When I stepped away from the Church of Scientology, I experienced an amazing feeling. It took a while to recognize the feeling. After all, I'd been in Scientology for over 30 years. I finally recognized what it was: I was overwhelmed with relief that, now, at last, I could accept and live with truth.
Up until that exact moment, I had not allowed myself to see how much lying was part of Scientology.
Now, it isn't that everything in Scientology is a lie. There are things that are true. In fact, it is the truth in Scientology that brings you in.
It is the lies that trap you.
After I left, I was free to look at everything, all the "forbidden" sites and the "forbidden" books. I could talk to "forbidden" people. There was lots and lots of information out there and I wanted all of it.
But, at first I could not figure out what was true and what was false. That simple ability had disappeared over my years in Scientology. While in Scientology, it was the church, and only the church, that told me, and all Scientologists, what was true and false.
Without this "guidance", I had to figure it out for myself. But how?
Well, to help any newly-out Scientologists, I'll give you a few pointers. Of course, you have to work out what is the truth for yourself, but here are some simple rules of thumb.
Liars will, of course, insist that they are telling the truth but, when challenged, will get very, very annoyed, adamant, defensive and/or insulting. But they will never, ever provide proof of their claims.
Those telling the truth will, when challenged, provide proof. If they have an opinion, it will be stated as such.
Liars will insist that you not look at opposing viewpoints, not do any research on your own or read anything that contradicts their lies. They will say terrible things about anyone who dares contradict them, accusing them of crimes and horrible behavior (but never providing actual proof).
Those telling the truth will have no objections to your research, your reading habits or who you talk to. They will ask you to look for actual proof when deciding on something, but won't care where you get it.
As "proof" of their lies, liars will provide anonymous anecdotal stories, vague "statistics" that say nothing, and more lies. They will not provide actual statistics, real facts or any proof.
Those telling the truth have evidence like original documents, videos, photos, court documents, official papers, declarations, attestations and so on.
When presented with evidence of their lying, liars will claim the evidence is false (but not provide any proof of that). When presented with an overwhelming amount of evidence of their lying, liars will claim there is a vast conspiracy against them (but not provide any evidence of that either).
In case anyone missed it, my description of liars' behavior is exactly what the Church of Scientology does.
To newly-out Scientologists: It is embarrassing to find out how much you've been lied to, but that isn't any reason to continue believing in lies. True freedom comes from living with the truth, whatever it is.
-
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Understanding the "Scientologist Attitude"
As an inevitable result of the collapse of the Church of Scientology, there are lots of Scientology true believers appearing outside of the church. There will be more.
This means that non-Scientologists are going to have a lot more exposure to the Scientology true believer's attitude and statements.
And this will, inevitably, be quite annoying.
To be specific, I am talking about the Scientology dogma and beliefs such as:
But there is something about this dogma and about Scientologists that you should know. It may help you tolerate Scientologists a bit more.
They actually know that those precepts are not true. If you can talk to many of them in a trusted, off-the-record environment, they will easily admit exactly that.
But any Scientologist, even outside the church, who wants to have the image of being a true Scientologist must echo these absolutes with never a visible question or doubt.
Scientologists must say these things, and they must believe these things and they must think these things, even though they really do know they are untrue.
It may be a bit difficult to understand how one can make oneself "think" something that one knows is untrue, but that is a skill that can be learned -- and Scientology does teach it.
Anyone who has studied Hubbard, especially any of Hubbard's lectures knows, without a doubt, that he was a story teller. The stories he told were quite fanciful and wondrous. Too wondrous. I've never met an ex-Scientologist who was ever surprised to discover the proof that Hubbard was, let us say, less than honest in his story telling.
As for the perfection of Scientology and the all-encompassing solutions it allegedly provides -- every Scientologist has experienced the failures of Scientology technology. Yes, every single Scientologist.
Sure, Scientologists have experienced some workable stuff, which is what convinced them to become Scientologists, but every single one of them has been promised "higher states of being" which, when they have "reached that level", be it Release, Clear or OT, has turned out not to exist.
Every Scientologist has experienced some "bad results" and "no results" from Scientology. So every Scientologist knows that Scientology is definitely not 100% workable on 100% of the people, they know that it does not have all the solutions.
And they do know that they did not become homo novis.
While true believers still believe that Scientology is mostly good, they do know those absolutes, as stated above, are definitely not true.
But they will continue to make those statements as if it were true because believing, thinking and saying those things are required by Scientology dogma. You cannot call yourself a true Scientologist unless you adhere to those requirements.
Which, by the way, explains why Scientologists are so strident and defensive about these precepts -- they know they aren't true and therefore they know they cannot prove them true, but they are still required to claim they are true.
And so Scientologists are very, very annoying and confusing to non-Scientologists.
Just understand that, beneath all those words and insistence on their dogma, all Scientologists really do know that these absolutes they are claiming for Scientology are not true.
-
This means that non-Scientologists are going to have a lot more exposure to the Scientology true believer's attitude and statements.
And this will, inevitably, be quite annoying.
To be specific, I am talking about the Scientology dogma and beliefs such as:
- L. Ron Hubbard was a genius and was never wrong.
- Scientology is perfect and can and will solve all the world's problems.
- Scientology works 100% on 100% of the people.
- Scientologists are homo novis, existing at a new, higher state of existence.
But there is something about this dogma and about Scientologists that you should know. It may help you tolerate Scientologists a bit more.
They actually know that those precepts are not true. If you can talk to many of them in a trusted, off-the-record environment, they will easily admit exactly that.
But any Scientologist, even outside the church, who wants to have the image of being a true Scientologist must echo these absolutes with never a visible question or doubt.
Scientologists must say these things, and they must believe these things and they must think these things, even though they really do know they are untrue.
It may be a bit difficult to understand how one can make oneself "think" something that one knows is untrue, but that is a skill that can be learned -- and Scientology does teach it.
Anyone who has studied Hubbard, especially any of Hubbard's lectures knows, without a doubt, that he was a story teller. The stories he told were quite fanciful and wondrous. Too wondrous. I've never met an ex-Scientologist who was ever surprised to discover the proof that Hubbard was, let us say, less than honest in his story telling.
As for the perfection of Scientology and the all-encompassing solutions it allegedly provides -- every Scientologist has experienced the failures of Scientology technology. Yes, every single Scientologist.
Sure, Scientologists have experienced some workable stuff, which is what convinced them to become Scientologists, but every single one of them has been promised "higher states of being" which, when they have "reached that level", be it Release, Clear or OT, has turned out not to exist.
Every Scientologist has experienced some "bad results" and "no results" from Scientology. So every Scientologist knows that Scientology is definitely not 100% workable on 100% of the people, they know that it does not have all the solutions.
And they do know that they did not become homo novis.
While true believers still believe that Scientology is mostly good, they do know those absolutes, as stated above, are definitely not true.
But they will continue to make those statements as if it were true because believing, thinking and saying those things are required by Scientology dogma. You cannot call yourself a true Scientologist unless you adhere to those requirements.
Which, by the way, explains why Scientologists are so strident and defensive about these precepts -- they know they aren't true and therefore they know they cannot prove them true, but they are still required to claim they are true.
And so Scientologists are very, very annoying and confusing to non-Scientologists.
Just understand that, beneath all those words and insistence on their dogma, all Scientologists really do know that these absolutes they are claiming for Scientology are not true.
-
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Scientologists Disunited
The unity of the Scientology community isn’t so united today.
It used to be very simple. All Scientologists had one very firm, very stable foundation for their belief system: If L. Ron Hubbard said it, it was true. Scientology was, and only was, what L. Ron Hubbard proclaimed.
Scientologists completely trusted the system. If a policy letter or bulletin appeared, over Hubbard's signature, well, that was it – it came from Ron. If it was later cancelled or revised, well, that must have been what Ron wanted done.
But it isn’t that easy any more.
Blame it on David Miscavige.
In the last three decades David Miscavige has been making massive alterations to just about every aspect of the Scientology technology and belief system. He has drastically changed all the training. He has changed how, when and why the tech is applied, changing basic definitions of key Scientology terms such as the “Second Dynamic”, the “Floating Needle” and so on. Miscavige has completely rewritten Hubbard’s cherished books. Miscavige even hired a voice actor to duplicate Hubbard’s voice to “fix” Hubbard’s lectures. Everywhere you look in Scientology, you will see Miscavige, not Hubbard as the “Source” of the technology. Everywhere you look in Scientology, you see Scientology as “re-created” by Miscavige.
And, today, Scientologists are finally realizing that things are not right. Today, Scientologists are finally becoming aware of how much destruction and corruption Miscavige has inflicted on Scientology.
And therein lies the problem.
You see, Scientologists no longer know exactly which Scientology technology is “pure Hubbard” and which has been corrupted by Miscavige – or others.
The problem is this: Every time Miscavige stuck his fingers in the technology and changed it the way he envisioned it should be, he claimed to have uncovered some heretofore lost letter or instruction from Hubbard
As time went on, Miscavige stopped even bothering with that canard and just changed whatever he wanted in whatever way he decided was best. Even OT VIII (all the different versions) is believed by some to be authored by Miscavige and not Hubbard at all.
So, were there lost, hidden instructions from Hubbard for any of these changes? Were some of the changes things Ron forgot? Did Ron make fundamental mistakes that needed correction? Are any of the changes something Ron would approve of? If so, which? Who can tell? Who decides?
Given that Miscavige often bragged that he had mastered Hubbard’s handwriting and could forge documents and even Ron’s signature perfectly, is there any way to definitively prove any piece of tech changed in the last 30 years is “pure Hubbard”?
That's a major problem for Scientologists. But wait, there’s more.
Now that the Scientology bubble has burst, Scientologists are now able to access hitherto forbidden documents. Like the documentation that shows David Mayo was actually the person who developed and wrote the NOTs technology and the Happiness Rundown. Additional documents indicate that other Scientology tech might have been developed by others – Power Processing, for instance.
What used to be a very simple thing for Scientologists has now become incredibly complex, if not impossible.
If a Scientologist still wants to apply Scientology, well, what is Scientology now?
And this is the primary source for today's disunity among Scientologists. Without a trusted authority who can definitively verify and prove which Scientology tech is "pure" and which is corrupted, each Scientologist is forced to work that out for themselves. And each Scientologist seems to have a different idea on it.
Undoubtedly, many will just find some new authority figure to make that decision for them, but there are now many different authorities with many different ideas on the subject.
No matter what, Scientologists can no longer be a completely united group. From now on, a Scientologist's personal determination as to what works and what doesn't work is paramount, whether anyone verifies it as "pure" or not.
And that's actually the right way to do it.
-
It used to be very simple. All Scientologists had one very firm, very stable foundation for their belief system: If L. Ron Hubbard said it, it was true. Scientology was, and only was, what L. Ron Hubbard proclaimed.
Scientologists completely trusted the system. If a policy letter or bulletin appeared, over Hubbard's signature, well, that was it – it came from Ron. If it was later cancelled or revised, well, that must have been what Ron wanted done.
But it isn’t that easy any more.
Blame it on David Miscavige.
In the last three decades David Miscavige has been making massive alterations to just about every aspect of the Scientology technology and belief system. He has drastically changed all the training. He has changed how, when and why the tech is applied, changing basic definitions of key Scientology terms such as the “Second Dynamic”, the “Floating Needle” and so on. Miscavige has completely rewritten Hubbard’s cherished books. Miscavige even hired a voice actor to duplicate Hubbard’s voice to “fix” Hubbard’s lectures. Everywhere you look in Scientology, you will see Miscavige, not Hubbard as the “Source” of the technology. Everywhere you look in Scientology, you see Scientology as “re-created” by Miscavige.
And, today, Scientologists are finally realizing that things are not right. Today, Scientologists are finally becoming aware of how much destruction and corruption Miscavige has inflicted on Scientology.
And therein lies the problem.
You see, Scientologists no longer know exactly which Scientology technology is “pure Hubbard” and which has been corrupted by Miscavige – or others.
The problem is this: Every time Miscavige stuck his fingers in the technology and changed it the way he envisioned it should be, he claimed to have uncovered some heretofore lost letter or instruction from Hubbard
As time went on, Miscavige stopped even bothering with that canard and just changed whatever he wanted in whatever way he decided was best. Even OT VIII (all the different versions) is believed by some to be authored by Miscavige and not Hubbard at all.
So, were there lost, hidden instructions from Hubbard for any of these changes? Were some of the changes things Ron forgot? Did Ron make fundamental mistakes that needed correction? Are any of the changes something Ron would approve of? If so, which? Who can tell? Who decides?
Given that Miscavige often bragged that he had mastered Hubbard’s handwriting and could forge documents and even Ron’s signature perfectly, is there any way to definitively prove any piece of tech changed in the last 30 years is “pure Hubbard”?
That's a major problem for Scientologists. But wait, there’s more.
Now that the Scientology bubble has burst, Scientologists are now able to access hitherto forbidden documents. Like the documentation that shows David Mayo was actually the person who developed and wrote the NOTs technology and the Happiness Rundown. Additional documents indicate that other Scientology tech might have been developed by others – Power Processing, for instance.
What used to be a very simple thing for Scientologists has now become incredibly complex, if not impossible.
If a Scientologist still wants to apply Scientology, well, what is Scientology now?
And this is the primary source for today's disunity among Scientologists. Without a trusted authority who can definitively verify and prove which Scientology tech is "pure" and which is corrupted, each Scientologist is forced to work that out for themselves. And each Scientologist seems to have a different idea on it.
Undoubtedly, many will just find some new authority figure to make that decision for them, but there are now many different authorities with many different ideas on the subject.
No matter what, Scientologists can no longer be a completely united group. From now on, a Scientologist's personal determination as to what works and what doesn't work is paramount, whether anyone verifies it as "pure" or not.
