Tom, Katie, and Scientology

Putting aside that Scientology teaches that 75 million years ago, a cosmic ruler named Xenu brought billions of aliens to Earth to blow them up with hydrogen bombs and that their souls are causing problems today (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu), don't you find it strange that this "religion" has its own "Celebrity Centre"? (http://celebritycentre.org/en_US/index.html.)

Seems mighty snotty, don't you think?

I mean, really... What would happen if the Southern Baptist Convention created its own "Celebrity Centre"?

While some of us would get stuck with a preacher and his wife/organ player in a 1500 square foot brick-and-mortar building in the back woods of Alabama, the special ones would get to see Jerry Falwell live and in person along with all the amenities you would expect at a five-star hotel (except, of course, for the booze).

And who would be allowed to enter such a Baptist "Celebrity Centre"?

I doubt that Jimmy Carter would be there. He is, after all, a moderate. As for the fundamentalists, there's way too many of them to place in an exclusive club. If the Baptists were to follow ole L. Ron's lead, there must be some criteria for admission into what would be the biggest family life center in the world.

According to the Celebrity Centre's official website, the Celebrity Center is "a special Church of Scientology which [caters] to ... artists, politicians, leaders of industry, sports figures and anyone with the power and vision to create a better world."

I guess a Baptist Celebrity Centre would need people of like ilk.

Do we know of any famous Baptist artists? (I'm sure K-LOVE radio would have a list. We should check with them?) What about politicians? (Just ask every governor south of the Mason-Dixon line to join.) Leaders of industry? (Does NASCAR owners count?) Sports figures? (Do NASCAR drivers count?)

What about people with the power and vision to create a better world?

Now that's a tough one, because anybody with faith in Christ fits this description. If the Baptist church were to create a Celebrity Centre, every born-again Christian would be eligible for admission. Why? Because the Bible tells us that when a single person repents, the angels in Heaven celebrate. (Luke 15:7)

That's right... to Jesus, if we turn to Him, if we give our hearts to Him, we become an instant celebrity... But to the proteges of L. Ron Hubbard, apparently there is a more of a bifurcation, to wit: the rich and powerful can hang out with Tom and Katie and John and Kelly at the Celebrity Centre; the rest of us can get lost.