Scientology has a notorious reputation as one of the silliest and most lucrative religious businesses on the planet. Although their global membership is estimated to be around 8 million, the numbers are very foggy and mysterious, with only about 30,000 in the US and a handful of thousands scattered through the rest of the world’s countries. Maybe it’s because it costs so much to get anywhere with it. But I’m not exactly sure how anyone has been duped into joining, especially when I look at some of the images from The Scientology Handbook published in 1994 (probably around the time they brainwashed Tom Cruise). It claims to provide concrete solutions for any and all of the problems we humans have in life – being mugged, doing coke, dealing with asshole family members, or staring vacantly at walls, the ceiling or our own hands. And the images are so strikingly ridiculous, it’s hard not to be inspired to change our frightened, evil, engram-packed selves. I mean, the conversations happening in these images are profound, and definitely inspire me to pay someone a ton of money to rid me of all my problems. Or I’ll just look at the gallery of pictures from The Scientology Handbook below, and let laughter be my catharsis.
Spotted on Dangerous Minds
