Scientologists
I haven’t viewed it, but the BBC is running an “expose” on the cult - and Scientologists are rather upset about it and seem to be engaged in an Internet attack against the program, which is increasing viewership nicely. Go here for that story.
I knew the cult was organized by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer, and that their premise is we are descendants of aliens from another planet or something like that. (Check out “Ritual Magick and UFO’s” to understand the connection.) I know they have many Hollywood stars and celebs as members, and that money is a big deal with the cult. (In fact, there is some evidence from hubbard’s early writings that Scientology is more or less a business, masquerading as a Church and a psychological alternative to modern psychology.) I know Germany and others in Europe refer to the organization as a cult. I also know Tom Cruise was suggested by Scientologist leaders as being another Christ.
What I did not know is Hubbard was a devotee of Alister Crowley, a lunatic from the 1920’s who insisted he was the Beast - therefore establishing himself as the anti-Christ. He was of course a Satanist - a homosexual - really just a deviant - and everyone knew this well. So what does this say about Scientology?
From Wikipedia:
Ritual magic
One controversial aspect of Hubbard’s early life revolves around his association with Jack Parsons, an aeronautics professor at Caltech and an associate of the British occultist Aleister Crowley.
Hubbard and Parsons were allegedly engaged in the practice of ritual magick in 1946, including an extended set of sex magick rituals called the Babalon Working, intended to summon a goddess or “moonchild.” The Church insists Hubbard was a US government intelligence agent on a mission to end Parsons’ magickal activities and to “rescue” a girl Parsons was “using” for magickal purposes. In a 1952 lecture series, Hubbard recommended a book of Crowley’s and referred to him as “Mad Old Boy” and as “my very good friend”. Hubbard later married the girl he said that he rescued from Parsons, Sara Northrup. Crowley recorded in his notes that he considered Hubbard a “lout” who made off with Parsons’ money and girlfriend in an “ordinary confidence trick”. (There is no honor among thieves.)
Kinda creepy, huh?
May 14th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Ok I’m totally weirded out by that. You’d think that these “enlightened” Hollywood-types would have enough common sense to check out the history of such an organization before joining. Then again, who says they haven’t? kookoo.
May 14th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Endarkened types never did have sense.
I love fantasy novels, but when a fantasy writer starts believing his own fantasies, I get very nervous.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I read one of their “books” probably in the 70s. Really strange. “Histories” of Scientology, that I have also read, claim that Hubbard was frustrated with the measly amount of money he made as a science fiction writer (maybe ten cents a word or so) so he came up with the idea of starting his own religion to become rich). He did and he did.
To my knowledge, it is the first and maybe the only religion that “charges” people for its “sacraments.”
You laugh.
But one of the prime rules of sales is that is easier to sell something for $10,000 to some people than it is to sell them something for $100. They figure that if you want $10,000 for it, it really must be valuable and are easy to convince of that.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Terry - It isn’t only in Hollywood that the Crowley/Scientology/UFO has influenced. The offshoots are numerous! Do you recall the “German Cannibal” a few years back … well, his neighbor while he was growing up was associated (if memory serves me correctly) w/O.T.O. Gotta wonder what influence she had on him?
Read about Jack Parson (Jet Propulsion Lab) history … fiction writers in CA … even new age/american concept of Hinduism & tantric yoga ….
Peter-R. Koenig seems to have an enormous file on the OTO and cast of characters.
http://user.cyberlink.ch/~koenig/fra.htm
What I found haunting many years ago while reading an article on Crowley was the picture he drew of the “being” he supposedly summoned by way of a ritual. The “being” whom he gives a name looks very much like the supposed “greys’ of the alien abduction stories. hmmm ….
but remember all religions are equal … right?
May 14th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
“Hollywood types” and “common sense” are not terms that can be used in the same sentence, or even the same paragraph.
Their behavior proves that over and over again.
May 14th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Very creepy. Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Narconon, the drug rehab program, is Scientology.
Although Scientology runs a drug rehab program, it’s anti-psychiatry (thereby preventing Tom Cruise from getting some much-needed help).
May 16th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Oh, by the way: you know who else was into Scientology? Charles Manson.
Shouldn’t that give pause?