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November 08, 2009 - Scientology: Religion, Cult, Or Just Plain Weird?

by Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.

To put it mildly, Scientology has not had an easy time of . Where to begin? ABC'S Nightline correspondent Martin Bashir was snubbed when Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis yanked his microphone off and ended the Nightline interview. Davis was indignant when Bashir asked if Scientologists believed that a galactic emperor called Xenu brought his people to earth 75 million years ago and buried them in volcanoes. Such Scientology secrets are supposedly reserved for the more advanced in the Church who’ve gone through extensive “audits”, as they’re called. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, which has only been around since 1953, taught that people are spiritual beings called thetans who’ve REALLY been around for thousands of years. Well, whatever Scientologists may teach, last week a Paris court didn’t think much of it. It fined them nearly a million dollars when it convicted six Scientology leaders of organized fraud for bilking followers out of large sums of money. And to add insult to injury a famous Scientologist has now denounced the group. The Oscar-winning director and screenwriter of CRASH and MILLION DOLLAR BABY Paul Haggis was angry that the Church of Scientology didn’t denounce Proposition 8 in California, which denied same-sex marriage. And he also said that Scientologists lied when they denied a policy of "DISCONNECTION" from family members or friends who question their affiliation with Scientology. In a scathing letter Haggis wondered what else they might be lying about. Now, I’m not usually one to call anyone else’s religion weird. After all, I believe in a guy who walked on water, changed bread and wine into his body and blood, and rose from the dead. However, I do wonder about calling Scientology a religion. I know it gives them tax-exempt status to do so, but it seems more like a weird cult to me. Secret beliefs and membership, lavish money payments, isolating members from loved ones, and a leader who supposedly strikes his subordinates when he doesn’t like what they say or do. That according to four former high-ranking Scientology executives. It seems to me that where there’s that much smoke, there’s fire. And I don’t mean the Holy Spirit kind. Tom Cruise’s jumping on Oprah’s couch and steaming in Matt Lauer’s chair may have been just the beginning of the unraveling. I can’t help but wonder if Scientologists won’t be the next group to inspire Dan Brown’s suspicious pen. Who knows maybe Cruise or John Travolta will have the inside track for the movie version. Tom Hanks may want to think about converting. Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.

To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click here.