Alice said: Many Scient. members have no clue about what CoS is really about because they were carefully indoctrinated to believe that anyone who has anything critical to say is an enemy. The members are generally shielded from hearing the truth as part of the programming.

The same can be said about any of the organized industrial religions. The opiate for the masses, Marx called them, with very good reason. And I like this, from Bertrand Russell: "Religion in any shape or form is regarded [by Russell] as pernicious and deliberate falsehood, spread and encouraged by rulers and clerics in their own interests, since it is easier to control over the ignorant."

Any time you have organized religions and practitioners who accept it all without critical thought you'll have abuses. I agree with Amos and Frankham on this (to no one's surprise).

I read a few entries in this thread when it first started, and back then it was just silly. I wonder now at all of the things jumbled together in this thread, with very little thoughtful consideration behind it. Next we'll be reading that someone is practicing cannibalism because they read Jonathan Swift. Nonsensical leaps and conclusions are just that--nonsensical.

Does Cruise's lack of understanding of the issues involving depression and drugs that treat it have ANYTHING to do with Scientology, any more than it has to do with Christianity? Or Judaism or Hinduism? I don't think so. I think the man just isn't as informed on this issue as he could be, regardless of his religion.

SRS