Google Aids Scientology-Linked Group CCHR With Pay-Per-Click Ads

An anonymous reader writes "The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a Scientology front group, has received a 'grant from Google in the amount of $10,000 per month worth of Pay Per Click Advertising to be used in our Orange County anti-psych campaigns.' CCHR believes that ALL psychiatrists are evil. They believe that psychiatrists were behind the holocaust, and these shadow men were never brought to justice. CCHR also believes that psychiatrists were behind the 911 attacks. Scientologists believe that psychiatrists have always been evil, and their treachery goes back 75 million years when the psychiatrists assisted XENU in killing countless alien life forms. Thanks Google! We may be able to stop these evil Psychs once and for all!"

Comments

The Harsh Light of Day

[Anonymous Coward]

The more these beliefs are discussed and examined, the more they are revealed for what they are.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[Plunky]

The more these beliefs...

beliefs, you say? I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[Vellmont]

I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu..

It's no more or less believable than any other religion. Do you think people really believe that a dead guy came back to life? How about an entire ocean was suddenly parted so the good guys could get away and then collapsed again on the bad guys? Or that the earth is 6000 years old? Or that the guy who created the entire universe 12 billion years ago and billions of light years large is really really concerned about if human penises wind up in human vaginas before the correct ritual is performed?

So yes, I really do think some people believe in the Xenu thing. Especially since they don't really tell you about the Xenu thing until you're really into it.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[Concerned Onlooker]

"How about an entire ocean was suddenly parted so the good guys could get away and then collapsed again on the bad guys?"

Actually, that is plausible. I saw the proof of concept at Disneyland.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[umafuckit]

I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..

I wouldn't be so sure. I think the main reason it sounds crazy is because this particular belief is shared by comparatively few people. When few people are involved, such beliefs are called cults and are rejected by wider society. It's when crazy beliefs spread and are shared by many people that they're called a religion. Of course different societies draw the line differently.

The beliefs of the Christian church are pretty crazy too, when you stop to think about it, but they're widely accepted in our society so they no longer draw incredulity. Think how crazy this sounds: the Catholic church tells us that during communion the bread and wine literally turn into the blood and body of Christ. However, through some mysterious process, they appear to our senses as unchanged. So the Catholic church tells you that what you're seeing and tasting is wrong, and you should ignore the evidence right in front of you. Presumably, millions of people accept and believe this. Then we have the fact that many Christians believe that everything in the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Yet these same people ignore the parts they don't like (Christians choose to eat pork even though their book tells them not to), they ignore the fact that the Bible is often self-contradictory, and they ignore the fact that the Bible we have today is based on copies of copies that include known errors, additions, and omissions. If God is all-powerful, why is He unable to provide "his inerrant word" in an accurate form, and why is it that he never shows his face?

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[Cinder6]

The more these beliefs...

beliefs, you say? I don't believe that anybody actually believes all that claptrap about Xenu.. L Ron Hubbard made it all up to bilk money out of desparate people, and plenty of other folk are happy to continue the premise and keep the money flowing.. but does anybody actually believe it? I doubt it..

I may be able to provide a few insights on this.

My parents were in Scientology in the 1970s and early 80s. My mom signed up because of her sister and brother, and my dad signed up to meet girls (he was successful, as my parents are still together, so I guess some good can come from the organization!).

There are a few things you have to realize about Scientology; some of it has already been said. First, the nutso stuff isn't presented early on. It only gets revealed at a certain point, after you have invested years and tens of thousands of dollars. During that time, you are constantly bombarded with Scientologist propaganda and vocabulary, which serves to drive you away from your non-Scientologist friends. When you do "go clear" and learn about Xenu and the other stuff, they have done their hardest to brainwash you into their way of thinking. These days, they even install Internet filters onto your computer to block anti-Scientology websites.

Leaving Scientology presents its own problems. When my parents left, they lost all their friends. Their Scientologist friends would no longer talk to them, and they had already alienated their non-Scientologist friends. People higher up in the organization face more obstacles, including personal and legal threats. (My parents were never high up--an ex-Scientologist told them what it was all about, and they left. The church later sued him for all he was worth, and he had to publicly apologize and retract his words.)

