Scientology – More or less crazy than other religions?
I have been working on this post for a few days, the unfortunate timing with the death of John Travolta’s son is purely coincidental; I don’t think the fact he’s a Scientologist had anything to do with it.
Recently, during a discussion amongst a few people, someone asked me how utterly bizarre the beliefs of Scientologists are, in comparison with more traditional faiths. My answer surprised them – I don’t believe that Scientologists are any more or less crazy than Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs or any other supernatural belief systems. They countered that surely the whole Xenu / Body Thetan / Space opera basis of L Ron Hubbard’s religion is much more unbelievable than older, more widely held faiths? Not really.
Consider this: Scientology has evil overlords; spaceships shaped like DC-8 aircraft; and timelines many times older than the universe. That all sounds batshit crazy to most people, doesn’t it?
But then again, Judaism has: people surviving after being swallowed by a fish; bushes that talk, while on fire no less; and the sun standing still to Joshua could finish a battle. Not to mention the multitude of genocides, atrocities and general unpleasantness. That also sounds batshit crazy to me.
But wait: Christians not only have that, but also have raising several dead people back to life; casting demons into pigs (doesn’t sound kosher to me); not to mention the big one – dying after being nailed to some wood, then coming back to life. Yet more batshit craziness.
Still, Muslims are surely past all that old rubbish? Not quite: Mohammed goes for a joyride with the angel Gabriel; splitting the Moon in half (no-one else on the planet noticed, however); oh, and let’s not mention the whole having sex with a 9 year old girl episode, best sweep that under the rug or come up with some silly idea of kids maturing earlier in those days.
I could go on, but I hope you see my point. All religions, both ancient and modern, are batshit crazy – they have to be almost by definition. Naturally, if you happen to believe in one particular strain of nuttiness, then yours makes perfect sense, whilst the others are obviously suffering from a bat / belfry combination.
I just choose to think they’re all off their chump. Seems like a logical conclusion to me, and millions of others.
But Xenu made me say that.
January 3rd, 2009