jamesq | More Religulous Thoughts

Okay. Mormonism. A guy starts preaching that he's a prophet. His evidence of this is the translated gold tablets of an Archangel. The tablets are conveniently whisked away to heaven so nobody can confirm this. Contemporary skeptics manage to catch the founder in contradictions. Eventually, he starts having revelations as he requires, up to and including god's commandment to sleep with lots and lots of women.

And people bought this? They didn't immediately realise he's a con artist. 150 years later, where every confirmable fact in the book of Mormon (Jesus coming to the new world, Native American's being genetically related to Middle Eastern Jews of the 1st century) has been proven wrong, they still buy it.

I know some Mormons, and they've seemed to be pretty reasonable folks, but come on.

Scientology. A professional Science Fiction writer invents a religion. He's on record as saying that the best way to make money is to invent a religion. The religion involves the idea that all our mental problems are the result of alien soul implants leaking out of nuked volcanos. Every single honest description of what Scientology is that I've ever seen includes a disclaimer that these ridiculous tenets really are what Scientologists believe in.

And people bought it. Not just famous Hollywood actors, but people who haven't gone completely around the bend.

Ok it's settled. If I want wealth and regular sex (and I do), I should become a cult leader. The beautiful thing about it is, even though I'm admitting right here and right now that it's a scam, it won't matter. People will still buy it.

All I have to do is be a lying SOB.