Another one leaves the flock... Death Pool odds just went up considerably.

[LMNO]

Balls.  Scientology is wonderful.

LMNO
-Has nothing but Positive Cycles on his LifeTrack.

[Richter]

They're classified as a cult in the state of Rhode Island and aren't allowed to set up shop here. Which is why they have a missionary somewhere near New Bedford that all the Newportese can flock to.

Wait what?  Don't cultists have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else?

What about the rights of the people they recruit, extort, or swindle, and the families thereof? Did their right not to be messed around with by people with a weird, catchy philosophy ever get considered?

You also have the right to fuck your life up entirely.

I don't want anyone "protecting" me from "bad ideas".  Even ideas as bad as Scientology.

Agreed. 
I don't object to ideas, I object to people applying them to harm or use others others.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

They're classified as a cult in the state of Rhode Island and aren't allowed to set up shop here. Which is why they have a missionary somewhere near New Bedford that all the Newportese can flock to.

Wait what?  Don't cultists have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else?

What about the rights of the people they recruit, extort, or swindle, and the families thereof? Did their right not to be messed around with by people with a weird, catchy philosophy ever get considered?

You also have the right to fuck your life up entirely.

I don't want anyone "protecting" me from "bad ideas".  Even ideas as bad as Scientology.

Agreed. 
I don't object to ideas, I object to people applying them to harm or use others others.

I could make the same argument with regard to the Catholic Church.  Or that Church that makes everyone crazy, whattayacallit, oh yeah...us.

[BabylonHoruv]

They're classified as a cult in the state of Rhode Island and aren't allowed to set up shop here. Which is why they have a missionary somewhere near New Bedford that all the Newportese can flock to.

Wait what?  Don't cultists have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else?

What about the rights of the people they recruit, extort, or swindle, and the families thereof? Did their right not to be messed around with by people with a weird, catchy philosophy ever get considered?

Seriously?  As someone with a weird, catchy philosophy, which includes messing people around as one of it's core tenants I have to say.  NO lets not consider that imaginary right.

So...you're bouncing from freedom of religion being an important right, to rights being imaginary.   
You're correct that they are, just ideas humans stick to because they think they're nice, but your chameleon like shift of colors makes it very easy to disregard you.

I'm happy that you're so well versed in what I consider my beliefs to be, too.  You fuckup, look up exactly how Scientology has "messed with" people, hang around until you get a sense for how people here do things, and you'll find a few differences.
Stop trying to put words into other people's mouths while your own is still full from eating the menu. 

I don't know what your beliefs are.  I know what my beliefs are.  Also, Freedom of religion is a constitutional right, freedom from being messed with isn't a right that's enshrined in any documents so far as I can tell.

If the scientologists are commiting fraud, assault, or other crimes, sure, prosecute them, as individuals.  However barring a religion from a state is against the basis of the country.  Whether that religion is scientology, the church of Manson, Jim Jonesism, Mormonism or any other cult.

And ooh!  Either I am being trolled or I actually pissed someone off. I feel as if I have passed some sort of threshold.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And ooh!  Either I am being trolled or I actually pissed someone off. I feel as if I have passed some sort of threshold.

Neither.  You just caught Richter on his rageout day.

[Richter]

Yup.

They're classified as a cult in the state of Rhode Island and aren't allowed to set up shop here. Which is why they have a missionary somewhere near New Bedford that all the Newportese can flock to.

Wait what?  Don't cultists have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else?

What about the rights of the people they recruit, extort, or swindle, and the families thereof? Did their right not to be messed around with by people with a weird, catchy philosophy ever get considered?

Seriously?  As someone with a weird, catchy philosophy, which includes messing people around as one of it's core tenants I have to say.  NO lets not consider that imaginary right.

So...you're bouncing from freedom of religion being an important right, to rights being imaginary.   
You're correct that they are, just ideas humans stick to because they think they're nice, but your chameleon like shift of colors makes it very easy to disregard you.

I'm happy that you're so well versed in what I consider my beliefs to be, too.  You fuckup, look up exactly how Scientology has "messed with" people, hang around until you get a sense for how people here do things, and you'll find a few differences.
Stop trying to put words into other people's mouths while your own is still full from eating the menu. 

I don't know what your beliefs are.  I know what my beliefs are.  Also, Freedom of religion is a constitutional right, freedom from being messed with isn't a right that's enshrined in any documents so far as I can tell.

If the scientologists are commiting fraud, assault, or other crimes, sure, prosecute them, as individuals.  However barring a religion from a state is against the basis of the country.  Whether that religion is scientology, the church of Manson, Jim Jonesism, Mormonism or any other cult.

And ooh!  Either I am being trolled or I actually pissed someone off. I feel as if I have passed some sort of threshold.

A church is only a church so long as it has PEOPLE though.  It's just ideas on paper otherwise, so we're on the same page as far as those being the ones to go after.