Scientology

[Tao_Equus]

lol Marktor, L.Ron was a nice honest guy and most Germans are still secretly Nazi's. E-meter readings are fake but Scientology itself is valid. lol, lol and lol some more.

[marktor]

Tao,

lol Marktor, L.Ron was a nice honest guy and most Germans are still secretly Nazi's. E-meter readings are fake but Scientology itself is valid. lol, lol and lol some more.

-I think that you misread me. I never met L. Ron Hubbard so I am not sure if he was nice or not. He does have a very good sence of humour if you listen to his lectures. The Germans still hold the Nazi mentality. You should go if you haven't been, it is very interesting to live there while being an immigrant. The Emeter probably doesn't do what it says. Whether Scientology is valid I can't answer. It works for some but did not work for me much. Scientoloigsts believe that it works for them and helps them live a better life. Also that the Emeter assists them towards obtaining spiritual freedom. I can't tell you that I agree with that.

[marktor]

arthra,

I agree, let's talk about the Baha'i more as I myself am quite interested in it.

[Alex P]

You seen 'Big Fish'? The main character, that is how I see L. Ron Hubbard.... Ed bloom... A man who had an amazing life... and to an extent there is truth in ALL stories he told, but he made them bigger than they were, but the stories true or false are not totally the thing to focus upon... The message of the stories are what to focus on.

(Maktor) He has an awesome sense of humour the mission earth books never fail to make me laugh.. But yeah there are some reports that tell a different story... (any interested download 'Secret Lives: L. Ron Hubbard.' to get an idea of those stories.)

[gp1628]

A slight misconception there. The reasons you listed werent the reasons I left Scientology. They were the reasons I left the Baptists. I had less trouble with the Scientologists on those points.

But since questions are preferred, how is money handled in the Baha'i faith? Tithing? Passing the plate? Charges for services such as marriages, funerals, counseling? Bingo? Or is it up to each church to decide for themselves?

[arthra]

You know guys this conversation is interesting but it has little or nothing to do with Baha'i Faith.. I'd really prefer you take it elsewhere there's plenty of room and you could use the general "modern Religions" forum for threads on scientology at

http://www.comparative-religion.com/...religions.html

I'm feeling like we're seeing some laundry that needs attention and prefer it be done elsewhere..

Or you could approach the site administrator Brian and see if he could set up a special forum for you..

A question was presented:

But since questions are preferred, how is money handled in the Baha'i faith?

The friends are exorted to contribute to the Baha'i Funds but no pressure is exerted on individual believers. Only Baha'is have the previlege to contribute so we don't solicit anyone or accept contributions from non-Baha'is.

Tithing?

Baha'is don't tith... Contributions are voluntary.

Passing the plate?

Contributions are private and no one but the treasurer has that information and it's confidential.

Charges for services such as marriages, funerals, counseling?

There are no charges for Baha'i marriages, burial services or counseling... We have no clergy and the elected Spiritual Assembly does not charge for its servces.

Bingo?

Nope.

Or is it up to each church to decide for themselves?

The Baha'i community is not a "church". We have elected Local Spiritual Assemblies that serve jurisdictions and they are governed by guidelines and by-laws which are based on Baha'i law.

Once again though if you could take the conversation about Germany and Scientology elsewhere I think that would be most appropriate but check with Brian who administrates the forum and see what would be best for you...

- Art

[BruceDLimber]

Hi, Gp! :-)

I see Art already answered your "money" question well, so I'll just add a few details.

As he said, no collection plate is ever passed!

And all contributions are voluntary and strictly confidential.

Typically at Baha'i-only meetings like the Nineteen-day Feast there's a box somewhere, and Baha'is can drop contributions into it. Sometimes there are envelopes with names on them, but if a Baha'i doesn't want a receipt for tax purposes, contributions may be dropped in anonymously.

Because giving to the Baha'i Funds is a privelege reserved for enrolled members only, this box is typically not around during public meetings. And if a guest insists on contributing something, it will be forwarded to the charity of his or her choice. (If he or she refuses to name a charity, it generally goes to something like UNICEF or the Red Cross.)

Only the Treasurer knows who gives or doesn't, and how much (and this is solely in order to write receipts). Further, the Treasurer may not tell anyone else this information, including that community's elected Assembly.

All this also means that you'll NEVER see a Baha'i on TV begging for money--IMHO a refreshing change from some other religions!

Best regards, and do keep the questions coming! :-)

Bruce

[BruceDLimber]

Originally Posted by marktor

[L]et's talk about the Baha'i more as I myself am quite interested in it.

Great; glad to hear it! :-)

Please ask away: we'll be more than happy to answer your questions.

(Actually, both of you should feel free to start a new thread or ask in another one, as this thread title won't apply.)

Best, :-)

Bruce

[Dawud]

Originally Posted by BruceDLimber

Hi!



I don't have anything handy to cite at the moment, but as I recall, these are two entirely different groups (one at the time of Abraham and one associated with John the Baptist) with similar names which are in fact spelled somewhat differently: Sabean and Sabaean, or some such. . . .

Regards,

Bruce

Hello Bruce, Marktor, and everyone!

Yeah, I thought there were two completely different groups, but I thought they were spelled the same. I know the Sabaeans who follow John the Baptist are still around. Does anyone know if the other Sabeans (from the time of Abraham) are around anymore?

[Dawud]

Originally Posted by marktor

arthra,

I agree, let's talk about the Baha'i more as I myself am quite interested in it.

Great idea

What would you like to know? I might say some things you already know, but I'll give some basics. The Baha'i Faith is a monotheist religion; we believe in one God. We believe in the divine origin of earlier world religions and believe that the Baha'i Faith fulfills prophecies from all of them. We believe in the oneness of mankind--that there is only one human race and that all ethnic groups are equal. We believe in the equality of women and men and the need for a universal auxiliary language. There's a lot more, of course, what would you like to know? We have a lot of scriptures, including, among others, the Book of Certitude and the Summons of the Lord of Hosts.

[Sam_Butler]

I am glad this forum exists; I stumbled across it today when looking for something else. I am an official of the Church of Scientology and had never found out about the Baha'i Faith during my education in Britain, which I consider is a shame.

Having met very few Baha'is I can only say that those I have met were very kind and approachable people. I have read all the posts in this thread and I feel I have understood more about the Faith, so thank you to all those who contributed.

I noted an interesting mention of how widespread the Faith is, in terms of the location of members. Does anyone have more data on this? When I last checked, there were just over 7,570 Scientology churches, missions and groups in more than 150 countries on all inhabited continents (i.e. not Antarctica!).

One simple similarity I see between the Baha'i Faith and Scientology is the openness and compassion encouraged toward members of other religions and beliefs. I am very interested in forming inter-faith relations in the North of England and would love to meet some local Baha'is, which is something I have never done.

Thanks again.