Did Anyone See the Nightline Special on Scientology?

by neverendingjourney 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  neverendingjourney

  I looked to see if there had been a thread started about this already, but I couldn't find one. Anyway, I just finished watching the Nightline special on Scientology. Martin Bashir (the guy who did the Michael Jackson interview that brought about the second child molestation complaint) interviewed a spokesman for Scientology and 3 former high-ranking Sea Org members. There were several fascinating elements to the special. Something that really struck me was how similar Tom Cruise's current demeanor is to that of the church's leader, David Miscavige. It's as if Tom Cruise has meticulously modeled himself after the guy. Pretty creepy.

  For those of you who haven't seen it, here's the link:

  http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/scientology/

  I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned here for those inclined to "bring down the Watchtower." This was a major piece of journalism given wide exposure on a popular news program over 2 days. Two full shows were dedicated to Scientology. They brought on 3 high-ranking former members who outlined well-documented and credible complaints of hypocrisy and physical violence from the Church's leader, and yet the Church of Scientology still stands today relatively unaffected. Maybe their ability to recruit future members was hurt somewhat by the show, but there was no spectacular eye-opening moment that caused Scientologists to leave the church en masse.

  Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than that to "bring down" a religious organization. JWs simply lack the number of motivated high-ranking former members willing to speak out about the religion. Also, the public is not nearly as interested in the Watchtower because JWs lack the celebrity factor that Scientology possesses. Would people be that interested in Scientology if it weren't for Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Will Smith, et al? Probably not.

  If you saw the show, what were your impressions? Did you find an eerie parallel with Jehovah's Witnesses?
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  jamiebowers

  I watched the first part, Inside Scientology. The only true path and the disconnect aspects remind me of the jws. What a bunch of wackos!
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  poppers

  These people are crazy, and dangerous. If there is anything to reincarnation these guys must have been Nazis. Check these out:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REr7XfoiKrs

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpjSjvD2gfA&feature=related

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUiQx0tJAM&feature=related

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aepc2r7hAuc&feature=related
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  JWoods

  Was this the one where the CSI spokesperson walks out on the interviewer because he asked about Zenu the alien?

  Pretty thin-skinned for somebody who must spend hours and hours "auditing" on the E-meter to learn all about self control and tranquility.

  Wackos indeed. Mind controllers? Probably as much or more so than the Witnesses.

  Dangerous? Probably as much or more so than the Witnesses - while they don't preach no blood or encourage persecutions to the death, they do have very weird views on psychology (hate it, all of it), and some of their so-called "drug rehabilitation cures" have literally proved to be life threatening. No telling how many suicides or accidental deaths have come about because someone needed proper psychological help.

  Physically threatening? This part is unbelievable in that the nominal leader has widely been reported to go around punching his followers in the stomach and such just to keep them humble. Many former members have credibly reported it. Many who have left have been followed around, threatened, and so on.

  I think that only if Hollywood itself turns on this cult (sort of like they did with Caballa) instead of doing the love-pity fest for it will it begin to be diminished.
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  DaCheech

  I heard this guy tried to get thru security to re-talk to the interviewer 45 minutes before the segment aired.

  the interviewer declined re-entry and the man demanded security let him thru with no luck!

  asswipes
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  neverendingjourney

  The only true path and the disconnect aspects remind me of the jws.

  There are a lot similarities, aren't there? It's sad because JWs are even stricter than Scientologists with respect to shunning. Scientologists only disconnect former members who are antagonistic to the church. JWs disfellowship members who do not live according to their rules, regardless of whether they believe the WT has the "truth" or not.

  Was this the one where the CSI spokesperson walks out on the interviewer because he asked about Zenu the alien?

  Yes. Bashir asked him repeatedly about the Xenu story. At first, the spokesman pretended to be offended, and then he just walked off. Why a church spokesman would be offended when asked to clarify church doctrine makes no sense, unless of course you understand that he's trying to deflect the question. The spokesman doesn't want to admit that his church has secret doctrines that are available only to advanced members who have paid thousands of dollars for the privilege.
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  Casper

  Something that really struck me was how similar Tom Cruise's current demeanor is to that of the church's leader, David Miscavige. It's as if Tom Cruise has meticulously modeled himself after the guy. Pretty creepy.

  I thought he seemed severely brainwashed. Not the Cruise I remember from other interviews.

  Also thought the spokesperson came across as an "Ass".

  Cas
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  JWoods

  Now, if someone in the media would out Greta van Susterin, we would have a 1-2-3 punch sequence.

  Rachel Maddow, perhaps - she seems to practically run on 100-octane hate for Fox News.
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  neverendingjourney

  Here's another interesting thing (to me, at least) about Scientology: I find myself being able to get really angry about Scientology whereas I rarely feel that way about JWs. After I got through viewing the special last night I couldn't stop thinking about how deceived its members are and how they take advantage of the vulnerable. I'm sure it's because I am emotionally detached from Scientology and I can analyze that particular cult from a 3rd party perspective given the background that I have. I don't bring any emotional baggage into it.

  I generally tend to view JWs as sincere, yet misled, and I have much more sympathy for them. I think of my family and people who I knew intimately for 10+ years. It's hard for me to see them in the same light as I see Scientologists. In reality, though, they're birds of a feather.
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  JWoods

  I generally tend to view JWs as sincere, yet misled, and I have much more sympathy for them. I think of my family and people who I knew intimately for 10+ years. It's hard for me to see them in the same light as I see Scientologists. In reality, though, they're birds of a feather.

  Same here in many ways. For one thing, the JWs at least pretend to base their nut-ology on the bible and semi-traditional christianity, which has been around for centuries. Most of us have been involved in it to some degree and thus are kind of de-sensitized to some of the extremism.

  This bunch is actually worshipping and conforming themselves to the far-out ideas of a 1950s science fiction author!!! Pretty much a failed SCI-FI author, too - until he started this religion with Dianetics. We are not talking Ray Bradbury, here, folks...

  One of my best friends got out of the elite Scientologist Sea Org back around the same time I left the JWs - and, sad to say, is still somewhat the apologist for some of these wild new-age ideas. They die pretty hard, even for people who can see their way out. He also gets pretty up-tight when asked about Xenu - almost as if you are probing into some long-hidden family secret skeleton that nobody is supposed to ever know.

  BTW, if Xenu dropped the bad karmas into VOLCANOS, what in the world did he need to also blow them up with Hydrogen Bombs for???