And that's actually the right way to do it.
-
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Scientologists: What Went Wrong?
More and more Scientologists are recognizing and acknowledging that the leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, has destroyed Scientology. In Scientology terms, David Miscavige is a textbook “Suppressive Person”.
Some Scientologists are simply stepping away, some are staying, gritting their teeth, hoping for better days, and some are calling for a “new leader”.
A new leader? That’s it? That’s the solution?
No. Until Scientologists analyze, understand and handle the fundamental reasons why David Miscavige came to power, was able to do so much damage, and was able to continue to do so much damage for over thirty years, Scientology as an organized religion, is doomed.
David Miscavige represents a fundamental failure of Scientology. Until that is acknowledged, disasters like Miscavige will happen again and again and again – because there is nothing there to stop them.
Let me expand on this. According to L. Ron Hubbard, there are three pillars to Scientology technology: Ethics, Tech and Admin.
Ethics tech failed in the most fundamental way. Scientologists knowing and applying all that Ethics tech over many, many years failed to detect and handle Miscavige, although his destructive actions began quite early in his career. Additionally, Ethics tech failed to protect all the good people that Miscavige destroyed over his career. There were hundreds of “highly trained” Ethics people who completely failed to catch this sociopath and completely failed to protect the innocent victims of Miscavige. You have to be asking yourself, "Why?"
Auditing tech failed as well. Miscavige failed to complete his training at Saint Hill. Miscavige received auditing all the way up to OT VII, but no auditor caught his crimes, his insanity. No Case Supervisor detected “no case gain”. No one noticed or handled him when he stopped auditing entirely (supposedly a very bad sign). In addition, one of the primary duties of anyone “tech trained” is to defend Hubbard's technology from any alteration and this didn’t happen at all. Miscavige romped through all of the Scientology technology, changing everything and no one stopped him. Auditing tech
And finally, Scientology’s Admin tech failed completely. All those checks and balances, all that policy, all those people who were so carefully trained in the “right” way to do things – Miscavige threw it all out, along with the most experienced staff. All the many, many volumes of Scientology policies, all those thousands of trained Scientologists completely failed to stop Miscavige's crimes, abuse and destruction. Scientologists need to ask "Why?"
Scientology failed in the most fundamental ways.
And it will fail again, even under some “new leader”. Decades ago in Scientology, there were a lot more people who were better trained and had more power and more experience, and they failed to stop Miscavige and his disasters. What makes anyone think that things would be better today?
According to Scientology, it is not the people that failed. Thousands of Scientologists have been trained in these Scientology technologies, some to the very highest levels. These people successfully completed their Scientology training. Graduates of Scientology courses are, by Scientology’s own claims, always able to apply the subject 100% successfully, 100% of the time. Scientology says that if they don’t, they will be found and corrected. By Scientology’s definition, all these Scientologists were exactly, correctly applying Scientology technology.
And every single one of them failed to detect and stop David Miscavige.
This is a significant failure of Scientology training. This is a fundamental failure of Scientology.
Scientologists had absolute faith that Scientology technology would protect the church from any failures. Now, no one with any awareness and intelligence would put any faith in Scientology to avert any future disasters.
Ultimately, Scientologists need to figure out why Scientology technology failed so badly. If they don’t work that out, if they refuse to look at that, but just have faith that “Scientology is perfect and will protect us”, then they are all truly doomed.
-
Some Scientologists are simply stepping away, some are staying, gritting their teeth, hoping for better days, and some are calling for a “new leader”.
A new leader? That’s it? That’s the solution?
No. Until Scientologists analyze, understand and handle the fundamental reasons why David Miscavige came to power, was able to do so much damage, and was able to continue to do so much damage for over thirty years, Scientology as an organized religion, is doomed.
David Miscavige represents a fundamental failure of Scientology. Until that is acknowledged, disasters like Miscavige will happen again and again and again – because there is nothing there to stop them.
Let me expand on this. According to L. Ron Hubbard, there are three pillars to Scientology technology: Ethics, Tech and Admin.
Ethics tech failed in the most fundamental way. Scientologists knowing and applying all that Ethics tech over many, many years failed to detect and handle Miscavige, although his destructive actions began quite early in his career. Additionally, Ethics tech failed to protect all the good people that Miscavige destroyed over his career. There were hundreds of “highly trained” Ethics people who completely failed to catch this sociopath and completely failed to protect the innocent victims of Miscavige. You have to be asking yourself, "Why?"
Auditing tech failed as well. Miscavige failed to complete his training at Saint Hill. Miscavige received auditing all the way up to OT VII, but no auditor caught his crimes, his insanity. No Case Supervisor detected “no case gain”. No one noticed or handled him when he stopped auditing entirely (supposedly a very bad sign). In addition, one of the primary duties of anyone “tech trained” is to defend Hubbard's technology from any alteration and this didn’t happen at all. Miscavige romped through all of the Scientology technology, changing everything and no one stopped him. Auditing tech
And finally, Scientology’s Admin tech failed completely. All those checks and balances, all that policy, all those people who were so carefully trained in the “right” way to do things – Miscavige threw it all out, along with the most experienced staff. All the many, many volumes of Scientology policies, all those thousands of trained Scientologists completely failed to stop Miscavige's crimes, abuse and destruction. Scientologists need to ask "Why?"
Scientology failed in the most fundamental ways.
And it will fail again, even under some “new leader”. Decades ago in Scientology, there were a lot more people who were better trained and had more power and more experience, and they failed to stop Miscavige and his disasters. What makes anyone think that things would be better today?
According to Scientology, it is not the people that failed. Thousands of Scientologists have been trained in these Scientology technologies, some to the very highest levels. These people successfully completed their Scientology training. Graduates of Scientology courses are, by Scientology’s own claims, always able to apply the subject 100% successfully, 100% of the time. Scientology says that if they don’t, they will be found and corrected. By Scientology’s definition, all these Scientologists were exactly, correctly applying Scientology technology.
And every single one of them failed to detect and stop David Miscavige.
This is a significant failure of Scientology training. This is a fundamental failure of Scientology.
Scientologists had absolute faith that Scientology technology would protect the church from any failures. Now, no one with any awareness and intelligence would put any faith in Scientology to avert any future disasters.
Ultimately, Scientologists need to figure out why Scientology technology failed so badly. If they don’t work that out, if they refuse to look at that, but just have faith that “Scientology is perfect and will protect us”, then they are all truly doomed.
-
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Scientology vs. Creativity
This may come as a bit of a surprise to some, especially to Scientologists. Everyone knows how much the Church of Scientology pursues "celebrities". Everyone knows how much Scientology wants the celebrity's creativity to be viewed as something "improved by Scientology".
So, you might not expect it, but creativity is actually frowned on by Scientology. If you are a creative person, make sure you do not apply that creativity to anything relating to Scientology. It is not only discouraged, it is, to all intents and purposes, forbidden.
This has many manifestations.
The most obvious one is with the Scientology technology itself. In the early days of Dianetics and Scientology, creative people would take ideas from L. Ron Hubbard and see what they could do with them. They created, they changed, they improved. They saw what worked and what didn't. They would send reports back to Hubbard who would then incorporate these proven ideas back into Scientology as his own.
Later, Hubbard would claim that no one ever contributed anything useful to Scientology -- but the early practitioners knew differently. Without the contributions from those early creative people, the success of Dianetics and early Scientology, such as it was, would not have happened.
But now, creativity is suppressed.
In the Scientology administrative area as well, creative people have been the only ones who could get things done. Hubbard's administrative policies, when applied very exactly and very strictly, simply cause problems. Historically, the only work getting done in the Church of Scientology was accomplished by creative people who were willing to work outside of the rules. This really was the secret that kept Scientology going for as long as it did. These people found creative ways to get around Hubbard's unworkable restrictions and actually get their jobs done.
As creativity has been further rooted out and suppressed in David Miscavige's Scientology, these creative people have left. Today, pretty much anyone who is still there does everything "by the book". Hubbard's administrative policies are strictly adhered to. Miscavige's unworkable dictates are followed to the letter. And, of course, absolutely nothing gets done.
Scientology suppresses creativity and this is one of its fatal flaws.
When one thinks of the great religions of history, one often thinks about the art that they inspired -- great works of art, great mosques and cathedrals, music to inspire generations.
Not, of course, the Church of Scientology. No great art. No amazing music. Ever wonder why? Well, Hubbard fancied himself an artist and a musician. He wrote policy letters about it. Any music produced by and for Scientology must follow Hubbard's policy letters exactly. The result is "upbeat" -- and vapid. There is very little creativity allowed or demonstrated.
What little artwork is produced by and for Scientology is, likewise, constrained to follow Hubbard's extensive directives. As anyone can attest, who has seen the "art" in the florid stage settings of the excessive event videos, the results are simply awful.
How about Scientologists who are not on staff? Don't they produce music and art? Yes, but ... they are constrained as well. They must not produce anything mentioning "Scientology", "Hubbard" or any other Scientology-related terms. If they tried to do so, they would have to get official approval from the church. And approval is not forthcoming.
Scientology does not like creativity. It is too hard to control. It is too unpredictable. So, it is forbidden.
If you've been told that Scientology will "help you be more creative" (and Scientology does say that), that is about as far from the truth as it can be.
If you are creative, and if you cherish your creativity, then you need to stay as far away from Scientology as you can get.
Creativity is fun. But then fun is also forbidden in Scientology.
-
So, you might not expect it, but creativity is actually frowned on by Scientology. If you are a creative person, make sure you do not apply that creativity to anything relating to Scientology. It is not only discouraged, it is, to all intents and purposes, forbidden.
This has many manifestations.
The most obvious one is with the Scientology technology itself. In the early days of Dianetics and Scientology, creative people would take ideas from L. Ron Hubbard and see what they could do with them. They created, they changed, they improved. They saw what worked and what didn't. They would send reports back to Hubbard who would then incorporate these proven ideas back into Scientology as his own.
Later, Hubbard would claim that no one ever contributed anything useful to Scientology -- but the early practitioners knew differently. Without the contributions from those early creative people, the success of Dianetics and early Scientology, such as it was, would not have happened.
But now, creativity is suppressed.
In the Scientology administrative area as well, creative people have been the only ones who could get things done. Hubbard's administrative policies, when applied very exactly and very strictly, simply cause problems. Historically, the only work getting done in the Church of Scientology was accomplished by creative people who were willing to work outside of the rules. This really was the secret that kept Scientology going for as long as it did. These people found creative ways to get around Hubbard's unworkable restrictions and actually get their jobs done.
As creativity has been further rooted out and suppressed in David Miscavige's Scientology, these creative people have left. Today, pretty much anyone who is still there does everything "by the book". Hubbard's administrative policies are strictly adhered to. Miscavige's unworkable dictates are followed to the letter. And, of course, absolutely nothing gets done.
Scientology suppresses creativity and this is one of its fatal flaws.
When one thinks of the great religions of history, one often thinks about the art that they inspired -- great works of art, great mosques and cathedrals, music to inspire generations.
Not, of course, the Church of Scientology. No great art. No amazing music. Ever wonder why? Well, Hubbard fancied himself an artist and a musician. He wrote policy letters about it. Any music produced by and for Scientology must follow Hubbard's policy letters exactly. The result is "upbeat" -- and vapid. There is very little creativity allowed or demonstrated.
What little artwork is produced by and for Scientology is, likewise, constrained to follow Hubbard's extensive directives. As anyone can attest, who has seen the "art" in the florid stage settings of the excessive event videos, the results are simply awful.
How about Scientologists who are not on staff? Don't they produce music and art? Yes, but ... they are constrained as well. They must not produce anything mentioning "Scientology", "Hubbard" or any other Scientology-related terms. If they tried to do so, they would have to get official approval from the church. And approval is not forthcoming.
Scientology does not like creativity. It is too hard to control. It is too unpredictable. So, it is forbidden.
If you've been told that Scientology will "help you be more creative" (and Scientology does say that), that is about as far from the truth as it can be.
If you are creative, and if you cherish your creativity, then you need to stay as far away from Scientology as you can get.
Creativity is fun. But then fun is also forbidden in Scientology.
-
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Truly Courageous People
I've been reading various forums and blogs. I've noticed that some people are talking about how "courageous" some of the new escapees from the Church of Scientology are.
I do understand that courage is, to some extent, subjective. For some, it takes a huge amount of courage to just get out of bed in the morning. For others, an activity like skydiving is just good fun. But on a relative scale, those who fought the church in the early days and whose lives were pretty thoroughly destroyed, they were really courageous.
I understand the Church of Scientology's OSA (secret police) are still pretty nasty, but the Church of Scientology's illegal and unethical actions, years ago, against Paulette Cooper, Larry Wollersheim, Arnie Lerma, Gerry Armstrong, Robert Vaughn Young and so many more, were much worse. None of us later escapees have had to deal with anything like those earlier illegal attacks by the church.
Back then, the target of the Church of Scientology's wrath often stood quite alone. There was no Internet. There was no support. There was no sharing of information and exposure of the attacks. There were no ubiquitous video cameras to record the church's crimes. Often these early targets didn't know what evil the church was capable of until too late.
Today, while the Church of Scientology still believes its actions are completely above the law, it has learned that people are watching, and recording their actions. And the church hates being recorded when they break the law.
Also, today, there are so many more critics, and so many less OSA staff, the Church of Scientology's "Office of Secret Abuse" is spread very, very thinly. I've heard of fairly prominent recent escapees who haven't seen any OSA operatives at all.
No, today, the risk of criticizing the Church of Scientology is much, much less. I'm certain that it does take some courage, especially for a True Believer, to speak out and expose the crimes of the church, but I think it is important to keep in mind those who fought the battle long before us, those who didn't have the support, those whose lives were ruined by the lies, criminal attacks, false accusations, spies and lawyers of the Church of Scientology.