Some of my parents' Scientology friends eventually left the church as well, and they've stayed in touch. One couple in particular was high up in the organization (well past OT3x--I think 6 or maybe even 7). Even after all these years, they still have a hard time not believing in Scientology's teachings, even the Xenu stuff. To paraphrase, they say they have a hard time accepting that they spent so much of their lives believing in a lie. It's not a rational thing, but then, faith often asks people to be irrational. When you've spent so much time having one set of beliefs drilled into you, it's hard to just let it go.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[guises]

As the AC pointed out, the actual translations is not "Red Sea," it's "sea of reeds" - i.e., a marsh. This makes sense, as the Israelites were in the delta region of Egypt, a marshy place that is not particularly close to the Red Sea. It's also easy to picture some poor people fleeing on foot through a marsh while the pharaoh and his men, riding chariots, would get bogged down.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[bruce_the_loon]

Yet these same people ignore the parts they don't like (Christians choose to eat pork even though their book tells them not to),

Acts 10 9-16 repeals the unclean animal laws that the Mosaic Law brought in to keep nasty diseases out of the population. Both the prohibition and the repealing are couched in "Orders from God" terms, but are actually based on prevailing understanding of health and hygiene at the time of each event. And which got unfortunately ritualized.

In a primitive civilization, pork and other meats can be severe risks if they don't know how to cook it properly. A lot of early civilizations had pork prohibitions, but as soon as they realized that a long, hot cooking process rendered the meat harmless, they were dropped. Long before the early Roman Empire times, it was common knowledge and only those adhering to the old Mosaic laws kept up the prohibition as tradition.

The repealing was done as a direct instruction from God because that was probably the only way to get the traditionalists to accept the change and was likely initiated as the early Jewish Christians interacted more with the Romans and Greeks and the knowledge that pork and related "unclean" meats were now safe to eat. And that the gentiles who were becoming more and more of the Christian base weren't going to accept archaic traditions.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[Anonymous Coward]

The Scientology organization is abusive enough even if their teachings were true; peoples' disillusionment can be with the organization while still keeping their brainwashing with regard to their beliefs.

There's even a non-CoS scientology organization, I think it's called "free zone" or "free zoners" or something.

Re:The Harsh Light of Day

[Zaphod-AVA]

The scientologist view on psychiatry is not an accident, or a fetish. They utilize brainwashing techniques when acquiring converts, and exposure to a trained psychologist would risk deprogramming. How better to protect your brainwashed followers than to train them to hate and fear the cure?

Credible Source?

[Thruen]

I know Slashdot editors like to sleep on the job, but where does this story even come from? Is it really all based on a blog some supposed letter with no explanation behind it? Is this even true? Searching for it turns up some other articles (blogs) from sources I've never heard of, and nothing seems to point to this being real. Can somebody help me out here? Is the future of Slashdot fictional stories and Bennett's Blog?

Re:Credible Source?

[ColdWetDog]

Yes, interesting. It's an unsourced statement from somebody's blog. But it has two of the Slashdot keywords - 'Google' and 'Scientology' so, as someone mentioned in the last thread about some other Slashdot keywords (Guns, 3D printing, drugs and The Feds), grab your popcorn and super size your Mountain Dew.

Re:Credible Source?

[Thruen]

A commenter on the linked blog sums up how, even if this is true, it's not news in the way the headline makes it seem.

FOTF2012 says
April 18, 2014 at 11:26 am

The Boris letter is misleading. Makes it sound like CCHR applied for and got a grant from Google in the sense of a monetary gift.

Pretty much anyone can set up a Google ad words account (https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/1704354?hl=en) and then learn how to manage the details (https://www.google.com/grants/details.html). Here are the basic qualifications: https://www.google.com/grants/....

One requirement is to be a 501(c)3, which CCHR is. You can search for them on GuideStar (http://www.guidestar.org/?gclid=CKDF0e2q6r0CFVKFfgodPrMAHA) and you get 38 results. Apparently CCHR sets up separate entities in each state — maybe they have to as a charity.

One of the Google Ads program restrictions is that you can only link to one legitimate website. So I imagine they will link to http://www.cchr.org/.

Anyway, this “grant” is something that any “non-profit” can use. It is nothing significant Google has given CCHR specifically. It is part of a program that no doubt profits Google while they can say they are helping non-profits. Further, given the eligibility criteria (which CCHR meet), if Google were to deny CCHR use of the program, they would be in a lawsuit and would probably lose.

