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Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Church of Scientology Accidentally Tells the Truth

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Mark Twain 
The Church of Scientology has a problem.  Well, actually, they have a lot of problems, but one major one is that the Church of Scientology can't keep all its lies straight.

As any accomplished liar knows, you should always tell the truth as much as possible.  One lie engenders another to back it up, then another and another.  Unfortunately for the church, they have drifted so far from the truth, so long, long ago, that they are trapped.   They can't even begin to tell the truth now.

But, oddly enough, if you look carefully, you can discover the truth in what the Church of Scientology says.

Let's take a look.
  • Non-OTs, reading OT III, are not harmed.  In fact, even running OT III when you "aren't ready" does not harm you.
Yes, this is true.  The church has definitely said that.

You've heard the stories, there are hundreds of them, but you may not have realized what they meant.  Certainly the church didn't understand the truth they let slip.

Typical story: A loyal Scientologist, an OT 3, 5, 7 or even an OT 8 is informed that they "aren't Clear", they "never did the lower levels".  They are told they must go all the way back to the beginning and start (and pay) all over again.

You've heard those stories, they are quite common in today's Scientology.  But understand what the church is actually saying.  You see, these people were not "properly set up"; these people "weren't ready";  these people "hadn't properly done their lower levels" -- and they read the super-dangerous OT III materials without any problems!  That's what the church is saying!

Not only that, these poor, unprepared souls actually ran the dreaded OT III materials without any harm!  No flu-like symptoms, no coma, no death.

The OT III materials can be read and even run by un-prepared individuals without any harm at all.  The Church of Scientology has officially said so!
  • L. Ron Hubbard is a huge embarrassment to the church.
Miscavige was interviewed at length by Ted Koppel of ABC News. When played an audio recording of L. Ron Hubbard describing a visit to the Van Allen belt, Miscavige rejected it as "[not] part of current Scientology." Wikipedia
That is exactly what Miscavige and the Church of Scientology are doing to handle the "L. Ron Hubbard problem".

You see, at first they tried to cover up the truth about Hubbard and that didn't work.  They then tried to disprove the truth and that didn't work.  All that's left is to distance themselves from Hubbard.

They are rewriting and "sanitizing" what Hubbard said and wrote to remove the embarrassing, discreditable, racist, homophobic and just plain crazy statements by L. Ron Hubbard.  As time goes on, there have been fewer and fewer references to Ron at events, fewer and fewer mentions and photos in church publications.

All of Hubbard's books have been sanitized.  All the lectures are being gone through with large sections excised.  Some lectures have been removed entirely as "too crazy".  In fact, there is an entire congress put on by Hubbard that will never, ever be heard.

Not only has the church removed large chunks from Hubbard's lectures, they have employed a voice actor to add in words that they think Hubbard should have said.

All of this is a clear and obvious acknowledgement by the Church of Scientology that they find L. Ron Hubbard to be a big embarrassment.  He lied -- a lot.  He was a racist and a homophobe.  He was into crazy, space opera fantasies.

Soon you will hear the Church of Scientology quietly add a notice that "Scientology is based on 'concepts from L. Ron Hubbard', but that Hubbard is no longer considered the source of current Scientology practices."
  • The Church of Scientology knows that their "solutions" do not actually work.
In this case, you need to pay attention to what the Church of Scientology is not saying to get to the truth.

Scientology's "solutions" have all been commercialized.  They are all actual businesses, selling their "solution" to the public.  There are dozens of various front groups, but the main ones are:
  • Narconon/Crimanon - Selling drug and criminal rehabilitation.
  • Applied Scholastics - Selling Hubbard's "Study Technology".
  • W.I.S.E - Selling Hubbard's "Administration Technology".
Like I said, there are dozens and dozens of others.

Now, these businesses are selling their "solutions" and they promise fantastic results.  But listen to what they do not say.

The Church of Scientology does not, ever, show actual, verifiable, evidence that their "solutions" work.  They are amazingly silent about that.  Any normal, legitimate business would happily provide proof of all their claims -- but the Church of Scientology will not do that.

If you request actual evidence, you will only get PR and glossy brochures.  If you insist that they provide actual proof of any of their claims, they will stop talking to you.

The Church of Scientology's refusal to provide any evidence of their claims is their tacit admission that their "solutions" do not work -- and that they know it.

This, by the way, is Scientology's kryptonite.  Just ask them for proof of anything they claim and they wither and fade away.

This is, by far, not a complete list of all the truths that the Church of Scientology has accidentally admitted to, but it's a start.

When the Church of Scientology says something, it is a sure thing that they are lying.  But if you pay attention to all they are saying, or notice where they are conspicuously silent, you can find out the truth -- the truth the church doesn't know they let slip.
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11 comments:

  1. Just Bill,

    Just curious, very curious. Which congress do you think will never, ever be heard? What tapes "too crazy." I know the Van Allen one, but what others?