Let's put the mantle of "courageous" on the correct shoulders, shall we?
If I were looking for a hero in the battle against the corrupt Church of Scientology, I would look to those who refused, from the very first, to go along with the church's lies, fraud, abuse and crimes. I would look to those who saw the corruption of the Church of Scientology and stood up for what was right despite the consequences to them personally. And I would look to those who stood up to David Miscavige the very first time he did something evil. Those are the courageous ones. Those are the people to admire. Those are the people we should be calling courageous. They had guts.
-
I do understand that courage is, to some extent, subjective. For some, it takes a huge amount of courage to just get out of bed in the morning. For others, an activity like skydiving is just good fun. But on a relative scale, those who fought the church in the early days and whose lives were pretty thoroughly destroyed, they were really courageous.
I understand the Church of Scientology's OSA (secret police) are still pretty nasty, but the Church of Scientology's illegal and unethical actions, years ago, against Paulette Cooper, Larry Wollersheim, Arnie Lerma, Gerry Armstrong, Robert Vaughn Young and so many more, were much worse. None of us later escapees have had to deal with anything like those earlier illegal attacks by the church.
Back then, the target of the Church of Scientology's wrath often stood quite alone. There was no Internet. There was no support. There was no sharing of information and exposure of the attacks. There were no ubiquitous video cameras to record the church's crimes. Often these early targets didn't know what evil the church was capable of until too late.
Today, while the Church of Scientology still believes its actions are completely above the law, it has learned that people are watching, and recording their actions. And the church hates being recorded when they break the law.
Also, today, there are so many more critics, and so many less OSA staff, the Church of Scientology's "Office of Secret Abuse" is spread very, very thinly. I've heard of fairly prominent recent escapees who haven't seen any OSA operatives at all.
No, today, the risk of criticizing the Church of Scientology is much, much less. I'm certain that it does take some courage, especially for a True Believer, to speak out and expose the crimes of the church, but I think it is important to keep in mind those who fought the battle long before us, those who didn't have the support, those whose lives were ruined by the lies, criminal attacks, false accusations, spies and lawyers of the Church of Scientology.
Let's put the mantle of "courageous" on the correct shoulders, shall we?
If I were looking for a hero in the battle against the corrupt Church of Scientology, I would look to those who refused, from the very first, to go along with the church's lies, fraud, abuse and crimes. I would look to those who saw the corruption of the Church of Scientology and stood up for what was right despite the consequences to them personally. And I would look to those who stood up to David Miscavige the very first time he did something evil. Those are the courageous ones. Those are the people to admire. Those are the people we should be calling courageous. They had guts.
-
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Strange Bedfellows
The history of the fight against the abuses, lies, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology is very interesting in how it has brought quite different groups together in a common cause.
Originally, there were just the ex-Scientologists and a few friends, fighting the Church of Scientology's abuses. In those earlier days, it seemed so very hard to enlighten major media and especially Scientologists as to the truth about the Church of Scientology. This went on for many, many years, and, while there was progress, it was slow.
Then, just a couple of years ago, the fight was joined by the loose Internet association calling itself "Anonymous". They, too, wanted to end the lies, abuses, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology, wake up Scientologists and, just maybe, bring an end to the abusive organization itself.
The Internet, Anonymous' home, was something that the Church of Scientology had little experience with. From the very start, the church was at a loss as to how to fight in this new medium. But worse, from the church's point of view, Anonymous also brought with them a new and unbeatable weapon: Humor. It soon became clear that the Church of Scientology had no defense against that.
Enter the next group to join in this fight:
Scientologists!
Yes, many true believers of Scientology have joined the fight to bring the lies, abuses, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology to light and to wake up other Scientologists to the truth.
To many who have been in this fight for awhile, this new development has been quite unsettling, maybe even alarming. Scientologists fighting against the Church of Scientology? How is that even possible?
Well, not only was it possible, it was inevitable. And it has happened in a big way. It also happens to be the indication of a very, very significant event:
By that I mean that Scientologists are no longer protected and isolated in the Church of Scientology's protective bubble.
This is quite an amazing thing. Many current true believers are actually talking to Anonymous. They are talking to ex-Scientologists. They are reading newspapers, watching the news, surfing the Internet. The communication lines are open between the outside world and Scientologists.
And those Scientologists, many of whom are not on the Church of Scientology's "enemies list", are talking to other Scientologists. They are having meetings. They are discussing what is really going on with the church. They are sharing stories, real stories, not the bogus "success stories", but the real horror stories about their experiences under David Miscavige's corrupt rule.
This is the worst thing to happen to David Miscavige in a long line of worst things. And he is going crazy -- well, more crazy. In his last bogus event he warned his few remaining true believers against what he called "infiltrators". Yes, indeed, this is a Very Good Thing.
So, now that we can talk to Scientologists, let me give non-Scientologists some suggestions.
Don't argue about Scientology with a Scientologist. It does no good and, really, it is immaterial to bringing the lies, abuses, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology to light.
These newly-out-of-the-bubble Scientologists are in for some difficult times. Now that they can read the truth, they are faced with some belief-shaking facts, and they are going to have to figure out how to deal with these major contradictions:
If those newly-aware Scientologists still haven't come to terms with the above contradictions, well, their help is still acceptable. Eventually, they will have to come to terms with those discrepancies, but that isn't part of this fight.
-
Originally, there were just the ex-Scientologists and a few friends, fighting the Church of Scientology's abuses. In those earlier days, it seemed so very hard to enlighten major media and especially Scientologists as to the truth about the Church of Scientology. This went on for many, many years, and, while there was progress, it was slow.
Then, just a couple of years ago, the fight was joined by the loose Internet association calling itself "Anonymous". They, too, wanted to end the lies, abuses, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology, wake up Scientologists and, just maybe, bring an end to the abusive organization itself.
The Internet, Anonymous' home, was something that the Church of Scientology had little experience with. From the very start, the church was at a loss as to how to fight in this new medium. But worse, from the church's point of view, Anonymous also brought with them a new and unbeatable weapon: Humor. It soon became clear that the Church of Scientology had no defense against that.
Enter the next group to join in this fight:
Scientologists!
Yes, many true believers of Scientology have joined the fight to bring the lies, abuses, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology to light and to wake up other Scientologists to the truth.
To many who have been in this fight for awhile, this new development has been quite unsettling, maybe even alarming. Scientologists fighting against the Church of Scientology? How is that even possible?
Well, not only was it possible, it was inevitable. And it has happened in a big way. It also happens to be the indication of a very, very significant event:
The Scientology bubble has burst!
By that I mean that Scientologists are no longer protected and isolated in the Church of Scientology's protective bubble.
This is quite an amazing thing. Many current true believers are actually talking to Anonymous. They are talking to ex-Scientologists. They are reading newspapers, watching the news, surfing the Internet. The communication lines are open between the outside world and Scientologists.
And those Scientologists, many of whom are not on the Church of Scientology's "enemies list", are talking to other Scientologists. They are having meetings. They are discussing what is really going on with the church. They are sharing stories, real stories, not the bogus "success stories", but the real horror stories about their experiences under David Miscavige's corrupt rule.
This is the worst thing to happen to David Miscavige in a long line of worst things. And he is going crazy -- well, more crazy. In his last bogus event he warned his few remaining true believers against what he called "infiltrators". Yes, indeed, this is a Very Good Thing.
So, now that we can talk to Scientologists, let me give non-Scientologists some suggestions.
Don't argue about Scientology with a Scientologist. It does no good and, really, it is immaterial to bringing the lies, abuses, fraud and crimes of the Church of Scientology to light.
These newly-out-of-the-bubble Scientologists are in for some difficult times. Now that they can read the truth, they are faced with some belief-shaking facts, and they are going to have to figure out how to deal with these major contradictions:
- The whole structure of the Church of Scientology has been corrupted. What they would call a "Suppressive Person" became the leader of Scientology. What they would call "Standard Tech" was completely corrupted. Nothing stopped him. Nobody stopped him. The Scientology they believed in should never have allowed this to happen. It happened. What does that say about Scientology and Scientologists?
- If they can't trust the leaders and "top OTs" of Scientology to keep things right, who can they trust? (By the way, for anyone who worries that someone would take over the Church of Scientology and gather all the Scientologists back together, this distrust negates that worry. There is no one they can now trust that way.) This is a major, major shift in thinking for Scientologists. They will need to determine what is right by finding out for themselves.
- The confidential, super-dangerous OT materials have been seen by, literally, millions and millions of people without one single bad effect. Nobody died. Not only that, but they can now see that just about all the vaunted "OT VIIIs" have already left Scientology. Most OT VIIIs want nothing more to do with Scientology. If OT VIII is the ultimate result of Scientology, then something is very wrong here! In all these troubles in the church, there was no one who demonstrated any of the promised OT abilities to come to Scientology's rescue.
- If Scientology never delivered the promised Release, Clear and OT abilities, and it didn't, then what does it do? Most Scientologists will vehemently assert that it helped them. OK, but what is it doing? As Scientologists honestly look at actual results they and others have really been getting, they must figure out what, if anything, Scientology is actually doing for anyone. No more empty promises. No more fraud. What is happening? Anyone still believing in Scientology needs to figure this out.
If those newly-aware Scientologists still haven't come to terms with the above contradictions, well, their help is still acceptable. Eventually, they will have to come to terms with those discrepancies, but that isn't part of this fight.
-
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Don't Ban the Church of Scientology
There have been several, fairly recent attempts by governments to ban the Church of Scientology in their country.
These attempts have, so far, failed or been abandoned.
This is, I believe, good news.
Banning would give the church way too much importance. Why ban something that is very, very, very small, is collapsing, is impotent and is so incredibly silly? As they found in Germany, the Church of Scientology is just too small to bother with.
In my opinion, L. Ron Hubbard relished the importance that banning gave his "religion". I'll bet David Miscavige is likewise very happy with bans and threats of bans.
Banning gives the "look at us, we're victims!" Church of Scientology much more fodder for its martyrdom.
We do not need that. We do not want that.
Do not think that I am advocating leaving the church alone. Far from it!
Everywhere the Church of Scientology tries to insinuate their "solutions" into society, the true information on those "solutions" needs to be there first.
Governments and communities need to know that the church's claims are bogus. In the real world, their "solutions" simply don't measure up. Other solutions from other sources are much more effective -- and don't come with that Scientology you-must-believe-us baggage.
Everywhere the Church of Scientology tries to recruit new members with their "Scientology can handle that" bogus promises, the true information about their results needs to be there first.
People need to know that, despite all their incredible promises of creating fantastic, advanced states of being, the church has yet, in its entire 50+ years, been able to deliver any of these states of being to even one single person! Yet thousands and thousands have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to reach those advanced states.
Everywhere the Church of Scientology tries to cover up its crimes, abuse, fraud and lies, there needs to be people who work to shine the light of truth into all the dark corners the church is trying to hide.
The truth is what is causing the Church of Scientology to collapse. The truth is what will ultimately cause the Church of Scientology to disappear.
Banning is not only unnecessary, it feeds into Scientology's "We're martyrs, we're victims, and that makes us innocent and good!" message.
-
These attempts have, so far, failed or been abandoned.
This is, I believe, good news.
Banning would give the church way too much importance. Why ban something that is very, very, very small, is collapsing, is impotent and is so incredibly silly? As they found in Germany, the Church of Scientology is just too small to bother with.
In my opinion, L. Ron Hubbard relished the importance that banning gave his "religion". I'll bet David Miscavige is likewise very happy with bans and threats of bans.
Banning gives the "look at us, we're victims!" Church of Scientology much more fodder for its martyrdom.
We do not need that. We do not want that.
Do not think that I am advocating leaving the church alone. Far from it!
Everywhere the Church of Scientology tries to insinuate their "solutions" into society, the true information on those "solutions" needs to be there first.
Governments and communities need to know that the church's claims are bogus. In the real world, their "solutions" simply don't measure up. Other solutions from other sources are much more effective -- and don't come with that Scientology you-must-believe-us baggage.
Everywhere the Church of Scientology tries to recruit new members with their "Scientology can handle that" bogus promises, the true information about their results needs to be there first.
People need to know that, despite all their incredible promises of creating fantastic, advanced states of being, the church has yet, in its entire 50+ years, been able to deliver any of these states of being to even one single person! Yet thousands and thousands have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to reach those advanced states.
Everywhere the Church of Scientology tries to cover up its crimes, abuse, fraud and lies, there needs to be people who work to shine the light of truth into all the dark corners the church is trying to hide.
The truth is what is causing the Church of Scientology to collapse. The truth is what will ultimately cause the Church of Scientology to disappear.
Banning is not only unnecessary, it feeds into Scientology's "We're martyrs, we're victims, and that makes us innocent and good!" message.
-
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Scientology and Freedom of Religion
It has come to my attention, often and persistently, that the Church of Scientology and Scientologists do not understand the concept of "Freedom of Religion".
Scientologists frequently complain that their freedom of religion is being abridged -- but I know of no incident in the entire history of Scientology where a Scientologist was prevented from believing and practicing Scientology!
So how can Scientologists think their freedom of religion is being abridged?
The answer is obvious. Scientologists do not understand what "freedom of religion" actually means. Let's clarify this for them.
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion. (From Wikipedia).
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states:
But, you see, that isn't what the Church of Scientology and Scientologists mean when they claim "freedom of religion". Not nearly. They want "freedom of religion" to cover so much more than just the right to believe as they choose.
First, Scientology wants to be able to suppress all discussion of their religion, especially negative discussion. They want to be able to stop anyone from saying anything about Scientology that isn't approved by the church.
