Project Chanology

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I would like to invite the good people of Sorcerer's Place to a party - an international party held by the good people of the internet to celebrate the birthday of notorious conman and all-round arsehole, Mr L. Ron Hubbard.

For those who have not being paying attention to the internet for the last few months, Anonymous - a loose internet group/subculture - has declared war on the Church of Scientology. The first wave of worldwide protests was held on the 10th of February, and the second will be held this Saturday (15th of March).

Over the past month we've been watching the wins roll in as more people defect, more groups withdraw their support, and the CoS gets generally negative media coverage. The CoS has been scrambling amusingly to combat the threat - I think the attempt to get a restraining order against 'Anonymous' is pure gold, really

So now it's time to make another show of force in meatspace. We're doing so with delicious caek and party hats, in addition to the standard signs and flyers.

Further Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Chanology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_controversies
www.enturbulation.org --- pretty much Anonymous's command centre for the raids. You can find details of your local protest there.
www.xenu.net
www.whyweprotest.net/
www.youfoundthecard.com

The last raid was awesome and there's no reason to think that this one won't be even more so.

If anyone wants to turn this into a general thread for discussing Scientology, feel free.

 

Haha, indeed. Shame I couldn't take part myself, but yeah, it has been pretty nice this far.

About Scientology in general. It's about the only "religion" I will say is wrong and stupid without any sort of redeeming points. And should any scientologist hear this, then I guess I should get ready for the mighty Xenu knocking on my door with a ray gun

 

I don't know a lot about Scientology, but from what little I do know their practices are . . . . concerning. My own beliefs are considered "way put there" by many so although I think the Scientologists beliefs are strange, I feel they have every right to believe them. The accusations of brainwashing, blackmail and censorship are what concern me.

That said, the group is still legally a religion in the US and elsewhere. I'm all for protests, but these attacks on the group do not appear to be legal. If the protestors want to mount protests, excellent. If they want to convince the legal authorities to take action against the Scientologists, I'd be willing to chip in some $ to pay for court costs. I'm not so keen on the legally and ethically questionable hacker techniques that I just read about on the Wikipedia article. Scientology critics other than Anonymous mentioned their concerns about this as well.

My small, unpopular religion could be the next target, and so following the Golden Rule, I'm raising these points.

 

Agreed, LKD, hacking is really not the best way to win anything nor to get people behind the cause. However, not nearly everyone in the project Chanology is taking any part in it. It's just a very little amount of people. I don't even know if there's anything going on any more. But yeah, it's definately not the right way, the peaceful demonstrations and protests are the point here.

 

Everything I hear about them makes them sound like true nutjobs, but like LKD, I can't condone such attacks without proof that they are up to something seriously nefarious.

I'm not sure which ammendment to the US constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but I know it's there. Such cyber attacks are not unlike the mobs that formed against the Early Mormons to drive them from any community they tried to settle in. Sure there is less violence, but the same bigotry is there.

Don't get me wrong, I don't believe what I hear about them, and don't trust them, but I will not seek to destroy them without just cause.

 

Wait - guys - you've got the wrong idea!

The hacking techniques have been sworn off by pretty well everyone following a video released by Wise Beard Man asking us not to. Anonymous is going way out of its way to do things legally.

Also, we're not protesting their beliefs. Their beliefs are stupid, but they're entitled to them. These protests are only about the actions of the CoS.

And you want proof that they're up to no good? Google 'Operation Snow White' or 'Operation Freakout'. They were, IIRC, convicted for Operation Snow White (which was an infiltration attempt of the US government).

Anyway - I went to the Brisbane protest today, and it was made of win. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24676387@N05/

 

Haha, good going, Aik. Shame I couldn't get into my "local" (still really far from here) protest. Here's hoping that the next one will be in Helsinki or somesuch.
Also, what you said. It's not about the religion, it's about what it causes.

 

How's killing someone under the guise of "medical treatment"? Nefarious enough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_McPherson

Or how about infiltrations and thefts from over 100 government offices? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Snow_White

Freedom of religion is one thing, but being a money-grubbing, homocidal cult is another.

 

These guys have protection, but people get up in arms over a guy that has two wives? WTF?

