ReactiveMime
Patron
I'm happy for Marty and Mike to weave their web around DM.
I'll work side by side with them despite my disagreements with their assignment of cause and their goals for the tech.
The problem is that while they are trying to surgically remove the cancer from the body of the church, a malignant growth they call DM, they are all going to have their pet surgery project get hit by a freight train from Australia.
See, our work will survive them but they might find their patient dies from what's coming straight into their operating theater from Downunder.
They still can res-erect a new CofS with a friendlier service policy at a later date. As long as it ditches the abusive aspects of the CofS I'll defend their right to practice their "religion".
Good post.
Many religions have (or have had in the past) questionable practices -- for example Mormonism (a really good book is "Under the Banner of Heaven"), the Catholic church (present and past, the worst of which was probably the Spanish Inquisition), extremist Muslims, Christian Scientists (prayers are the best medicine...), Druidism (human sacrifice) etc., etc.
But, most mainstream religions became acceptable by the simple act of discarding the elements of their religion that were socially destructive.
I myself do not believe many of the tenets of Scn, but I am not going to condemn someone for believing in "native state" any more than I am going to condemn someone for believing in Heaven, Nirvana or being "one with nature."
There are a LOT of practices that need to be ripped out of Scientology. Some were instigated by LRH. Some were instigated by Miscavage. All the bad practices need to go.
Historically, this happens with most religions.
Sadly, it hasn't happened with two of the larger religions: (1) Catholicism, which covers up for pedophiles and condemns people to HIV infection and death by forbidding birth control and sex education, and (2) Fundamentalist Nation of Islam (Jihadism and dehumanization of women).
Whether by chance or by luck, Scientology hasn't killed nearly as many people in fifty years as are killed on a daily basis by the two religions I just named.
Not to mitigate Scientology's crimes.
But their beliefs and their crimes are two different things. Ditto for Catholicism and ditto for Islam.