Is scientology a dangerous cult?

97% YES 3% NO

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• Scientology harms its members, feeds on them for money. It harms its critics, slandering and gaslighting them in an attempt to discredit their message. It harms its neighbours, buying up nearly all of downtown Clearwater until the town was stifled under Scientology's oppressive yoke. Scientology is a dangerous multi-level marketing scam, a hypnosis scam parading as a religion, and then, finally, a dangerous UFO cult, firm in the belief that they are something more than human, or that the rest of us are something less. Get informed, tell everyone you know. Don't lose your friends or family to these people. Help those you know who are in get out.
  Jon Public  Canada
• I wouldn't call it "dangerous" per se, as it's not one for the ol' ritualistic slaughter of its members, but I will say that it appears to be harmful. It may not physically hurt or come to damage its members or non-members, but its structure is very much like a pyramid scheme, and those on the bottom will come to suffer from the pressures above. I don't know about their teachings or methods, but from what I heard it seems akin to, well, "mental re-teaching". Some call it brainwashing but that's too strong a word in this case. I just feel that if you're not fully prepared for their tests and lessons then it can cause serious mental and emotion problems. As long as Scientology doesn't haggle me with their personality tests, which they haven't, I have no qualm against them. They seem peaceful and sincere enough here in Ireland. Elsewhere, maybe it's different...
  Tommy  Ireland
• Good article. $cientology is not a church or a religion. It is a malignant cult that destroys peoples' lives. The more you research, the more horrifying it is:
  Betty Swollocks  United States
• The Church is a dangerous cult. Its not what they believe though its how they are trained to act. Attacking anyone or anything that is against the church. They will go to any lengths as L.R.H ordered in his "fair game" policy. It states the should "lie, cheat ,steal or destroy" anyone against the church. Why am I against the church? Not because of what the believe but how they act, No church should need a private Secret service (Office of speacil affairs), No church should break up family's, No church should have punishment camps (RPF) "Scientology is evil; its techniques are evil; its practice is a serious threat to the community, medically, morally, and socially; and its adherents are sadly deluded and often mentally ill... (Scientology is) the world's largest organization of unqualified persons engaged in the practice of dangerous techniques which masquerade as mental therapy." Justice Anderson, Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia
  John  Ireland
• Definitely dangerous! The "no" article actually mentioned several reasons why it is a problem. Pyramid scheme describes it very well. We need the laws changed to prevent pyramid schemes disguised as religions. If Scientology is allowed to continue with this, then others will do the same. Also don't forget that this isn't just a "you got ripped off" type of hurt put on people. People inside are manipulated and their world view skewed by Hubbards insane replacement for psychiatry. People come out mentally challenged and emotionally damaged by misuse of hypnosis (all members), lack of sleep (for those in sea org) and other mental manipulation. Talk to ex-scientologists. They can take decades to recover from this. Some may never fully recover.
  Derrick Hall  United States
• Absolutely a cult. Dangerours, hell yeah. Just listen to the interview from a few days ago by ABC news and their show nightline with the NIECE of the head of the church and how she tells about how real disconnection is, how they have forced abortions and how mind control there really works.
  Jukka Minton  China
• Scientology is a dangerous cult. Here's what an Australian judge had to say. - Scientology as practised is in reality the antithesis of religion - Supreme Court Justice Crockett Australia
  Rick Win  Australia
• It's not just a dangerous cult. It's a cult that has, among its chief goals, subversion of democracy and abolishment of psychiatry. Good thing they're too brainwashed and dumb to actually pull this on the whole world, though they tried it on smaller countries (and got banished for it) Scientology really has a number of interesting achievements, among them penetration of an US airforce military base in Greece, global stock market fraud, I don't even want to mention Operation Snow White
  Anonymous  Other
• Terrific articles. Scientology's recent history reads like a work of fiction, because even if you stick to the court judgements and formal government reports the crimes of the Scientology organisation seems to be worse than you can possibly imagine. On US television this week, ABC's Nightline interviewed former Scientologists who talked about the pressure that women in the elite "Sea Organisation" - Scientology's most dedicated - are under to abort if they fall pregnant. A former senior Scientologist, Marc Headley, confirmed this in a radio interview just yesterday, saying, "I know of several female staff members that were absolutely pressured into having abortions. I know one girl who had four abortions in a five-year period... When these girls are going off to get abortions they are going to the Planned Parenthood facility in Hemet (California), going with a carload of girls and it even got so bad that the Planned Parenthood place was like, "What the hell is happening? This is just not right, we are seeing girls come in here ever week and not only that, sometimes we see the same girls back months later". And they actually had to go to different Planned Parenthood centers all over the "England Empire" because they were creating a public relations situation by having so many abortions performed on church staff members... We're talking about hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of abortions". This is a very sick organisation.
  Max Champion  Bahamas
• I for one am happy that the media seem to be tackling this at the moment. Scientology has been allowed to do so many morally and legally wrong things to get to where it is today with barely anyone standing up to them. I sincerely hope that we can deal with this cult as soon as possible
  saerat  Ireland