this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
197 points (97.1% liked)

Not The Onion

21426 readers
728 users here now

Welcome

We're not The Onion! Not affiliated with them in any way! Not operated by them in any way! All the news here is real!

The Rules

Posts must be:

  1. Links to news stories from...
  2. ...credible sources, with...
  3. ...their original headlines, that...
  4. ...would make people who see the headline think, “That has got to be a story from The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.”

Please also avoid duplicates.

Comments and post content must abide by the server rules for Lemmy.world and generally abstain from trollish, bigoted, ableist, or otherwise disruptive behavior that makes this community less fun for everyone.

And that’s basically it!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 18 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 79 points 1 week ago

I for one am completely OK with people choosing to troll (with force) an insane cult.

[–] HeartyOfGlass@piefed.social 58 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Defectors, including the actor Leah Remini, have accused the church of fostering a culture of abuse.

Last week, Remini weighed in on the social media trend, calling it “unhelpful”.

“If someone is brainwashed for years into believing the outside world is filled with dangerous lunatics who wish to impede Scientology, a group of people running through a Scientology building is only going to confirm that belief and lead them to dedicate themselves even more to the cause they believe in,” Remini wrote on X.

“Please focus on exposing the dangers of Scientology, not making a spectacle out of it.”

Yep. This is the kind of stuff a cult would use as ammunition to prove to its members that the outside world is unsafe.

[–] IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.wtf 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Lacking any actual ammunition they will just go back to inventing stuff anyway so I'm not sure it really makes a difference.

[–] Zoot@reddthat.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

While I agree with you, I will just add that maybe it does; If only because the best lies are those hidden with a grain of truth.

[–] IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.wtf 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They don't strike me as being particularly bothered by things like the truth.

"According to the OT III account, Xenu was an extraterrestrial ruler of a galactic confederacy who, tens of millions of years ago, transported billions of beings to Earth (then called Teegeeack), placed them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. The disembodied spirits of the victims, called thetans, are said to have become attached to surviving bodies as "body thetans", contributing to spiritual and psychological difficulties in the present day. Scientology teaches that these entities can be identified and released through specialized procedures at the upper Operating Thetan levels."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu

[–] Zoot@reddthat.com 4 points 1 week ago

Forgot who we were talking about tbh lol. I do think real life examples might help, but you're certainly not wrong that plenty of other things kinda gotta be glossed over to get to that point anyway.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 49 points 1 week ago

I mean...

Before this "trend" the viral videos were of potential recurits climbing over fences to escape...

Like, once you get past the front desk, they don't want you leaving without joining. So if you need a "break" they let you out of the building into a fenced in courtyard, and I remember multiple videos.over the years of people on the street helping others climb the fence, because they can't exit thru the building.

It's that weird pushy sales tactic where they don't physically prevent exiting, but they just emotionally abuse people and manipulate them into thinking they really can't just walk out.

In comparison, these kids running thru the buildings is good PR, it makes Scientology look waaaay better than random strangers saving people from their compounds who aren't even members.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I love this, but

Scientology is NOT unhappy. They will keep pretending to be though. This is the exact PR they strive for.

"We're doing nothing but minding our business and people are attacking us for our religious beliefs."

That's the spin. They earn victimhood. That results in more new members than them being persecuted.

It's funny. It's awesome. Don't wanna be a damper, but it's doing more harm than good.

[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

“We’re doing nothing but minding our business and people are attacking us for our religious beliefs.”

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Correct. That is the public relations spin these antics allow for.

[–] Baylahoo@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

I think the bold is implying they are a business, not a religion.

[–] hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Stupid article. For once, there's no reason to call them a "Church". They're not. They specifically do some shenanigans, to legally qualify as a "church". But that's pretty much it.

Secondly, they live off of secrecy and not getting their lunatic practices and beliefs exposed. Why call for letting them continue on that path? I'd say them not having any doorhandles anymore is a good thing. Now it's less likely they can lure in some vulnerable people. Solely by the front door being closed and having no handles.

I think if you write an article like this, don't lead with all the church stuff, and bury the parts with the abuse and brainwashing at the bottom. Do it the other way round.

(This comment is an opinion piece.)

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

“Hate crime.”

They won’t investigate racist or homophobic murders as hate crimes, but teenagers annoying the racketeering scam masquerading as a religion is a “hate crime.”

lol this is honestly the best brainrot trend I think I’ve ever seen

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

Well, I for one am amused.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I love it when assholes torment each other and I get to just watch and hope they both somehow manage to lose.

[–] Weirdfish@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

So this is why I'm ok with it.

[–] xSikes@feddit.online 1 points 1 week ago

I need to see these videos lol