What is Scientology?
Martin Hunt
(Author: Roland Rashleigh-Berry, 1st March 1997. This is my personal
opinion. I grant permission to anyone to reproduce this material. This
description has been tailored to people who have never been
scientologists and seek a simple and short explanation as to what it is
and why it is surrounded by controversy).
In a Nutshell
Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a
religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of
mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control
over their money and their lives. Its aim is to take from them every
penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to
further its wicked ends.
It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L.
Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to
make money. It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted
from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of
regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a
religion in order in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it
"Scientology".
Scientology is a confused concoction of crackpot, dangerously
applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, idiotic and inapplicable rules
and ideas and science-fiction drivel that is presented to its members
(at the "advanced" levels) as profound spiritual truth.
The Harm it Does to a Person
The results of applying their crackpot psychotherapy (called
"auditing") is to weaken the mind. The mind goes from a rational state
to an irrational one as the delusional contents of the subconscious mind
are brought to the surface and are assumed to be valid. It also makes a
person more susceptible to suggestion since it submerges the critical
thinking faculties of the mind into a partial subconscious state. It
results in a permanent light hypnotic trance and so from thenceforth
that person can be more easily controlled. The person will, to a much
greater extent, believe and do whatever they are told. And of course
this is used to the full in persuading them to hand over further money
and dedicating themselves further to the cult.
The results of applying their oversimplified and inapplicable rules
in life is to lose the ability to think rationally and logically. A
person loses the ability to think for themselves and so they lose the
ability to challenge incorrect ideas. This makes them easier to control.
It also isolates and alienates the person from society so that they
withdraw from normal society and into their "Scientology" society. This
further increases their susceptibility to the influence of their group.
They end up being afraid of society, believing all society to be
controlled by a group of drug companies, psychiatrists and financiers
all of whom report to more remote masters. In other words they are in a
state of mass paranoia. They therefore avoid reading newspapers and the
like since they fear it will disturb their safe Scientology world. It is
a downward spiral into madness.
The science fiction content of Scientology is revealed to them
after they have reached the state they call "Clear", meaning freed from
the aberrations of the mind. However, perhaps "brainwashed" would be a
more applicable word to describe the mental state of someone who has
survived the near entire delusional contents of their subconscious mind
brought to the surface and presented to them as "truth". On the
"advanced" levels (called OT levels) above the state of "Clear" they
encounter the story of Xemu (or Xenu). Xemu was supposed to have
gathered up all the overpopulation in this sector of the galaxy, brought
them to Earth and then exterminated them using hydrogen bombs. The souls
of these murdered people are then supposed to infest the body of
everyone. They are called "body thetans". On the advanced levels of
Scientology a person "audits out" these body thetans telepathically by
getting them to re-experience their being exterminated by hydrogen
bombs. So people on these levels assume all their bad thoughts and
faulty memories are due to these body thetans infesting every part of
their body and influencing them mentally. Many Scientologists go raving
mad at this point if they have not done so already.
The "Ethics" Trap
On the surface the Church of Scientology seems reasonable. The
insane content of it is only revealed to a person when the early stuff
has done its work and made them more susceptible. After a short while a
person "believes" that Scientology is doing them good. They are then
persuaded to help their new-found group further by donating money and/or
working for the organisation for almost no money. Many people do exactly
that.
"Ethics" is used to good effect to trap a person. A person’s
natural tendency to do good is worked upon. Yes - they want to be more
ethical, but what is ethical? This is where a clever trick is pulled!
"Ethics" is redefined by Scientology in such a way that to be ethical is
to be a better Scientologist and obey the "church". Young people, not
yet made cynical through the machinations of life and politics, are very
keen to contribute to the world and to be ethical. So the "ethics" trick
works easily into persuading them to join the "church". Many of them
join an elite group called the "Sea Org" where they become brainwashed
slaves. There they work a hundred hour week for almost no pay. There
they are subject to every cruel whim of their masters. It is a living
hell that they endure because of the conditioning they have received and
this now perverted sense of ethics that they have accepted. The "Sea
Org" is the ultimate in brainwashed slavery. They are expected to work
harder and harder to achieve ever higher targets of production. If they
fail to meet their targets there are various penalties. One of them is
to be put onto a diet of beans and rice and to miss sleep. Another is to
be sentenced to a period on the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force). This
is the equivalent to "hard labour". Such is the extent of their
brainwashing that they actually write "success stories" when they
complete their sentences.
Brainwashing Bites Back
There is no doubt at all that L. Ron Hubbard incorporated
brainwashing techniques into Scientology to put people under his
control. He even wrote a "brainwashing manual" which is still in
existence today. However there was a cruel twist in his scheme. He fell
victim of it himself. In creating his devoted slaves, the Sea Org,
he created an audience that believed every word he said. Now L. Ron
Hubbard had an over-active imagination plus delusions of grandeur. The
negative feedback he would obtain by being part of normal society was
replaced by the positive feedback from his devoted followers. Through
this his imagination got the better of him and combined with his
delusions of grandeur, his thinking became increasingly bizarre which,
on acceptance, led on to more bizarre thinking and the idea that he and
Scientology had the job of saving the entire universe He wanted to take
over the world in order to further Scientology’s aims to save the
universe and so branches of Scientology were set up to try to influence
governments and gain positions where they could influence to world to a
high degree. So what started out as a mass confidence trick backed up
with brainwashing became a monstrous and insane organisation with
fantastic, fanatical ideals. Because of this change, the Church of
Scientology survived the death of their founder. It is like a runaway
monster machine that tramples on society and peoples lives that is very
difficult to stop.
Stop the Monster
The whole machinery called the "Church of Scientology" needs to be
jammed somehow so that more people do not get sucked in and the people
already in it have a chance to get out. We must not forget the people
already in this "church". Although they are the ones perpetrating this
crime they are also the victims. They need our help as well.
Are here we come to the "War on the Internet".
The War on the Internet
The "War on the Internet" is the war between the Church of
Scientology and Internet users who copy their documents and post them on
the Internet.
The people who are copying their material and webbing it are using
the huge accessibility of the world-wide web to get information out to
people to warn them of the insanity and danger of this cult. They are
doing it for the public good. The hope is that if they can get this
information out to the public and make it broadly known then people will
be forewarned and will not join the cult. If they can starve the cult of
new members in this way then the whole organisation may collapse and
then the existing members can be helped to return to society. But of
course the people within the cult believe only their own founders
interpretation of things so they use every means they can to stop this.
Usually the method they use is harassment through lengthy and expensive
legal processes. Sometimes it is physical harassment. Sometimes worse!
The people who post and host the copyrighted and confidential works
of Scientology are risking themselves to help warn the public about the
dangers of Scientology. They have a strong sense of public duty and care
for their fellow men. They are breaking copyright laws it is true but
they are acting out of conscience and out of high human ideals. As they
get broken down by legal or physical harassment more rise to take their
place.
I hope this short piece of mine is a befitting and deserving
introduction to these people, the "Warriors of the Internet".
--
Cogito, ergo sum. http://scientologysucks.lron.com
Watch Xenu TV: http://www.xenutv.com
Go to a protest in your area: http://www.xenu.net/picket/
The premier Scientology webpage: www.xenu.net
Mr. Hamra said, "The Church of Scientology now had a database
of information on every subscriber which included names, credit
card info., credit reports, telephone info., computer info.,
who had referred them to Earthlink and who were their previous
ISP providers." Mr. Hamra told me about the "other Earthlink
building" which was next door on New York Avenue in Pasadena.
Mr. Hamra told me that the other building was high security and
is where Earthlink and the Church of Scientology did all the
monitoring of the internet. - DECLARATION OF ROBERT J. CIPRIANO.
Martin Hunt
>what is scientology?
A cult. Scientology's main claim is that we are immortal thetans (souls)
and that our bodies and all matter and space and time are illusions we are
trapped in. Scientology's main promise and goals are to teach one
to be able drop MEST illusions and bec ome a free living thetan again.
