"Nobody follows us or I kill myself, then her!"

Okay, I HAVE to see that movie
Looks absolutely hilarious.

I'll be boycotting this due to Tom Cruise.

Why is that?

Watch this: http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/
Then read this: http://gawker.com/5002269/the-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientology-tried-to-suppress

Well, yeah, obviously the church is bad. But Tom Cruise is just one of many members of the church. It is their choice to be in it. And this is just a movie he's in. It's not a movie about the church, or anything. Boycotting it seems kind of...pointless?

I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't do this. I just don't see how it expresses anything other than a distaste for Tom Cruise. And I'm pretty sure that series of images with annoying background music was showing how members of scientology (such as Tom Cruise) are victims of the church. So are they victims? Or are they the bad people who should be boycotted?

Just seems odd, that's all.

Except Tom isn't just a member, celebrity members like him are the reason it has any traction at all with the general public. Furthermore, since his money goes to support the church of scientology, and he gets his money from appearing in movies that people pay to watch, I refuse to support scientology by paying to see any movie that he is in.

Then do what I do and pirate it!

Maybe I should start a topic specifically for discussing the ideology behind internet piracy, and whether a lot of the methods used to fight it are right...

Only difference between Scientology and Christianity is tradition.

If Scientology is "obviously bad", then so is Christianity.

Fix'd

Last time I checked, you don't have to pay tons of money to be a Christian or learn about it.

Is it an enforced *requirement*, no, but what do you think people's weekly donations are for at Sunday mass? Where do you think the Church gets its money from?



Fix'd

Supporting charitable organizations, missions work, and making sure my pastor can keep his house. Note that none of these line items include "lining the pockets at hq" and that the budget is voted on by the congregation. More specifically though, the money donated to our church includes paying for the local homeless shelter, providing about half the budget for my Eagle Project, sponsoring the education of children in 3rd world nations, paying for children like these:

to have food and medical treatment, helping relief workers rebuild after natural disasters, and hosting fair trade craft shows, to name a tiny fraction of what goes one

also, as far as I know, no one has ever been killed by any Christian church because they ran out of money to give or because their family asked for donations back.[/youtube]

I see you like to resort to ad hominem when your real arguments fall flat.

Only because you didn't post a real counter. I can't counter an argument you never made, now can I? Don't get upset with me because you fail at debating.

@Elf: The modern Church is still filthy stinking rich and *hugely* different from its origins. All modern churches (including Scientology) try to force their agenda on people. Also, Christian churches have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Maybe not recently, but that's not really the point. Give Scientology a couple thousand years of evolution and see where it ends up.

Right. I forgot, you like to lump "the Church" together as a single entity and make all your claims based on either historical behavior of the Catholic church, or anti-intellectual fundamentalists. I think studying this chart my help you make arguments that are more reflective of reality.


and more specifically,


Of the two churches I regularly attend (both belonging to the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire), one meets in the basement of another church because they can't afford their own space, and the other can't ring the bell anymore because they can't afford to fix the masonry in the bell tower.

Neither of the churches I attend engage in any sort of forced proselytization, but if you're concerned with people forcing their agenda on an unwilling populace, take a look at this guy.



Yes, the Catholic church, during it's stint as an official state religion instigated quite a few wars, but since you're waving the finger around, I might as well point out, as I have before, that the militant atheist regimes of the last century are responsible for the massacre of a full 45 million Christians.

Any issues I have with the Catholic church are largely historical. My issues with Scientology (and militant atheism/secularism) are very much current, and that is EXACTLY the point, given that this discussion started over the announcement of my decision to boycott Tom Cruise films

I have no problem with people choosing not to believe in any deity, but don't treat me like a lesser human being because I do.