Cults, Marketing and Scientology

by jwfacts 5 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jwfacts

  There is a great episode of Gruen Planet discussing the movie The Master, which is about Scientology.

  http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruenplanet/pages/s3607843.htm

  Gruen Planet generally examines current advertisements, but this episode is mostly about Scientology. It ends up very much about Religion in general, and shows how the principles of marketing and the growth of religion correspond exactly.

  There was an interesting comment on how cults grow through one-on-one contact (which was reminiscent of JWs), and then how that is becoming ineffective and out of date.
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  Refriedtruth

  Thanks for posting ( I was going to )
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  Xanthippe

  Paul, here in the UK I keep getting an error message saying the content is only viewable within Australia.
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  grumblecakes

  yup got same error
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  Refriedtruth

  Ditto USA east coast

  Xanthippe Paul, here in the UK I keep getting an error message saying the content is only viewable within Australia
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  jwfacts

  Sorry about that, it is an Australian program. You would find the Aussie humour very different.

  There was a difference of opinion on whether any marketing of a religion is good marketing, or if a movie that makes a religion looks weird is bad publicity.

  One statement that showed how eerily similar Scientology is to the Watchtower. "Scientology is more a cult than religion, and cults have always built their brand on secrecy and one to one recruitment. The recruitment methods they use today are the same as 30 years ago. They grab an unsuspecting teenager, make them watch a propoganda video and fill out a questionaire about how rotten their personality is, and then they say we've got all the answers, come with us. ... That sort or branding has changed in a world of transparency."