OVERLOOKED FILM: SCIENTOLOGY: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (AND A RANT)

I like to think of myself as a fairly tolerant guy, but there are some things that push my buttons.  Near the top of the list, Scientology.  There are, of course, many nice Scientologists sincere in their beliefs, just as I am sure there are many nice Flat Earthers who are sincere in their beliefs, but at the core of this so-called religion is a mean-spirited disregard for people.  Scientology is hucksterism taken to the nth degree and I believe it has harmed far more people than it has helped.

So why this rant today, the 18th of February?  Well, today happens to be the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the first Church of Scientology, in Los Angeles.  Arising from L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics, Scientology was eventually recognized as a religion by the Internal Revenue Service, giving it a tax-free status and turning it into an even larger cash cow.

Twenty-four years to the day earlier, Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto.  Pluto is no longer a planet.  I wonder how long it will take until Scientology is no longer a religion?

Anyway, to mark the occasion of Scientology's sixtieth anniversary, here's a short (four minutes, fifty seconds) little film.

https://archive.org/details/ScientologyTheFinalCountdown