Part of the problem is, we have forgotten our past as thetans and have
been repeatedly implanted by evil space dictators and teh like with false
memories implants to confuse us and prevent us specifically remembering
that MEST (matter Energy Space and Time) are only illusions.
Scientology claims to be able to undo such implants.
Also we suffer from engrams (bad memories) from millions of past lives
on the 'whole track', the entire memory of such past lives. These
engrams hinder us and must be 'audited' out so we may regain our thetan
abilities.
Also we are invested with BTs, (body thetans). Body thetans are thetans
so degenerate they can no longe on the own hold a body, so they parasitize
other thetans. We mistyake all oftheir implants and engrams as our own.
Scientology teachs several long, ardous and very expensive courses that
essentially exorcise BTs. At end of which one supposedly regains some
thetan abilities like ESP abilitities, PK abilities and similar things.
One lifetime so far is not enough to become a full thetan again. Hubbard
(who died in 1986) is supposed to reincarnate and further his studies in
Scientology. OTVIIIs will also, having less implants and false memories,
in the next life, join Scientology again to continue the process of
becoming a free living thetan again. It might take as much as a million
years to accomplish this. (Most high ranking OTs are members of the Sea
Org. Their motto is "We come back". Now you know why.)
Hubbard claimed just before he died that he'd take a 20 year break from
Scientology before he came back. He's due in 2006 then.
Scientology does not particularly like everybdoy knowing this, especioally
the exorcising BTs bit. Scientology price lists show it would take about
$350,000.00 to go all the way to OTVIII, the highest level Scientology
offers til Ron comes back.
Most people get around this by joining the Sea Org, pretty much as
indentured servants living in poverty in hopes of getting free
processing towards OTVIII.
Needless to say, this is not what beginning Scientologists are told
are Scientology's real goals. They'll tell you whatever you want to hear,
and will gradually change their tune as the beginning Scientologist is
gradually indoctrinated, if they last.
Part of that indoctrination is tall tales breathlessly spread
in Org rumor networks about amazing OT powers shown by some.
Of course, they can never show any such things openly to critics
or scoffers.
Magician James Randi now has an ofer that will bring $1 million to anybody
who can show any paranormal abilities. Even though this challenge has
been posted here numerous times (by myself for sure) no Scientologist has
even tried to prove any such OT ability exists as the cult seems to
claim.
$1 million dollars would pay for a lot of OT courses.
One main claim that even lower OT grades can supposedly do is 'exteriorize
with full perceptics'. that is the thetan can leave the body and roam the
Universe with all the preceptions we enjoy. OOBE out as the newagers say.
A well known illusion that simply nobody can prove because it is just an
illusion. Scientology can teach you how to have such illusions, which
many mistake for something that proves Scientology is true.
But it never goes any further than that.
Basically, this is what Scientology REALLY is about.
Pope Charles
SubGenius Pope Of Houston
Slack!
Martin Hunt
by
Ken Rose
The other day we were talking to a young man who had
recently become a member of the Church of Scientology. This
fellow's brother had become concerned when the new scientologist
decided to quit his job and devote himself to full time study at
the cult's "Technical Mecca" in Clearwater, Florida. We were
asked to speak to the young man and help all concerned with the
process of making a decision as to whether or not the family's
trust fund should be used to finance the considerable expense
associated with the training the young man was seeking in
scientology.
We spent a couple of hours trying to explain to these two
brothers what had become of us during our many years in
scientology, and then, slowly, the young scientologist began to
ask questions. One which we found compelling was this: was there
nothing within the confines of this extraordinary organization
that justified the loss and suffering we had endured? Was there
not the promised freedom? Was it not somehow true that no matter
what the price one had to pay, it was far short of the power and
glory of the state of OT...of the state of Total Freedom?
At first we thought this was an easy question to answer.
No...in a word. Scientology, in fact, offers no such invaluable
freedom. But as we looked into this young man's eyes, it became
clear that a further answer was needed. What of people's dreams
of freedom? What of the power and glory that is supposed to lie
behind each more confidential gateway to OT as one progresses up
the "Bridge to Total Freedom?"
We told this fellow that he now found himself at a
crossroads in his life. We made it quite clear that scientology
is an all or nothing proposition, that one cannot pick and choose
from it as if it were a spiritual smorgasbord. We informed him
that he had a monumental decision to make. [In order to avoid any
sort of climactic value which this story might otherwise possess,
we'll tell you right now that this young man made the right
choice. He is no longer a member of the Church of Scientology.
Now we can proceed.]
How do we deal with the subject of freedom? Should you or
someone you know and care about find him or herself in a position
of having to decide whether or not to become or remain involved
in scientology, consider the following argument. It concerns the
First Amendment to the Constitution. Since this is an article of
government which is frequently cited by people and institutions
on nearly every side of nearly all issues relating to individual
freedom, it is a statement of principle with which we should all
be familiar.
It states in part:
"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 to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government
for the redress of grievances."
Thomas Jefferson, who possessed more than a passing
familiarity with and passion for such freedom, underscored the
importance of this protection saying, "Our most fundamental
liberties depend upon the freedom of thought and the freedom of
expression; and you cannot limit either one in any way without
destroying both."
In recent years, scientology has attemped to style itself a
champion of the first amendment and of the liberties and freedoms
it promises to us all. But beyond its protestations of alleged
intrustions against it's own freedom to defraud, coerce and
conspire, the cult behaves in a manner which is inimical to
freedom. To support this statement, let us examine the behavior
of scientologists with regard to the subject of the freedom of
speech and belief.
According to scientology policy it is a High Crime and a
Suppressive Act for a scientologist in good standing to remain in
communication with any person who has been declared to be a
"Suppressive Person." What this means, of course, is that a
scientologist's right to freedom of speech is abrogated...at
least it is limited in that one cannot exercise free speech with
respect to declared SP's. Savvy scientologists might argue that
they accept this limitation knowingly and willingly and thereby
retain full freedom of speech. But Jefferson's caveat stands:
one cannot limit this freedom in any way without destroying it.
And, in fact, a scientologist who wishes to exercise full freedom
of speech, risks the consequences that accompany violation of the
above cited HCOPL. One can, of course, be declared a Suppressive
Person oneself for continuing communication to another declared
Suppressive Person.
The point here is simply this: regardless of the arguments
that can be made supporting such a limitation of free speech, it
must be recognized that scientology advocates this significant
abridgement of this freedom for its members. Though they cite
historical, religious precedents for strict codes of conduct,
etc., this fact remains. When it comes to talking to people who
have been declared Suppressive or discussing the faults of the
group, scientologists are simply not free to do so.
To understand the force with which scientology attempts to
impose this limitation of the freedom of speech, one need only
consider the consequences of being declared a Suppressive Person
and expelled from the church. When one is thus declared, one
suddenly finds oneself cut off from everyone with whom one has
lived, loved, worked, and played.
This is precisely what happens (or what is supposed to
happen) to a scientologist who is declared to be suppressive.
This is disconnection. Think about it for a minute. Think of it
in terms of your own life. Imagine that you live in a community
heavily populated by scientologists.
For the sake of argument, let's say that you live in a
community that has wholeheartedly embraces the tenets of
scientology. After all, it's only a matter of time before there
are such scientology communities? Isn't it?
Picture youself living in a world run by scientology. Let's
pretend that scientology has achieved it's goal of world
domination. The Zone Plan has succeeded. The planet has been
"cleared." And while the Sea Org gears up for Target Two (the
expansion of scientology to other worlds), the administration of
Earth continues according to Hubbard's policy.
Remembering that you are an American, a descendant of Thomas
Jefferson, et al, you awaken one morning and decide to test
whether or not your most fundamental freedoms have been in any
way abridged or limited. Perhaps you are suddenly tired of
believing that your are possessed; of auditing entities off your
body and off the bodies of everybody else you know and off the
furniture and the cars as they go by and so on. Maybe you've
decided to change your mind about a few things or you just wake
up angry...for no particular reason other than you're just angry.