Get it? As part of their "freedom of religion" they want you to believe exactly as they believe -- in the absolute goodness of Hubbard, Miscavige and Scientology.
No, freedom of religion does not give Scientology the right to suppress free speech.
Further, it certainly is the right of Scientology to lie to its membership. After all, that is part of its belief system. And it is definitely the right of Scientology to withhold any information they want from its membership. Again, this is part of their belief system.
But this right to enforce lies and to suppress information does not extend beyond the Church of Scientology's membership. This means that non-Scientologists do have the right to expose the lies of the Church of Scientology. Non-Scientologists do have every right to read, listen to and discuss the "secrets" of Scientology. There is no law in any country that gives Scientology the "right" to impose its beliefs, its lies, its confidentiality, on people outside of Scientology.
No, freedom of religion does not give Scientology the right to impose their religious dogma on others.
Next, the Church of Scientology wants to be free from investigation into their illegal actions.
No, freedom of religion does not give the Church of Scientology immunity from the law.
When a person decides to leave Scientology, they will get into deep trouble with the church. They will be declared Suppressive. All Scientology friends and family will be required to disconnect from them. If the person leaving Scientology happens to be employed by a Scientologist, they will be fired. In other words, leaving Scientology is considered one of the very worst crimes you can commit.
One very basic part of freedom of religion is the right to leave a religion. And this means the right to leave without any punishment.
No, freedom of religion, in fact, forbids punishing Scientologists who choose to leave the Church of Scientology.
Yes, freedom of religion is a very important right and should not be abridged -- but it emphatically does not mean what the Church of Scientology wishes it to mean.
When Scientologists complain about being "denied their freedom of religion" it means they were denied their "right" to impose their beliefs on everyone else.
-
Scientologists frequently complain that their freedom of religion is being abridged -- but I know of no incident in the entire history of Scientology where a Scientologist was prevented from believing and practicing Scientology!
So how can Scientologists think their freedom of religion is being abridged?
The answer is obvious. Scientologists do not understand what "freedom of religion" actually means. Let's clarify this for them.
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion. (From Wikipedia).
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."Pretty simple. So, when a Scientologist says that they have (or should have) the right to follow the religion of their choice, they are correct. But, of course, no one is arguing that. No one is preventing them from doing just that.
But, you see, that isn't what the Church of Scientology and Scientologists mean when they claim "freedom of religion". Not nearly. They want "freedom of religion" to cover so much more than just the right to believe as they choose.
First, Scientology wants to be able to suppress all discussion of their religion, especially negative discussion. They want to be able to stop anyone from saying anything about Scientology that isn't approved by the church.
Get it? As part of their "freedom of religion" they want you to believe exactly as they believe -- in the absolute goodness of Hubbard, Miscavige and Scientology.
No, freedom of religion does not give Scientology the right to suppress free speech.
Further, it certainly is the right of Scientology to lie to its membership. After all, that is part of its belief system. And it is definitely the right of Scientology to withhold any information they want from its membership. Again, this is part of their belief system.
But this right to enforce lies and to suppress information does not extend beyond the Church of Scientology's membership. This means that non-Scientologists do have the right to expose the lies of the Church of Scientology. Non-Scientologists do have every right to read, listen to and discuss the "secrets" of Scientology. There is no law in any country that gives Scientology the "right" to impose its beliefs, its lies, its confidentiality, on people outside of Scientology.
No, freedom of religion does not give Scientology the right to impose their religious dogma on others.
Next, the Church of Scientology wants to be free from investigation into their illegal actions.
- They run a number of "re-education" prison camps called "RPFs" where they lock up dissidents for years of hard labor and frequent "confessions".
- Employees in the Sea Org are forced to work long, long days -- often 20-hour days, without breaks, without vacations, without weekends, for years -- and are paid well below the mandated minimum wage, in violation of many labor laws.
- The Church of Scientology has admitted that Sea Org members have been beaten, but no reports to police were permitted. Sea Org members have been denied decent food or even meal breaks, they have been denied proper sleep and have even been forced to sleep at their desks or worse.
- Women in the Sea Org are routinely ordered to have abortions or face severe punishments.
- Married couples in the Sea Org are routinely ordered to divorce.
- Sea Org members are denied all benefits. They are denied proper medical care. Very little, if any, money is ever paid by the church to Medicare or Social Security for any of its employees, and there are no retirement funds. Older members, who have outlived their usefulness to the Church of Scientology are simply cast out -- to live out the rest of their lives on the streets or depending on family to live.
- And so much more.
No, freedom of religion does not give the Church of Scientology immunity from the law.
When a person decides to leave Scientology, they will get into deep trouble with the church. They will be declared Suppressive. All Scientology friends and family will be required to disconnect from them. If the person leaving Scientology happens to be employed by a Scientologist, they will be fired. In other words, leaving Scientology is considered one of the very worst crimes you can commit.
One very basic part of freedom of religion is the right to leave a religion. And this means the right to leave without any punishment.
No, freedom of religion, in fact, forbids punishing Scientologists who choose to leave the Church of Scientology.
Yes, freedom of religion is a very important right and should not be abridged -- but it emphatically does not mean what the Church of Scientology wishes it to mean.
When Scientologists complain about being "denied their freedom of religion" it means they were denied their "right" to impose their beliefs on everyone else.
-
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Scientologists: Are You Guilty of the New High Crime?
There is a new high crime in the Church of Scientology. You won't find it in any of L. Ron Hubbard's policy letters. You won't find it in the book Introduction to Scientology Ethics.
But, by order of David Miscavige, virtually all of the activities of the Church of Scientology are bent to finding Scientologists who are guilty of this new high crime and punishing and "correcting" them.
Scientologists are being called into Ethics because they have committed this High Crime.
Scientologists are being denied services because they have committed this High Crime.
Scientologists are being declared suppressive and kicked out of Scientology because they continue to commit this new High Crime.
The pressure throughout all of the Church of Scientology is extremely intense to eradicate all traces of this crime.
So what is this new High Crime, so you can avoid it?
This is now the worst crime in Miscavige's Church of Scientology: Following L. Ron Hubbard and doing what he said.
No, that is factually and completely true.
Let's look at one example: In Keeping Scientology Working, Hubbard explicitly stated that his technology was not to be altered by anyone for any reason. All Scientologists were charged with the task of ensuring that Hubbard's technology as it existed when LRH wrote Keeping Scientology Working, remained pure and untouched. Ron said there was no more important policy.
When David Miscavige started changing everything that Hubbard wrote, changing all the training, rewriting Hubbard's books, policy letters, bulletins, there were a number of Scientologists who did exactly what they were supposed to do, they reported the changes as a violation of Keeping Scientology Working. They said it was wrong. They refused to go along with the alterations.
Of course, for following LRH's most important policy, they were all declared Suppressive. Miscavige's church declared these Scientologists Suppressive for doing what L. Ron Hubbard told them they must do. This, apparently, is the worst crime you can commit in Miscavige's Church of Scientology: Following L. Ron Hubbard.
Today, Miscavige's alterations to everything Hubbard said or wrote continue unabated and unchallenged. Miscavige doesn't even bother to pretend the changes are based on "newly discovered writings" any more. These alterations are from the New Source - David Miscavige.
Here is another example: In policy after policy, Hubbard specifically stated that you must never, ever go into debt. This is strict LRH financial policy. Do not ever put yourself into debt.
But in Miscavige's church, all Scientologists are required to borrow the absolute maximum they can possibly borrow, maximize all their credit cards, take out second, third or even fourth mortgages, borrow from family and friends, and give it all to Miscavige's tender care. Scientologists are not given a choice. Going deeply, horribly into debt is mandatory.
But if any Scientologist stops giving and giving and giving to Miscavige's church, it is considered a criminal act. The Scientologist will be threatened, called into Ethics and, if they still "refuse to borrow and give" they will be declared suppressive.
In other words, Scientologists will be punished and even declared Suppressive if they follow standard LRH policy.
And another example: Hubbard wrote about the importance of statistics and how important it was that anyone could walk into the information center where the statistics were displayed to see exactly how the organization was doing. When doing the Doubt Formula, for instance, it is a key step to review the statistics of your group. Also, the organization's Organizing Board is supposed to be prominently displayed in a public area with the names of everyone posted on the board.
Well, don't ask to see the real statistics of Scientology management! Don't look for the names of those in charge of the various parts of the Church of Scientology! Don't try to see how David Miscavige is doing by checking out international Scientology statistics. Just asking for these statistics would get you in trouble, deep trouble.
The top Org Board and all their statistics are secret. Hubbard said these things should be visible for all to see but you would quickly get declared Suppressive if you tried to apply these basic Hubbard policies.
Yes, applying the original Hubbard policies and tech is a crime in Miscavige's church.
Do not, whatever you do, remember this old High Crime:
It is a crime to know that Miscavige has no right to make up "tech" and call it Scientology, has no right to remove LRH and has no right to take credit for Scientology.
Forget LRH, Scientologists will be punished for remembering and following L. Ron Hubbard. No, you must only follow the dictates of your new "Source" -- David Miscavige.
-
But, by order of David Miscavige, virtually all of the activities of the Church of Scientology are bent to finding Scientologists who are guilty of this new high crime and punishing and "correcting" them.
Scientologists are being called into Ethics because they have committed this High Crime.
Scientologists are being denied services because they have committed this High Crime.
Scientologists are being declared suppressive and kicked out of Scientology because they continue to commit this new High Crime.
The pressure throughout all of the Church of Scientology is extremely intense to eradicate all traces of this crime.
So what is this new High Crime, so you can avoid it?
This is now the worst crime in Miscavige's Church of Scientology: Following L. Ron Hubbard and doing what he said.
No, that is factually and completely true.
Let's look at one example: In Keeping Scientology Working, Hubbard explicitly stated that his technology was not to be altered by anyone for any reason. All Scientologists were charged with the task of ensuring that Hubbard's technology as it existed when LRH wrote Keeping Scientology Working, remained pure and untouched. Ron said there was no more important policy.
When David Miscavige started changing everything that Hubbard wrote, changing all the training, rewriting Hubbard's books, policy letters, bulletins, there were a number of Scientologists who did exactly what they were supposed to do, they reported the changes as a violation of Keeping Scientology Working. They said it was wrong. They refused to go along with the alterations.
Of course, for following LRH's most important policy, they were all declared Suppressive. Miscavige's church declared these Scientologists Suppressive for doing what L. Ron Hubbard told them they must do. This, apparently, is the worst crime you can commit in Miscavige's Church of Scientology: Following L. Ron Hubbard.
Today, Miscavige's alterations to everything Hubbard said or wrote continue unabated and unchallenged. Miscavige doesn't even bother to pretend the changes are based on "newly discovered writings" any more. These alterations are from the New Source - David Miscavige.
Here is another example: In policy after policy, Hubbard specifically stated that you must never, ever go into debt. This is strict LRH financial policy. Do not ever put yourself into debt.
But in Miscavige's church, all Scientologists are required to borrow the absolute maximum they can possibly borrow, maximize all their credit cards, take out second, third or even fourth mortgages, borrow from family and friends, and give it all to Miscavige's tender care. Scientologists are not given a choice. Going deeply, horribly into debt is mandatory.
But if any Scientologist stops giving and giving and giving to Miscavige's church, it is considered a criminal act. The Scientologist will be threatened, called into Ethics and, if they still "refuse to borrow and give" they will be declared suppressive.
In other words, Scientologists will be punished and even declared Suppressive if they follow standard LRH policy.
And another example: Hubbard wrote about the importance of statistics and how important it was that anyone could walk into the information center where the statistics were displayed to see exactly how the organization was doing. When doing the Doubt Formula, for instance, it is a key step to review the statistics of your group. Also, the organization's Organizing Board is supposed to be prominently displayed in a public area with the names of everyone posted on the board.
Well, don't ask to see the real statistics of Scientology management! Don't look for the names of those in charge of the various parts of the Church of Scientology! Don't try to see how David Miscavige is doing by checking out international Scientology statistics. Just asking for these statistics would get you in trouble, deep trouble.
The top Org Board and all their statistics are secret. Hubbard said these things should be visible for all to see but you would quickly get declared Suppressive if you tried to apply these basic Hubbard policies.
Yes, applying the original Hubbard policies and tech is a crime in Miscavige's church.
Do not, whatever you do, remember this old High Crime:
Falsely attributing or falsely representing oneself or others as source of Scientology or Dianetics technology; or using any position gained with staff and/or public to falsely attribute nonsource material to source or to falsely represent nonsource material as authorized Scientology or Dianetics technology.Don't notice the lack of pictures of Hubbard in the magazines and the events. Don't compare that with the abundance of pictures of David Miscavige. Don't complain about the disappearance of L. Ron Hubbard from Miscavige's church, or you will be punished.
It is a crime to know that Miscavige has no right to make up "tech" and call it Scientology, has no right to remove LRH and has no right to take credit for Scientology.
Forget LRH, Scientologists will be punished for remembering and following L. Ron Hubbard. No, you must only follow the dictates of your new "Source" -- David Miscavige.
-
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Scientology and "Know"
This word, "know", when used by a Scientologist does not mean what you think it means. When you hear a Scientologist say they know something about Scientology or the Church of Scientology, they are not saying what you think they are saying.
This can be very confusing. Let me clarify this. First, you need some basic Scientology concepts.
When Scientologists speak about knowing something, they are talking about what L. Ron Hubbard called "knowingness". Hubbard defined knowingness as "self-determined knowledge".
To say that more plainly, in Scientology, "knowingness" is what you "know" without any information, facts, evidence from outside yourself. It is what you, yourself, have decided is true.
You will note that this definition of "knowingness" would also be a perfect definition of belief.
