From: perry@ezlink.com (Perry Scott) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Re: Scientology breeds fools... Date: 16 Sep 1997 23:33:21 GMT Organization: Xenu's BT Recycling, Inc. Vorshell (vorshell@aol.com) wrote: : In a post sent 1 Sep 1997, Parvenute wrote: : >My conclusions are: : > : >1. COS is not a religion, but a scam designed to take money from people. : I'm just wondering: On what are you basing this "conclusion"? I mean: : Despite its donation policy, Scientology is CLEARLY a religion, by any : definition of the word you might choose to use. Please cite the definition of religion you wish to use. Webster's defines religion as 1(a)(1) the service of God or the supernatural. 1(a)(2) commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. 1(b) the state of a religious[sic] 2 a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. 3 archaic: scrupulous conformity: conscientiousness 4 a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. On (1), Lord Denning (Court of Appeal, England) said it well: "When I look through the ceremonies and the affidavits, I am left with the feeling that there is nothing in it of reverence for God or a deity, but simply instruction in a philosophy. There may be belief in a spirit of man, but there is no belief in a spirit of God. This is borne out by the opening words of the book of ceremonies. It states: 'In a Scientology Church Service we do not use prayers, attitudes of piety, or threats of damnation. We use the facts, the truths, the understandings that have been discovered in the science of Scientology.'" So, on (1), please provide references that Scientology serves God or the supernatural. You'll need to overcome Dianetics' advertisements that it is a "workable technology of the mind", as well as such bloopers as Hubbard's denial of being a religion in _Creation_of_Human_Ability_: "Society, thirsting for more control of more people substitutes religion for the spirit, the body for the soul, an identity for the individual and science and data for truth. In this direction lies insanity, increasing slavery, less knowingness, greater scarcity and less society. Scientology has opened the gates to a better World. IT IS NOT A PSYCHO-THERAPY NOR A RELIGION [emphasis added]. It is a body of knowledge which, when properly used, gives freedom and truth to the individual." For 1(a)(2), Scientology states they have "technology". Technology is the application of science. Science accepts nothing on faith. Therefore, one cannot have "technology" and "faith". 1(b) is incomprehensible to me, but appears to be circular. I'm going to reject definition 2 as being circular. "What's a religion?" "Something where you do religious stuff." For 3, I will concede that Scientologists are scrupulously conformal when it comes to following the tek. So are electricians who follow the National Electric Code. It's a weak definition. Scientology fails under definition 4, again because one cannot have "technology" and "faith" simultaneously. Perry Scott Co$ Escapee