Religion & Beliefs: January 2008 Archives

A second anti-Scientology video from hacker group Anonymous has appeared on the web (if player fails to load, click HERE to view). This time the target of the group's frustrations is the press. In a message entitled "Dear News Organizations" an Anonymous digitized voices says:

"The so-called Church of Scientology have actively misused copyright and trademark law in pursuit of its own agenda. They attempt not only to subvert free speech but to recklessly pervert justice to silence those who speak out against them. We find it interesting that you did not mention the other objections in your news reporting: the stifling and punishment of dissent within the totalitarian organization of Scientology, the numerous alleged human right violations, such as the treatment and events that led to the death of victims of the cult such as Lisa McPherson. This cult is nothing but a psychotically driven pyramid scheme. Why are you, the news media, afraid of discussing these matters? It is your duty to report on these matters. You are failing in your duty. Their activities make them an affront to freedom. Remember all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing. This information is everywhere. It is your duty to expose it."

Parodying the now-infamous Tom Cruise/ Scientology promo video, in which the actor states being a Scientologist means that "when you drive past an accident it's not like anyone else because you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help," Anonymous continues....

"When Anonymous sees an evil, fascist, brainwashing organization, Anonymous knows it is to help mankind, because Anonymous knows it is only Anonymous that can help. Members of the church, Anonymous is not your enemy. The Church of Scientology is your enemy. The church has enslaved you. Free yourselves. Change does not roll in on the wills of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed. Take it. Demand it.

Anonymous began their campaign in response to the Church of Scientology's efforts to suppress the leaked Cruise promotional video. According to the New York Post a spokesman for the Church of Scientology has claimed the publicity surrounding the leaked propaganda video, which was filmed in 2004 when Cruise was honored with a Freedom Medal of Valor award at an International Association of Scientologists event, has actually helped the organization since it “resulted in people searching for Church of Scientology Web sites.”

Meanwhile many Hollywood celebs, such as Cheers star Kirstie Alley (who appears in an early Scientology recruiting video obtained by Defamer.com), have been weighing in on the controversy and coming to their pal’s defense."Tom was using words meant for a Scientology audience. On the web, the video is taken out of context," said Alley, referring to the acronyms Cruise used, such as KSW (which refers to a policy known as “Keep Scientology Working”) and SP (which is short for "suppressive person")."It's like a rabbi addressing a Christian church, speaking in Hebrew. No one would understand him." Fershtay?

A subversive group of hackers called Anonymous have declared war on the Church of Scientology, releasing a press release on January 21 and a YouTube video on January 22 outlining their intentions. Using strategies Scientology founder, science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, might have written about, over the past week the group have mounted a space-age, hi-tech offensive. As part of their campaign, which the group have christened Project Chanology, Anonymous have clogged church phone lines and sent endless blank faxes, and have crippled the Scientology.org website using denial of service software.

The attack is in response to the Church of Scientology's efforts to suppress a leaked promotional video that featured Tom Cruise (see previous story). The church has taken legal action against Gawker.com for hosting the video, and, according to Anonymous's press release have "filtered anti-Scientology comments" on YouTube and Digg, replacing any negative content with the text "This comment is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Church of Scientology International."

"Over the years we have been watching you, your campaigns of misinformation, your suppression of dissent and your litigious nature. All of these things have caught our eye," says a creepy, digitized Anonymous voice on their video manifesto (click HERE to view). "With the leakage of your latest propaganda video into mainstream circulation the extent of your malign influence over those who have come to trust you as leaders has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided that your organization should be destroyed."

Xenu.net, a website which disseminates information The Church of Scientology would rather keep away from the public eyes, estimates "the current (conservative) total cost" of the courses required to take members up to "OT9 readiness" is between $365,000 - $380,000. The church has also been accused of preying on the weak, and systematically separating them from friends and family.

Meanwhile the Hollywood film community has come to the defense of the church and its superstar member. In an exclusive statement sent to People magazine, comic actor Adam Sandler said, "To see anyone's private life invaded and mocked like this is sickening. It's especially gross when it happens to a guy like Cruise, who's a great dad, a great husband, and a great friend."

Dustin Hoffman also defended the maligned Mission Impossible actor, saying, "Tom Cruise is an American and has the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion." Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder, and mogul Harvey Weinstein have also spoken out in defense of their friend. And in a promotional video for the church obtained by Defamer.com, Cheers actress Kirstie Alley says "Honest to God truth, without Scientology, I would be dead. Personally, I recommend it."

I wrote a recent post on blind faith and how faith without reason is taking its toll on education, science, the environment, and ultimately our nation as a whole, and it reminded me of a report I saw on Go Left TV a few months ago about the documentary Jesus Camp. The film ventures behind the scenes at a North Dakota Evangelical Christian "Kids On Fire" summer camp, which targeted children between the ages of 7 and 9 and was organized by a group called Kids In Ministry.

In one of the many disturbing scenes we see young children being asked to kiss the feet of a cardboard cut out of George Bush. The "reasoning" behind it, as Kids In Ministry Director and Pastor Becky Fischer explains, is that "the bible tells us to pray for those in authority over us, to pray for all those in government, whether they're good leaders or bad leaders, so that we might live in peace." Also shown on the video is a group of kids who are taken on a field trip to a political protest. “I feel like we’re kinda being trained to be warriors only in a much funner way,” says one blond haired young girl.

I guess the question is are these kids being educated or brainwashed? Watch the clip, peruse the Kids In Ministry website, and if you're inclined watch the full Jesus Camp documentary, and then, armed with knowledge come to your own conclusion, a process, personally, I don't think the kids had the option of on this (blind) faith camp.