This is not some trivial bit of Scientology, this is core Scientology dogma. This is tied to what Hubbard said about "OT" powers of "postulating". According to Hubbard, postulating is creating reality by just deciding that something exists or that something is in a certain state.
According to Hubbard, if you "postulate" something without any doubts or reservations, it must become true. This is what OT powers are all about.
And this is "knowingness". If you self-determinedly "know" something, and hold that "knowingness" without any doubts or reservations, then, according to Scientology, it will be true.
It's like telling people that, if they can hold a wish in their mind for an hour without ever thinking of pink elephants, that wish will come true.
Good luck with that.
But Scientologists believe this. And so they believe, pardon me, know that Scientology works, that everything the church says is true, that David Miscavige is the most wonderful person in the whole universe.
And they must hold thisbelief knowledge firmly in place without any doubts or the whole thing will fall apart!
And so you have someone who has attested to being "able to talk to anyone on any subject" -- and who obviously can't do that -- still "knowing" that Scientology works.
You have Clears -- who get sick -- who still "know" that Scientology works.
You have Scientologists, who can easily see the "OTs" around them struggling and failing in life -- still "knowing" that Scientology creates "true OTs".
Scientology true believers will put up with the most amazing abuse, broken promises, greed and fraud from the Church of Scientology -- and still "know" that the Church of Scientology is perfect and good.
Because when they say they "know" these things, it means they believe these things and they desperately hope that their belief will make it come true.
Scientology defines itself as "knowing how to know". Using the Scientology definition of "know", we can finally translate that: "Scientology: Learning how to believe".
And now you can understand what a Scientologist is actually saying when they say they "know Scientology works", and why they cannot tolerate any discussion or outside facts. They are trying not to think of pink elephants.
-
This can be very confusing. Let me clarify this. First, you need some basic Scientology concepts.
When Scientologists speak about knowing something, they are talking about what L. Ron Hubbard called "knowingness". Hubbard defined knowingness as "self-determined knowledge".
To say that more plainly, in Scientology, "knowingness" is what you "know" without any information, facts, evidence from outside yourself. It is what you, yourself, have decided is true.
You will note that this definition of "knowingness" would also be a perfect definition of belief.
This is not some trivial bit of Scientology, this is core Scientology dogma. This is tied to what Hubbard said about "OT" powers of "postulating". According to Hubbard, postulating is creating reality by just deciding that something exists or that something is in a certain state.
According to Hubbard, if you "postulate" something without any doubts or reservations, it must become true. This is what OT powers are all about.
And this is "knowingness". If you self-determinedly "know" something, and hold that "knowingness" without any doubts or reservations, then, according to Scientology, it will be true.
It's like telling people that, if they can hold a wish in their mind for an hour without ever thinking of pink elephants, that wish will come true.
Good luck with that.
But Scientologists believe this. And so they believe, pardon me, know that Scientology works, that everything the church says is true, that David Miscavige is the most wonderful person in the whole universe.
And they must hold this
And so you have someone who has attested to being "able to talk to anyone on any subject" -- and who obviously can't do that -- still "knowing" that Scientology works.
You have Clears -- who get sick -- who still "know" that Scientology works.
You have Scientologists, who can easily see the "OTs" around them struggling and failing in life -- still "knowing" that Scientology creates "true OTs".
Scientology true believers will put up with the most amazing abuse, broken promises, greed and fraud from the Church of Scientology -- and still "know" that the Church of Scientology is perfect and good.
Because when they say they "know" these things, it means they believe these things and they desperately hope that their belief will make it come true.
Scientology defines itself as "knowing how to know". Using the Scientology definition of "know", we can finally translate that: "Scientology: Learning how to believe".
And now you can understand what a Scientologist is actually saying when they say they "know Scientology works", and why they cannot tolerate any discussion or outside facts. They are trying not to think of pink elephants.
-
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Church of Scientology Implodes
There for awhile, people kept asking each other, "When will the Church of Scientology collapse?" I kept saying, it's happening now, but because the church puts up a good façade, it wasn't so obvious.
Well, now it's obvious that we are seeing the inevitable collapse of the Church of Scientology.
Let me show you the signs and my predictions for the future.
Already we saw churches closing, excused as "combining" with nearby churches, but now we are seeing churches actually disappearing, closing their doors.
Already we were seeing the membership numbers drastically dropping, and every day, newly out ex-Scientologists are telling their stories, getting in touch with old friends.
Already we were seeing the "formidable" attack machinery of the church falling apart, failing. But, today, they have so few trusted staff that they can no longer fight more than one battle at a time -- and they have so many more than one battle today.
Major news outlets have written exposés on the church, but that's just the bare start. More news reports on the Church of Scientology's criminal activities are being prepared at this moment.
Already we have seen the church's deepest, darkest secrets exposed -- not just their "confidential OT Levels" but the pervasive abuse, criminal actions and blatant lying at the very highest levels of the church. Strong legal actions against the church are in progress, official investigations are in progress. Things are not looking good.
The church's ship, the Freewinds, is floating around nearly empty. The big cash cow has become a big cash drain. As you may know, the ship was kicked out of Curaçao for all their bad behavior and is now home-ported in Colombia.
Flag, the biggest church in Scientology, has collapsed. To try to stem the collapse they forbade all field auditors within 90 miles from delivering any services, but that didn't help. Now they are trying to steal all public from every other church, promoting that all those services are now available at Flag. They are desperate and in big trouble.
The other churches are mostly empty and struggling to pay their bills -- often many months late and getting later. Staff simply aren't getting paid.
The church's so-called "missions" are disappearing but it's hard to tell. Most missions are out of someone's home and only open a few hours a week. The difference between an "open" and "closed" mission isn't very much.
The Church of Scientology claims there are thousands of "Scientology Groups" but none of them can be found. It appears all their groups have closed.
It is a catastrophe, and just getting worse.
Here's what's coming up.
First, you will see David Miscavige spending a lot of time on the Freewinds. (I'll give you a hint on why: There is no extradition from Colombia. As long as he is "at sea" or in Colombia, he can hide from the law.)
Second, there will be many more church closings. Those that aren't closed will become empty, most lights turned off, most rooms unused. They may retain a receptionist who will "show movies" to anyone foolish enough to come in. A few services will be available, and only at limited times. If they own the building outright, and as long as they don't have to pay taxes, they will be able to keep these dark, empty buildings "open" for a long time.
Scientology will implode into Clearwater, meaning that the major center, major focus and remaining activities will happen there. Scientologists who remain True Believers will be forced to move to Clearwater as local churches close and services become difficult to obtain.
At some point, the advanced churches at the Los Angeles "Big Blue" center will "expand" to Clearwater as well.
The much-vaunted "new buildings" that the church owns will become a liability, since they are all now worth much less than what was originally paid for them. Some, like "Big Blue" are so old and poorly maintained that they can only be torn down.
We will see fewer and fewer Scientologists as all this goes down. The Freezone will expand a bit with the influx of those who still believe in Hubbard's technology, but even that group will eventually suffer from the fact that all Hubbard's secrets have been exposed, all his lies have been documented.
For those who wanted to see the Church of Scientology collapse, keep your eyes open because that's what's happening right now.
-
Well, now it's obvious that we are seeing the inevitable collapse of the Church of Scientology.
Let me show you the signs and my predictions for the future.
Already we saw churches closing, excused as "combining" with nearby churches, but now we are seeing churches actually disappearing, closing their doors.
Already we were seeing the membership numbers drastically dropping, and every day, newly out ex-Scientologists are telling their stories, getting in touch with old friends.
Already we were seeing the "formidable" attack machinery of the church falling apart, failing. But, today, they have so few trusted staff that they can no longer fight more than one battle at a time -- and they have so many more than one battle today.
Major news outlets have written exposés on the church, but that's just the bare start. More news reports on the Church of Scientology's criminal activities are being prepared at this moment.
Already we have seen the church's deepest, darkest secrets exposed -- not just their "confidential OT Levels" but the pervasive abuse, criminal actions and blatant lying at the very highest levels of the church. Strong legal actions against the church are in progress, official investigations are in progress. Things are not looking good.
The church's ship, the Freewinds, is floating around nearly empty. The big cash cow has become a big cash drain. As you may know, the ship was kicked out of Curaçao for all their bad behavior and is now home-ported in Colombia.
Flag, the biggest church in Scientology, has collapsed. To try to stem the collapse they forbade all field auditors within 90 miles from delivering any services, but that didn't help. Now they are trying to steal all public from every other church, promoting that all those services are now available at Flag. They are desperate and in big trouble.
The other churches are mostly empty and struggling to pay their bills -- often many months late and getting later. Staff simply aren't getting paid.
The church's so-called "missions" are disappearing but it's hard to tell. Most missions are out of someone's home and only open a few hours a week. The difference between an "open" and "closed" mission isn't very much.
The Church of Scientology claims there are thousands of "Scientology Groups" but none of them can be found. It appears all their groups have closed.
It is a catastrophe, and just getting worse.
Here's what's coming up.
First, you will see David Miscavige spending a lot of time on the Freewinds. (I'll give you a hint on why: There is no extradition from Colombia. As long as he is "at sea" or in Colombia, he can hide from the law.)
Second, there will be many more church closings. Those that aren't closed will become empty, most lights turned off, most rooms unused. They may retain a receptionist who will "show movies" to anyone foolish enough to come in. A few services will be available, and only at limited times. If they own the building outright, and as long as they don't have to pay taxes, they will be able to keep these dark, empty buildings "open" for a long time.
Scientology will implode into Clearwater, meaning that the major center, major focus and remaining activities will happen there. Scientologists who remain True Believers will be forced to move to Clearwater as local churches close and services become difficult to obtain.
At some point, the advanced churches at the Los Angeles "Big Blue" center will "expand" to Clearwater as well.
The much-vaunted "new buildings" that the church owns will become a liability, since they are all now worth much less than what was originally paid for them. Some, like "Big Blue" are so old and poorly maintained that they can only be torn down.
We will see fewer and fewer Scientologists as all this goes down. The Freezone will expand a bit with the influx of those who still believe in Hubbard's technology, but even that group will eventually suffer from the fact that all Hubbard's secrets have been exposed, all his lies have been documented.
For those who wanted to see the Church of Scientology collapse, keep your eyes open because that's what's happening right now.
-
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The "Science" in Scientology
If you've read anything from the Church of Scientology or talked with a Scientologist, you've heard the claims, "Scientology is based on science."
Typical claims from the Church of Scientology:
It is interesting to me how Scientologists can spout this line and never, ever think about what it means. One might assume that Scientologists understand the concept of "science", "scientific research" and the "scientific method", many Scientologists are quite well-educated. Why, then, do they believe that Scientology is scientifically based?
Let's take a look at what is involved in science and scientific research and how this compares with Hubbard's work.
Now, I don't want to get into a long, dry dissertation on the scientific method. That's boring and a bit off the subject. Let's just take a high level view.
What is the primary activity of scientists? Research. The fundamental aspect of all science is research. Careful, accurate, honest, well-documented, repeatable research.
To be accepted as valid science, any research must be transparent. That is, any legitimate, interested person should be able to read the research documentation, duplicate the research work and validate or disprove the original findings.
So where is Hubbard's original research? Hubbard claimed to have done lots and lots of research before developing his technology and writing Dianetics. Where is his research?
Now, you must understand the Hubbard was a pack-rat. It is doubtful that he ever threw anything away. If you've visited the L. Ron Hubbard Museum in Hollywood, you would see how much he saved. He saved toys, diaries, tools, merit badges, everything. Some of it is displayed in the museum, but there was too much to display all of it.
So, where is his research?
No one has ever found any research papers, documentation, notes -- nothing. And, believe me, they looked. Are we to believe that Hubbard saved his scout merit badges and threw away his Dianetic research?
No research papers. None. So, of course, no one has ever vetted his "research" or his findings.
Even today, there is no proper research or documentation on any of Hubbard's findings. In fact, David Miscavige vehemently rejects any attempts to validate any of the claims of Scientology or Dianetics. You want to get attacked by the Church of Scientology? Tell them you are testing their claims.
This is not science. When you have a "technology" with no research, no documentation of research, no validation of findings, that is simply not science. That is belief.
I have no problem with people believing anything they want. But, until the Church of Scientology allows independent validation of their claims, it isn't science and it will never be science.
So, Scientologists: Look up the word "science". Look up "scientific method". And then stop trying to claim Scientology has anything to do with science. You have a long, long way to go and a lot of major changes before you could earn that title.
-
Typical claims from the Church of Scientology:
"Dianetics technology works and is an effective science of mental health"
Hubbard applied "modern science to accomplish the goal of religion throughout history. "
"Scientology, drawing on the same advances in knowledge that led to the understanding of nuclear physics, provides modern answers to these questions."And look at the titles of L. Ron Hubbard's early works:
- Dianetics: Evolution of a Science
- Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health
- Science of Survival
It is interesting to me how Scientologists can spout this line and never, ever think about what it means. One might assume that Scientologists understand the concept of "science", "scientific research" and the "scientific method", many Scientologists are quite well-educated. Why, then, do they believe that Scientology is scientifically based?
Let's take a look at what is involved in science and scientific research and how this compares with Hubbard's work.
Now, I don't want to get into a long, dry dissertation on the scientific method. That's boring and a bit off the subject. Let's just take a high level view.
What is the primary activity of scientists? Research. The fundamental aspect of all science is research. Careful, accurate, honest, well-documented, repeatable research.
To be accepted as valid science, any research must be transparent. That is, any legitimate, interested person should be able to read the research documentation, duplicate the research work and validate or disprove the original findings.
So where is Hubbard's original research? Hubbard claimed to have done lots and lots of research before developing his technology and writing Dianetics. Where is his research?
