Brad Jones, The Cinema Snob

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

And people don't realize how one of a kind Tom Cruise is as a Hollywood Actor. Generally the top actors and actresses have a 15 year window where they get top billing and get a couple of blockbuster movies released a year before they fall off. Now they may still act but they get supporting roles and are not the main star and if they are it's lower budget and indie films. Tom Cruise, however has been on top for 30 years. Risky Business and Top Gun to now as top billing in The Mummy reboot to the recent Mission Impossible movies and such. So he obviously wouldn't give a fuck about typecasting since he is always the star.

Such is the power of Scientology.

[Kugelfisch]

And people don't realize how one of a kind Tom Cruise is as a Hollywood Actor. Generally the top actors and actresses have a 15 year window where they get top billing and get a couple of blockbuster movies released a year before they fall off. Now they may still act but they get supporting roles and are not the main star and if they are it's lower budget and indie films. Tom Cruise, however has been on top for 30 years. Risky Business and Top Gun to now as top billing in The Mummy reboot to the recent Mission Impossible movies and such. So he obviously wouldn't give a fuck about typecasting since he is always the star.

Such is the power of Scientology.

That's not entirely wrong. I've mentioned before that he's very professional. If Will Smith hadn't insisted on trying to push his autistic son into the industry and thus fuck his own shit up he'd still be box office nig number one.
Meanwhile, you've never heard anything negative from anyone that worked with Tom Cruise in a movie. At best that he's a bit odd but he mostly keeps to himself and is very polite. A lot of that has to do with his Scientology conditioning. Dude wears a mask at all times. He could absolutely hate the shit out of you and would still very likely be very friendly to you and have an aura of unbreakable confidence. He'll also not sit in his trailer smoking weed all day. He's crazy but super disciplined.

[GitGud]

Why should Tom stress himself when he can delete you with the power of vulcanic alien soul eaters? If a higher up of this cult want you gone, you get an invitation to disapear.

[Kugelfisch]

Why should Tom stress himself when he can delete you with the power of vulcanic alien soul eaters? If a higher up of this cult want you gone, you get an invitation to disapear.

Scientology is not doing so hot. They have less members than CA has viewers.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

What has the Church of Scientology to offer that the Church of the Spoony One doesn't also provide for far less?

[Keith Chegwin]

Scientology is not doing so hot. They have less members than CA has viewers.

They still systematically abuse and threaten anybody they can sink their claws into. Sort of like the Mafia, which is also not doing too hot

[MegaNigger]

Scientology is not doing so hot. They have less members than CA has viewers.

They still systematically abuse and threaten anybody they can sink their claws into. Sort of like the Mafia, which is also not doing too hot

No joke, I completely missed Scientology back in the day. I have so much to catch up on regarding what exactly it is. Is it a philosophy? A religion? A pyramid scheme? Everything I read about it reads super vague to me about what exactly it's supposed to give you and what you put into it.

At least as a Christian, etc, there's a God to please, His wants are mostly laid out with some flexibility for interpretation to account for free will, and some basic sense of right and wrong, along with basic sense of reward and punishment.

[Guest]

Is it a philosophy? A religion? A pyramid scheme?

Yes

[Kugelfisch]

No joke, I completely missed Scientology back in the day. I have so much to catch up on regarding what exactly it is. Is it a philosophy? A religion? A pyramid scheme? Everything I read about it reads super vague to me about what exactly it's supposed to give you and what you put into it.

Short version: Sci-Fi writer hack Hubbart writes novels like a madman. He's still the number one most published Sci-Fi author by the way. Dude just pumped out trashy novel one after another. Despite that, he's not making a lot of money.
Self help books become popular, so Hubbard just makes some shit up and writes Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. It's a massive success.

Hubbard earns a lot of money with it. He also holds talks and lectures, making even more money. But there's one thing that pisses him off: paying taxes. So he figures if he can make some more shit up and turns his idea into a religion he can get tax exemption. That's basically it.

As for what it is and what the beliefs are, that's intentionally vague. If you join now you'll have communication classes and such. It's all based on the premise that mental health is a purely mental thing and all ailments can be cured by just adopting the correct mindset. The crazy shit comes way, way, waaaaaay later. You can be a Psylon for ten years and never hear a single word about Thetans and Xenu.
If you have Netnigs, then I'd recommend "Going Clear". It's a very interesting rabbit hole to go down.

[da PAC Nigguh]

Joe Rogan's interviews with former Scientologists are among the few videos of his I can tolerate.