Contrasting Religions and Cults

As anyone who has even glanced at my CP page will notice, I have been doing a great deal of research into the Church of Scientology. Recently, I started seeing some aspects of my own religious life differently. This is not to say that at any time I thought to myself that what I was going through at the moment was brainwashing or anything else of the sort; it is part of my nature to look at the world through multiple perspectives and it is not uncommon for one of these persectives to be critical of my own beliefs. I always have doubts, but I am never consumed by them.

A couple days ago, I sat down and decided to deal with these natural but no less troublesome thoughts. I asked myself if the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is in any way dismissable. The answer was no. I asked myself if it is dismissable that the Bible has been consistently proven coreect. The answer was no. I asked myself if the historical evidence of God (Emperor Constantine, Joan d' Arc, etc...) was in any way dismissable. The answer was no. I asked myself if Einstein's belief that the universe must have an intelligent Creator was trustworthy. The answer was yes.

I was now sure that my faith in God had not been shaken, despite the skeptical voice that arose every time I witnessed a form of worship. Later, I went over the methods of brainwashing employed by the Church of $cientology, slowly counting off every aspect of the cult. When I finished I was astonished that so many people can attribute the many qualities of a cult to normal religions. I remembered those individuals who have suggested that a world full of atheists would be world without evil. I recalled also, a line from the Ender's Shadow series in which Grant told Peter Wiggin that the International Fleet had not trusted him until Achilles came along and showed them all what a real tryant looks like. Allow me now to demonstrate what a real threat to humanity and liberty looks like.