You decide to speak out.
You go to the window and, remembering how effective it was
in a movie, you stick your head out and start yelling, "I'm mad
as hell and I'm not going to take it any more."
What happens next?
By noon, you are reading the Knowledge Reports which your
neighbors have written and forwarded to your Ethics File. Of
course they sent carbons to their own files as evidence of their
adherence to standard policy.
By 12:15 you are being interviewed by your Committee of
Evidence. (Remember, this is a scientology world, so everyone is
required to be extremely punctual and efficient.) The Bill of
Particulars is read out by the Committee Secretary. The
witnesses are called and heard. The Committee reviews the
evidence and directs some questions towards you.
Seeking to establish the truth, you honestly report that you
were simply fed up with the BT's and clusters and just wanted to
exercise your first amendment right to tell your friends and
neighbors so.
The committee members nod and half-ack as you talk on for a
few minutes. By 12:30 the Findings and Recommendations are
published along with Ethics Order 12,375,894,995,863...declaring
you to be a Psychotic Person, a Suppressive Person, etc. and
directing all scientologists (which, remember, constitute the
entire population of Teegeeack, or, as it was briefly known in
the late 20th century, Earth) to disconnect from you.
Now it's 12:45. You're hungry. This sort of thing always
makes you hungry. So, you step out into the sunlight and head
off towards the local McDonalds. There, you figure, you can
drown your sorrows in a Big Mac (a Big Ron?), fries, and a
chocolate shake.
However, to your chagrin, your ethics order has been
published electronically all over the world. It has arrived at
the order desk just before you. And the young woman who works
there will not talk to you or take your order. Her senior won't
talk to you either. No one in the place will talk to you. You
head for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
They won't talk to you either. The clerk at the supermarket
does speak, but only says that he won't talk to you. The other
shoppers seem annoyed. They won't talk to you. You wander home
along streets that fall strangely silent as you pass, and when
you finally arrive home, you find that your landlord has thrown
your things into the street, including your parrot. Even he
won't talk to you.
Your mother's voice on the phone is cold and distant. She
tells you, somewhat reluctantly, that she won't talk to you.
Your wife is gone with the kids. Or your husband's gone with the
kids. The next morning, your boss has ordered the company's
Ethic's Officer to inform you that since no one at the office
will talk to you, you can't possibly do your job and so...no job.
Your doctor won't talk to you. You definitely don't feel
well. The District Attorney won't talk to you. Only the
International Justice Chief will talk to you. And all she will
say is that you need to do steps A-E of HCOPL blah de blah.
OK. That's enough. But ask yourself does it really matter
that this tyranny was perpetrated against you by a "church"
rather than an agency of the state? Is there any difference at
all?
How do we reconcile scientology's claims of championing the
First Amendment with its practice of disconnection and of
limiting the right of free speech of its members?
For instance, we were declared to be Suppressive. One day
nobody we had known for many, many years would talk to us. Were
they all simply exercising their individual liberties? Or were
they acting out of fear...the fear of being similarly put in
Coventry and denied this most fundamental freedom?
The world we woke up to this morning is not one which is
dominated by scientology. But it is one in which people have,
indeed, become reluctant to exercise the freedom of speech on the
subject of scientology. Among those who are most reluctant are
former members. For they know the church's actual position on
this freedom. They know that declared SP's do, indeed, become
Fair Game (meaning that they can be lied to, cheated, embarassed,
attacked or even destroyed by other scientologists).
Former members, particularly those who have been declared
Suppessive Persons, know what all this is supposed to purchase:
the silence of those who would be critics of scientology. Some
of us were raised with the notion that "I might not agree with
what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right
to say it."
So, here we find Rev. Heber Jentzsch, President of the
Church of Scientology, International, proclaiming himself and his
"church" to be the real champions of the freedoms of the First
Amendment. And here we find the workaday scientolgists, the
Ethics Officers, the Auditors, the Directors of Processing, The
Technical Secretaries, and scientologists in general, engaging in
what amounts to wholesale destruction of those very rights.
They say it is designed to "keep a safe space" for the
expansion of scientology. And what does scientology do when it
expands into some new area? More of the same.
Will the earth ever enter in a post-"cleared" era like the
one described above? We don't intend to wait and see. But if it
does, you can be assured that you will no longer have the
protection of the First Amendment (or any other amendments or
constitutions for that matter). In its place will stand the
Substance and First Duty of HCO, as diligent scientologists
gather up the copyrights and trademarks of dianetics and
scientology and ensure their safety and security against
infringement on the infinite numbers of worlds that lie beyond
the stars and which, in the days after the earth has been
cleared, will fall, one by one, beneath the boots of Sea Org
members as they make their way back to the stars from whence they
believe they came.
These are the demons of freedom. These are the lads and
lasses who threaten us while we sleep with their dedicated
service to mankind. Make no mistake about it. If you are a
citizen of planet earth, you are represented on the Battle Plan
of scientology. If you are still a wog (i.e. a non-
scientologist), even if you've never even heard of scientology,
it is really only a matter of time before you have your status
clarified. If all goes as scientology has planned, sooner or
later, you will know.
And if you do wake up one fine morning and begin to realize
that no one is talking to you, at least you'll know what's going
on.
You probably just voiced the wrong opinion about the wrong
"defenders of freedom". Right?
Martin Hunt
by Michael Voytinsky (c) 1997
Permission is granted to distribute this document freely as long as it is
not altered except as required for formatting purposes, and this notice is
included with it and no charge is made for distribution of this document.
What is Scientology?
Imagine yourself going to a Catholic confession. Now imagine the same
confession, but with you connected to a lie detector. Imagine now, if you
will, this confession lasting for several hours. Picture the priest taking
notes during the confession and putting them in a file folder. "Your
confession is entirely confidential," he assures you. If this image does
not disturb you yet, add paying $200 for each hour spend in the
confessional. That is the central rite of the Church of Scientology, known
by the harmless sounding term of "auditing".
Scientology is a religion invented by L. Ron Hubbard, formerly a mediocre
science fiction writer, in the 1950s. Scientology presents itself as "an
applied religious philosophy, the study and handling of the spirit in
relationship to itself, the universe and life". Its doctrines involve a
peculiar mix of L. Ron Hubbard's own peculiar theories of psychotherapy,
his own unique (but very superficial) understanding of Buddhism, and a good
dose of bad science fiction, with just a bit of early Christian Gnosticism
thrown in for good measure.
"Dianetics - The Modern Science of Mental Health" is L. Ron Hubbard's first
and best known book in the field of mental health. Written in 1950, it
promises "a state of mental well-being never before achieved by man" - a
state called "Clear". In "Dianetics" Mr. Hubbard attributes all
psychological problems, and most physical ones, to "engrams" - painful
memories that need to be remembered and re-lived in order for us to achieve
this new mental well-being. While this may sound much like a rehash of
then current psychological theories, it certainly sounds harmless enough.
However, L. Ron Hubbard did not stop with "Dianetics". By the time of his
death in 1986, he penned a large number of works expanding his philosophy.
There is, according to L. Ron Hubbard, a state beyond Clear, a state called
"Operating Thetan". Clearing traumatic experience merely of this life is
not enough in order to reach this state - traumatic memories of previous
lifetimes have to be likewise handled. This is enough to get one started
on the bridge to the state of "Operating Thetan" - but not to reach it.
Our traumatic memories, whether in this life or in a previous one, are not
our only problems. We are also infested by spirits of dead space aliens,
called "Body Thetans" whose traumatic memories interfere with our own
spiritual progress, so we have to get rid of them.
In Scientology scripture called "Operating Thetan 3" we find out the
following:
*********
The head of the Galactic Federation (76 planets around larger stars
visible from here) (founded 95,000,000 years ago, very space opera) solved
overpopulation (250 billion or so per planet, 178 billion on average) by
mass implanting. He caused people to be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and
put an H-Bomb on the principal volcanos (Incident II) and then the
Pacific area ones were taken in boxes to Hawaii and the Atlantic area ones
to Las Palmas and there "packaged".
