BBC standing up to scientology

johnnyfive said:
Believe me I don't like the whole scientology thing but it gets me how the bbc + others take the micky out of this "unbelievable" theory of how aliens came to earth etc. But a virgin woman giving both to a guy with special powers is somehow gospel????

I find both theories quite hard to beleive, maybe even siding with the aliens :)

..obviously not though as they charge for these theories.
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The primary difference between the two though, is that the writer of the first is easily identifiable, the writer of the second is not. This makes it easy to judge the motivation of the first, and impossible to judge the motivation of the second.
 
That was the most bias "documentry" I have ever seen. At no point did they say what the scientologists were all about, what their religion teaches or anything about it. I thought the job of a "reporter" was to report and let the people make up their own minds. In this case it seems he (more likely the bbc) have decided for us, so we dont need to worry about their policies, all we need to know are that they are wierd. Especially when you concider all that silly business with aliens and the like, I mean surely no other religion has silly storys in it. Nothing like turning water into wine, or parting the red sea or building an arc and filling it with 2 of every animal :rolleyes: . This is obviously just a move by the bbc and/or government to nip this in the bud as they are just starting out in the UK and try to stop it before it becomes to big. If nothing else its seems to have totally back fired and the bbc ended up with egg on there face looking thoroughly un professional, you can bet that if the scientology people were not doing there own recording, that little incident with sweeney loosing his cool would never have been aired.

Im off to ebay now to purchase a copy of dianetics and read for myself what its all about, then I can make a judgement on it.
 
yes it was biased but not completly the beebs fault everytime he was interview one of the heretics tommy turned up saying whats what and every time sweeney said YOU give us access YOU show us what its about but tommy was to interested in being a bully.
 
Your missing the bigger picture here, the bbc set out to attack the scientologists and discredit them. The scientologists were minding there own business then the bbc turn up out the blue trying to make their religion look stupid! Im not surprised they were keeping an eye on him and watching who he was talking to. I think they handled themselves very well by not retaliating to this attack from the bbc. Especially when they tried to agree terms to interview right at the start and they didnt want the term cult mensioned, the bbc didnt agree so the scientologists didnt agree to the interview. The bbc then track them down and use it anyway! It was just trying to provolk a reaction.
 
Scientology is not just a cult, imo its got to be one of the biggest scams going.

Also, to those who say that it was a biased report. They openly refused to give Sweeny access.
And the interview with that mother. That we're not going to see now because after two years of dissconecting the mother, the daughter just happened to want to reconcile only two hours after the interview was done. Yeah Right!
Not to mention the actors. Some of which i've actually lost respect for. (Mind you, who ever had respect for Tom Cruise anyway).

TBH this is not a biased report. Its a report that was forced to show only the negative side of scientology (thats assuming there is a positive side), by the wannabe man in black tommy. If he hadn't interfered at every oppertunity, it might have been a more even report.


Oh no... I said scientology is a cult. CULT, CULT, CULT, CULT, CULT.

If I dissapear, you know why.
 
Building Candy said:
Your missing the bigger picture here, the bbc set out to attack the scientologists and discredit them. The scientologists were minding there own business then the bbc turn up out the blue trying to make their religion look stupid! Im not surprised they were keeping an eye on him and watching who he was talking to. I think they handled themselves very well by not retaliating to this attack from the bbc. Especially when they tried to agree terms to interview right at the start and they didnt want the term cult mensioned, the bbc didnt agree so the scientologists didnt agree to the interview. The bbc then track them down and use it anyway! It was just trying to provolk a reaction.
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No its not missing the point, how can sweeny show what scientology is about if tommy won't show him? All sweeney got was a few well versed answers from celebrities. Scientologies problem is it makes its enemies turn against them. The report may have been far more objective if they don't so aggressively pursue reporters, filming them, following them, intimidatin them. If you were in their position you too would find it very hard to remain objective when scientology is making you hate them.

Plus their views on the holocaust are absolutely disgusting, how anyone apart from a brainwashed idiot can defend them is beyond me.
 
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Scientology is NOT recognized as an official Religion in the UK in effect making it a Cult IMHO..

While I think people should be allowed to follow what ever religion they want to, I do not understand why people would blindly follow something that is based on a book written by a Sci-fi writer, and a crap one at that! :D
 
I thought that the doumentary was very biased. The reporter obviously set out to discredit Scientology rather than give us an insight into what it is.

He was only given access to members to interview (including the celebs) on the understanding that he must not mention the word 'cult', so what did he do? Rather that avoiding the word, which could easily be done be rephrasing some of his questions, he purposfully dropped the word 'cult' in wherever he could. It would have been interesting to hear the celebs talking about what it all means to them, but the reporter threw this opportunity away by insisting on dropping the word 'cult' in there.

Whether it is a cult or not, he could have refained from using the word and in turn had more cooperation in getting both sides of the story. He wasted the opportunity IMHO.
 
i thought it was a good documentary.

really weird people and they just didnt like people slating them. that main dude was scary! :eek:
 
and if i remember correctly correct if wrong but did he say near begining that panorama wanted to find out if they were still using there strong arm tactics against heretics. so he would have had to stir some trouble to see if they still use bullying.
 
silent said:
i thought it was a good documentary.

really weird people and they just didnt like people slating them. that main dude was scary! :eek:
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You have no right to call my religion those terms. Under the american and californian law, It is my right to practice what ever religon i want. :mad:

The only reason you are doing this is to get my reaction that you are getting now buddy. Let me tell you something, you got it now buddy :mad:
 
J.T said:
Scientology is NOT recognized as an official Religion in the UK in effect making it a Cult IMHO..

