Thanks for the wiki link. I see what you mean about the discussion….
]]>I did allow for the fact the person selling the product was the one using the underhand tactics. The person selling the book was actually promoting the Wealden House Life Improvement Centre rather than the book itself. If this had been a private individual who was simply a (ahem) scientologist, I would have ignored it. However, from the Wealden House website:
Here at Wealden House Life Improvement Center we apply the extremely workable technologies of L. Ron Hubbard on a very personal level and place into your hands the wherewithal to achieve personal happiness and the know-how to be a success!
Religion (of any branch) is not a thing which can be held accountable for anything really – it is all the actions of individuals. However, the actions of individuals who share a certain fantasy belief are often used to pass comment on that fantasy belief. Scientology is not the only one to suffer from this – Islam, Christianity, Judaism etc are all equally tarred by the actions of individuals. Such is life when you suffer from a collective fantasy.
While radiation may have been topical in the nuclear war scares of the 1950s etc but it shouldn’t have been “new” to people living in the developed world. As this is a book trying to pass itself off as a medical science topic, it makes me laugh that the term “radiation” is used in this manner. I assume from your comments the book is talking about the effects of nuclear decay rather than, for example, heat radiated from a radiator or the light radiated from the sun… Still, clarity is rarely found in belief based books.
As for:
Radiation does have an adverse effect on the spirit (or psyche, or whatever floats your boat to call it.)
That is just more woo. Does sunlight have an adverse affect on something which may or may not exist? Amazing.
]]>1) Please allow for the fact that the person selling the item is the one using whatever tactics you see. This is not the Church of Scientology’s doing. The Church does not sell its items on eBay, it sells their items on their own site. Thus, you can’t hold the religion accountable for whatever you dislike about one eBay’er’s selling ploys.
2) Radiation does have an adverse effect on the spirit (or psyche, or whatever floats your boat to call it.)
3) The book was written in the early ’50s. Put it into context. Back then Radiation was a new subject. This was the cold war, and school kids were told to duck and cover under their desks in the event of a nuclear attack. Different times.
Anyway, sneer away if that makes your day.
best,
Greg
Scientologist and proud of it
http://www.liveandgrow.org