Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id UAA05630 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 9 Jan 2002 20:10:17 GMT Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020109141154.02c2e250@pop.cogeco.ca> X-Sender: hkhenson@pop.cogeco.ca (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2002 15:07:05 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca> Subject: Re: Scientology In-Reply-To: <003701c19934$7d75b620$a424f4d8@teddace> References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020106210126.02c1cec0@pop.cogeco.ca> <5.1.0.14.0.20020108133155.02c316f0@pop.cogeco.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 09:38 AM 09/01/02 -0800, you wrote:
> > At 10:11 AM 08/01/02 -0800, you wrote:
> >
> > >Keith Henson
> > >(practical memetics at)
> > >www.operatingthetan.com
> > >
> > >
> > >Keith,
> > >
> > >I notice you're an apostate of the "Church of Scientology."
> >
> > Not at all.
> >
> > "Apostate" means former member. I have never done anything that would
> > make me a scientologist.
>
>Fair enough. But why is your website entitled operating thetan? Surely you
>realize that anyone who knows anything about Scientology will think you're a
>member. After looking over your site, I could only assume that you're one
>of those legendary, persecuted ex-members.
It's not my web site. I didn't pick the name, but it is typical of the
humor used on our side in the memetic battle with the
scientologists. Scientology has a difficult time with humor since they
have do little. You can get a feeling of how they react in their web site
here:
It's not my web site, I didn't pick the name. The entire memetic battle
against scientology by net people is done with a great deal of humor--which
the scientologists can't counter because they have none. The other web
sites are as humorous, look up the clam FAQ on www.xenu.net. You can also
get the scientology view of the people opposing them including me by
looking at their web site:
http://www.religiousfreedomwatch.org/extremists/index.html
> > >I've always felt L. Ron Hubbard provides an excellent example of the
> > >tactical use of memes. Fifty years ago, he introduced his self-help
> > >concepts under the term, Dianetics. This word sounds enough like
> > >"dialectics" that it takes on a sheen of philosophical
> > >respectability. But it didn't work well enough for Hubbard, so he
> > >introduced the term, Scientology. In this case, he was playing on our
> > >desire for religious authority. Since the only modern institution that
> > >can fulfill our desire for an absolute authority is science, from a
> > >memetic point of view, the term makes perfect sense. What he
> > >demonstrated is that memes that exploit our religious impulse
> > >succeed over ones that play on our philosophical pretensions.
> > >
> > >Ted Dace
> >
> > The story of Hubbard, scientology and the incredible soap opera on the net
> > is far weirder than anything you mention here.
>
>Of course. So what?
>
> > The only point I can agree
> > on is that scientology is a type case for memetic studies.
>
>And that's the only point I was making. Do I detect a note of hostility?
No. I just I think your analysis of Hubbard and scientology is far too
superficial. I don't blame you because I might have said much the same
before they got on my case.
Keith Henson.
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