Whats the difference...

[bazwillrun]

Between scientology and any other religion ?
where does one stop being a cult and become a religion.

they are all based on fairytales and other assorted lies and deceit, fear etc etc
why do people get suckered into all this garbage ?

really is beyond me

[beso]

A religion is just a popular cult.

Some people have been brought up with a religion shaped hole in their personality. They see it fulfilling their parents and sense it is something missing in their own lives.

Sad really.

[jackthehat]

The passage of time is all that separates cults from religion.

In 2000 years, some of the cults around today will have vanished and some will be 'established' religions.

[beso]

In 2000 years either religion will be irrelevant or their won't be humans.

[brionon]

No difference !!

[WaldoMcFroog]

In a cult, the fraudster is still alive.

[jomifl]

Scientology is simply a more extreme form of the religion model. It is more profit oriented, uses more extreme forms of mind control and has a more ridiculous philosophy. That's it.

[ll_billym]

Of course it comes down to semantics really but in my mind groups are more 'cultish' based on the difference in lifestyle or behaviours between the leaders and the followers, the amount of freedom and personal resources that are given away by the followers, and the degree to which the followers are encouraged to associate solely with those that are within the group and not with outsiders. The actual 'fairytale' is pretty irrelevant as you rightly say.

People get involved (religions and cults) because they cannot think for themselves and blindly follow one path - usually the easiest one, or the one that makes them feel the best - without objectively looking at other paths.

[ll_billym]

Just went on to the Scientology website, this is a direct copy/paste. What a total load of drivel:

PERSONAL INTEGRITY
BY L. RON HUBBARD

What is true for you is what you have observed yourself. And when you lose that, you have lost everything.

What is personal integrity? Personal integrity is knowing what you know. What you know is what you know and to have the courage to know and say what you have observed. And that is integrity and there is no other integrity.

Of course, we can talk about honor, truth, nobility—all these things as esoteric terms. But I think they would all be covered very well if what we really observed was what we observed, that we took care to observe what we were observing, that we always observed to observe. And not necessarily maintaining a skeptical attitude, a critical attitude or an open mind—not necessarily maintaining these things at all—but certainly maintaining sufficient personal integrity and sufficient personal belief and confidence in self and courage that we can observe what we observe and say what we have observed.

[wildwood]

//why do people get suckered into all this garbage ?//

For some it is like a 'cuddly-blanket' to explain their existence.
For some it is the only way of life, for many generations.
For some it is a way to pretend they are 'good' to their peers.
For some it satisfies their 'community graving'.
For some it is used as an excuse to rule over others.

[ll_billym]

All that and then they tell people to believe a load of rubbish about aliens.

[birdie1971]

A cult and a religion are essentially one and same thing. There is really only one difference between them and that is how they are defined in law. Cults are rightly derided as a bad influence on the populace; religions are wrongly lauded as good and moral organisations whose leaders are morally beyond reproach.

Both cults and religions use psychological techniques to recruit and retain their members (eg. if you're feeling depressed they can help you but once you're in, don't even think about leaving as you will be punished, etc.). They both proclaim to have some kind of messianic leader who is either a higher power incarnate or a human doing the direct bidding of a higher power (eg. L Ron Hubbard, Jesus, Mohammed, etc.). Both promote the idea of giving substantial sums of money to the organisation.

etc, etc.

[modeller]

# why do people get suckered into all this garbage ? #

Because they want the crutches that religion offers. There are so many things in the world we don't or can't understand and the supernatural offers explanations
which many, possibly most, people need to understand and cope with life.