gotham2

i've been reading a most interesting book...'what is Scientology'. (so misleading a title, since it has nothing to do with science!) my uncle and his fiance are both scientologists and they are getting married next weekend. i love weddings...open bar...oh wait, i don't drink...but they're still good clean fun.

so, he gave us the book years ago when he first joined (or was sucked into the abyss, as i like to refer to it...) and my curiousity has finally stirred me enough into reading the thing front to back. now, i know a little of the background, for example: that it was started by Hubbard, a science fiction writer, and that he was big into the hollywood circuit (probably why so many celebrities buy into it) and that you have to pay to learn and that's its run more like a business than a religion, and that they don't like psychiatry/pschology because it's normative...and various other bits here and there that don't really seem to add up to much.

thus far into the reading, i'm not convinced. in fact i'm just more amazed at what people will believe, or what they will convince themselves they believe in order to belong and to be a part of something greater...

i heard somewhere too that Scientology is illegal in Germany. good for them. all it seems to have done for my uncle is prevent him from becoming an English professor (since it requires you to study some pyschology), get a divorce from his wife, and never see his two girls (granted i'm sure there were other deciding factors, but it certainly rocked the boat). now, don't get me wrong, i absolutely adore my uncle and think he is an extremely intelligent man...but i suppose that is why i find this whole thing so hard to understand...

so, today i give a huge shout out: hip hip hooray for religion! (yup, that's just a bit of friendly neighborhood sarcasm for you)


hi there...