Longtime friends of the Dawg Haus will remember we are located next-door to the Champaign branch of the Church of Scientology – a fact several folks have found humorous. Recently this group has found it’s way into the news and not on such great terms. There is the Tom Cruise viral video, the Anonymous response video, DDoS on Scientology’s website, and today a worldwide organized protest.
Camped out on our front couches, some of us dawgs grabbed our morning coffee and breakfast and became spectators of the event unfolding next-door.
We have a civil and cordial relationship with our neighbors – none of us would agree with their beliefs but we see them as human beings deserving of love and respect regardless of how misguided they may be. It’s this fact that makes me uneasy about the protest. I’ve been thinking a lot this year about how effective protesting is (part in reference to the call of Christians to boycott The Golden Compass and further with this protest though it’s not officially religiously affiliated).
Do signs, shouting, and name calling do more than cause the targeted group to bunker down and solidify further in their beliefs?
I’m not saying these protesters are hoping to persuade the scientologist, I’m just questioning if it’s affective at persuading those passing by. My hunch is not and thus I conclude they’re just creating a stand-off between themselves and those inside the “church” each side growing in their belief in the other being wrong and growing in dislike.
What do you think?
(PS: A very few more photo’s can be found on my picasa account. I didn’t take many.)
