Church of Scientology Mission of Belfast

I don’t know whether this exceptionally unanimous bashing is for the religion or for the building itself. If it were for the religion, then perhaps we could all have digs at each faith and start up some religious war (like that would ever happen in Northern Ireland). If it is for the building, then one star is generous.
So it is unfair to perhaps have an entire review based on a religion that to the regular folk like me or you, we have no notion about what it means and what it stands for.
However in respect to this review, I shall not start bashing their ideas or their beliefs. Religion is there in effect to give someone solace when they clearly need it. The world is a big and scary place and so by connecting yourself with a religion, you are putting yourself in the hands of a higher power that you think will look after you and keep you away from scary things like Rotweillers, crazy monkeys and prostitution.
But I have read about this belief system they call scientology and it all seems a bit too much to get your head around. Perhaps many years later we will all be scientologists. But for the moment, it seems like a worrying cult which targets people that are afraid or lonely and sucjs them in…
Which sounds like religion…
Doesn’t it?
If it brings solace to the people that believe in it then congratulations. But to me, it all seems a little bit too creepy and I’ve read about cults (which is actually as interesting as it is scary) so until this religion can prove itself to be something more worthy than a cult, it will always be a one star.
And that’s generous.

This is an odd place, to say the least. It has been picketed by ‘Anon’ protesters-​the C of S’s biggest opponents, generally young males who turn up wearing monster masks with signs decrying the Church. I had to do a story on it before and while the young guy who ran it was very nice, he definitely have a very warped view on certain questionable practices which gave me the impression that he’d either been brainwashed or was just extremely naïve or easily influenced.

As much as Christianity can be negated and ridiculed at least it’s had over two millennia to get people believing.
I don’t think it can be described as bias when I say that the basic ideology of this ‘religion’ is insanity beyond the realms of normal human understanding. It disheartens me to see a branch, albeit tiny popping up in the city I now call home.
Where to begin. I’ll keep it brief, this movement is based on the ramblings of a hack sci-​fi writer, its beliefs revolve around the thetan, the individualized expression of the cosmic source, they use a method of self-​improvement known as dianetics as an alternative to psychotherapy. I think everyone knows the basics, the quacks and the celebrities who have spent millions reaching that ‘next level’
The small office on Great Victoria street is generally a quiet, empty little place and I can see it staying that way. The last thing Northern Ireland needs is another way to divide, it is encouraging at least to see that the UK, France and Germany have not granted the movement status as a religion, unlike the US where they are granted all sorts of benefits, notably tax-​exemption.