Why do you think Scientology is a cult & not a Religion?

Because the country of germany who studied it and decided it was so.

Also interesting as it calls itself a religion in Christianity but dispels any belief in the Deity of Christ.

Most of it based on self help techniques that do not work.

One thing I want to make clear (no pun intended) is that not all Scientologists are in the church of Scientology. So to discuss Scientology, in my view one is talking about the subject, the ideology, the cosmology. Xenu, Dianetics, auditing, doing TRs, Hubbard's theories re theta, some of his awful awful policies about treatment of staff and other things which are all cheek by jowl with one another.

So, no, by that stricture, Scientology is not a cult. Scientology is a set of theories and methods. Ideas and ologies aren't cults. But groups can be cults.

But if you want to know if I think the Church of Scientology (abbrev: CofS) is a cult, then I will say "yes, it is." I know that even elder mainstream religions can do and have done things others have found to be cultic, but for me the test would be does it do it all the time, is it a closed system/group, etc. And CofS hits the jackpot there.

Members are told whom to be in touch with and whom not, or, rather, it comes up whenever there's a problem. But thing is, there're always problems in CofS so it hits almost everyone sooner or later. Well, that's cultic behavior. Staff members sign contracts- which I think Hubbard patterned after the military. Well, the problem with that is that when one breaks a contract with them, one gets in big trouble. They threaten to expell the person which means he won't be able to talk to any church members anymore even if they are family. Sometimes they do expell staff who break contract though their own policy says they aren't supposed to. But it does happen because they do what they want to do. Even if it doesn't happen, the staff member would be presented with a large (often padded) bill called a freeloader debt. In some cases, in the Sea Org, people have physically been prevented from leaving.

At management level, it's quite cultic. The church is constantly at war with anyone who speaks out, who tries to publish a book about them, anything at all. When's the last time you heard of a Lutheran church doing that? Centuries if ever- right? And they don't just counter the arguments and speak up - no, they actually do illegal things and other things that come close to illegality to try to stop the person.

There are a lot of things like this that CofS does. The fact that there are many, the fact that they are committed on an ongoing basis instead of it being rare or occasional, the fact that members are constantly told things that conflict with other things and that they accept them because they're indoctrinated to never talk back- this combination ensures culthood in my view.

By the way, for me it's not either/or (religion/cult/church). A religion can be problematic, it can be purveyed by a cult but that doesn't mean it's not a religion. Same thing with church vs cult. Some groups are both. IMO, CofS is such a one.

Its not really either. It is basically an institution of mental and spiritual education and processing. Since it costs quite a lot for their services, (they call their fees "donations" to make it an official religion - for tax purposes), it is more like a spiritual/mental college than a religion. And, since you can leave whenever you want and are not required to do whatever they say, it does not qualify as a cult.

Why some people think all religions aren't cults is the real question here.

all religions are cults.

–noun

1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.

3. the object of such devotion.

4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

7. the members of such a religion or sect.

8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

Any religion is a cult !!! When someone tries to get you to believe what they believe and live your life a certain way accordingly then it is a cult.

Because they suck people dry for money. And it was developed by a science fiction writer. It's like Pastafarianism, only it convinces people that it's a real religion.

Because it is vindictive towards those who wish to leave the 'church' and will not abide any criticism. It is also adheres to the most batshit crazy ideas out there.

they deny the trinity...

google kingdom of the cults