Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, March 13, 2008


l'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is.

- L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the whatever called Scientology,
born on this day, 1911, in Tilden, Nebraska


Am I not the soul of inclusion and tolerance!? (Oh oh; that bit or sarcasm may lose me 3 stars in my heavenly crown!) My sense that Scientology is a wicked scam is balanced with a desire to be inclusive and understanding – does this not at least gain me some spiritual reward???? No, I guess not, because my basic feeling is that Scientology is entirely detrimental to humankind. Say I, beating my breast, Scientology seems to be to be an insult to humanity. It’s all about money, and power. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph forgive me.

So, to be fair, my own feeling these days is that most religion is about power and dollars. I’m not really agin God; I’m agin how God’s supposed faithful followers (including myself at times) just flat out act contrary to God’s glorious love and inclusion and generosity and patience and justice. I wake up in the morning and I say to myself - Could we just get a grip and live the sacrificial love of God-in-Christ???!!!

I would be delighted to have it proven that Scientology, or Christianity, or Islam, or whatever religion these days, is NOT about “where the money is”. If the Pope would like to prove it to me by selling all the contents of the Vatican Library and museum and using the $$ to improve the lot of the wretchedly poor (even just the Roman Catholic wretchedly poor), I would be thrilled. Yeah: Hell will freeze over first, right?

Is it time to start over?

Maybe. And I think God would be well served.

Hey! Maybe I could start a religion! I would call it “Where The Money Isn’t” !!

Brian+