Posted by carlo marx at dtima-1-24-129-220-35.jacksonville.net on March 31, 2001 at 12:36:52:
i guess i'm going to be the only one who has the nerve to speak my mind freely, at the expense of possibly insulting a celebrity, & refuse to apologize for it.
someone, i don't remember who, made a disparaging remark about scientology.
jason, perhaps somewhat insulted, responded accordingly, very tactfully asking that he not be judged based on his religious faith. fair enough. but i think it's very important to remember that when one's religion of choice is questioned, or even criticized, that the individual him/herself is not necessarily the target. myself, being an agnostic, i question EVERY religion. & though i find religion utterly unappealing from a personal standpoint, i cannot - & will not - ignore it's significance in other people's lives. thus i do not form opinions based on another's religion.
but i do believe that religion itself can & should be questioned. granted, i'm not a scientologist, nor have i spoken in depth to any member of this church. but scientology, if what i've read about it can be believed, is a very dangerous, manipulative organization. people have died while undergoing this org's rituals. mental abuse is commonplace. you are required to sign billion year contracts (to insure that you & any future "life" you may have belongs to the church indefinitely). it's whacky. it's scary. why *shouldn't* anyone ask: "what the fuck is going on in that place??" i think it's a perfectly acceptable question that warrants an honest answer.