I watched the whole game, and didn't see this, unless it was on during the pre-show. Did anyone else see it?

Yes. Very creepy, all about the merging of science and religion, lots if sunsets and pretty people looking smugly at them.

I'm more pissed they appropriated science.

I can't speak for all Christians, but this one has never seen a Scientology building in real life, I had no idea that they use the cross. Now, of course, I'm going to have to start a campaign against them. THANKS, Dan. Sheesh.

I saw the ad air during the Superbowl, watching from Seattle.

I'm upset that the Scientology ad took the place of what might have been another GoDaddy ad. We need more GoDaddy ads.

I'm with 4. You don't get to claim any kind of science by tarting up a crude "lie detector," complete with styling cues from mid-1950s Buicks and where the needle movements are blatantly controlled by the "auditor," and calling it an "e-meter."

Only in a country where real science education is so stunted and disregarded could grifters actually get away with this shit.

Didn't see it in Chicago. Seems it was a local-ish thing. Fuck the Scilons, seriously.

@9: Oddly enough, both the GoDaddy ads I saw during the game weren't sleazy at all and actually featured modestly-dressed people using the advertised web hosting service.

That glossed up drivel missed a word in its opening. It should have been "Imagine science *fiction* and religion connecting".

Re: 10—

Hahahahaha. The latest "e-meter," released last November, has styling cues from the Easy-Bake Oven.

Why do they get a pass for appropriating Christian symbolism? Easy! They can get away with it because they're all straight. Right?

I thought Hutherson wanted to "take back the rainbow" for the leprechauns.

Yeah, I saw that one. Personally, I found it way less offensive to my sensibilities than their ad from last year, which was basically an ad for atheism with a Scientology tag on the last two seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y800s8y9…

I still can't figure out how they haven't been shut down as a destructive cult yet. Seriously, the SeaOrg? Straight up child abuse.

@Dan "I am constantly amazed that Christians, from the most liberal to the most conservative, have nothing to say about Scientology appropriating the cross."

Because the gay rights movement does not claim to be a religion. Scientology does. Christians know, deep down, that all religions are to some extent cult-like and based on faith, myths, fictions, etc. If Christians challenge scientology's tax exempt status as a religion in the USA, theirs may be next.

The late Fred Pohl used to say that he was having a meal with Hubbard's pulp sci-fi publisher -- maybe John W. Campbell of Astounding SF? I don't remember. Anyway, Pohl said the three were chitchatting about bad sci-fi and the publisher turned to Hubbard and said "I bet you can't start a religion" and Hubbard said "I bet I can."

@1,3: saw it in NY.

@19 anyone know if Fred Pohl or others ever wrote about Scientology's creation moment in print? I heard the "bet you can't start a religion" "bet you I can" story from Pohl in person and would love a source that I can give people to look up.

I thought I was going to be writing a post about how freedom of religion applies to religions that people think are stupid too but Mr. Savage is right. They should be upset about this. Of course the cross is a historical thing and therefore belongs to everyone, but and Scientologists can use non-copyrighted symbols if they want, but yes it is a bit hypocritical to complain about the appropriation of a neutral symbol like a rainbow but not about a religious symbol like a cross.

@18 "Know" that all religions are cult-like and based on fiction? To know something, it must first be true. Since this is not true, it cannot be known; it can only be believed. And no, most Christians do not believe that their religion is based on "myths and fictions." You might not share that belief, but that does not mean that it is not sincere.

@20 - You should read Going Clear by Lawrence Wright. It outlines the origins of the church pretty clearly, and I don't recall anything quite so blatant as the popular bet story.

All religion is a scam. Money is their god.

@ 11, it was on nationally. You must have been taking a leak.

@20 thx, added to my reading list.

@21 You mis-quote me, I said to some extent cult-like and based on faith, fiction, myths etc. Yes, most Christians don't believe their faith is a myth, but deep down any educated Christian (or follower of any other religion incl. scientology) must realize that their beliefs aren't in the same category as science or historical fact and are a mishmash of faith, myths, and fiction with a dash of greatly altered historical fact thrown in. That's why they're very defensive when atheists say "enough already!" That's also why Scientology gets away with its tax deductible status in the USA, because courts can't reliably differentiate between an organized religion and an organized cult, especially once they get tens of thousands of followers.

wait ... Scientology is real?

Common on, Dan. A lot of people have appropriated the cross. The Iron Cross -- there's something that's really Christian. Even right-wing Christians have appropriated the cross in the sense that many of them have nothing to do Christ's teachings. So if Nazis, many political parties across the globe, corporations, the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations etc. use the cross, why not another religion. It's easy enough to find out the origin of the Scientology cross -- it stands for the religions "eight dynamics" (eight points on their cross, not four as with Christianity). At least the Scientology dynamics stand for something positive, it seems: survival.

@24: Nah, there were 5 other people watching with me and there were always at least 3 paying attention to the game. Someone would have mentioned a Scientology ad...

You know what it is? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".

The Scientology block, especially in the Seattle area here with their 2 facilities they pay absolutely no taxes on, is allied with all religions that have 1 goal in mind, tax free status. Anyone who's opposed to their tax free status is their enemy, anyone playing the same "religion" game as them are their allies, at least so much as to ignore them and attempt to beat them at their own game by persuading more slaves I mean followers.

I think they should have to pay taxes unless we specifically give them an exemption. The idea that someone could start something like Scientology, call it a religion, and not have to pay the same taxes I would have to if I started a business is complete and total bullshit. There's no fair game with players like this. Tax free status should be a privilege we all get a say on. These leeches took that from us by exploiting old laws meant to protect Christians.

@27: A "buy all our stuff to save your soul" scam isn't positive. Nor are billion year contracts that teenagers sign.

It's not quite Christian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_Cross

Crowley met Hubbard and found him a complete wanker.

I hope Xenu.net and https://whyweprotest.net/community/forum… get a lot more traffic because of the ad.

@12 -- waitaminit, Science Fiction + Religion = Mormons! The Scientologists really need their own schtick.

Christians stole the zodiac symbol first...

Dan, is this your stupidist, laziest post ever? Your Catholic upbringing is showing. The Catholic Church has a Pope, and its own state, and canon and doctrines and discipline, so they can come up with pronunciamentos in Latin, and there is no doubt something in there about heresy and all that would apply to appropriation of cross-like images (not that you bothered at all to check).

But there's another billion or so other Christians that aren't all that organized. Surely you know this? You've driven by the strip mall churches with a barely literate unpaid preacher?

The very essence of prejudice is to judge an entire group by the actions of one or a few. Are you really going to say "Christians" worry about the rainbow because some dead lunatic worried about the rainbow? If that's your threshold, then run a google search for 10 seconds to see whether or not a preacher has condemned Scientology's use of the cross. Wait, that's probably too much work for you to put into this lazy-ass post. So here you go. You're welcome. http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20R…

I've always said that there is no belief in Scientology that's more ridiculous than virgin birth and resurrection, and therefore, I don't view them any differently than the most common religion in the US. When I say that, it is not well-received.

@38 L Ron Hubbard stated that every religion but scientology was a 3d drive-in movie/hologram that the original inhabitants of earth viewed before they were murdered by a giant UFO spacelord which is trapped, alive, inside a volcano.

Nope, still dumber than Jesus.