A stand-up comedian he is not. Frederick George “Rick” Wilson has been called many things … sleazy operative, white scumbag, dirty trickster, savvy grifter, ethically repulsive, ex-Republican hit man, and swamp-dweller. But unlike James Gregory, he’s never been called “The funniest man in America.” The Lincoln Project bio presents him as a “renowned political strategist, infamous ad-maker.”…
Operation Freakout: The Scientology Conspiracy to Destroy Paulette Cooper
As a reminder, it will be noted that the most famous face of Scientology is Tom Cruise. “From the religion of Tom Cruise, we present “Operation Freakout.” That famous “Tom Cruise” smile. A video featuring actor Tom Cruise, where he describes himself and other Scientologists as experts on the human mind, surfaced online in 2008….
Resolute Square … a “New & Improved” Lincoln Project.
Who is @ResoluteSquare? Grifter Version 2.0 of @ProjectLincoln. “New and improved” is a term that’s often used in advertisements. Companies refer to products as “new and improved” when they’ve created a different version of something or made improvements to it. It’s now widely regarded with contempt as the utter intelligence-insulting nonsense that it is. Enter…
By the time Scientologists get to the crappy science fiction story of Xenu … it’s too late.
As Paulette Cooper writes in her book, “The Scandal of Scientology,” When people first enter this exciting world of the totally free, they rarely realize just how expensive it is going to be … In addition to the price of the courses, there are many other expenses. A Scientologist must buy many of Hubbard’s books,…
I asked ChatGPT if Scientology could be considered a Rube Goldberg religion.
L. Ron Hubbard … religion’s Rube Goldberg. We checked in with ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, and asked for some input based on the suggestion that Scientology could be considered a religious equivalent of a Rube Goldberg machine. Enjoy the conversation… ChatGPT L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology can be likened to a religious…
The Mormon Heavens: Everyone’s a Winner-Winner, Chicken Dinner (Well, Almost)
If the Mormon concept of the heavens was a Saturday Night Live sketch… Forget those pearly gates and harp-playing angels. We Mormons are all about options! That’s right, folks. In our celestial real estate portfolio, we’ve got not one, not two, but THREE different levels of heaven. It’s like choosing between a cozy cabin, a…
The Mormon Conundrum: A constant state of being at odds with the Biblical admonition, “Live peaceably with all men.”
One of the central tenets of the Christian faith is the call to peacemaking and living harmoniously with others. The Apostle Paul, in his letters to the Romans and in the book of Hebrews, exhorts followers of Christ to “live peaceably with all men” and “make every effort to live in peace with everyone.” These…
Embracing the Cross: A Challenge to the LDS Church’s Symbolic Reluctance.
The crucified Jesus is Christians’ central symbol of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. However, the stark contrast between the brutality of the crucifixion and the message of redemption it represents raises a compelling question. Since early Christianity, the Church has grappled with this seeming contradiction. The adoption of the cross, the instrument of Jesus’ death,…
From Narcissistic Abusers to Global Movements: The Deceptive Spectrum of Cults
Wikipedia: Cult. A cult is a group which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who tightly controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant (outside the norms of society). It is in most contexts a pejorative term, also used for a new religious…
Holy Rewrite: Did Joseph Smith Think the Bible Was a Divine Do-Over?
Mormon Views on the Bible: A Balancing Act. While Joseph Smith affirmed the Bible’s divine origin in the Articles of Faith (“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.“), his beliefs about the scripture were more nuanced. He introduced the Book of Mormon as a companion…