Now, you must understand the Hubbard was a pack-rat. It is doubtful that he ever threw anything away. If you've visited the L. Ron Hubbard Museum in Hollywood, you would see how much he saved. He saved toys, diaries, tools, merit badges, everything. Some of it is displayed in the museum, but there was too much to display all of it.
So, where is his research?
No one has ever found any research papers, documentation, notes -- nothing. And, believe me, they looked. Are we to believe that Hubbard saved his scout merit badges and threw away his Dianetic research?
No research papers. None. So, of course, no one has ever vetted his "research" or his findings.
Even today, there is no proper research or documentation on any of Hubbard's findings. In fact, David Miscavige vehemently rejects any attempts to validate any of the claims of Scientology or Dianetics. You want to get attacked by the Church of Scientology? Tell them you are testing their claims.
This is not science. When you have a "technology" with no research, no documentation of research, no validation of findings, that is simply not science. That is belief.
I have no problem with people believing anything they want. But, until the Church of Scientology allows independent validation of their claims, it isn't science and it will never be science.
So, Scientologists: Look up the word "science". Look up "scientific method". And then stop trying to claim Scientology has anything to do with science. You have a long, long way to go and a lot of major changes before you could earn that title.
-
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Scientology Attacks!
OK, so that really isn't news. The Church of Scientology always attacks, has always attacked and, for as long as they can, will always attack. Since this is mandated by L. Ron Hubbard, they just have to do it.
So what?
Well, things are changing.
First, the attacks are much more narrow. David Miscavige has directed that the broad attacks cease and that his henchmen focus on major media and those individuals who have the greatest potential for damaging the church. Why? Because he is running out of money and, more importantly, personnel. He can no longer support the broad attacks of the past.
While this means the general critic community is seeing fewer attacks, it, unfortunately, means that a few major figures are seeing more.
Second, the attacks are becoming more vicious. It did appear that Miscavige had realized how his ill-conceived and poorly executed attacks were more damaging to the church than to his "enemies" -- and had started easing up on his criminal attacks. However, recent times have proven that, once again, Miscavige didn't learn at all.
And, once again, his attacks are, indeed, seriously damaging the church.
Attacking the media
As is standard Hubbard policy, Scientology has continued to attack any news outlet that dares report the truth about the Church of Scientology.
But things are different now. The news media isn't backing down out of fear anymore. They are reporting the attacks. And the attacks by Scientology are causing the news outlets to expand their exposés, dig deeper and report even more about the lies, crimes and threats by the Church of Scientology.
Only Scientology would think that viciously attacking news media outlets would result in positive articles.
Attacking big names
There are people who are no longer in Scientology who were very big names in the church, and who have never spoken out against Scientology -- but who are being viciously attacked by the church.
They are being attacked because, if they ever did speak out about what they know, the results would be devastating to Miscavige's church.
These big names do not wish to speak out and criticize anyone. They have many friends who are still in and do not wish to harm them. If left alone to get on with their lives, they would remain silent. But the Church of Scientology continues to viciously attack them, and continues to work very hard to control and destroy their lives.
Don't look for logic here, neither Scientology nor Miscavige are capable of thinking logically.
Only Miscavige would think that viciously attacking these people, who have done nothing, is the right thing to do. Eventually and inevitably Miscavige's attacks will result in exactly what he fears most.
(Private message to big names: While I respect your desire to not hurt your friends, you do have all the power, Miscavige has none. Please, write up everything you know, give it to a lawyer and then demand Miscavige stop all attacks against you and your family -- or you will release it. You have the power, please use it.)
Attacking critics.
While the broad attacks by Scientology have abated, the focused attacks against prominent critics have increased.
But the reaction is different now.
The church's illegal activities, hacking, lies and attacks are being carefully documented. They are being reported. They are being investigated.
Before, police, government agencies and corporations couldn't believe that a church would do such things. But now they know it is true. They now know that the Church of Scientology does lie, does commit crimes, and these organizations are more than willing to investigate and report. We hope that, soon, there will be more criminal prosecutions.
Times have changed. And it is the Church of Scientology itself, that has caused these changes. By continuing, robotically, to attack and attack and attack "by any means possible", they have created a world-wide backlash and a broad awareness of how vicious and criminal they really are.
They have no one to blame but themselves.
-
So what?
Well, things are changing.
First, the attacks are much more narrow. David Miscavige has directed that the broad attacks cease and that his henchmen focus on major media and those individuals who have the greatest potential for damaging the church. Why? Because he is running out of money and, more importantly, personnel. He can no longer support the broad attacks of the past.
While this means the general critic community is seeing fewer attacks, it, unfortunately, means that a few major figures are seeing more.
Second, the attacks are becoming more vicious. It did appear that Miscavige had realized how his ill-conceived and poorly executed attacks were more damaging to the church than to his "enemies" -- and had started easing up on his criminal attacks. However, recent times have proven that, once again, Miscavige didn't learn at all.
And, once again, his attacks are, indeed, seriously damaging the church.
Attacking the media
As is standard Hubbard policy, Scientology has continued to attack any news outlet that dares report the truth about the Church of Scientology.
But things are different now. The news media isn't backing down out of fear anymore. They are reporting the attacks. And the attacks by Scientology are causing the news outlets to expand their exposés, dig deeper and report even more about the lies, crimes and threats by the Church of Scientology.
Only Scientology would think that viciously attacking news media outlets would result in positive articles.
Attacking big names
There are people who are no longer in Scientology who were very big names in the church, and who have never spoken out against Scientology -- but who are being viciously attacked by the church.
They are being attacked because, if they ever did speak out about what they know, the results would be devastating to Miscavige's church.
These big names do not wish to speak out and criticize anyone. They have many friends who are still in and do not wish to harm them. If left alone to get on with their lives, they would remain silent. But the Church of Scientology continues to viciously attack them, and continues to work very hard to control and destroy their lives.
Don't look for logic here, neither Scientology nor Miscavige are capable of thinking logically.
Only Miscavige would think that viciously attacking these people, who have done nothing, is the right thing to do. Eventually and inevitably Miscavige's attacks will result in exactly what he fears most.
(Private message to big names: While I respect your desire to not hurt your friends, you do have all the power, Miscavige has none. Please, write up everything you know, give it to a lawyer and then demand Miscavige stop all attacks against you and your family -- or you will release it. You have the power, please use it.)
Attacking critics.
While the broad attacks by Scientology have abated, the focused attacks against prominent critics have increased.
But the reaction is different now.
The church's illegal activities, hacking, lies and attacks are being carefully documented. They are being reported. They are being investigated.
Before, police, government agencies and corporations couldn't believe that a church would do such things. But now they know it is true. They now know that the Church of Scientology does lie, does commit crimes, and these organizations are more than willing to investigate and report. We hope that, soon, there will be more criminal prosecutions.
Times have changed. And it is the Church of Scientology itself, that has caused these changes. By continuing, robotically, to attack and attack and attack "by any means possible", they have created a world-wide backlash and a broad awareness of how vicious and criminal they really are.
They have no one to blame but themselves.
-
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Scientology's Demise
There have been a number of debates about what will happen next for the Church of Scientology and for the belief system of Scientology itself.
Some contend that, after David Miscavige has gone (in whatever manner that happens), someone or some group can take over and reform the church, getting rid of its abusive, criminal and fraudulent policies. Some merely hope for a reversion to "pure L. Ron Hubbard" Scientology. Some declare they will not rest until the Church of Scientology has ceased to exist.
But all these debates miss one very vital piece of information: Scientology has been destroyed -- not the organization, the belief system.
Let me explain why, in my opinion, this is so.
When L. Ron Hubbard created Scientology, he used two very powerful, and related, mechanisms to create and sell it: Secrecy and mystery.
Secrecy was important, because truth was an enemy to Hubbard's goals. Hubbard told many lies about his life, about his accomplishments and about his actual work. It was important that the truth about his life and work remain secret. In this way, he could pass himself off as "master of all knowledge and disciplines". Later, his location and the actual location of church management had to be secret. The church's statistics, and just about everything else, are secret.
Of course, this culture of secrecy allowed tremendous abuses to take place that are only now being revealed.
More importantly, mystery was very key to selling Scientology. As time went on, more and more of Scientology needed to be "kept confidential". The Power Processes, the Clearing Course, the OT Levels, the Ls, and more.
Most non-Scientologists believe these levels were kept confidential because they were actually bogus, which isn't entirely true. Certainly these levels are bogus, no one actually gets the results promised, but the primary reason so much of Scientology is confidential is because "mystery sells". Hubbard was very well aware of this, he actually said so many times. Mystery sells. If you refuse to tell people exactly what you are selling, but drop various hints about how "absolutely amazing" it is, you can sell anything.
True Believers of Scientology firmly believe that, somewhere within these mysterious Upper Levels of Scientology, amazing and wonderful things will happen. They have bought the mystery. Because all details are hidden, because those who have, supposedly, reached these upper levels are pledged to secrecy, because the vague promises are so amazing, they believe. Mystery is very, very attractive.
Secrecy and mystery -- the two primary tools to ensure Scientology's success.
But no more. The only people who are still in the dark are the True Believers. Everyone else knows the full facts about Hubbard's life, his real accomplishments, and all his failures. Everyone else knows exactly what is on all the Upper Levels, and they know the real results and failures of Scientology.
How can you sell people on the concept of Hubbard being "master of all knowledge and disciplines" when they know what a consistent failure he was?
How can you sell people on the mysterious OT III "Wall of Fire" when they all know how absurd, illogical and stupid that "dangerous" story really is?
How can you sell people on how powerful the OT information is -- that it will kill you if you're not properly prepared -- when anybody can read the damn stuff without even a sniffle?
How can you sell people on the amazing "abilities gained" from Scientology, when everybody can see, quite clearly, that no Scientologist has ever demonstrated those promised gains, no matter what level they've attained?
How can you sell people on the wonderful solutions and results from Scientology when they can all see the actual failures, and only failures, from these "solutions"?
The Internet, the critics and Anonymous have ripped the curtain away from Scientology's "Great and Powerful Oz", revealing fraud, scam, failure and lies.
The curtain cannot be repaired. There is no more secrecy. There is no more mystery. And Scientology simply cannot sell itself without those things.
Scientology: Stick a fork in it, it is done.
-
Some contend that, after David Miscavige has gone (in whatever manner that happens), someone or some group can take over and reform the church, getting rid of its abusive, criminal and fraudulent policies. Some merely hope for a reversion to "pure L. Ron Hubbard" Scientology. Some declare they will not rest until the Church of Scientology has ceased to exist.
But all these debates miss one very vital piece of information: Scientology has been destroyed -- not the organization, the belief system.
Let me explain why, in my opinion, this is so.
When L. Ron Hubbard created Scientology, he used two very powerful, and related, mechanisms to create and sell it: Secrecy and mystery.
Secrecy was important, because truth was an enemy to Hubbard's goals. Hubbard told many lies about his life, about his accomplishments and about his actual work. It was important that the truth about his life and work remain secret. In this way, he could pass himself off as "master of all knowledge and disciplines". Later, his location and the actual location of church management had to be secret. The church's statistics, and just about everything else, are secret.
Of course, this culture of secrecy allowed tremendous abuses to take place that are only now being revealed.
More importantly, mystery was very key to selling Scientology. As time went on, more and more of Scientology needed to be "kept confidential". The Power Processes, the Clearing Course, the OT Levels, the Ls, and more.
Most non-Scientologists believe these levels were kept confidential because they were actually bogus, which isn't entirely true. Certainly these levels are bogus, no one actually gets the results promised, but the primary reason so much of Scientology is confidential is because "mystery sells". Hubbard was very well aware of this, he actually said so many times. Mystery sells. If you refuse to tell people exactly what you are selling, but drop various hints about how "absolutely amazing" it is, you can sell anything.
True Believers of Scientology firmly believe that, somewhere within these mysterious Upper Levels of Scientology, amazing and wonderful things will happen. They have bought the mystery. Because all details are hidden, because those who have, supposedly, reached these upper levels are pledged to secrecy, because the vague promises are so amazing, they believe. Mystery is very, very attractive.
Secrecy and mystery -- the two primary tools to ensure Scientology's success.
But no more. The only people who are still in the dark are the True Believers. Everyone else knows the full facts about Hubbard's life, his real accomplishments, and all his failures. Everyone else knows exactly what is on all the Upper Levels, and they know the real results and failures of Scientology.
How can you sell people on the concept of Hubbard being "master of all knowledge and disciplines" when they know what a consistent failure he was?
How can you sell people on the mysterious OT III "Wall of Fire" when they all know how absurd, illogical and stupid that "dangerous" story really is?
How can you sell people on how powerful the OT information is -- that it will kill you if you're not properly prepared -- when anybody can read the damn stuff without even a sniffle?
How can you sell people on the amazing "abilities gained" from Scientology, when everybody can see, quite clearly, that no Scientologist has ever demonstrated those promised gains, no matter what level they've attained?
How can you sell people on the wonderful solutions and results from Scientology when they can all see the actual failures, and only failures, from these "solutions"?
The Internet, the critics and Anonymous have ripped the curtain away from Scientology's "Great and Powerful Oz", revealing fraud, scam, failure and lies.
The curtain cannot be repaired. There is no more secrecy. There is no more mystery. And Scientology simply cannot sell itself without those things.
Scientology: Stick a fork in it, it is done.
-
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Scientology Destroys Scientology's Image
One of the most important images that the Church of Scientology tries, desperately, to create and sell to everyone is the image of having the exact, perfect answer to everything.
L. Ron Hubbard worked very hard to have that image. He was, according to himself, the master of every skill and every discipline in the whole world, heck, the whole universe! Scientologists will say exactly that if you ask them.
Hubbard had the final word to say about everything.
