New Headquarters of the Church of Scientology (24 pics)

Ever seen the Vatican? Oh I'm sorry, that's the "OK" religion...

Hmmm, I wonder what happens in the "Purification Center"? Scary... :15:
and Planetary Dissemination? What the hell is that? :11:

Dafuq $145 million ?

145 million and a lousy TV, joke religion

It seems the West really likes it's opulent religions.

silly

It amazes me how a mediocre Sci fi hack author can aspire to create on the largest cults in the weatern world in as little time as it took,

"You want to become rich? Settle a new religion."

Since my father is a retired 4th class electrical engineer and went on to become a pastor for a denominational form of Christianity (Pentecostal) ...

You get exceptions for taxes as a 'pastor or leader' of a religion that is recognized by the government in the country that it is practiced in. It's basically a racket to continue 'laws' that separate the church and state.

Scientology is popular amongst US entertainers, as their income remains in the public domain but is difficult to quantify. Factors such as future residuals and international sales can't be measured directly to report income for any fixed point in time.

There are other ways to defer, or lower taxes, such as donating to charities. Oprah Winfrey started her own charity - The Angel Network. Jon Bon Jovi, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and others have donated $1,000,000 each on her show to demonstrate that they feel their tax dollars could be better utilized by another curator (Oprah) instead of the Federal tax system.

There are more religions on a per capita basis in the US than anywhere else in the world because the creators of these 'religions' understand how US tax laws work.

Wesley Snipes went to jail because he didn't fight the IRS using 'religion' as a loophole. His legal claim with the IRS was based on an interpretation of tax laws written in the US Constitution. He was tried based on tax evasion charges through a jurisdiction that he didn't even reside in. He challenged the Supreme Court as to why off-shore accounts, and other tax havens are not subject to the same scrutiny in prosecution.

randomdude735,
Yes, purification and planetary dissemination does sound stupid. Just as stupid as a virgin giving birth to a child (Christianity). A prophet parting the Red Sea (Judaism). Souls passing through a "Vail of Forgetfulness" (LDS).

All religions are silly superstitions. The fact that some are much older than others makes them seem, for some reason, more credible. But they're not. What's dumb now was dumb 2,000-4,000 years ago and will be dumb for the next 2,000-4,000 years. Note, however, I'm not saying faith is stupid. Just religions.

Bottom line, many humans are gullible. Once you figure that out, they become incredibly easy to manipulate.

Also, from an architectural standpoint, I like this post. The building looks good, for now. 10 years from now, it'll look dated. Always better to go with timeless architecture for religious buildings. Modern never stays modern.