Cookin' up religion

So, it appears that Chef from Comedy Central's South Park is dead. At least mostly dead.

In the show, Chef's brain was scrambled after he joined the "Super Adventure Club," a thinly veiled jab at the real-life Scientology bent of Chef's voice, Isaac Hayes. Hayes left South Park after the program poked too much fun at Scientology.

It's been a rough go for the faith, which was created in the 20th century by author L. Ron Hubbard and has become the religion du jour for a busload of celebrities. The religion holds that man is a spiritual being who can break free of problems, materialism and bad vibes through the right training and mindset. As clear as I can figure, it's a religion without a diety.

Americans seem rather wary of Scientology: While most support the federal government giving funds to faith-based charities, 52 percent would draw the line if the charity was affiliated with Scientology, according too a recent study by the Pew Forum. Still, the faith clearly has a strong appeal for lots of folks, and I'd be interested to find out just what that appeal is.

If you have any thoughts on a local Scientology angle I could pursue in the future, let me know. I'm all ears.