His name was Xenu. He used renegades. Various misleading data by means of
circuits etc. was placed in the implants.
When through with his crime loyal officers (to the people) captured him
after six years of battle and put him in an electronic mountain trap where
he still is. "They" are gone. The place (Confederation) has since been a
desert. The length and brutality of it all was such that this
Confederation never recovered. The implant is calculated to kill (by
pneumonia etc) anyone who attempts to solve it. This liability has been
dispensed with by my tech development.
One can freewheel through the implant and die unless it is approached as
precisely outlined. The "freewheel" (auto-running on and on) lasts too
long, denies sleep etc and one dies. So be careful to do only Incidents I
and II as given and not plow around and fail to complete one thetan at a
time.
In December 1967 1 know someone had to take the plunge. I did and emerged
very knocked out, but alive. Probably the only one ever to do so in
75,000,000 years. I have all the data now, but only that given here is
needful.
One's body is a mass of individual thetans stuck to oneself or to the body.
One has to clean them off by running incident II and Incident I. It is a
long job, requiring care, patience and good auditing.
You are running beings. They respond like any preclear. Some large, some
small.
Thetans believed they were one. This is the primary error.
Good luck.
*******
This may look like bad science fiction, but it is regarded as profound
spiritual truth by those Scientologists who are deemed advanced enough to
received such "truths". Within the Church of Scientology the "Operating
Thetan" teachings are only available to those who are deemed ready for them
- those whose abilities to think clearly have been impaired by Scientology
"training" and who paid the Church large sums of money.
Why would anyone believe this? Indeed, under normal circumstances no one
would. However, new members are not exposed to the "Operating Thetan"
scriptures right away. They are first exposed to the ideas expressed in
"Dianetics" - ideas that seem, at first glance, quite reasonable. They
participate in "auditing" - an idiosyncratic mix of psychotherapy and the
confessional. They do "Training Routines" - which include such profound
exercises as sitting still for protracted periods of time - with any
movement requiring the student to start over. In other words, they
willingly submit to a rather expensive regimen of brainwashing.
As their training progresses, the teachings they are exposed to go more and
more "over the top" - until eventually the individual's ability to think
clearly is impaired to the point that they will mistake bad science fiction
for most profound spiritual revelation.
Over the years the Church of Scientology waged and continues to wage legal
battles to keep the "Operating Thetans" scriptures away from the public,
claiming copyright and trade secret protection. The lawyers for the
Church of Scientology have so far failed to adequately explain how a
supposedly non-profit religious organization might have "trade secrets". It
is worth noting that the Church of Scientology has been involved in more
lawsuits in its 40 years of existence then most other religious would in
centuries.
In other words, Scientology is a fraud dedicated to making money. It
promises mental health - but it can only deliver madness and delusion.
OK, so you told me how bad you think Scientology is. What is the other
side of the story?
You do not have to take my word for it. Ask a Scientologist to read the
above - and ask him or her if its true. If they change the subject, ask
again.
They might tell you that you should try Scientology first-hand before
passing judgement on it. Whether to do so or not is your decision - but
would you buy a similar "try it, you'll like it" line from a heroin dealer?
Read "Dianetics - The Modern Science of Mental Health" by L. Ron Hubbard.
Pay attention to the number of times the author claims that there are
countless studies supporting his claims. Then try to find actual
references to those studies in his book.
I would also highly recommend "Introduction to Scientology Ethics" by L.
Ron Hubbard. For a religious text, it seems unusually concerned with
bringing in money.
Also worth reading would be "History of Man", also by Hubbard, in which you
will find out that humanity evolved from the clams.
You can also call the Scientology Information Centre at 1-800-334-5433 in
US and Canada. Ask for their side of the story.
If you have access to the Internet, the official Church of Scientology web
site is at http://www.scientology.org. (Also worth looking at are some
pages critical of Scientology - try Operation Clambake at
http://home.sol.no/heldal/CoS.)
Aren't a lot of movie stars Scientologists?
Yes. John Travolta, Tom Cruise, a number of others. They are no more
immune to fraud then ordinary citizens.
So Scientologists believe in stupid things. Its a free country, isn't it?
Scientology promises a never-before achieved state of mental well-being.
Instead it delivers, at considerable cost, a haphazard mix of bad science
fiction and bad psychotherapy. Being able to perpetrate fraud is not one
of the freedoms enjoyed in this country.
Martin Hunt
by Hermann Philipps (10002...@compuserve.com)
April 1996
Many unpleasant things are said and written about Scientology, including
an article in this forum (SCWHAT.TXT by Martin G.V. Hunt)
You may wonder how it is possible that such an allegedly evil
organization can attract any large number of adherents, so I think it
may be helpful to give an outline of what Scientology actually teaches
and does. This article does not concern itself with the horrors of
Scientology although these do also exist.
I was an adherent of Scientology for more than seven years and even
worked as a staff member in a private organization licenced to use
Scientology techniques for four years, coering the period from 1975 to
1983. During that time I climbed up the Scientology "grade chart" ladder
to the level of OT III, and also studied extensively all Scientology
materials up to the level of a "Class IV", "Dianetics" and "Happiness
rundown" auditor, so I am actually quite familiar with the teachings and
practices of Scientology as far as the actual "spiritual" aspects of
this phenomenon are concerned. I left Scientology when I finally could
not close my eyes any more to the gap between claims and the harsh
reality inside Scientology organizations. Nevertheless, I feel quite
strongly that I have gained many benefits in personality and abilities
through Scientology practices and teachings.
Here follows an outline of Scientology thinking and practices:
A human being basically consists of three parts: The physical body, the
mind and the spiritual entity called a Thetan. You don't have a thetan,
your ARE a thetan. Being immortal, that unit being aware of its
awareness "has all potentialities, but no mass, no wavelength, no energy
and no time or location in space, except by its own consideration or
postulate". Man is basically good, Scientology claims.
Today, us thetans are almost inextricably stuck to meat bodies and
confined to an insignificant planet. Insanity, war and crime are our
daily companions. How is this, when a thetan is potentially absolutely
free and good?
In ages past, creating universes and things within such universes was
just another game for a thetan. He/she liked to show his/her creations
to other thetans, and by too close identification with their creations
and "helped along" by other thetans, we gradually were reduced to what
we now are. In order to have a game, a thetan must forego some of its
omnipotence and omniscience. If you know everything beforehand, a game
is no fun any more, isn't it?
That much for the very basic principles. Now what can we do today to
help us reclaim our former potential?
Every person has a mind where all events are stored in mental-image
picture form. These mental images contain some mass and energy. Everyday
incidents are not particularly dangerous but there are also times when
you were hurt, damaged or even killed. Apart from pain, such incidents
also contain unconsciousness. Things said by other persons or decided by
the thetan in such incidents are also stored along with the trauma and
can form post-hypnotic commands which will later influence your
behaviour and thinking without you knowing it.
This is likened to a mechanical calculating machine where you can press
a digit, say "7". If you now were to do calculations while the seven is
pressed, all your results would be wrong. For the mind, such wrong
results could be any psychosomatic illness, pain or ill feeling,
attitudes, behaviours, mental concepts. In fact, practically everything,
including accidents, are in some way connected to the mental state of
the sufferer. We all have our "held-down sevens". For this reason, much
in our behaviour and thinking is unknowingly erroneous. In order to
arrive at correct computations you have to "clear the calculator" first.
Everyone coming to Scientology to get the sources of erroneous
attitudes, behaviours and thinking located and handled, is therefore
called a pre-clear person or preclear, in short.
Scientology knows a vast number of processes and procedures to locate
and get rid of such unwanted conditions. Usually there is a person
applying these processes, called the "auditor" (because he listens to
what the preclear says, latin: audire - to listen).