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are a number of lectures where Hubbard rants on in ways that are completely unacceptable today. I don't have exact tape names. You undoubtedly know about Hubbard's views about apartheid, politics, South Africa and about homosexuals and blacks. There were some lectures where Hubbard went into great detail on these subjects.

    Hubbard also put on a congress where he tried to create a new political party and drum up candidates for office. It wasn't even popular back then, but that congress "just disappeared", never to be mentioned again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It would be interesting to see DMSMH revised to remove the indefensible bits, like those impossible attributes of a Clear for instance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Paul Adams

    It is interesting to speculate what an honest, scientific version of DMSMH would be like. A careful dissertation of the theory; suggestions for implementation; actual research and case studies; honest admission of what doesn't seem to work and where the theory could use more work; suggestions (and encouragement) for future research and avenues for enhancements. No bogus claims.

    That kind of presentation would make a big difference in what happened after that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I highly recommend Dr. J. A. Winter's "Dianetics: A Doctor's Report" easily obtained, I got mine, on Amazon for cheap. Key highlights of his assessment: a) not everyone is at all suited as a Dianetic therapist, b) NO "clears" were made in the time Winter was aboard and supportive of Hubbard and Dianetics. c) Winter quit before the year of 1950 was up, then wrote this above book.

    His book was the last attempt to take Scientology's/Hubbard's therapy processes seriously enough to do a treatise in depth on the efficacy or scientific value of the therapy processes of Scientology.

    It is a subject now grown into a non peer reviewable serious subject, since anyone would be hard presses to scientifically peer review the Scientology "upper levels" where Scientologists spend years using telepathic therapy commands delivered to the supposed dead alien souls that infest each of us humans.

    Scientology's upper levels are simply not peer reviewable, and in the realm of a esoteric spiritualism. The alien souls exorcism that takes years at the "upper levels" of Scientology, is just in a place that can only be discussed by ex members willing to detail their experiences in that fantasy imaginative world of "body thetans."

    ReplyDelete
  6. So...

    You're saying that Scientology "accidentally" some truth?

    http://whatport80.com/I_accidentally_X

    Oh, and if you've not yet seen them, there are some excellent videos from this weekend's Anti-Cult Symposium in Hamburg - Hana Whitfield and Jessie Prince, amongst others...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just Bill, did you watch last night's broadcast of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 show? In light of Cooper's report, your post is exceptionally timely.

    Honestly, at first I thought your post was a response to CNN's report, until I started reading it. It's the same web of lies less than 24hours ago as 18 years ago.

    Cooper's "didn't you have a phone?" comment was particularly epic.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Re: "Didn't you have a phone?"

    What Anderson probably doesn't know is that no one is allowed to have a cell phone at the base, there is only one land line available to base staff and they can't use that phone unless some security person is listening in.

    So, "didn't you have a phone?" is an extremely good question, and should be pursued.

    The true answer is, "No we're not allowed", but no one would be allowed to say that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've been wondering if they were going to remove all the "boiling baby in Lysol" crazy from Hubbard's "works". They'll take all the unintentionally hilarious parts out!!! No more clams, weepers and boohoos! No more Piltdown man eating his wife! And you'll never, ever hear about Space Station 33 . . . except here:http://vimeo.com/1227000
    The most hilarious part about recording that song and video, is that I didn't have to make Hubbard say anything crazy. I only altered one word, the very last line to say "it isn't fiction and it really isn't science." Besides, you don't have to do anything when he really gets going on a topic. You just can't make him sound any nuttier than he already was. I'll miss Crazy Ron in Li'l Davy's sanitized Scientology. Space was wild!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Holy crap on a cracker people?! After reading these posts, and I know it was almost 2 years ago but still, I feel a little dumber. Are you ppl for or against Scientology?? Honestly, anyone who believes the story that an intergalactic "god" brought alien souls to earth and implanted them into volcanos that would later harvest themselves inside of humans is beyond comprehesion! Honestly People! this idiot Hubbard guy was a SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR!!!! HELLO!!! Hey if you Anonymous Guys ever need an anonymious girl in your ranks give me a call! These people sound like those scifi nerds from "Dude Where's My Car?" That is without a doubt exactly how i picture them with the live long and prosper sign thrown into the air. OH! and P.S. JESUS IS THE ONE AND ONLY FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear excitable "anonymous girl"

    We used to get pro-Scientology people posting here, adding to the debate. They are always welcome but don't seem to come here anymore. I don't understand your confusion. This particular article was about debunking various Scientology lies and all the commenters understand that quite well. What didn't you get?

    ReplyDelete

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