Not only do you have Narconon, Hubbard Study Technology, WISE, Criminon, The Way to Happiness and all that -- touted by the Church of Scientology (without any proof) as the solutions to the world's problems, but you have, well, everything else as well.
Hubbard wrote Policy Letters about pretty much everything. Like, for instance, he wrote a huge amount about "Public Relations". Yes, he wrote the exact science of public relations. Use this exact technology, he said, and you would have the best image possible.
And then reality rears its ugly head. It has a bad habit of doing just that.
Public relations. We have witnessed the magic of Hubbard's public relations tech before, but never so clearly as David Miscavige's recent response to the St. Petersburg Times exposé on Scientology.
He refused to be interviewed, putting the newspaper off week after week, even though the newspaper first requested an interview on May 15th, either in person or by phone.
He ordered a "mission" to be "fired" to St. Petersburg, consisting of nine "OT" Sea Org members, some of whom had been reported imprisoned in his Hemet compound in California. These people were supposed to go and "handle" the reporters.
The newspaper was given conditions -- the Sea Org "missionaires" would each read a two minute pre-written speech (undoubtedly written by David Miscavige himself) and there would be no questions permitted.
And these missionaires carried out their orders from Miscavige exactly. They gave their little prepared speeches and then, even as questions were being asked, they turned on their heels and left. Somehow, they didn't realize this would appear very, very strange. Somehow, they didn't realize this would make them look cultish and quite guilty.
Next, the church paraded the ex-spouses of the Scientology critics in front of the journalists, to smear the critics. And Miscavige thought this made the church look normal? He thought this was good public relations?
Then, per standard Scientology policies, they tried to get the journalists to accept the critics' confidential confessional material. This may have been their biggest mistake -- and it was pure, exact Scientology technology in action.
When the journalists didn't seem to be responding correctly to this magic Miscavige tech, the missionaires blocked the exit and started haranguing the journalists. You can bet that went over well.
Hubbard's flawless tech in action. Miscavige's brilliance in action. Real "OTs" in action. A church striving, desperately, to appear "normal", in action.
As usual, reality proved the unmaking of Scientology's image. If Hubbard was master of every skill and discipline, how could his technology have failed? If Miscavige is brilliant in all he does, how could his handling have failed? If the OT missionaires were truly at cause over matter, energy, space, time, life and thought, how could they have failed?
Like Scientology's Narconon, Criminon, WISE, Hubbard Study Tech, The Way to Happiness, this latest action by the Church of Scientology was an utter failure. And that further destroys the image that Miscavige so desperately wants to have.
It is important to look at the Church of Scientology's "solutions" in light of their consistent failures. This is the church that brags about their "effective solutions". This is the religion that boasts that it produces "Homo Novis", far beyond normal human beings. This is the religion that wants to tell you how to live your life.
Looked at in that light, their consistent failures are even more meaningful.
Instead of having the solution to the world's problems, it becomes very clear that the Church of Scientology and Miscavige can't even solve their own problems. That's the true image.
-
L. Ron Hubbard worked very hard to have that image. He was, according to himself, the master of every skill and every discipline in the whole world, heck, the whole universe! Scientologists will say exactly that if you ask them.
Hubbard had the final word to say about everything.
Not only do you have Narconon, Hubbard Study Technology, WISE, Criminon, The Way to Happiness and all that -- touted by the Church of Scientology (without any proof) as the solutions to the world's problems, but you have, well, everything else as well.
Hubbard wrote Policy Letters about pretty much everything. Like, for instance, he wrote a huge amount about "Public Relations". Yes, he wrote the exact science of public relations. Use this exact technology, he said, and you would have the best image possible.
And then reality rears its ugly head. It has a bad habit of doing just that.
Public relations. We have witnessed the magic of Hubbard's public relations tech before, but never so clearly as David Miscavige's recent response to the St. Petersburg Times exposé on Scientology.
He refused to be interviewed, putting the newspaper off week after week, even though the newspaper first requested an interview on May 15th, either in person or by phone.
He ordered a "mission" to be "fired" to St. Petersburg, consisting of nine "OT" Sea Org members, some of whom had been reported imprisoned in his Hemet compound in California. These people were supposed to go and "handle" the reporters.
The newspaper was given conditions -- the Sea Org "missionaires" would each read a two minute pre-written speech (undoubtedly written by David Miscavige himself) and there would be no questions permitted.
And these missionaires carried out their orders from Miscavige exactly. They gave their little prepared speeches and then, even as questions were being asked, they turned on their heels and left. Somehow, they didn't realize this would appear very, very strange. Somehow, they didn't realize this would make them look cultish and quite guilty.
Next, the church paraded the ex-spouses of the Scientology critics in front of the journalists, to smear the critics. And Miscavige thought this made the church look normal? He thought this was good public relations?
Then, per standard Scientology policies, they tried to get the journalists to accept the critics' confidential confessional material. This may have been their biggest mistake -- and it was pure, exact Scientology technology in action.
When the journalists didn't seem to be responding correctly to this magic Miscavige tech, the missionaires blocked the exit and started haranguing the journalists. You can bet that went over well.
Hubbard's flawless tech in action. Miscavige's brilliance in action. Real "OTs" in action. A church striving, desperately, to appear "normal", in action.
As usual, reality proved the unmaking of Scientology's image. If Hubbard was master of every skill and discipline, how could his technology have failed? If Miscavige is brilliant in all he does, how could his handling have failed? If the OT missionaires were truly at cause over matter, energy, space, time, life and thought, how could they have failed?
Like Scientology's Narconon, Criminon, WISE, Hubbard Study Tech, The Way to Happiness, this latest action by the Church of Scientology was an utter failure. And that further destroys the image that Miscavige so desperately wants to have.
It is important to look at the Church of Scientology's "solutions" in light of their consistent failures. This is the church that brags about their "effective solutions". This is the religion that boasts that it produces "Homo Novis", far beyond normal human beings. This is the religion that wants to tell you how to live your life.
Looked at in that light, their consistent failures are even more meaningful.
Instead of having the solution to the world's problems, it becomes very clear that the Church of Scientology and Miscavige can't even solve their own problems. That's the true image.
-
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Scientology Reveals Its True Self
Just today, the St. Petersburg Times started their newest series on the Church of Scientology. This looks to be a very informative series of reports and I highly recommend it.
But I want to highlight the Church of Scientology's response. Their response is exactly the same response they always present -- it's all lies, these people weren't there, they are horrible people, blah, blah, blah. And the church presents "evidence" of how horrible they are ...
Hold on, don't go past this very key and revealing point!
Catholic priests have taken a lot of heat over the years because they will not ever disclose what was said to them in confession. I'm sure that, sometimes, it has been very, very difficult for them to adhere to this principle -- but they do. Information from confessionals must be kept confidential and, against all external pressure, and maybe even against their own desires, they keep the information completely confidential.
And here we have the Church of Scientology. Time after time, when the church feels attacked, they can't wait to force a parishioner's confidential, secret and discreditable information on the press! The press doesn't want it. But the church forces it on them.
This action, repeated again and again by the Church of Scientology, under direct orders from their leader, David Miscavige, reveals the true nature of the church and the true reason the church keeps such careful written and even videoed records of all their member's "confessionals".
Blackmail.
Once you have "confessed" to a Church of Scientology "auditor" -- and they do insist that you do so, regularly and often -- you will be forever in their power.
Unlike a real religion, the Church of Scientology can and will use anything and everything you confess against you.
-
But I want to highlight the Church of Scientology's response. Their response is exactly the same response they always present -- it's all lies, these people weren't there, they are horrible people, blah, blah, blah. And the church presents "evidence" of how horrible they are ...
Hold on, don't go past this very key and revealing point!
Catholic priests have taken a lot of heat over the years because they will not ever disclose what was said to them in confession. I'm sure that, sometimes, it has been very, very difficult for them to adhere to this principle -- but they do. Information from confessionals must be kept confidential and, against all external pressure, and maybe even against their own desires, they keep the information completely confidential.
And here we have the Church of Scientology. Time after time, when the church feels attacked, they can't wait to force a parishioner's confidential, secret and discreditable information on the press! The press doesn't want it. But the church forces it on them.
This action, repeated again and again by the Church of Scientology, under direct orders from their leader, David Miscavige, reveals the true nature of the church and the true reason the church keeps such careful written and even videoed records of all their member's "confessionals".
Blackmail.
Once you have "confessed" to a Church of Scientology "auditor" -- and they do insist that you do so, regularly and often -- you will be forever in their power.
Unlike a real religion, the Church of Scientology can and will use anything and everything you confess against you.
-
Saturday, June 20, 2009
What Judges and Prosecutors Need to Know About Scientology
Anyone involved in bringing accused Scientology criminals to justice needs to know a few important things about the Church of Scientology and Scientologists.
Because of their "scripture", many Scientologists would perjure themselves, would destroy incriminating evidence, would manufacture evidence, would, in fact, do anything, including breaking the law, to protect their church. They would do so even when there is a chance that they would get caught.
Let me present a few facts so you can understand this.
First, you need to understand the Scientology view of the world. The world is separated into the Good and Bad People. The Bad People, according to L. Ron Hubbard, make up 20% of the population. Of those Bad People, exactly 2.5% of them are truly, deeply evil ("Suppressive Persons") and the other 17.5% are in agreement with and under the influence of the evil ones ("PTS" or "Potential Trouble Sources").
The remaining 80% are good, with Scientologists and the Church of Scientology being, by definition, Good. Note that, by their scripture, the Church of Scientology cannot ever be bad.
Of course, according to Scientology's scripture, attacking the Church of Scientology is a "suppressive act" and means that the attacker is a Suppressive Person and, therefore, an enemy of the church.
Consider these "High Crimes" as listed in Scientology's Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L. Ron Hubbard:
This means that prosecutors, judges and witnesses against Scientology are, according to their scripture, Evil People. They are "sitting in judgment" or worse. They are enemies of the church.
Now for the important part of Scientology's scripture in this discussion. Anyone who is an enemy of the church may be, according to L. Ron Hubbard, "deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed".
Key point: "May be tricked, sued or lied to ...".
And that is the key point that prosecutors and judges need to understand about the Church of Scientology and Scientologists. With this directive, Scientologists have full authorization (and some would even claim mandate) to destroy evidence, manufacture evidence and commit perjury in defending their church against all those suppressive prosecutors and judges.
The Church of Scientology and all Scientology True Believers are at war with the Evil People of the world -- and prosecutors, judges and witnesses against Scientology are Evil People.
Think I'm overstating this? The following is an exact quote from L. Ron Hubbard in a policy letter that all Scientologists are required to study at the beginning of every course:
Having a Scientologist swear to "tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God" is of little value. To a Scientology True Believer, such an oath has very little power compared to the dictates of L. Ron Hubbard and David Miscavige.
It may be hard for a religious person to understand how little God means to a Scientologist. According to Hubbard, the "Supreme Being" is only one of eight equally important "dynamics" -- God is not more important than, for instance, Groups or Self. And, according to the new interpretation by Miscavige, it is the Church of Scientology that is most important by far. Yes, far more important than God or any other dynamic.
So any oath in court, to a Scientologist, does not have the power you might hope for. Do not expect any such oath to cause Scientology True Believers to actually tell the truth.
To be fair, some Scientologists probably would tell the truth, but they would be the minority. To the rest, the Church of Scientology is absolutely senior to anything else.
I will leave you, dear prosecutors and judges, with an opinion from L. Ron Hubbard on your justice system:
Because of their "scripture", many Scientologists would perjure themselves, would destroy incriminating evidence, would manufacture evidence, would, in fact, do anything, including breaking the law, to protect their church. They would do so even when there is a chance that they would get caught.
Let me present a few facts so you can understand this.
First, you need to understand the Scientology view of the world. The world is separated into the Good and Bad People. The Bad People, according to L. Ron Hubbard, make up 20% of the population. Of those Bad People, exactly 2.5% of them are truly, deeply evil ("Suppressive Persons") and the other 17.5% are in agreement with and under the influence of the evil ones ("PTS" or "Potential Trouble Sources").
The remaining 80% are good, with Scientologists and the Church of Scientology being, by definition, Good. Note that, by their scripture, the Church of Scientology cannot ever be bad.
Of course, according to Scientology's scripture, attacking the Church of Scientology is a "suppressive act" and means that the attacker is a Suppressive Person and, therefore, an enemy of the church.
Consider these "High Crimes" as listed in Scientology's Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L. Ron Hubbard:
- Public statements against Scientology or Scientologists ...
- Testifying hostilely before state or public inquiries into Scientology to suppress it.
- Bringing civil suit against any Scientology organization or Scientologist, including the nonpayment of bills or failure to refund ...
- PTS Type C; persons who have ever threatened to sue or embarrass or attack or have publicly attacked Scientology ...
- PTS Type J; persons attempting to sit in judgment on Scientology.
This means that prosecutors, judges and witnesses against Scientology are, according to their scripture, Evil People. They are "sitting in judgment" or worse. They are enemies of the church.
Now for the important part of Scientology's scripture in this discussion. Anyone who is an enemy of the church may be, according to L. Ron Hubbard, "deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed".
Key point: "May be tricked, sued or lied to ...".
And that is the key point that prosecutors and judges need to understand about the Church of Scientology and Scientologists. With this directive, Scientologists have full authorization (and some would even claim mandate) to destroy evidence, manufacture evidence and commit perjury in defending their church against all those suppressive prosecutors and judges.
The Church of Scientology and all Scientology True Believers are at war with the Evil People of the world -- and prosecutors, judges and witnesses against Scientology are Evil People.
Think I'm overstating this? The following is an exact quote from L. Ron Hubbard in a policy letter that all Scientologists are required to study at the beginning of every course:
We're not playing some minor game in Scientology. It isn't cute or something to do for lack of something better.That's how important Scientology and the Church of Scientology is to its True Believers. Compared with that, how important is being truthful in a court of law?
