A guide to Beck and Scientology for journalists and fans.
I've never been quite sure whether or not Beck is a Scientologist. I have a mildly tangled relationship with the cult (an ex-girlfriend joined after years of us trying to get her sister out, I wrote a play that was reviewed by the LA Times parodying Scientology and received hate mail because of it) and remain grimly fascinated by it to this day. A few years ago I started hearing rumors that Beck was involved. Since, I've learned Beck married the redheaded Ribisi from Dazed And Confused and that both his and her family are old-school Scientology families. But again, I still don't have an answer.
Well, here's a long, semi-paranoid but interesting answer.
9 Comments:
I'd not heard this before, but I'm strangely not that bothered. I don't dislike Travolta or Cruise or Isaac Hayes because of their ties to Scientology.
Honestly, is it any weirder than believing in immaculate conception or loaves and fishes?
10:17 AM
Honestly, is it any weirder than believe in immaculate conception or loaves and fishes?I understand your point, but honestly, yes it is:
"75 million years ago, Xenu was the ruler of a Galactic Confederacy which consisted of 26 stars and 76 planets including Earth, which was then known as Teegeeack. The worlds which he ruled were overpopulated, each having on average 178 billion people. The Galactic Confederacy's civilization was comparable to our own, with people "walking around in clothes which looked very remarkably like the clothes they wear this very minute" and using cars, trains and boats looking exactly the same as those "circa 1950, 1960" on Earth."
Read more about it here
11:30 AM
Isn't it sad for old L. Ron that the thing that makes his religion so hard to believe is that he was too specific?
He just couldn't let go of being a science fiction writer, and gave a too few details to make it plausible.
I used to work for a psychologist that once met Hubbard in California, before Scientology existed. Apparent L. Ron talked to him about how, if one wanted to get rich, one should stay away from writing, which didn't pay worth a damn (he said that at that point Hubbard was getting paid by the word, and not well), and should instead create a new religion, because "that's where the real money is."
And lo and behold...
2:46 PM
er, that should read "a few too many details" not the utterly meaningless "a too few details"
2:50 PM
stee, you really need to check out the work of comedian John Safran - http://www.johnsafran.com
on his television program "John Safran's Musical Jamboree" he dedicated an entire segment to whether or not Beck was a scientologist. if anything, it's hilarious, especially the reenactments.
9:39 PM
stee, i think maybe you predicted the future:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/magazine/06BECK.html
12:31 PM
It's a perplexing issue when you like the musician but are aware of the fact that he is in a money grubbing cult.
Scientology uses actors & musicians (look at all the ones who support the cult already) as recruitment tools.
(Google search for Scientology Project Celebrity.) Cruise was quietly recruiting for years before he started speaking out publicly about Scientology, and then lost his own publicist.
So repeats with Beck. The Scientology PR machine is at work no matter what. Scientology PR lied about Beck in the media. Now, as the NY Times states this week, it's confirmed he is a Scientolgist. What is all this mysteriousness and posturing about anyway?
Shhh! we're not supposed to know what Scientology PR is up to
So now the big debate - who cares about a talented musician. Big deal about someone who wants to be in Scientology. Who cares?
If you read carefuly though, you will see what Beck said in the New York Times, about the "intolerance of critics" when Scientology has such helpful drug and prison programs.
CULT PROMOTION!
Listen up! AND LOOK at what happened with the teachings of that very same drug program (known as Narconon*) in California -
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/ c/a/2005/02/23/MNGQJBFKV81.DTL
So separate the talented musician from the cult, so YOU DON'T see that he is recruiting these wacked out programs for Scientology.
Don't overlook this issue while Scientology programs are subtly added to media pieces. This is a cult tactic.
DO LOOK
*Narconon is none other than Scientology's own purification progam which members have to take when they are on L Ron Hubbards bridge to learning they are infested with the spirits of dead space aliens. The program is also being sold under a prison program called Second Chance, and in New York by Cruise as the New York Firefighters Detox. Read the California url and then see
http://stop-narconon.org
http://www.narconon-exposed.org
9:13 PM
If entertainers are subtly dropping the accolades of Scientology programs into media articles, then we all should be concerned, far from paranoia
Scientology has the opportunity to make money and has used many an entertainer to appeal to our politicians, as they are fans too.
http://www.lermanet.com/audio/
"Cult Phenomenon - Mental Health, Legal and Religious Implications"
http://www.lermanet.com/ scientology-in-government/lobby-groups.htm
Scientology in the NFWL, Lobby and Political Groups - Attacking Mental Health, Promoting Subversive Programs
5:50 AM
I'm always sad when an artist/actor I like has been snatched by the $cientology drones. And I'm sorry that it looks like Beck is one of them.
Yesterday I worked the polls and a fellow pollworker is a 21 year old Jewish Republican $cientologist. Nice enough kid, but oh, how I wanted to spirit him away to someplace he could be deprogrammed of the $cientology.
(Okay, maybe the Republicanism too, but I am a Progressive Democrat. What d'ya expect?)
3:08 PM
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