Saturday, 04 July, 2009

1. By Bisbonian. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @08:35am:

   The church claims Earth is a prison planet, home to the souls of millions of inter-galactic beings murdered by an evil alien overlord named Xenu.

   
   Hey, wait a minute! All of a sudden this is starting to make sense!
2. By ~Q~. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @08:37am:

   That's the answer: taxes.
3. By Curtis. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @10:03am:

   I agree that taxing churches should happen.
   
   I also like that Oakland is about to collect taxes on "medical" marijuana sold in "dispensaries."
   
   Instead of letting the whole California school system go down the toilet, I think we should:
   
   

   Legalize Pot & Teach Kids A Lot

4. By kashmarek. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @10:30am:

   What other religion requires signed statements from non-believers to not ask questions of the believers about their religion? None that I know of. It would seem that they are not looking for new followers, or most certainly new followers that are not of their choosing.
   
   If scientologist have been murdered elsewhere by aliens, doesn't that mean they are already dead? Apparently the rest of us aren't because we don't believe it.
5. By kashmarek. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @10:32am:

   Is that a Christian cross on top of the building? Scientology is Christian?
6. By . Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @10:43am:

   Reports suggested the actor spent $50,000 on an alligator skin handbag, as part of an $85,000 bill, but staff would not discuss any details.

   
   
   The payout for losing your identity and soul to become a scientoloigist. No thanks.
7. By . Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @11:14am:

   One film source from the set said that each crew member had signed agreements saying they would not ask the superstar about her religion, Scientology...

   
   
   What a great idea! Every single person on planet Earth should sign one of those statements: I hereby swear not to ask anybody anything about their religion. Then I'd never have to hear some earnest young twit ask me if I've been saved.
   
   What do you all say when you're asked that?
8. By Bisbonian. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @11:41am:

   What do you all say when you're asked that?

   
   The most recent guy asked me if I knew where I was going to go when I died. I was in a park playing my banjo. I stopped, reached down, picked up a dried piece of duck poop, and said, "I'm going to be recycled."
9. By . Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @11:41am:

   Katie Holmes is a "superstar"? I knew the word was overused, but Sheesh, this takes the cake.
10. By . Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @02:44pm:

    What's the big deal? Celebrity contracts are notoriously filled with nonsense, much of it worse than this by a long shot: Which musical group is it that demands M&Ms;, but only ones of a certain color, be available at all times?
    
    If instead of a religion she had a well-known history of some other kind - her boyfriend had killed her father or she had some disease of some kind or something else that she really didn't want to be explaining and discussing over and over again with the film crew, it would be logical for her contract to require the subject be considered closed.
    
    I see nothing wrong with this idea at all. Travolta may love to talk about Scientology, but Katie not so much - besides which, Katie has to answer to Tom, and for some reason, I'm not sure that's an entirely easy thing to do; I think he has a short fuse and she's usually on the receiving end of his irritation. But that's just my opinion - the contract thing is perfectly reasonable, as I see it.
11. By Curtis. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @05:49pm:

    What do you all say when you're asked that?

    
    
    Depending on the person, I say either, "I don't believe in God" or "I believe in Nobodaddy" or "The Claw is my Master; I have been chosen."
12. By . Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @06:13pm:

    I haven't been asked if I've been saved since the early 70s, although I have been asked similar questions - as Bisbo was - on very, very rare occasions. I've been asked if I had a dollar dozens of times and asked if I'd like to donate to something or other many times, and I couldn't count how many times I've been asked TO buy something that I had no interest in at all. I've been asked by Jehovah's Witnesses if they could talk with me for a few minutes and I always say, "No thank you" and they go away.
    
    Somehow none of it seems to bother me very much; must be something's very wrong with me.
13. By . Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @07:42pm:

    Spokane Mary --
    
    That practice, demanding a bowl of M&Ms;backstage with not a single brown one in it, is actually a smart business practice when you find out why it's done.
    
    It can actually be very complicated to make sure that a venue can safely host a stage show. The stage has to be able to take the weight; the wiring has to be able to take the power draw. Some promoters will say "Oh, sure, I can provide a space which meets all these detailed specifications you gave us" without actually checking those specifications adequately.
    
    So the band puts a demand in their contract that is very easy to satisfy if you pay attention to detail, like a bowl of M&Ms;with the browns taken out. If they get backstage and see a brown M&M in the bowl they know they can't trust their safety to that promoter's venue, but because their contract was broken, they have the legal power to refuse to put on the show.
    
    Can't think of a good justification for that "no questions" clause.
14. By Curtis. Comment posted 04-Jul-2009 @08:59pm:

    What if someone were to ask her a question about Scientology while on the shoot?
    
    How as half of a "famous Scientologist" celebrity couple (constantly vilified) could she possibly say anything on that subject that wouldn't cause a feces storm in the media for her? How would she be able to do her work under such unrelenting pressure and scrutiny?
    
    J-Walk just got an inquiry on banjo service and he nailed the woman's head to the floor at the opportunity (and generated as much publicity as was possible for him).
    
    Celebrities have to protect themselves or we readily crucify them to satisfy our insatiable appetite for bread and circuses.
15. By dee. Comment posted 05-Jul-2009 @07:45am:

    **
    ditto on the question regarding the Christian cross - what's with the use of that symbol in Scientology ?
    **
16. By anaceofkidneys. Comment posted 05-Jul-2009 @08:08pm:

    
    What do you all say when you're asked that?

    
    
    That all depends on how snarky I'm feeling that day. My stock response is, "No thanks, I'm an atheist" or "No thanks, I'm already very happy". But I will go out of my way to mess with them if I'm feeling mean. There was a guy on my college campus who always pulled around a giant cross, with a little tiny wheel at the bottom. I finally went up to him and said, "You know, Jesus' cross didn't have a wheel".
17. By Daniel FR. Comment posted 06-Jul-2009 @12:43am:

    I say most of the times something like "You wouldn't want to talk with me abou religion." When a sales(wo)man is on my door, i usually say "Shall we talk about god?" - a good salesman repellent.

Original content © 2009, John Walkenbach