(Oops, I had digital signing on when I first sent this.)
On 4 Sep 2006, at 4:08PM, Dan Minette wrote:
Sure it is. Sociology of religion does included discussions of belief
systems, as well as behavior. In a sense, while the beliefs are
non-empirical...the written and stated beliefs are empirical. Since
Scientology purports to deal totally with the empirical: historical
visits
by aliens from other planets, residual energy, etc. it is not
dealing with
the transcendental...the realm of religion.
It is not part of the necessary definition of a religion that it
deal with the transcendental. You might wish it were so, but your
wishes do not make it so. Your continuing attempts to redefine words
to mean what you want them to mean are ridiculous.
It's tenants fall more in the
realm of UFO beliefs, which it includes, or JFK and 9-11 conspiracy
beliefs
than religious beliefs.
Those mostly aren't religions because they do not have the
organisational structure of a religion. An exception would be the
Raelians. That is a UFO based religion.
Tenets Maru
--
William T Goodall
Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk
Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/
Most people have more than the average number of legs.
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