While I think people should be allowed to follow what ever religion they want to, I do not understand why people would blindly follow something that is based on a book written by a Sci-fi writer, and a crap one at that! :D
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so, just because the british group of charities or whatever organisation it is, deems that it's not a religion, it's automatically a cult in your eyes? If you want to have an opinion that actually holds water, you should read up on stuff (admittedly, it's fairly hard to find anything that doesn't slate Scientology). Second hand opinions are not fact.

I can't be bothered to get into the whole religion thing, but one can assume that this is how all 'big' religions started - some bloke with a story and a bunch of people who believed it.

I think I might have to read Dianetics, too. I'm far from convinced that I've been given an objective viewpoint by the BBC antagonist reporter.
 
Sic said:
so, just because the british group of charities or whatever organisation it is, deems that it's not a religion, it's automatically a cult in your eyes? If you want to have an opinion that actually holds water, you should read up on stuff (admittedly, it's fairly hard to find anything that doesn't slate Scientology). Second hand opinions are not fact.

I can't be bothered to get into the whole religion thing, but one can assume that this is how all 'big' religions started - some bloke with a story and a bunch of people who believed it.

I think I might have to read Dianetics, too. I'm far from convinced that I've been given an objective viewpoint by the BBC antagonist reporter.
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that's how it starts, next thing you know you are cutting out your family and Friends and giving all your money to some Yank!

Be careful mate... :(
 
but religions dont charge you for information on the faith its right there for anyone to look at nothings hidden theres no ladder to work up unless you want to spread the faith. u dont gain anymore knowledge on chosen faith by being a pope. scientology is different you have to pay to get the information pay more for more information and work up.
 
Building Candy said:
The people calling it a cult have been successfully brainwashed by the bbc. Im going to reserve judgement until I have read up on it.
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Lol. You really think it aint a cult? It have all the classic signs of one.....

Started by a weirdo
Attended by weirdos
Very secretive and strange and unworkable beliefs
etc
 
J.T said:
that's how it starts, next thing you know you are cutting out your family and Friends and giving all your money to some Yank!

Be careful mate... :(
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I don't think that is how it starts at all. I'm displaying interest in their ideas, and rather than rely on a potentially biased interpretation of reporter/scientologist viewpoints, I'll read the official literature and find out what it's about!

ElRazur said:
Lol. You really think it aint a cult? It have all the classic signs of one.....

Started by a weirdo
Attended by weirdos
Very secretive and strange and unworkable beliefs
etc
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I'm almost positive that they thought Jesus was a weirdo (and yes, I'm comparing L Ron to Jesus)
Can't the Celebrity Scientologists compare to the disciples?
Do you know everything there is to know about all facets of the catholic church? or any religion, for that matter. What would happen if you started asking questions at a high level of any religion?

That report was always going to be a success, because everyone has already made their minds up about Scientology from hearsay.
 
I missed the actual program on tv, only saw the contentious "interview" clips and a bit of the Panorama report on youtube. I really hope this "apology" doesn't stop the BBC from continuing to investigate these scammers and expose them for the thugs they are. The way Sweeny was harassed and bullied in the clips is disgraceful, it's a credit to him that all he did was scream. I honestly believe I would have punched the guy, I could feel my cheeks flushing and my hands shaking just watching him! I'm not just being a keyboard warrior here, if Sweeny had punched him he would've probably lost his job and actually HELPED the ******** he was trying to discredit, so I genuinely do admire that he restrained himself. The way that suit was aggressively shouting his obviously rehearsed (yet still nonsensical) tirade right in the poor reporter's face, not letting him get a word in edgewise and not even listening to what he had to say was infuriating. Nor was the guy concerned about letting Sweeny know what he thought, he was just posturing for the cameras, manipulating the viewers in such a nauseatingly obvious way ("And I'm really glad there's someone filming this..." - IT'S YOUR OWN CAMERA YOU ********!!!) that it makes my blood curdle with terror to think that there are many many credulous people out there who'll buy it!

What we didn't see was all the following around and harassment the BBC people were subjected to previously to the clip of Sweeny screaming. I have honestly met mafia thugs who were LESS overt in their attempts at intimidation! It's truly terrifying to think that these people are so entrenched in the US that nobody's succeeded in standing up to them, and I really hope the BBC will have the nerve and backbone to keep at them so that at least people in the rest of the world know them for what they are.

Dolph et al., your debate on faith vs sciense is interesting and valid, but I think it doesn't have a place here. This isn't about the validity of Scientology's faith or their right to believe whatever they want, but about their shockingly thug-like and frequently criminal harassment of anyone trying to make them look bad! This organisation HAS ruined people's lives already, sometimes for no other reason than trying to free one of their loved ones from their propagandist brainwashing clutches. Their methods are of the sort usually employed by mafia strongmen, and they justify themselves by saying that anyone who criticises them is fair play to any sort of harm you can think to inflict on them (and get away with). While I agree with many of the points you make (and with some of the points of those who disagreed with you), you have to see that organisations such as these threaten our very right to sit here and have such debates, and we really should get our acts together and focus on the main issue of their criminal behaviour rather than argue over the gender of angels like the Byzantine courtiers did with the Ottoman army outside Constantinopole's gates!

The videos in post 27 and post 142 say it a lot better than I can!
 
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