I found this review of Hugh Urban’s The Church of Scientology to be very interesting. Urban seems to be a qualified analyst of minority religions and esoteric traditions, with previous works on Tantra and American esoteric traditions in India and America. He also seems to have some works on the political uses of fundamentalism in America which I should probably check out.
The whole review was interesting, but this passage stood out to me:
Hubbard had frequently compared life to a game, and he didn’t want to be ‘playing some minor game in Scientology. It isn’t cute or something to do for lack of something better.’ The game hinged on the idea that we can choose what we perceive to be ‘true’, and discard everything else as an illusion. Yet soon Hubbard’s postmodern religion strove to become a ‘real’ one. His followers – among them hippies as well as educated and ambitious young people – surprised him with the intensity of their belief. Hubbard told a group of doctoral students in Philadelphia in 1954 that his followers were more convinced of Scientology’s cosmology than he was. ‘I’m just kidding you mostly,’ he said. ‘I don’t believe any of these things and I don’t want to be agreed with about them … All I’m asking is that we take a look at this information, and … let’s see if we can’t disagree with this universe, just a little bit.’
That’s a very different way of looking at Hubbard than I’m used to, and that quote is very telling. I’m used to seeing Hubbard and his followers as either scammers, lunatics or dupes. But if you are (for lack of a better word) postmodern enough to believe that you can create your own reality, then what better way to shape this new reality than by creating a religion?
And this might go some way towards explaining why so many of Scientology’s most prominent followers are actors or authors. These are people who work at creating a new reality for their audience.
As a former born-again fundie, I was exposed to information about the “false prophets” of other religions. Scientology, I was told, was started for fun and profit.
Today, I am shocked at the lack of understanding that the regular person on the street has about the other religions. I just watched the documentary, “Tabloid,” and found it not only very hilarious, but also very informative regarding the Mormon religion. But none of my current friends knew anything about the magic underwear, the constant interviews regarding masturbation, etc. If only people knew the details, they may be less inclined to have respect for such silliness.
For me, “create one’s own reality” = brain and sensory organ have incomplete information.
As soon as I read about comparing life to a game, some atavistic fraction of my psyche got huffy about such frivolity. Religious indoctrination is indeed a long-lasting curse.
Which is why you never make up a religion, even for kicks, hoping it’ll be so ridiculous that everyone will know you’re joking.
Looking at you, FSM.
Unless you’re out to use your made-up religion to exploit people and get rich.
Worked extremely well for Hubbard.
Spaghetti being one of the cheapest of the delicious foods, I think we can count out huge profits an an incentive
In my opinion the FSM religion has been made up to get religious people of all dogmas to take a look at their own beliefs and see how ridiculous they are. If, as an FSM er (Pastafarian), I’ve been able to do that and have them become atheist/agnostic/freethinker, then, I have succeeded in my goal. AAARRRGGGGHHHH! May HIS noodliness embrace you as he has boiled for your sins & stupidity.
It’s all fun and games until someone takes a meatball to the eye.
Then it’s simply fun.
Even if you have a good idea the danger is it will be codified. What was once intended to help people move forward becomes carved in stone and in a hundred years it is just something holding people back and giving them an excuse not to think for themselves.
I don’t know, I think “Be excellent to each other!” might be fairly safe as a religious instruction, although I can see “Party on, dudes!” eventually causing some problems.
I Was Shitting You People – A Message From Ayn Rand
“Back in the early 1940s I was living in Tenafly, New Jersey with a guy named Ronnie Hubbard… Anyway over the course of a few weeks — it’s hard to piece it all together — we started talking about pranks…”
Satire by Paul Bibeau