I remember a case when I audited a person who always looked dejected.
After a number of Dianetics sessions (of which later), he found an
incident of a long time ago where he, being ugly, was ridiculed by a
woman whom he loved. In a state of desperation and misery he killed that
woman and himself (obviously this didn't happen in the person's current
lifetime). Suddenly that person looked up at me, and with a surprised
face stated that he had actually felt sad and miserable ever since. A
great joy went over his face and then he laughed his head off. Since
then, his posture was not any more bent down with shoulders hanging
foreward, but straight and firm.
Scientology starts with a "Communications Course". This course teaches
and practices simple but powerful little exercises which are intended to
improve your ability to stand up to life and its problems. You are made
to sit facing another person about three feet apart. You just look at
that person. The objective is to be able to do so without discomfort
(just try this, you will be amazed). This is called "confronting". It
does not include any notion of aggressivenes, it merely means "to be
there and doing nothing else but being there". This ability is increased
by various other exercises, all aiming at improving a persons ability to
deal with life and other people in a saner and more ethical way without
getting into useless emotions.
There are other courses teaching ways of dealing with other areas of
life such as work, family life, education, dealing with oppressive
environments, locating sources of trouble in organizations or your own
life, etc.
Most of these courses also include definite procedures which you can
study and train to apply to yourself or to other Scientologists. As all
of this is about mental matters, a person alone cannot usually handle
his own disabilities. If the person could, he/she would most likely not
have those disabilities in the first place. Therefore a second person is
needed who applies those procedures to you. It goes without saying that
before such auditing sessions begin, there is a clear understanding that
the person undergoing auditing must know what will be going on and has
agreed to it. Otherwise, it wouldn't work.
A Scientologist learns about life and how to handle it better, and
he/she also learns to apply mental and physical procedures and processes
to bring improvement about within himself or to others. This is the
"training side".
There also is the "auditing side". Question-and-answer techniques are
applied to the preclear to locate areas of disability or discomfort and
to get rid of these. An ability to "confront" things in the sense
outlined above, is clearly required as it is mostly not nice stuff that
you will discover in your past.
As a person is considered an immortal being (the thetan) with a body and
personality as temporary means to live on earth, it may not come as a
surprise that most Scientologists could tell you a lot of "past lives"
exerting influence on their current ones. This is, because when you die,
you take your mind with all its traumatic mental-image pictures with
you. In your next incarnation, most of that stuff is initially not yet
restimulated and has no active influence on you. But with the years,
more and more of those traumas come to live and cause a person to loose
the brightness and freshness of young children. Through Scientology
methods, one attempts to destimulate or even wipe out these
"unconscious" incidents (stored in the "reactive mind" as opposed to the
"analytical mind") and restoring them as normal, harmless memories in
your "analytical mind"
Dianetics concerns itself with bodily and emotional psychosomatic harms.
You may have heard of the E-Meter. This is a device for measuring skin
resistance to a tiny electrical current. As has already been found with
so-called "lie detectors" that mental trauma or discomfort shows itself
in a sudden rise of that electrical skin resistance. I have worked with
this E-meter for years and can only state that it actually works
marvellously for this purpose. The preclear holds tin cans which are
connected to the E-meter. A littly current runs from one hand to the
other through the body. The current is so tiny that you won't notice it.
The E-meter has a dial with a needle in it which shows changes in skin
resistance. There is also something called "tone arm". This is a control
which is used to keep the needle in the readable area of the dial.
Using an E-meter, the auditor asks the preclear for pains, emotions,
feelings etc. while at the same time closely watching the needle
reactions accompanying the preclear's statements.
The auditor then up picks the psychosomatic items given by the preclear
in the sequence of needle reaction size.
Say, the preclear has given a "pain in the left elbow" which produced
the larges needle reaction. The auditor would then begin with the basic
Dianetics procedure. He would ask something like: find a time when you
had "pain in the left elbow". The preclear usually remembers quite well
a time when he had this.
Preclear: Yes.
Auditor: Thank you. When was it?
Preclear: Last month.
Auditor: Good. Go to a time "last month". (It can be observed as
a needle reaction when the preclear in his mind has indeed gone to "last
month").
Preclear: yes.
Auditor: Close your eyes. What do you see?
Preclear: Our kitchen. I can see the clock, it is half past seven in the
morning.
Auditor: Good. What is the duration of this incident?
Preclear: Perhaps three hours.
Auditor: Thank you. Go through this incident till "perhaps three hours"
later.
The preclear mentally "re-lives" that incident. The auditor watches his
E-meter writing down the readings.
When the preclear is through with the incident, he/she will usually look
up or say "yes".
The auditor then has the preclear tell what happened in the incident:
"Tell me what happened".
The preclear does so. Depending on E-meter reactions, the auditor will
know if this incident is "erasing" or if there must be an earlier
similar incident. (If the tone arm is rising, there must be something
earlier or more basic as this means that mental trauma is a bit more
restimulated.)
Auditor: Is there an earlier incident when you had "pain in the left
elbow"?
The preclear will usually find one as psychosomatic discomforts usually
have a long history.
Although no preclear is ever told to find incidents in a "past lifetime"
(an earlier reincarnation), even fresh people usually inadvertantly and
much to their own surprise, find pictures coming up which cannot stem
from their current lives. But this is no prerequisite.
The procedure roughly outlined above is followed down until the preclear
suddenly comes up with some sort of "cognition", some realization about
himself and his condition. The tone arm comes down indicating that a lot
of trauma is moving away. The needle starts to "float" which is an idle
and free movement of the needle on the dial while during the session the
needle tends to be tight. Most notable, however, is the big laughter by
the preclear and his generally "good" or "very good indicators" as
Scientology speak calls it.
This would be good time to end the session.
The preclear is then sent to an independent "examiner" who again checks
for the preclears "indicators", needle reaction and tone arm reading.
The examiner notes this down. The auditor places the examiner's report
into the preclear's session file and passes the whole documentation of
this session on to the "case supervisor". The auditor is not allowed to
reconstruct the session after it is concluded. Rather he keeps a
protocol while the session is going on. He may clarify his scribblings
if something he has jotted down, is illegible.
The case supervisor now goes over the session to see if the auditor has
made any mistakes and to give instructions as to what the next session
should contain (the auditor has given his suggestions, though). If the
auditor has displayed any imperfections in his auditing, he is made to
re-study the pertaining materials and to train them until he will not
repeat his mistakes in the future.
At this point it should be pointed out that Scientology procedures are
not open to any laxness. The auditor has to follow exact techniques.
He/she must not include his own personal ideosynchracies in order not to
disturb the preclear's action of exploring his/her own "reactive mind".
In this way, whole chains of mental-image pictures are found and
destimulated or erased. But if a person has some psychosomatic
discomfort, one does not only look for harmful acts "done to him" but
also for similar acts "done by him to others". One major point in
Scientology is the absolute responsibility of a person for
himself/herself. Even more traumatic than incidents where something
happened to you, are incidents where you caused others to suffer from
what you are suffering now. "Locate a time when you caused another to
have "pain in the left elbow" would be the next process run on our
fictitious preclear. There are two more chains to be audited: watching
another causing others to have a "pain in the left elbow", and "causing
yourself 'pain in the left elbow'".
After only a few dozens of hours, the preclear usually will be much
better off than before.
Returning to "past lives", I recall how I saw my first past-life
incident. In my early Scientology days, I did not believe in such
things, so I told my auditor merely what I saw - hastening to add that,
of course, I didn't belief in it. I was processed on a chain of
incidents having to do with throat aches. We had come down in time to my
early stages as an embryo, when, suddenly (or so it appeared to me), my
auditor asked if there was an earlier time. Strangely, although not
believing in past lives, I had the feeling that the answer was 'yes'.
The auditor then asked for when it was, and immediately the figure 1796
flashed up in my mind. The incident took about half an hour, and I had a
clear impression of seeing old houses with ship masts behind them. I
recognized a crowd in front of me, a parson coming up trying to make me
repent, and then I was hanged by the neck. I felt myself floating
upwards, and that was the incident.
