Holy Heaven's Gate, Batman!

Last weekend I went to the Flea Market with my friend Julie. It was a wondrous affair full of silk flower "saddles," fake handbags, perfume and sunglasses, and lots of crap. The people watching was unbelievable and it's hard to imagine that this really was the "haunt" of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban when they're in town. However, all the local gossip columnists tout the celebrities that visit the flea market and for some reason, picturing Kelly Clarkson or Winona Judd going through a bin of old video games and DVDs seems a little silly, but I suppose everyone likes a bargain. One lady told us we'd be lucky to own her Russian diamonds. At only $40 and with the look of cut glass, I think Russian stood for "fake."

Among these monstrosity booths was a small plastic table and some chairs around it. It looked like a book booth, so I crawled in closer to see what they were selling. What they were selling was Scientology. The books were the L. Ron Hubbard tomes I remember seeing my father read in the 80s. There were a couple of women sitting there talking to anyone that came along about the sect. It was a little out of place. Of all the places I've been solicited for religion, the flea market was not the classiest of settings. The Hare Krishnas have the airport, the Mormons get you at home and now the Scientologists get you at the Flea Market.

What's more when i was riding home, Julie and I passed our city's new "Scientology Celebrity Center." In the heart of the Bible belt, I really didn't expect to see a big push for another religion. I also don't expect that any of our local celebrities would be alienating their devout fans and stepping inside the Celebrity Center. It actually didn't scream celebrity. It screamed little house that used to be a recording studio.

All of this leads me to the question of the day: If most religions teach that people are generally created equal, why does Scientology have a Jim Crow view when it comes to the notorious and rich? Would I really want to be a part of something that automatically rates me lower than others?