Category: Scientology
‘Jesus among the gods’ on iTunes
For those who we able to participate in the four week discussion at the San Francisco Lighthouse titled ‘Jesus among the gods’ and who would like to listen to the talks again, and for those who were unable to attend, we now have all the talks on iTunes. On iTunes simply type “SF Lighthouse” into the search bar and it will bring you to the page where you can download all the talks for free, plus dozens of additional sermons by Pastor Jeff Garner.
The four weeks included these topics:
(1) Jesus and Oscar Wilde (Hedonism): “What is the Purpose of Pleasure”
(2) Jesus and Anton LaVey (Satanism): “What Makes One Successful? What is Success?”
(3) Jesus and Tom Cruise (Scientology): “Why Do I Suffer/Struggle?”
(4) Jesus and Joseph Smith (Mormonism): “Who is Jesus?”
Reading About Scientology
This weekend I continued the discussion series that I am participating in with Pastor Jeff Garner at the San Francisco Lighthouse Church. We asked the question, “Why is there suffering?” As with each week we take a religious worldview that we believe attempts to answer these relevant questions (e.g. last week we asked “What is success?” and we featured Satanism) and we juxtapose it with the teachings of Jesus Christ. This is not a comparative study of world religions; this is an attempt to see how the teachings of the world around us contrast with Christ (in previous sessions we have compared Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Atheism, Hedonism, and the aforementioned Satanism).
I know Scientology is a mystery to most people who heard the discussion today. I am sure that one session will not be enough to help someone grasp this worldview. So I am placing as many links as I can here for your own research and reading:
General Information
Scientology from Wikipedia
Scientology.Org
Criticisms and Investigations
Xenutv.com
Xenu.net
Rolling Stone Magazine: Inside Scientology
Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Secrets of Scientology
Interview with Tory Christman: Former Scientologist
Scientology: Inside the Cult
Tom Cruise Scientology Video
I do not claim to agree with or affirm the content of these videos or articles. These are provided for the simple purpose of simplifying access to the differing opinions on this religion. As a Christian I do not agree with the teachings of Scientology and therefore do not see Scientology as compatible with Christianity. You can read this information for yourself to determine your understanding of this religion.
