Mormon Vs. Scientologists

[Nate415]

Hi everyone.

I have lived for the last 15 years or so as an agnostic, even athiest, hostile to the RCC. In the last three months I have rediscovered the beauty of the faith of my fathers.

In rediscovering this, I have been compelled to examine more closely the theology of other sects. One that I have been fascinated with is the LDS church.

About a year before my reunion with the Catholic Church, I chuckled with a athiest friend of mine about some of the outrageous beliefs of the Scientologists. You know the whole Xenu thing and all…

Well, I just read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, which is about Mormonism, and to a great extend FLDS.

I think there are strong similarities between Mormon theology and scientologists. Could it be that L Ron Hubbard’s inspiration was Joseph Smith, sans any Christianity? Think about it…

Both manufacture incredulous histories without any shred of evidence…

Both were great at fiction before becoming religous leaders (Smith was a soothsayer and a gold digger, Hubbard just a plain old sci-fi writer)…

Both demand strict obedience and secrecy (I am sorry, but needing to be a card carrying Mormon to enter a Temple is the most obvious sign that Mormonism is a disreputable cult, just like scientology, which I can’t even bring myself to capitalize anymore…

Both theologies are rooted in the individual attaining god status…

Before I end, let me just say that I know there are a lot of serious and devout Mormon’s in the world, and on these forums who accomplish a lot of admirable things for their fellow human beings, and I respect those actions so long as two things are not true:

They believe the sole purpose for those good works is their own eventual godhood (in which the good deeds are nothing more than barter for reward and not wholehearted)
&
They don’t attempt to convert the poor folks they are helping. No one not matter how poor should be victimized like that by a benefactor. Give me solace in your good deeds, not your desire for me to join your clique (with the memberhip card and all!).

Peace Be with You!

 

[cyberjacques]

I wouldn’t discount the possibility of L. Ron Hubbard getting some ideas from Joseph Smith, but it’s more likely that they are just common elements of a “successful” cult. Telling people that they will become gods is a sure way to get followers.

 

[ibkc]

The intergalatic aspect the two groups have in common in their mythos is the most striking thing; however, the Scientologists really have far more in common with the ancient Gnostics - belief in an evil demiurge, and that we here on earth must learn the secrets to freeing ourselves from his dominion. Given that Hubbard was deeply influenced Aleister Crowley, I think this is the more likely source for his ideas, although Hubbard read widely and it is probably that he was well familiar with Joseph Smith and the beginnings of Mormonism, too.

 

[Elric]

Both were great at fiction before becoming religous leaders (Smith was a soothsayer and a gold digger, Hubbard just a plain old sci-fi writer)…

Unfortunatly Hubbard was a bit more than that, he was also quite the extortionist and bigamist. He was convicted of fraud and had several arrest warrants on him for fraud and tax fraud.

He is a suspected paedophille and HIS version of his childhood, navy service in WW2 and adulthood are complete lies.

He was also a satanist and continued to be so after he started the CoS. He was a known associate of Alistar Crowley and Hubbard believed that he took over the mantle of the beast after Crowleys death.

I agree that he probably was somewhat influenced by Joseph Smith, but there is a lot more to him than being a science fiction writer (a bad one at that).

 

[J_C]

from a glance it seems that all of these modern religions share a lot in common. not long ago there was some discussion about similarities between the Jehovah’s witnessses and the LdS. I was very surpriesed at this, since I had thought they are competitors in the race for doorstep conversions, and so each offered a very different prodect. But, no, there are many similarities.

I understnad that there were cults and sects before the early 1800s, but I wonder if Joseph Smith was a pace setter in the sense of designing a religion for the modern age. The LdS rose up just as various others were also germinating in America, some of them from the same general geographicle area, and they are similar in respects.

I wonder to what extent the later ones copied Joseph Msith.