The whole agonized future of this planet, every Man, Woman and Child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depend on what you do here and now with and in Scientology.L. Ron HubbardHCOPL 7 FEB 1965 Keeping Scientology Working
Having a Scientologist swear to "tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God" is of little value. To a Scientology True Believer, such an oath has very little power compared to the dictates of L. Ron Hubbard and David Miscavige.
It may be hard for a religious person to understand how little God means to a Scientologist. According to Hubbard, the "Supreme Being" is only one of eight equally important "dynamics" -- God is not more important than, for instance, Groups or Self. And, according to the new interpretation by Miscavige, it is the Church of Scientology that is most important by far. Yes, far more important than God or any other dynamic.
So any oath in court, to a Scientologist, does not have the power you might hope for. Do not expect any such oath to cause Scientology True Believers to actually tell the truth.
To be fair, some Scientologists probably would tell the truth, but they would be the minority. To the rest, the Church of Scientology is absolutely senior to anything else.
I will leave you, dear prosecutors and judges, with an opinion from L. Ron Hubbard on your justice system:
Police and courts offer an open-armed opportunity to the vicious and corrupt to establish themselves in a position of safety while satisfying their strange appetites of perverted viciousness toward their fellow man.-
There is little thought of administering justice so that individuals can improve. There is every thought to punish and create misery.Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L. Ron Hubbard
Monday, June 15, 2009
What It Means to Become a Scientologist
To anyone who thinks they might look into Scientology, you might want to know a bit more about what you can expect.
I'm not talking about what services you might take or what you might learn, I'm talking about how your life will change when you step onto their "Bridge to Total Freedom".
When you become a Scientologist, you will be inundated with "communication" from the church.
This is the very first result of contacting the Church of Scientology. Once they have your name, your address, your phone number and your email address, you will never again be at peace.
Actually, you don't have to be a Scientologist at this point. This happens immediately, once they have your contact information.
They will hound you for money. They will pester you to come in "for service". They will badger you to buy the latest book set, lecture set or whatever. They will remind you of the next big Miscavige Event™ and "confirm you" -- at least a dozen times. If they believe you have enough money (or enough borrowing power), they will show up at your doorstep, unannounced, and won't leave without a check.
You will get their junk mail and their email spam as well. They will call you late at night, especially Wednesday night (because their week ends on Thursday and they must get their "stats" up).
You should know that getting them to stop all this is virtually impossible. You can ask, but it won't do you much good. People have changed their phone numbers and even moved to a different city, and the Church of Scientology has tracked them down and continued their deluge.
When you become a Scientologist, you will lose all your privacy.
And I do mean all.
The Church of Scientology will insist that you tell them everything: Who do you talk to? What do they say about L. Ron Hubbard, David Miscavige and Scientology? What do you read? Where do you go on the Internet? What do you say and think about Hubbard, Miscavige and Scientology.
The church will demand to know all about your finances. Do you have any credit cards? How much do you owe? What is your credit limit? Do you own your own home, and how much equity do you have? Exactly what do you spend your money on, and why? Do you have savings? Do you have investments? Do you have any rich relatives?
They will want to know about your job or business. They will want to know how you spend your free time.
When you get auditing (counselling/confessional), they will work very hard to uncover every "bad" thing you've ever done: Every time you hurt someone, every time you did something you'd rather never mention again, everything you wish no one would ever find out about. They keep careful notes. Often they video your sessions using carefully hidden cameras. This information about you will be kept permanently.
They will insist on knowing everything about you.
When you become a Scientologist, you will become isolated.
You should know that Scientologists are not allowed to read certain things, look at certain things, talk to certain people, and that this list of restricted items can be quite extensive.
You will learn, as a Scientologist, that the only safe people to be connected with are other Scientologists. You will learn that the only safe source for information is the Church of Scientology. You will, eventually, accept these connections as your only connections -- because they are safe and allowed.
Undoubtedly, like most Scientologists, you will eventually avoid newspapers, radio and TV news and the Internet.
Most of your non-Scientology family and friends will learn to keep quiet about what they know about Scientology. They will learn that you, as a Scientologist, get very upset when certain facts are discussed. They will learn to avoid the subject and be very polite when deflecting your attempts to get them into the church.
When you become a Scientologist, you will give up control of your life.
You will be expected to buy everything they offer for sale -- every book, every lecture set, every course, every step up The Bridge. Even after you have bought everything, you're not done. The books, lectures and courses are regularly being altered by Miscavige and, when that happens, you will be expected to buy everything all over again. The pressure to do this will be intense. There are reports of gangs of Scientologists being sent to the houses of any Scientologists who haven't bought the latest -- to ensure they do so.
You will be expected to use up all your available credit -- max out your credit cards, take out a second/third mortgage, cut all other spending -- so that you can adequately donate to the Church of Scientology's many, many "campaigns". There's the Ideal Org Campaign, the Library Donation Campaign, the various IAS (International Association of Scientologists) campaigns, the SuperPower building, CCHR (Citizens Commission on Human Rights), the Way to Happiness Campaign and who knows how many others.
You will be expected to be on course, in session or volunteering for the church at every available free moment. Goodbye hobbies. Goodbye vacations. Goodbye holidays, "hanging with friends" and quiet evenings at home. If you aren't busy every available free moment with Scientology-related activities expect intense pressure from the church until you are.
Worse, if the Church of Scientology finds out that any of your friends or family have said anything at all negative about Scientology, Hubbard or Miscavige, even if absolutely true, you will be required to disconnect from them. Yes, you will be required to disconnect from any of them, including your own children, your parents, your wife or husband! Whether you want to or not. Even if you don't find their comments upsetting at all.
The church says such disconnections are "voluntary". Well, if you don't do exactly what they demand, you will be declared an enemy of the church. There will be punishments. "Disconnection is voluntary," yeah, sure. If a "choice" comes with draconian penalties for the wrong choice, that isn't voluntary.
Anyone thinking of looking into Scientology needs to know what they are getting into. If you start believing in Scientology, your life, as you know and enjoy it today, will be gone.
-
I'm not talking about what services you might take or what you might learn, I'm talking about how your life will change when you step onto their "Bridge to Total Freedom".
When you become a Scientologist, you will be inundated with "communication" from the church.
This is the very first result of contacting the Church of Scientology. Once they have your name, your address, your phone number and your email address, you will never again be at peace.
Actually, you don't have to be a Scientologist at this point. This happens immediately, once they have your contact information.
They will hound you for money. They will pester you to come in "for service". They will badger you to buy the latest book set, lecture set or whatever. They will remind you of the next big Miscavige Event™ and "confirm you" -- at least a dozen times. If they believe you have enough money (or enough borrowing power), they will show up at your doorstep, unannounced, and won't leave without a check.
You will get their junk mail and their email spam as well. They will call you late at night, especially Wednesday night (because their week ends on Thursday and they must get their "stats" up).
You should know that getting them to stop all this is virtually impossible. You can ask, but it won't do you much good. People have changed their phone numbers and even moved to a different city, and the Church of Scientology has tracked them down and continued their deluge.
When you become a Scientologist, you will lose all your privacy.
And I do mean all.
The Church of Scientology will insist that you tell them everything: Who do you talk to? What do they say about L. Ron Hubbard, David Miscavige and Scientology? What do you read? Where do you go on the Internet? What do you say and think about Hubbard, Miscavige and Scientology.
The church will demand to know all about your finances. Do you have any credit cards? How much do you owe? What is your credit limit? Do you own your own home, and how much equity do you have? Exactly what do you spend your money on, and why? Do you have savings? Do you have investments? Do you have any rich relatives?
They will want to know about your job or business. They will want to know how you spend your free time.
When you get auditing (counselling/confessional), they will work very hard to uncover every "bad" thing you've ever done: Every time you hurt someone, every time you did something you'd rather never mention again, everything you wish no one would ever find out about. They keep careful notes. Often they video your sessions using carefully hidden cameras. This information about you will be kept permanently.
They will insist on knowing everything about you.
When you become a Scientologist, you will become isolated.
You should know that Scientologists are not allowed to read certain things, look at certain things, talk to certain people, and that this list of restricted items can be quite extensive.
You will learn, as a Scientologist, that the only safe people to be connected with are other Scientologists. You will learn that the only safe source for information is the Church of Scientology. You will, eventually, accept these connections as your only connections -- because they are safe and allowed.
Undoubtedly, like most Scientologists, you will eventually avoid newspapers, radio and TV news and the Internet.
Most of your non-Scientology family and friends will learn to keep quiet about what they know about Scientology. They will learn that you, as a Scientologist, get very upset when certain facts are discussed. They will learn to avoid the subject and be very polite when deflecting your attempts to get them into the church.
When you become a Scientologist, you will give up control of your life.
You will be expected to buy everything they offer for sale -- every book, every lecture set, every course, every step up The Bridge. Even after you have bought everything, you're not done. The books, lectures and courses are regularly being altered by Miscavige and, when that happens, you will be expected to buy everything all over again. The pressure to do this will be intense. There are reports of gangs of Scientologists being sent to the houses of any Scientologists who haven't bought the latest -- to ensure they do so.
You will be expected to use up all your available credit -- max out your credit cards, take out a second/third mortgage, cut all other spending -- so that you can adequately donate to the Church of Scientology's many, many "campaigns". There's the Ideal Org Campaign, the Library Donation Campaign, the various IAS (International Association of Scientologists) campaigns, the SuperPower building, CCHR (Citizens Commission on Human Rights), the Way to Happiness Campaign and who knows how many others.
You will be expected to be on course, in session or volunteering for the church at every available free moment. Goodbye hobbies. Goodbye vacations. Goodbye holidays, "hanging with friends" and quiet evenings at home. If you aren't busy every available free moment with Scientology-related activities expect intense pressure from the church until you are.
Worse, if the Church of Scientology finds out that any of your friends or family have said anything at all negative about Scientology, Hubbard or Miscavige, even if absolutely true, you will be required to disconnect from them. Yes, you will be required to disconnect from any of them, including your own children, your parents, your wife or husband! Whether you want to or not. Even if you don't find their comments upsetting at all.
The church says such disconnections are "voluntary". Well, if you don't do exactly what they demand, you will be declared an enemy of the church. There will be punishments. "Disconnection is voluntary," yeah, sure. If a "choice" comes with draconian penalties for the wrong choice, that isn't voluntary.
Anyone thinking of looking into Scientology needs to know what they are getting into. If you start believing in Scientology, your life, as you know and enjoy it today, will be gone.
-
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Church of Scientology Cries "Religious Persecution!"
Recently, we've seen a big increase in the Church of Scientology's whining about "religious persecution". They claim that the recent legal actions against the Church of Scientology are "religious persecution", "the equivalent of a heresy trial" and "a witch hunt".
Oh really?
Do they really want to go down that path?
All these things, religious persecution, heresy trial or witch hunt, are attacks against a person or group's beliefs or religious activities.
But these legal actions are criminal proceedings. These trials and lawsuits are against (alleged) criminals. Laws were broken. People were harmed. How could this have anything to do with religious beliefs or religious practices?
Yet, the Church of Scientology insists that these are attacks against Scientology's religious practices.
What do they mean? What are they saying?
The Church of Scientology insists that these legal actions are religious persecution because these crimes are, indeed, part of their religion!
While it is well known that the "sacred scripture" from L. Ron Hubbard, does, indeed, call for crimes to be committed against people and organizations, this is, I believe, the first time the church has actually admitted it.
They cannot practice Scientology as created by Hubbard, and now mismanaged by David Miscavige, without breaking the law.
But, you see, in their universe, this is OK. They are "homo novis", far above mere homo sapiens (whom they call "wogs"). They are above wog laws. Miscavige really does believe himself to be above all laws, and he ensures those who follow his orders believe Scientology is above wog laws as well.
And they are shocked when some mere wog or some mere wog government dares to challenge their actions. They are bringing about a "Scientology World" and you had just better get out of the way.
These wog laws are mere annoyances to them, not something they have to actually pay much attention to. Many Scientologists will perjure themselves quite happily to protect Miscavige and the church.
-
Oh really?
Do they really want to go down that path?
All these things, religious persecution, heresy trial or witch hunt, are attacks against a person or group's beliefs or religious activities.
But these legal actions are criminal proceedings. These trials and lawsuits are against (alleged) criminals. Laws were broken. People were harmed. How could this have anything to do with religious beliefs or religious practices?
Yet, the Church of Scientology insists that these are attacks against Scientology's religious practices.
What do they mean? What are they saying?
The Church of Scientology insists that these legal actions are religious persecution because these crimes are, indeed, part of their religion!
While it is well known that the "sacred scripture" from L. Ron Hubbard, does, indeed, call for crimes to be committed against people and organizations, this is, I believe, the first time the church has actually admitted it.
They cannot practice Scientology as created by Hubbard, and now mismanaged by David Miscavige, without breaking the law.
But, you see, in their universe, this is OK. They are "homo novis", far above mere homo sapiens (whom they call "wogs"). They are above wog laws. Miscavige really does believe himself to be above all laws, and he ensures those who follow his orders believe Scientology is above wog laws as well.
And they are shocked when some mere wog or some mere wog government dares to challenge their actions. They are bringing about a "Scientology World" and you had just better get out of the way.
These wog laws are mere annoyances to them, not something they have to actually pay much attention to. Many Scientologists will perjure themselves quite happily to protect Miscavige and the church.
Somebody some day will say "this is illegal." By then be sure the orgs [Scientology churches] say what is legal or not.We can be very, very happy that the Church of Scientology is not and will never be in a position to say "what is legal or not".L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL of 4 January 1966, "LRH Relationship to Orgs"
-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