This and other incidents plus other Scientology processes had the result
of me getting rid for good of recurring (about every three months) of
very painful throat aches.
Today, I am not so sure about my past lives any more, but they
definitely had a beneficial therapeutical effect!
That much for Dianetics. Dianetics is a section of Scientology.
Scientology proper deals with the spirit or thetan. A vast abundance of
processes and procedures to handle well-defined areas in life is
supposed to remove all sorts of barriers to make a thetan free from
obstacles that hinder him to regain his past potential because
Scientology claims that it is all there still. You remove the crusts of
many lifetimes, and there is your thetan clean and shining. He now is a
clear!
Initially, Dianetics processing was done at a very early stage in a
Scientologist's auditing career. In the mid-70s, Ron Hubbard (founder of
Scientology) found, that many people had actually "gone clear" during
Dianetics auditing. It didn't take the organization long to discover
that this plugged a good source of revenues. I suspect that that was the
reason behind moving Dianetics auditing to a much later stage on the
Scientology "Grade Chart to Total Freedom". Today, preclears have to go
through a rather lengthy stretch of Scientology auditing, quite helpful
in itself but in my experience not nearly as powerful as Dianetics.
Nowadays, Scientologists don't get "clear" that cheaply and easily any
more.
To be a 'Clear' means that your own mind is free from irrational
impulses. You are no longer subconsciously influenced by any traumatic
experience from the past. However, even people declared 'Clear' showed
flaws in their characters and bodies which were hard to explain in view
of their state of 'Clear'. In the early sixties, Hubbard discovered the
reason why. In his major book "Dianetics - The Modern Science of Mental
Health" (1950) he explains that parts of your mind can form encysted
areas caused by heavy traumatic experiences - encapsulating life force
which is no longer accessible and usable by you and which can appear as
individual minds with their own personalities. In a somewhat later book,
"History of Man" (early 50s), Hubbard suggests that these encysted areas
might actually be true individual people or "thetans" sticking to your
body, but at that time he was not quite sure.
The OT III materials tell us that you are actually not just one person
but that thousands and millions of other thetans are glued to you
influencing you in many undesirable ways. A Clear, therefore, may still
have many psychosomatic disorders of body, character, emotions etc.
although his very own mind has been cleared. But there are, of course
the minds of the very many "body thetans" - the other thetans which form
the whole of your composite personality. These must be dealt with as
well.
This is done in OT III. How is it that so many thetans are attached to
us? Well, this is a grim story which in many Scientology pamphlets is
hinted at as a vast catastrophy which happened some 75 million years ago
in our sector of the galaxy. What this catastrophy was, is carefully
withheld as unprepared people might die from learning about it if this
incident be restimulated in a person without it being handled.
The story goes something like this: There existed an interstellar
civilisation consisting of a number of inhabited planets each of which
having a population of some 200 billion. An evil being with the name of
Xenu usurped power and decided to solve the problem of overpopulation.
He grabbed billions and billions of people, extracted the thetans, and
by some high-tech electronic means confined them within ice cubes. These
were transported to a planet called Teegeeack, our Earth. There, the
thetans where placed around volcanoes. Then H-bombs were exploded in
those volcanoes, and the thetans being torn upwards by the explosion
where caught by electronic beams and fused together. Then they were
exposed to many days of painful implantation with mental concepts and
hypnotic commands which these thetans would unconsciously adhere to and
follow in later incarnations. To cause minor discomfort in people, such
an exploding volcano is shown on the title page of the Dianetics book.
Other books carry images which allegedly were part of that traumatic
implantation process. The intention is said to be making people feel
uncomfortable enough to rush into Scientology centres to find relief.
Xenu was later hunted down by "loyal officers" and captured within a
magnetic box where, hopefully, he is still confined to this day in his
bodiless thetan form. These loyal officers now populate the Sea
Organization ("We come back" is their motto) trying hard to eliminate
the desastrous after-effects of Xenu's crime.
In OT III, one deals with those body thetans by locating them using the
E-meter. If you have difficulties with your, say, right eye, although
being a Clear, it may well be that a body thetan or even a whole cluster
of body thetans is sitting there with a post-hypnoting command of "I
cannot see well" in action. Once found, it is established if it is a
cluster of a single body thetan. This determines the procedure to be
followed next. The objective is to give those body thetans an awareness
that they are thetans who could very well lead their own lifes and not
to be stuck to somebody else. They will then fly off trying to find some
fresh body of their own (delivery rooms in hospitals being favourite
places for this). In the case of a cluster, one does this, for example,
by running an even earlier ghastly incident which contains blinding
light, a steady beat, fanfares being blown and an angel-type being
riding to and fro in a carriage.
You may laugh at all this. I had many astonishing experiences while
doing OT III and felt great relief as a result of these procedures. One
definite outcome was a major improvement in self-confidence which was
only to be expected considering that a lot of life force is freed and
made available to a person by getting rid of so many thetan parasites,
according to Scientology lore.
Even today, not being an adherent of Scientology since 1983, I feel that
Scientology has done me much good. I have spent a lot of money there
(about 60.000 dollars from 1975 to 1982) but the benefits were certainly
worth it. From my own experience I can clearly state that most of
Scientology does indeed work and could be of much benefit to most
people.
Unfortunately, Scientology organizations are more or less what Mr. Hunt
has outlined in his article given above. If a group of people can
monopolized something really powerful, they will easily be corrupted by
the lure of money and influence. L. Ron Hubbard himself had some
skeletons hidden away in his many cupboards.
Today, I also think that some of the basic tenets of Scientology: the
concept of a thetan, in particular, and the notion that unpleasant
incidents are something to get rid of in order to live better in this
world, are principally wrong. But that clearly is a matter of belief.
I hope to have given a good idea of what people actually do in
Scientology and why it is attractive despite the organization's
questionably methods.
Martin Hunt
the following is a summary of scientology i have written.
i have aimed the summary primarily at the kind of person who
comes onto IRC and asks "what is this scientology thing, anyway?"
i have written it to give the most concise, yet reasonably
informative, account of scientology i can. i am generally
satisfied with it, even though it has gotten longer than i
would have preferred, and even though i think it maybe drags
a bit in the "Controversy" section.
i have placed it on my web page, at www.netcom.com/~seekon
(go to Summary). I think it reads better there than here,
and encourage people check it out anyway.
i'm posting it so that people will correct any factual errors i've
made, or make whatever comments they have. writing the summary
was an interesting exercise - i found i didn't really know the
specifics of things that i needed to, or should have. and i spent
a lot more time organizing and thinking about what needed to be
said than i thought i would. i recommend the exercise to others.
i'd prefer if people posted comments here on a.r.s, where
everybody can see them, and maybe comment further. i won't
turn down email, however. this is, after all, the lazy person's
way of research.
***** A NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT *****
Scientology was created in 1952 by L. Ron Hubbard, a "penny-a-word" science
fiction writer, allegedly because "the way to make some real money is to
start a religion". He was successful at least in this part of his endeavors.
***** I LOVE RON *****
L. Ron Hubbard alone wrote or dictated the materials constituting the
"scriptures" of Scientology. He was extraordinarily prolific in this regard,
producing several hundred taped lectures, and a hundred or so books, and
numerous bulletins, orders, and other papers. Scientologists think of this
material and Hubbard as "Source" - the fount of a fantastic understanding of
life, on which they depend exclusively in all aspects of their lives. To
question Hubbard is a literal heresy. One cannot do so for any extended time
and remain a Scientologist in good standing.
Scientology does not formally claim to adore Hubbard, but in practice he is
idolized as the savior. No org is without a large, prominent picture of him,
nor an office reserved for his return. If you ask a Scientologist if Hubbard
was perfect, the Scientologist will answer "no". But if you ask what was
wrong with Hubbard, he or she will have no answer.
