Daily comment: Scientology vs South Park
Oh dear, here I am going to get in trouble with the Scientologists. Oh well, I am not concerned.
I want to qualify this blog (not that I should have to) by saying that I am atheist. I have no belief in any spiritual or otherwise being that created this, that or the other. I KNOW in myself that science has all the answers and just because we have not discovered them all that does not automatically make science wrong and religion right. It just means we need to keep on looking and that is why I love science. On the other hand I have a deal of respect for someone who has a faith of some kind. That is their choice, their belief and if it works for them, then great. I don't have to agree with it, but I am not going to persecute an individual for their belief. I have friends who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. That is fine, because they do not ram their beliefs down my throat and I do not do the same to them. (The same applies to my friends who support different political parties...although I think that arguments are more likely to happen in those instances...don't know why...)
Yesterday though, something caught my eye. Documents were passed to a national newspaper from some ex-Scientologists suggesting that the co-creators of popular "shock" cartoon, South Park, were targeted by the "church" after they aired an episode that was not entirely flattering about Scientology in 2006. This was in fact the reason for Isaac Hayes to leave the show as a voice artist as he too was a member of the church.
South Park does not single out one particular group. They have had a pop at all the major religions at some point. They even do not differentiate between the new "religion" of technology (in their feature film they shoot Bill Gates and in a recent episode that was aired before his health concerns, Steve Jobs was portrayed as some mad scientist as in the Human Centipeade). More recently they have been able to get new episodes out within days of a major event happening. This is all down to the genius of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
The documents passed to the paper suggested that after the 2006 Scientology episode, Parker and Stone were the target of a dirt finding mission by the church. Apparently friends, colleagues and family were to be targeted to find information that would embarrasse the two. This in itself made me laugh. The thought that anything could be brought up to embarrasse these two is ridiculous. They have been known to wear women's gowns to premiers for crikey's sake! Still, that was the plan.
The truly interesting thing was that when the paper in question asked for the church to give their side of the story, the church refused a statement. The paper had to print what information it had and ran the story. After the story had been printed the church, all of a sudden, wanted to fight back. It sent an email stating that the two men passing on the information were not telling the whole truth and had been kicked out the church rather than choosing to leave. The church claims that since then the two men in question have been trying to deliberately discredit the church.
This also made me laugh. How can you possibly 'discredit' a church that believes that the spirits of space aliens came down and had their way with primitive humans to create us as we are. The fact is that the church rakes in millions every year from people who want to buy their way up the ladder. If you are famous you are welcomed with open arms and run out as a promoter. You get the best treatment and the highest levels very quickly. If you are an "ordinary" person, you have to work hard and become part of the sea org and all sorts. You can be separated from family and friends and made to live anywhere the church chooses to send you. On top of all of this though, there are the people who speak out against the church.
Anyone who watches Panorama will remember the couple of editions where reporter John Sweeney investigated the church. In the first edition he lost his rag with the church supervisors who were following him around. In the second he learnt that they had tactics to try and wind him up to discredit him. These were common forms of treatment that the church engaged in according to former members.
The real issue at hand though is the episode of South Park. Stone and Parker did not even get as much comment when they have done episodes about Islam or Judaism or any of the different denominations of Christianity. The fact the church denies trying to 'dig the dirt' on Stone and Parker shows they feel some sort of threat.
Also if anyone in the church takes offence to anything I have said I can tell you all you need to know now. I have lived my life in the South of England. I have had a fairly upper working class/lower middle class upbringing. I am well educated, but hardly a genius like Einstien. I play several instruments, drive a half decent car, live with my family, have a lovely boyfriend, listen to a mix of mostly rock and pop, like comedies and horror films and I have never drunk to total excess, done drugs or anything I would not want in the public domain. I am a goody-too-shoes and proud of it.
I want to qualify this blog (not that I should have to) by saying that I am atheist. I have no belief in any spiritual or otherwise being that created this, that or the other. I KNOW in myself that science has all the answers and just because we have not discovered them all that does not automatically make science wrong and religion right. It just means we need to keep on looking and that is why I love science. On the other hand I have a deal of respect for someone who has a faith of some kind. That is their choice, their belief and if it works for them, then great. I don't have to agree with it, but I am not going to persecute an individual for their belief. I have friends who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. That is fine, because they do not ram their beliefs down my throat and I do not do the same to them. (The same applies to my friends who support different political parties...although I think that arguments are more likely to happen in those instances...don't know why...)
Yesterday though, something caught my eye. Documents were passed to a national newspaper from some ex-Scientologists suggesting that the co-creators of popular "shock" cartoon, South Park, were targeted by the "church" after they aired an episode that was not entirely flattering about Scientology in 2006. This was in fact the reason for Isaac Hayes to leave the show as a voice artist as he too was a member of the church.
South Park does not single out one particular group. They have had a pop at all the major religions at some point. They even do not differentiate between the new "religion" of technology (in their feature film they shoot Bill Gates and in a recent episode that was aired before his health concerns, Steve Jobs was portrayed as some mad scientist as in the Human Centipeade). More recently they have been able to get new episodes out within days of a major event happening. This is all down to the genius of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
The documents passed to the paper suggested that after the 2006 Scientology episode, Parker and Stone were the target of a dirt finding mission by the church. Apparently friends, colleagues and family were to be targeted to find information that would embarrasse the two. This in itself made me laugh. The thought that anything could be brought up to embarrasse these two is ridiculous. They have been known to wear women's gowns to premiers for crikey's sake! Still, that was the plan.
The truly interesting thing was that when the paper in question asked for the church to give their side of the story, the church refused a statement. The paper had to print what information it had and ran the story. After the story had been printed the church, all of a sudden, wanted to fight back. It sent an email stating that the two men passing on the information were not telling the whole truth and had been kicked out the church rather than choosing to leave. The church claims that since then the two men in question have been trying to deliberately discredit the church.
This also made me laugh. How can you possibly 'discredit' a church that believes that the spirits of space aliens came down and had their way with primitive humans to create us as we are. The fact is that the church rakes in millions every year from people who want to buy their way up the ladder. If you are famous you are welcomed with open arms and run out as a promoter. You get the best treatment and the highest levels very quickly. If you are an "ordinary" person, you have to work hard and become part of the sea org and all sorts. You can be separated from family and friends and made to live anywhere the church chooses to send you. On top of all of this though, there are the people who speak out against the church.
Anyone who watches Panorama will remember the couple of editions where reporter John Sweeney investigated the church. In the first edition he lost his rag with the church supervisors who were following him around. In the second he learnt that they had tactics to try and wind him up to discredit him. These were common forms of treatment that the church engaged in according to former members.
The real issue at hand though is the episode of South Park. Stone and Parker did not even get as much comment when they have done episodes about Islam or Judaism or any of the different denominations of Christianity. The fact the church denies trying to 'dig the dirt' on Stone and Parker shows they feel some sort of threat.
Also if anyone in the church takes offence to anything I have said I can tell you all you need to know now. I have lived my life in the South of England. I have had a fairly upper working class/lower middle class upbringing. I am well educated, but hardly a genius like Einstien. I play several instruments, drive a half decent car, live with my family, have a lovely boyfriend, listen to a mix of mostly rock and pop, like comedies and horror films and I have never drunk to total excess, done drugs or anything I would not want in the public domain. I am a goody-too-shoes and proud of it.
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