Will Smith Backs Scientolo-School?

16. Wow, opening new schools seems to be very chic in hollywood lately.

Who cares if this guy is in that cult or not? He's just a tool.

Posted at 8:08PM on May 19th 2008 by maisymousey

17. The hatred is unbelievable....Boycott, Devil, Cult.....

You know what they say...when you point a finger at someone, you have 3 pointing back at you.

Posted at 8:09PM on May 19th 2008 by Kristy

18. Looks like Kristy is of of the cult members. Satan worshiper. Are you going to disconnect from us SP's Kristy???

Posted at 8:17PM on May 19th 2008 by joedee

19. TOM CRUISE IS HIS JESUS

Posted at 8:20PM on May 19th 2008 by Krishna

20. First the Tom Cruise movies went in the garbage, then the John Travolta, now Will Smith. I won't support anyone associated with a dangerous and evil cult that suppresses free speech and denies it's followers basic human rights. Don't forget the lying. Why is it that the Freewinds, Scientology's "cruise ship", has been sealed up in Curacao. Could it be BLUE ASBESTOS??? Why are they lying about it?

Posted at 8:23PM on May 19th 2008 by Mark

21. Some more info

There are six known Scientologists on the staff of the school. Their names show up in the course completion lists.

The school uses Heron Books (which is a front for the Scientology based "Delphi School")

The school's motto is "Spiral Up!"

L ron Hubbard is quoted as saying this:

"The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the Tone Scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered." - L. Ron Hubbard, SCIENCE OF SURVIVAL, p. 170

(Note the mention of the dwindling spiral in the above quote from L. Ron Hubbard)

Posted at 8:26PM on May 19th 2008 by James Jingleheimer Smith

22. Oh no!! Say it isnt so!! I hope they didnt brainwash him too. His career will soon be over like Tom's.

Posted at 8:32PM on May 19th 2008 by Jazz

23. JOEDEE:

Such hatred. You make assumptions about me? Do you know me? Or is it the same things that make you assume you have al the answer to life?

Posted at 8:36PM on May 19th 2008 by Kristy

24. Kristy, If you are not a scientologist yourself then your naivete is amazing. No, you don't have to be rich to be a scientologist. If you're not rich then you only have to give them complete control over your body and brain. I'm not sure if they actually do steal your soul but they will if they can. Some of us actually have experience with scientology and they are a CULT!!! No two ways about it. Any belief system that tells its practitioners that associating with people who do not share that belief system will corrupt them is a cult, not a religion.
I know from experience that scientology preys on the young and insecure and tells them that the young person will go mad and commit suicide if they don't join. I know because that's what they did to me. They told me that I would kill myself within 5 years without their help when I was a freshman in college, an overprotected 18-year-old, living away from home for the first time and very scared that I was in over my head. Luckily for me I was also very contrary and determined and decided that there was no way I was going to allow them to be right.
I also know that L. Ron Hubbard created scientology to prove to an SF editor that he could create a belief system so ridiculous that no one would believe it. He failed because P.T. Barnum was right. And he made money hand over fist forever after. Which was a very good thing since he was a truly lousy writer. This story is extremely well known in the science fiction community. I heard about it shortly after I joined science fiction fandom.
I can understand your desire to be open-minded and give every one the benefit of the doubt but don't be so open-minded that your brain falls out.

Go Sox

Posted at 9:19PM on May 19th 2008 by Baseball Junkie

25. People are starting to accept Scientologists more. The posts aren't that hateful. I think the religion is kooky but all religions rely on faith in their own world. These posts used to the funniest to read. Come on people where is the fire and brimstone.

Posted at 9:43PM on May 19th 2008 by john

26. $cientology is a big fat global scam. And that's putting it nicely. They're more Mafia than "church". Google Scientology crimes for the truth about these monsters.

Posted at 9:57PM on May 19th 2008 by Rachel

27. john; Scientology is not a religion by any standard definition. It is as much a cult as Waco, Rev. Jim Jones, or that LDS splinter that was busted in Texas not so long ago. They force their members to spend hours at a time in a room, hounding them to search their memories to find every smallest fault or error in their lives and confess them. If they don't find enough they are held unbtil they do. That is psychological abuse which is banned under the Geneva Conventions. If it's wrong to treat prisoners of war that way, why is it acceptable for a cult to treat its members like that.
Try reading the teachings of a few of the world's religions, not just the big three but some of the smaller ones like Zoroastrianism, Bahai and Mormon. You'll have a better understanding of why I call scientology a cult.

Go Sox

Posted at 9:58PM on May 19th 2008 by Baseball Junkie

28. TO #22: Ron L. Hubbard's comment there sounds like he is talking about the rapture of the Christians.

Posted at 10:01PM on May 19th 2008 by sue

29. No, people are not accepting them more, had this been a story on Cruise you'd see many more posts than this one on Smith. A recent Gallup poll found $cientology to be the most disliked "religion" in the world, even beating out Aetheists and Muslims:

http://www.atheistnetwork.com/viewtopic.php?t=23004

Plus there are many more sites these days for critics, like enturbulation.org. Trust me, more people every day are speaking to stop this dangerous cult and it's a beautiful thing.

Posted at 10:03PM on May 19th 2008 by Rachel

30. sue, I can see what you mean about Hubbard's quote but he specifically said that he considered Christianity to be a bad belief system which held the souls back from advancement because it encouraged bad thoughts (engrams?) which would then have to be cleansed. He did not believe in the Rapture.

Go Sox

Posted at 10:08PM on May 19th 2008 by Baseball Junkie