L. Ron Hubbard died in seclusion in 1986. His body was cremated and his
ashes spread in the Pacific Ocean.
***** EXORCISE YOUR SPACE ALIENS, BECOME A GOD *****
Scientology has three major levels of belief. The final level is secret, to
be revealed only after sufficient "preparation".
The first level of belief is essentially a pop psychology, as described in
the book Dianetics-The Modern Science of Mental Health. Dianetics asserts
that the mind has two major components (the unconscious reactive mind and
the rational mind), and that all mental and physical ailments are the result
of the reactive mind retaining and reacting on bad memories, called engrams.
Dianetics claims that the cure to all these ailments is to rid the reactive
mind of the engrams by a process called auditing, thereby enabling the
rational mind (which is perfect) to take control. The auditing process is
reminiscent of Freudian psychoanalysis, and requires the practitioner to
think back and locate these memories, whereupon their effect is eliminated.
The second level of belief is what most practicing Scientologists know. It
ascribes the reactive and rational minds to a spiritual entity called the
thetan, that is immortal and reincarnates through many lives. The auditing
process introduces the use of a simple galvanometer, called the e-meter, to
(supposedly) assist the identification of engrams, and extends the location
of engrams not just to past this-life experiences, but to experiences in
previous lives as well. This process is supposed to produce a "clear", a
person with perfect memory and health, clairvoyant, and of immense
intelligence.
The final (secret) level of belief asserts that in fact people are composed
of clusters of thetans that are the spirits of dead space aliens, who were
brought to earth 75 million years ago by an evil intergalactic tyrant named
Xenu, and who were killed with hydrogen bombs in volcanos by him. These
spirits were captured afterwards by Xenu on electronic ribbons, and were
given implants (a form of engram) that kept them from remembering any of
this. Since each of these thetans has a reactive mind, auditing must be
performed on all of the millions or billions of these to get them to "blow"
(be exorcised), at which point the primary (or operating) thetan controlling
the body will realize his godhead, with power over matter, energy, space,
and time (MEST), including the power to create galaxies and life.
***** COMPATIBLE WITH OTHER RELIGIONS *****
Scientology has a distinct theological basis that is at variance with nearly
all other religions on one point or another, so it cannot be said that it is
compatible with other religions. For example, the belief of reincarnation is
not compatible with conventional Judaic, Christian, or Islam theology. And
the tenet that there is no single god, or alternately that each person is a
god who can recover his powers, is heretical in all of these religions.
In its highest level, Scientology claims that Jesus Christ did not exist,
and that religions are simply implants designed to control the thetan.
***** YOU HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS *****
People may be brought into scientology because they are convinced by
enthusiastic family, friends, or acquaintances already in Scientology to try
it; or because they become convinced that scientology can help them with
some aspect of their life.
The Personality Test is probably the most famous Scientology sales tool. The
"mark" is offered the test as a way to scientifically and unambiguously
identify the source of their difficulties. Not surprisingly, the test almost
always identifies one or another character flaw that Scientology can cure.
As used by Scientology, it can be quite seductive. Scientology also
proclaims itself the only way to make the world a better place, and plays on
those hungers of most people with some effect.
Scientology also draws people in through various front companies. Sterling
Management, for example, is a consulting company whose answer to improving
performance includes Scientology training. Narconon is a drug-treatment
program whose answer to drug abuse is a Scientology purification routine and
training. Applied Scholastics puts forward Scientology "word-clearing",
communications courses, and other Scientology training as the answer to
educational difficulties.
People will typically enter Scientology as "publics". Publics are people who
pay for their courses. Courses are provided only after the payment of large,
fixed fees for them, although the fees are called donations. Publics without
large cash reserves may take out loans to pay for the courses, or max out
their credit cards. Scientology's rapacity for money is one of primary areas
of controversy about Scientology.
People without money to pay for courses may become "staff". Staff members
perform administrative work, and may receive training to become auditors. In
return, they are promised free coursework and auditing Staff members work
very long hours for typically very little pay, and additionally find they do
not receive the coursework they believe they were promised.
Especially zealous Scientologists may join the Sea Organization, the elite
corps of Scientology, and the source of a large amount of the controversy
surrounding Scientology.
Scientology claims to have 8 million followers, but these claims are simply
not credible. Best estimates of the number of practicing Scientologists
indicate that there are between 50,000 and 100,000 worldwide, with the
majority of these in southern California. There are several hundred
Dianetics Centers and Scientology "orgs" world-wide, but the number of
scientologists at many of these is quite small.
***** A COURSE TO HELP YOU *****
The primary practice of Scientology is taking courses.
Courses generally consist of blocks of time for the review of various of the
Scientology materials related to the belief level of the scientologist, and
for auditing to realize the effects of the courses. Early courses are called
training routines, and provide effects that convince the scientologist of
the reality of the teachings; and (in the Communications course) provide him
an intellectual context increasingly at variance with the outside world. The
early courses stress that all failures to make sense of the teachings are
the result of misunderstood words, and scientologists spend much time
looking up words in the Scientology dictionary, until the material makes
sense. Scientologists may also "mock up" their engrams with clay models.
For auditing, the scientologist (auditee) grasps the two electrodes (which
look much like soup cans) of the e-meter in his hands, while a fellow
scientologist (auditor) makes various statements to the auditee and observes
the reaction of the e-meter to the statements. The statements made will
often be from a specific list, called a "rundown". The auditor will note the
reactions on a worksheet. Following an auditing session, the worksheet is
given to a "Case Supervisor" for review, to insure that the required results
are obtained. In theory, the auditor is not supposed to evaluate the
auditee's responses; but it has been observed by some that the auditor in
fact guides the auditee to realize the desired response.
Auditing creates in some a euphoria that can be addictive, perhaps similar
in nature to a gambling addiction, and "auditing junkies" have been
described.
The worksheets go into a "case folder" which Scientology claims to be
confidential and privileged, as they reveal the innermost thoughts and most
private activities of the scientologist. However, Scientology has on
numerous occasions used the contents of the case folders to attempt to
coerce scientologists, particularly departed ones.
Most serious scientologists will take the "Purification Rundown" one or more
times, purportedly to flush out any effects of drugs or radiation from their
bodies. The Purification Rundown entails a several-day regimen of drinking a
potent vitamin mixture, and entering a quite warm spa for several hours. The
vitamin mixture includes sufficient niacin to create a flush, making the
participant feel "it's working", but also with the potential of causing
liver damage. The temperature of the spa and time spent in it may also be
dangerous for people in a weakened state, and collapses have been associated
with the rundown. Michael Jackson's collapse and hospitalization in 1996 are
rumored to have occured while he was participating in the rundown.
***** GOOD BYE, SCIENTOLOGY *****
The turnover of public and staff in Scientology is quite high. Most people
who enter Scientology will leave after a few years, either because they
can't afford it, or because they realize that Scientology will not and
cannot deliver the benefits promised, or because they become disaffected by
the organization's "ethics". Some people will develop psychological
problems, including depression, a nearly paranoid anxiety that they are
abandoning the only way to "total freedom", a pervasive fear that
Scientology will never let them alone, and psychoses stimulated by the need
to fully integrate (i.e., truly believe) the space-opera Xenu cosmology into
their cognitive framework.
Some are forced out of Scientology through a trial-like process resulting in
their being "declared". People may be declared for nearly any reason,
although the primary ones involve embarassing Scientology in some way, or
creating the potential of unrest by questioning it. Each Scientology
organization keeps a list of all declared Scientologists, so that it can bar
them from the premises, and deny them all services.
Some who leave or are forced out of Scientology still fervently believe in
the Scientology "tech". These people can enter the Free Zone, a loose
community of people who use different variants of the auditing practices of
scientology.
People do not retire from Scientology. Scientology believes in the Concept
of Exchange, that value is obtained only for value given. Scientology does
not believe in charity. Staff who cannot meet the demands made of them are
said to be "down-stat", and are routed out of the organization.
