Ebony and Ivory...
I heard this song the other night on The Simpsons. It came back to haunt me this morning.
I was reading the news and pondering the importance and influence of religion in this country, and thinking about a couple of candidates who are jostling for the fundie vote. Huckabee, for example. A Baptist minister who is lying his face off about releasing a rapist so he could rape again. And this time, kill, leaving no witnesses.
And Mitt Romney! Mitt, Mitt, Mitt, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Maybe you can when you're the King of your own galaxy, but not here on earth. Your peculiar speech addressing religion somehow avoided discussing yours.
Does this sentence make Kossacks feel all assured and fuzzy? Mitt said, "Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin."
I got it. If the president of the Mormon church put a flea in his ear about, oh, I don't know, abortion, does this mean Mitt will ignore him?
Do you believe that?
Now, what do leaders of churches do? Their purpose is to uphold their doctrines and counsel people in the path of their faith. But the belief system is already in place, and that also directs the lives of followers, whether it's meatless Friday, baconless breakfast, or donning funny clothing.
Later in the speech, Mitt didn't quite contradict his earlier statement when he said this, "I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers - I will be true to them and to my beliefs."
Okay, so he's not going to let Mormon LEADERS dictate to him, the Book of Mormon should suffice.
So, while we have two prominent candidates scrambling for the Jeeboid vote, turn your eyes to Germany. I guarantee, Scientology's Eye of Sauron is facing that direction right now.
Today's online edition of German newspaper Der Spiegelreports, "Germany's interior ministers announced on Friday that they consider Scientology to be unconstitutional. They have asked the country's domestic intelligence agency to prepare a dossier on the organization's activities with a view to banning it next year."
"...The agency has had the organization under observation for over a decade. Germany does not consider Scientology to be a religion but a money-making cult."
The Scientology defenders will rail about religious bigotry and intolerance. Amusingly enough, it is not a religious issue in Germany, as that nation doesn't consider Scientology a religion.
Ah, here we go, "Scientologists counter that the state surveillance is an abuse of their right to freedom of religion."
Unfortunately for them, Der Spiegel notes that a government agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, "... has had the organization under observation for over a decade. Germany does not consider Scientology to be a religion but a money-making cult."
Scientologists feel that their religious rights include the right to defraud people, abuse the courts, harass and intimidate people who don't agree with them, con people out of their money and property, and give dangerous medical advice. Their doctrine, written by Hubbard, also clearly states an intention to achieve governance worldwide. Their doctrine includes a neat justification for lying, and has a training routine (TR-L) that enhances the ability to lie. You can Google it.
Scientologists will claim the following Hubbard quotes are "taken out of context." I don't see what other possible context you could place them in.
"You want to know what happens when you clear everybody in that
neighbourhood, the only thing that [Scientology] center can become
used for is a political center. Because by the time you've done
all this, you are the government..."
-- L. Ron Hubbard, lecture 9 January 1962, "Future Org Trends"
"Once the world is Clear - a nation, a state, a city or a village -
the Scientology-organization in the area becomes its government! And
once this has taken place the only policy accepted as valid is
Scientology policy."
-- L. Ron Hubbard, taped lecture 9 January 1962,
"Future Org Trends"
"Somebody some day will say 'this is illegal'. By then be sure the orgs
say what is legal or not."
-- L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL 4 January 1966
The Belgians are also considering charges against the Scientology organizationnext year. This will be the first time the cult has been indicted in Belgium, rather than simply individual members.
Which brings me back to the 'Ivory and Ebony' of global attitudes.
While American fundamentalists are trying to destroy our Constitution, rational Germans are preserving theirs by challenging and curbing a destructive cult that we here enable under the banner of freedom of religion.
The Germans and Belgians (and the French) aren't falling for the religious smokescreen Scientology hides behind.
When will U.S. politicians grow a spine and quit playing pattycake with this cult? We need to follow Germany's and Belgium's lead here.
Scientology is a destructive cult.
Scientology is a scam.
It should be dismantled. The people demanding their money back should be reimbursed with punitive damages included.
David Miscavige should be indicted.
Oh, and the religious hucksters of the GOP?
I'd like to see these pandering, hypocritic flip-floppers fail miserably.
America really needs to drag her butt back into the 21st century. It's been feeling like 1907 around here for the past eight years.
