Scientology and Christianity: Both based on fiction?

posted by Bill Arnett @ 4:05 PM Permalink

I stopped believing in a christian god long ago, as I realized that not even a being that supposedly created everything would allow his creation, Earth, to be so used, abused, corrupted, and co-opted by the long, long list of tyrants, despots, kings and others that used religion to terrify the masses, used his works and words as casus belli to start wars, allowed evil men to come to the fore to take money from the poor for the self-aggrandizement of the churches, which own trillions of dollars of gold, silver, platinum, works of art, magnificent churches, and more untold riches. Again, all financed by taking the money of the poor in return for a promise of salvation, a ticket to Heaven, or the penalties of Purgatory and Hell to punish those not contributing.

A pope drinking from silver chalices, eating from plates of gold, and riches such as King Midas could never have imagined. All based on a book that is the greatest piece of fiction ever written by men, for the benefit of a group of men, and published by the only men with the wherewithal to print, bind, and distribute that work of fiction, the Church's acolytes.

By the time Guttenberg invented the printing press and thus finally made knowledge available to more people, the bible was so well-established and ingrained into the minds of "god-fearing" men that the Churches saw to it that the bible became the most recognized book in history, filled with stories of a vengeful, but loving, god whom was the only god that could grant absolution for your sins.

Millions have died in the name of the christian god who, when he spoke to Moses through the burning bush, commanded that, "Thou shall not kill," which is obviously the least obeyed commandment, freely violated without people being smote.

Fiction. All fiction written by men with a vested interest in seeing their scam succeed so they could enrich themselves in the precise manner churches did, tithing, collection plates, magnificent structures for their worshippers to put awe and fear in their hearts and minds, and prompt the giving of extreme riches accumulated as noted above. If just the catholic church sold all those assets, they would probably be able to feed every indigent, homeless and hungry person on earth for a long time, especially if the riches being accumulated anew were used strictly to serve the least amongst us, don't you think?

Now to Scientology, founded by L. Ron Hubbard, about whom most people probably had no idea who the man was and what he did for a living although most people know he authored "Dianetics," the seminal work upon which Scientology is based.

Beginning in 1925 or so Hubbard started writing science fiction for pulp magazines. He was the most prolific writer of fiction, especially science fiction, the world has yet seen, He wrote thousands of short stories, novels, and some of the most creative fiction I have ever read. See: Battlefield Earth and his "deckology," a word he made up to describe a group of ten novels in a series about a god-like man from another planet, Jettero Heller, so advanced in knowledge that Jettero, despite the efforts of others from his planet who would destroy earth for its resources, single-handedly outwitted and defeated those evil-doers and returned to his home planet in humble triumph. (Does any of this seem familiar to you or seem to bear a faint resemblance to Jesus?)

I forget when he died; it's not important. He wrote science fiction in such a compelling manner that it is my belief, and I'm convinced, that Scientology was derived from a fictional story he wrote, a story that for many was at least as valid as the fiction in the bible for many people, believers recruiting for this supposed religion, waiting for their ultimate salvation.

What is important is that he was the inventor of Scientology, which speaks of aliens controlling destiny and eventually rescuing all its worshippers who are true believers, who keep themselves totally free of any kind of drugs, even prescription ones that might harm the little aliens coursing through the bloodstream of believers (again, anything familiar here? Rapture anyone?)

I think both are complete works of fiction, with the advantage going to the bible with its two thousand year head start, all the wars fought and people killed or tortured by bible believers, and the churches incredible accumulation of wealth while the least amongst us still suffer, for the poor their only salvation, a kindly dispensation from a god who promised eternal happiness upon the death of those who were true believers and eternal damnation for those who were not.

How can you argue these things with true believers who certainly never have had anyone return to earth to vouchsafe the veracity of either faith? The very definition of faith is believing in something or someone whose existence can never be empirically proven.

Please, believe as you will and in whatever makes you happy, but at least put some thought into religion. I will always maintain that these two religions are based upon two of the greatest fictional works ever written.

I could be wrong, but that's my belief and I'm sticking to it.

Labels: propaganda, Religion, snark, sociology, ufology