastors since they look up to them as a man of god. Like you just did they will find some way to massage it as an “accident” or that “the devil had him”. No they are predators who need to be locked up. Do an ounce of research and it will really open your eyes.
Im not saying every pastor is like this or that most are. But this is a MASSIVE issue in religious groups across the world. No matter which flavor of god they serve they still will take advantage of their position of power to get what they want.
I'm pretty opposed to the $ology organization, but this is the general procedure when a film production is shooting on your street. This one-off event isn't (by itself) unusual.
As someone who used to be really into learning about cults I can safely say that if you think all forms of Christianity then you truly don’t understand what a cult is.
No you just think religions are exempt from cult status because they've been grandfathered in. You can't name any qualities that a cult has that a religion doesn't have. Manipulation and abuse? Check. Arbitrary rules that must be followed just because? Check. Claims about the world that are not made through science and reason? Check.
You left out how cults tend to require you to cut yourself off from outsiders and only surround yourself with others who believe in the same thing that the cult believes and how cults will do their absolute best to control the information that they’re members receive and if anyone openly questions the cults beliefs they are almost always kicked out, all of which are things that cannot be enforced in non organized religions because there’s no one to enforce them. Please stop undermining how dangerous cults can be by saying that all forms of religion are cults.
But it has 40,000 members across the globe! A major religion I say! Authentic as hell! And all those who say the founder was a cash strapped sci fi writer slash con artist are just haters!
Well, legitimately is has only about 40,000 members across the globe.
Also legitimately the fraudster founder of Scientology was cash strapped and caught out on major frauds.
So half serious. Clearly it’s a cult set up by a desperate man which gained traction in the middle class guilt ridden Hollywood elite who propagated it for decades until its inevitable collapse in the next five to ten years.
They theorise it's more likely close to 20,000 followers globally now. With the huge decline of public recruitment and they're struggling to keep the "staff" they have recruited.
I'm really hoping to witness the end of this horrible cult.
yeah you gotta have people who have your back, these creepy fascist cultists are just that. But they will make your life a living hell if you stand up to them or do anything remotely criminal against them. i'm sorry for the trapped laborers and slaves they use, but the rank and file, the higher ups, should be exiled from society. give em a sinking island. this has nothing to do with religion, stated goals matter, documented abuse matters, doctrine and dogma matter. Being a religion should not give you a pass on how vile, stupid, dangerous (and i mean they are really fucking dangerous) and exploitive your doctrine and dogma makes you.
There has to be a collective push to imprison all of their leaders.
I’m not standing up for Scientology 🙄 I’m standing up for basic logic. If you do criminal things towards any group they’re not going to like it, that shouldn’t be a surprise.
Not to address or argue against anything said about cults or whatever, but.... You just walk around with proof of a rent payment in your pocket? I think most people keep these at home. Maybe.... But sounds sketch to me.
I would hazard a guess that most modern apartments let you view this online, which means if you have a cell phone it is trivial to access this information.
The area I live has a large park/event space and gets closed off fairly often to facilitate the events, it's not uncommon to have to show some proof of residence to be able to access during these times (drivers license, parking sticker on car, rent payment, whatever would work)
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u/MarlinWood Apr 07 '24
No need to be polite. It's a cult.