Dogmatic

I noticed some flyers over the weekend promoting the forthcoming ‘Anonymous’ protest against Scientology. From what I have seen of these worldwide protests - they can be a lot of fun. Couple that with the fact that there could be some damn fine photo opportunities, yours truly is going to attend. I’m a sucker for seeing masked people running through the streets of Melbourne.

Now, I’m all for people believing in whatever they damn well please - and it would be refreshing if one day we could protest ALL religions/cults/pie-in-the-sky-smoke-dreams and the like… (heh!) - but at least this is a start.

According to the Phobic Media website, “…This is a peaceful demonstration to educate the general public in regards to the vindictive and often illegal policies secretly employed against enemies of the Church of Scientology. We also wish to address the misinformed and harmful teachings that have in the past led to the destitution and even death of members of the Church…”

Kinda sounds like all religions to me, but what the hey? See you on the streets of Melbourne on Saturday. Hopefully I’ll come back with some cool shots to share.

Where?
Flinders St station (under the clocks) at 1:30-1:45 for an organisational meeting. From there, a core group will move to the Church of Scientology Melbourne Branch (Cnr Russell St & Flinders Lane).

NOTE: THIS DEMONSTRATION IS ENTIRELY PEACEFUL AND NON-VIOLENT. IT IS TO BE HELD IN THE SENSE OF FUN.

http://wiki.auschanology.org/Protest_Planning

Bring your Party hat… Its L Ron Hubbards Birthday.

We are calling on all melburnians to join us in protesting the mass censorship, illegal activities and inhumane policies of the Church Of Scientology.

Over the years since Scientology’s creation by science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, the Church’s legal teams have suppressed many accusations of fraud, harassment and even murder. Scientology bleeds its members dry of funds, charging them to advance without the levels of the Church, while ruthlessly silencing critics and ex-members through the use of both lawsuits and slander. The abuse of everyday people at the hands of an organisation masquerading as a church has gone on long enough and must be brought to light. As such, February 10th was been designated as a worldwide day of protest.

This is a peaceful demonstration to educate the general public in regards to the vindictive and often illegal policies secretly employed against enemies of the Church of Scientology. We also wish to address the misinformed and harmful teachings that have in the past led to the destitution and even death of members of the Church. Their disconnection policy forces members to sever all ties to friends and relatives whom the Church declares to be SPs or “suppressive persons”. Like many cults, the Church isolates their followers from those that could persuade them to leave.

This protest is not religious persecution. People are free to believe what they want. However, Scientology is not open and honest to prospective recruits about what their beliefs entail. Only by reaching the higher levels of Scientology teachings – and after “donating” thousands of dollars – is a Scientologist told the science-fiction background of the faith, which involves an ancient space warlord and suggests that the ills of mankind are caused by the tormented spirits of long-dead aliens.

Furthermore, the Church of Scientology has established front groups like Narconon, Applied Scholastics, Criminon, The Way To Happiness Foundation, and the Hubbard College of Administration in order to push their beliefs on an unsuspecting public who contact them for assistance. There have been numerous deaths and suicides as a result of their pseudo-medical and mental health practices, which eschew modern psychology and all psychiatric medication. L. Ron Hubbard has claimed that through the Scientology ritual of auditing, “the blind again see, the lame walk, the ill recover, the insane become sane and the sane become saner”.

We especially denounce the Church policy of Fair Game: whereby ex-members and those critical of the organization are subject to stalking, harassment, physical assault, libel and slander. These tactics are official Church policy, well documented, and continue to this day despite the claims of Church spokespeople in the media.

On March 15th, melburnians can show their outrage peacefully – by helping us protest this situation and by helping spread as much information as possible. Perhaps we will again remember why Scientology was banned in Victoria, after a 1965 government enquiry found the Church to be “a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception”.