Re:Credible Source?

[wiredlogic]

if Google were to deny CCHR use of the program, they would be in a lawsuit and would probably lose.

Google is under no obligation to provide free services fairly and without bias.

Re:Credible Source?

[Frosty Piss]

One word: Dice and page views.

Re:The answer to bad speech

[seebs]

That doesn't mean they need to be actively funded by others.

Non event...

[openfrog]

After reading Slashdot for many years, I am coming back after two months of not visiting and what do I see? Another anti-Google posting using all the power of the anecdotal... This is a non-event, and Google will change track in this case as soon as they are pointed out their mistake.

I am not sure if I will have the courage to go through today's list. I remember this place as one where I could read intelligent comments, but those who used to make this place what it was have now almost all left...

CCHR has made some valid points...

[SubtleArray]

If you can look past the weird conspiracy theories and Xenu stuff. Late last year I saw a documentary called "The Marketing of Madness." It makes a compelling case about how over-medicated we're becoming, and how simple quirks are now being labeled as illnesses to turn a profit. There might be some truth to this. CCHR might not be an entirely awful group.

Re:CCHR has made some valid points...

[sjames]

I would say the field of psychiatry is long overdue for an overhaul. It has a great deal of baggage that it refuses to put down. It's unfortunate that Scieentology has gotten involved. They do have a few good points here, but bring a lot of baggage of their own and then muddy the water by WAY overreaching and injecting the crazy Xenu stuff into the discussion.

Re:CCHR has made some valid points...

[ColdWetDog]

This is precisely how crazies work. They take a perfectly reasonable statement - The practice of psychiatry has problems / Vaccines CAN cause harm, etc and then push their agenda far and beyond any rationale discussion. Yes, the practice of psychiatry is primitive and has been subject to considerable abuse in the past (lobotomies, insulin shocks to name a few). Yes, this country is overmedicated - but not just with psychoactive drugs - and this isn't just the 'fault' of psychiatrists but instead involves doctors, patients, drug companies, government and bog knows who else.

But the victrolic, angry and anti intellectual approach of CCHR and Scientology in general should continue to be exposed for what it is - a scam. They should be allowed to express their opinions and, if the IRS says they are a 501C3 corp and Google gives something extra to non profits, well then, let'em at it. But it's still a scam. Along with quite an number of other 'non profits'.

Scientology wins!

[snemiro]

If there were a race about which "religion" is getting more members with the most insane ideas, yep, they would take the 1st place!... In your face, resurrected Jesus.

Re:How is this different than christianity?

[sjames]

Motive comes into question. Imagine if the christian church charged admission for services.

Re:Messed up organizations with happy names.

[Aighearach]

I'll have you know that the Children's Food Safety and Quality Control Council cannot endorse the barbecuing of infants. The harsh smoke is too strong for the tender meat. We recommend braising or low-temperature smoking

Re:How is this different than christianity?

[seebs]

There's a lot of very good material already written on the topic. Quick summary:

1. The people who founded Scientology explicitly stated that was not a religion, but a scientific practice. They changed to calling it a "religion" solely for tax/legal purposes. That's an official statement from Hubbard himself, not speculation.
2. Fairly dangerous and abusive. Look up Lisa McPherson, or Paulette Cooper.
3. Lots of very shady practices, like pressuring members to have abortions so they won't be wasting money on kids that they could be donating to the organization. Yes, really.

Plenty of stuff here you could look up. It's not so much about the specific beliefs as about the organizational structure and practice.

Re:But is their criticism of Psychiatry wrong?

[mwvdlee]

Scientology's beliefs are idiotic, but not much more idiotic than believing in some guy walking up a hill and coming back down with slates with "commandments" apparently handed to him by some deity.

The problem with scientology is the frequent intimidation, their extremely litigious habits, the abusive behaviour towards members, the rampant commercialism, the indocrtination techniques and a bunch of other things that are decidedly evil and beyond the comprehension of any decent human being.

Scientology isn't a church, nor is it a cult. Scientology is a corporation. And whereas most corporations are just greedy and soulless, scientology doesn't stop at mere ruthless money grabbing; scientology seems to want to actively hurt it's victims as well.

Well...

[aevan]

I dated a psychology student once. Now i'm not saying I agree with scientology...