http://living.oneindia.in/insync/2010/john-travolta-haiti-relief-material-270110.html

Hell Hubbard was even lazy about making his mythology, he could have easily made some shit up (why stop at xenu & thetans?!); have the aliens flying “QLJPZ-9501s” and have them blow shit up with “molecular atomizing neutron disintegrators”.

Spoiler alert, Cory — that tidbit of “knowledge” isn’t made available to scientologists until they’ve taken thousands of dollars of courses. Most other religions are quite upfront about the strangeness of their beliefs and their missionaries literally try to shove copies of their holy book into the hands of passerbys under the impression that they will read it and become converted. In scientology you have to pay thousands to learn their version of the Book of Genesis.

Scientology has a policy, “Casualty Contact” specifically targeting the bereaved and ill for recruiting by the cult.

More info here:

http://www.solitarytrees.net/cowen/misc/am3casu.htm

Unvarnished cynicism.

I suspect that Cory suffers from unaddressed Body Thetansâ„¢.

BUT.. I would like to see the same attention put on the church ministers who are doing exactly the same thing, channeling their invisible sky friend into Haiti (but as he controls everything that must mean he caused the whole thing anyway, so why they would want to see any more of that bastard is beyond me)

Scientology is no more crazy than the catholic/lutheran/baptist/adventist/satanist church. Note that I did not state that these other churches are in any way sane..
An invisible friend which loves us but also has a sadistic streak and enjoys hurting us.. Sounds like a seriously abusive and co-dependent relationship.

1. The airport and the roads are clogged with real aid workers who don’t need cult loonies in the way.

2. Uneducated locals who get a mild placebo effect from being touched may not seek real medical attention.

3. Throwing a few real doctors on their plane doesn’t make up for being opportunistic bastards. If they were serious, they would have sent only actual doctors and left the thetan-wranglers at home.

I’m sure even an open minded person would agree that a catastrophe is not the time for a money sucking cult to swoop in to spread their “faith.”

I’m so pleased to find out that over a thousand years of accumulated medical knowledge, acquired through hundreds of generations and lifetimes of painstaking work, toil, and sacrifice, can be finally dumped in the trash bin simply by groping and molesting people in just the right way.

Have there been studies done on the psychological impact of, well, disappointment?

I take exception to Cory’s assertion that L. Ron was a lunatic. He knew exactly what he was doing by inventing his little cult.

Actually, I think you’re both right. I think he knew what he was doing at first, but by the end I think he had devolved into madness and believed his own BS, or at least lost the ability to discern what he did and didn’t believe.

http://drvitelli.typepad.com/providentia/2010/01/international-clashes-delay-relief-for-haiti.html

Well, when you put it that way, it just sounds insane! ;-p

@Tom Hale: I agree that they’re doing it for media coverage. I mean, it’s not as if they’ll be able to swindle much money down there, but it might draw the attention of people in richer places.

But, although I’m certainly no defender of Scientology, I think it may be a bit unfair to attack this cult by ridiculing its foundational mythology. After all, the foundational mythologies behind most of the world’s religions are equally ridiculous if interpreted literally. Perhaps instead of judging religions by their foundational mythologies or their sacred texts we ought to judge them by their practical consequences — i.e. how they affect the lives of real people. (Yes, in case you’re wondering, I am a Pragmatist in the tradition of William James.) If Scientology is bad — if it is, as many believe, a dangerous cult — it’s not because it has weird beliefs; but it’s because it does more harm than good in the real world. I think it’s perfectly fair to criticize Scientology for what it does: trying to get people to reject modern medicine in favor of pseudoscientific cures, ruthlessly attacking its critics, bilking its followers out of their money, allegedly “brainwashing” its followers, trying to trick people into joining via its “personality tests”, etc. This is far worse than any of its nonsense about Xenu and the Volcano or Thetans.

Bad move by Qantas to give him a 707 and make him their “ambassador”.