 

Indeed, the poor sod has already got his punishment. Can you imagine 2 sets of in-laws?

Edit: Woah, a cursory check of Wikipedia got me some crazy stuff on scientologists... And I thought those Mormon missionaries in my hometown were creepy.

 

Actually, even though I am a Mormon, I still have trouble understanding how polygamy really would work...

 

I'd say most people wouldn't be able to afford it anyway... I think it's allowed in a few Muslim countries, but I don't think it's particularly common there, either.

 

I find it funny how people find believing in an alien named Xenu is weird and freaky while find it perfectly normad to believe in a horned, goatee wearing entity called Satan. Seriously, scientology is absolutely mindboggling strange and any sane person would be hard pressed to believe all the bull, however it is no more mindbogglingly strange than the stuff in the bible or koran.

Scientologists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and all the others are on the very same level of weirdness. Singling out one is in my eyes quite hypocritical.

The sect structure, brain washing and coercion used by scientologists has been and is being used by representatives and sects of all religions and nothing unique for them.

 

joacqin - Scientology isn't being targeted for its stupid beliefs, it's being targeted for its infuriating actions.

The techniques of Scientology may be used by other cults, but, well, what's your point? Scientology is pretty much the worst of the bunch, and the most high profile. It is also the greatest lol cow of them all.

The two all encompassing reasons for targeting Scientology:
1. Because they are wankers - destroy lives, etc. etc.
2. For the lulz - because they do incredibly hilarious things, especially when people **** with them.

With these two reasons, I think that puts them higher on the 'worthwhile target' list than any other cult.

Though with all that aside, your points still don't give any reason why not to target Scientology. 'Other groups are just as bad' is no reason not to stamp out this one which is bad.

 

Aik, I am not saying you shouldnt attack scientologists, I applaud the fact. I am just saying that doing so from a position as a devout Christian, Jew or whatever is pretty hypocritical if we are talking beliefs alone. As for their practices, yes they are among the most viscious and cynical out there but again nothing unique. My entire point is that by focusing purely on one sect you easily neglect the thousands of others out there. Secterism, brainwashing and darn it, religion needs to be fought everywhere. There is a gradual difference between the scientologists and your neighbourhood church but in essence and when all things are said and done they are all the same.

 

Joacqin, your rampant hate for religion borders on placing you in the category of those extreme cults. I don't have a problem with you not believing, but saying that major intellectual figures like Einstein must have been insane to believe that the evidence of physics pointed to a creator as opposed to random chance sounds a lot like brainwashing to me.

Furtermore, you are the only one here to talk about attacking Sceintology for its beliefs. No one here is being hypocritical on that note.

 

Well, if those "beliefs" are that they have the right to destroy lives and violate the law on a whim then we should also attack those beliefs! But that's not what we're talking about, is it?

I did a little more reading -- in many countries it seems that Scientology has not proved to the country that their organization is a religion, and as such has no legal status there. The U.S. wishes to be as open minded about such things as possible and so grants them status as a religion, but they can only hide behind that shield for so long if they are committing obvious, blatant criminal acts of coercion. I say protest and criticize these folks to your heart's content, and help the judicial branch of your local government gather as much evidence as possible about their criminal acts, but don't break the law yourself as a tech vigilante or you will actually strengthen your target and demean yourself. I'm glad that most people have distanced themselves from the cyber-attacks.

 

NOG, the fact that there might or not might not be somekind of divine being has no bearing whatsoever on the veracity of any of the established religions. Thinking that there might be a divine being and believing in the word of Moses, Mohammed or Tom Cruise are not related in any way whatsoever.

People seem to jump from "maybe there is something greater than us" to "Jesus turned water into wine and thats a fact" without pondering the ten thousand leaps of insane faith in between.

 

voracity

Main Entry: vo·rac·i·ty
Function: noun
Date: 1526
: the quality or state of being voracious

1 : having a huge appetite : ravenous
2 : excessively eager : insatiable

Hunger? Religion? What? Ugh. I am so confused.

Careful, your statements to the effect of ‘there is no connection between God and religion’ might make some people laugh. (Like when you committed your previous malapropism.)