From: barb <bwarr1@cox.net>
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Spot the cultie, claim yer $5
Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 06:51:26 -0800


Got one!
The type of cultie we usually see around ARS is painfully obvious. They
rant, they rave, hurling misspeellings about the page with abandon, call
people names, and generally make utter fools of themselves.

The rarer type is the edumacated cultie. They'll bring fairly reasonable
posties to the newsgroup. If pressed, some will degenerate quickly into
the usual ad hominem attacks, followed rapidly by a "I have more
important things to do than argue with you" and a quick exit.

Still, although more subtle, one can still spot them. They often have a
superior and pompous affect towards other people. Of course they would,
being that "homo novis" and all! They firmly believe in their mocked up
superiority, which leads them to benificently bestow patronizing
compliments on people, thus placing themselves (in their minds) in a
higher position of authority, much as a teacher bestows gold stars on
promising students. I always enjoy this show!

I call cultie on the new poster, renedescartes. What set off the bivalve
detector? It merely wrote a series of posts relating to the
sciento..errr... scientific method. But the initial post was resonant of
that silly Orientation film, wasn't it? The one about joining
Scientology or blowing your brains out...it began with an assertion
relating to placing a hand grenade in the mouth. Either way, it's brain
salad. Then, having garnered a certain number of responses, it began
dispensing the gold stars. Then finally, the curtain is whisked away to
reveal a bivalve in the works with this sentence:

"Can I please be forgiven for humbly admitting that I am very
rigorous with myself in that I use a dictionary and do contact
assists. I have not seen "scientific proof" of these applications
but through the years I have observed that these have been very
useful to me."

Now, it doesn't actually come out and hoot "I AM A SCIENTOLOGIST," but
that isn't necessary. Many people use dictionaries; I'm guilty of that
myself. But personal observation and experience in the field brings me
to conclude that the combination of dictionary and contact assists is a
combination unique to Scientologists.

The tasty irony of this whole Scientific Proof thread is the use of the
scientific method as an entry topic for this poster. Following this
valid discussion, we find the usual Scientology argument, the one that's
trotted out every single time when challenged; "I don't know why it
works, it just does." Lest the cultie try to divert attention away from
the subject by saying, "That's NOT what I said," followed by a turgid
argument about nuances of meaning that stretches on for 5 billion posts,
I will short circuit that right here by saying this: it is exactly what
you said. However, it's a two part statement.
1. It can be proven that using a dictionary can be very useful. A
dictionary can be used to expand one's vocabulary and correct spelling
and pronounciation.
I am not arguing the fact that a dictionary can be very useful.

2. The statement, "I have not seen "scientific proof" of these
applications (already dispensed of one application, now we're talking
contact assists here) but ....these have been very useful to me."
This basically translates into "I don't know why, it just works."

Granted, this tidbit was buried in the verbal slurry, but there it is.
I call cultie and claim my five bucks.

--
Barb
Chaplain, ARSCC
http://members.cox.net/bwarr1/index.htm
SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATE $CIENTOLOGY? Sign the petition at
http://www4.PetitionOnline.com/cofs1/


"Every week, every month, every year, every decade and now
every century, Scientology does weird and stupid things
to damage its own reputation."
        -Steve Zadarnowski

"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
        -ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

"$cientology sees the world this way: One man with a picket sign:
terrorism. Five thousand people dead in a deliberate inferno: business
opportunity.

$cientology oozes _under_ terrorists to hide."
    -Chris Leithiser