The incidence of suicide in Scientology is thought to be higher than in
society as a whole, even though Scientology attempts to identify and reject
people with a history of mental illness. An important number of suicides
seem to involve money, either despair at not having enough to take the next
course on "the bridge to total freedom", or from the realization that one
has squandered one's life savings on what is now seen as a scam or a
fantasy.
***** SCIENTOLOGY, INC'S CORPORATE STRUCTURE *****
Scientology is comprised of a bewildering number of interlocking
corporations and front organizations. Many of them appear on the surface to
have no relationship to Scientology. Almost all of them are operated as a
revenue-generating enterprises.
The local "churches", "orgs", and missions, where members take coursework
and auditing, and purchase Scientology and Dianetics materials, constitutes
the first level of the organization. Typically these are franchises to a
higher level "church" corporation. A considerable portion of the fees taken
in from scientologists is forwarded in the form of royalties to the
Religious Technology Center (RTC) and Bridge Publications, who control the
licenses to the copyrights and trademarks of Scientology. Fees are also paid
in the form of commissions to the Field Service Member (FSM) who recruited
the scientologist that takes a course.
Not all orgs have the staffing to provide all courses, and will have to send
members "up-lines" to other orgs to take those courses. In return, they are
paid commissions on the courses taken at the up-line org.
There are two primary locations where auditor and other staff training is
conducted, and where all courses can be taken. One of these, called "Flag",
is in Clearwater (Florida), and the other is at the Cedars Complex in Los
Angeles.
Scientology operates a Panama-registered ship named the Freewinds. All
courses relating to the highest level of belief (called the Advanced
Technology) are currently conducted at sea, aboard the Freewinds (this was
not always the case).
Scientology also maintains a number of Celebrity Centers that cater to
celebrity performers. Scientology works hard at recruiting celebrities and
putting a good face on for them, and considers endorsement of Scientology
from celebrities to be a particularly effective recruiting mechanism.
An organization that is not revenue-generating is the Office of Special
Affairs (OSA). OSA has responsibility for the public face of Scientology,
and releases information to the press and elsewhere in this role. OSA is
also the intelligence arm of Scientology, and collects information, conducts
investigations, performs "dirty tricks", and generates unfavorable
propaganda about its opponents.
There is no clearly definable head organization. The Religious Technology
Center, mentioned earlier, appears to have the most power and control. The
chairman of the board of RTC, David Miscavige, is the current "ecclesiastic"
head of Scientology. It should be noted that a corporation named The Church
of Spiritual Technology actually owns the copyrights and trademarks, and
licenses these to RTC and Bridge Publications for further dissemination.
Some of the front organizations, like Applied Scholastics, Narconon, and
Sterling Management, have been previously mentioned. Many of these
organizations are members of, and pay fees to the Worldwide Institute of
Scientology Enterprises (WISE). Approximately 100 other organizations are
also members of WISE. The front organizations, like the orgs, pay royalties
to RTC and Bridge Publications for the use of Scientology copyrights and
trademarks.
The Citizen's Commission on Human Rights, or CCHR, is not a
revenue-generating activity. Scientology loathes anything associated with
the psychiatric profession, and has the goal of destroying it by the year
2000. CCHR as it's instrument for accomplishing that puts out propaganda,
and conducts other activities attempting to discredit psychoactive drugs (in
particular). It has been noted that CCHR has no constructive approach to
servicing the health needs of the seriously mentally ill in the place of
psychiatry.
Counting all activities, including the front organizations, Scientology is
estimated to generate revenues in the neighborhood of $100 million per year.
This is down from the 70's and 80's, when the annual revenues may have been
several times as large.
***** NOT A "TURN THE OTHER CHEEK" RELIGION
Scientology has been embroiled in ongoing controversy since it's inception.
The controversy concerns the activities and actions of Scientology far more
than the ideology. This summary addresses only a few of the many egregious
activities of Scientology. The reader may refer to other sources, such as A
Critic's Page to find hundreds more.
*** Scientology Has Attitude ***
L. Ron Hubbard wrote extensively on the conduct of Scientolgy activities and
it's handling of people and affairs. Scientology in following this doctrine
religiously (forgive the pun) creates a world and a government essentially
separated from, and often in conflict with the institutions the majority of
the world live by. The Scientology world is characterized by a preoccupation
with the public image of Scientology, a reckless commitment to do things the
way Hubbard said to do them without regard to the rest of society, and a
willingness to take extreme measures to crush any opposition to the goals of
Scientology. Scientology claims the right to do these because of religious
freedom.
The lengths to which Scientology is willing to go are perhaps best
exemplified by Operation Snow White, in which scientologists infiltrated
U.S. and Canadian government offices and removed materials critical of
scientology, and performed other espionage. Eleven of the most senior
scientology officers were sent to prison for these crimes.
Scientology is also noted for suing for defamation the authors and
publishers of materials even remotely critical of Scientology. That they
have won almost none of these suits, and have had costly countersuit and
sanctions awards against them does not deter them, possibly because they
perceive lawsuits as a means to "harass, and if possible destroy" their
opponents, and possibly because they have achieved the effect of
intimidation in many cases. Scientology is estimated to spend upwards of 30
million dollars annually on lawsuits.
Scientology conducts various campaigns against opponents, especially
departed senior members, including threats and instances of physical harm,
using "noisy investigations" (e.g. asking neighbors if they knew the
opponent was a child molester, knowing he is not) to ruin their reputations,
and broadcasting the most scandalous and generally untrue materials
(possibly gleaned from the case folders) about them. Scientology justifies
these activities by claiming that "anyone who criticizes Scientology is a
criminal", and that one need only look to discover their crimes. Scientology
frequently uses private investigors (PIs) to conduct these operations for
them.
Paulette Cooper, who wrote The Scandal of Scientology, provides an example
of the campaigns of Scientology against individuals. Scientology stole
stationary from her office, and used it to frame her for a bomb threat
against an Arab consulate. She was finally cleared of the charges by
information recovered in an FBI raid on Scientology offices, which also
provided the information about Operation Snow White.
Scientologists themselves are not immune to Scientology hubris. One policy,
called the "Introspection Rundown", calls for members who are critical of
scientology, or who are showing signs of mental breakdown, to be locked up
without communications with anyone until they admit their errors and absolve
Scientology of any responsibility. Scientology apparently did this to Lisa
McPherson, and then forgot about her. She died in Clearwater from
dehydration. The medical examiner noted that she had been without food or
water for at least 10 days, and had been unconscious for the final 2-3 days.
At the end, she was driven 25 miles, past five other major hospitals, to the
Scientologist doctor who provided the death certificate. Scientology insists
that she was alert on the previous day, and was killed by a staph infection.
Scientology is also suing the medical examiner's office, and conducting a
public relations campaign against the Clearwater police department.
*** Fraudulent Medical Claims ***
From the beginning, Dianetics and Scientology have advertised themselves as
the means to cure physical diseases and disabilities, and Scientology widely
trumpets medical cures in the form of testimonials. People claim to have
been cured of cancers, of diabetes, and of HIV/AIDS as a resulting of
auditing. They also claim to have improved their eyesight, and to have
increased their breast size. The danger of this is that scientologists are
not infrequently advised to use auditing or take the purification rundown as
a cure for what ails them, with the possibility that serious medical
conditions are ignored or even aggravated.
Also, the FDA forbids the use of the e-meter in medical situations, and
requires a notice be attached to e-meters indicating that they can be used
only for spiritual counseling. Scientology has done nothing to reconcile
it's "scriptures" to those requirements. Nor is it likely to - Hubbard was
Source, and when he died, so did the possibility of change in Scientology
practices.
*** It's the Money ***
Money is at the center of a lot of controversy over Scientology. No one
really knows how much there is, where it goes, or how it is used. It is
known that Scientology is quite predatory when money is involved. Registrars
are taught techniques for getting as much money as possible, as early as
possible, from publics. The techniques taught for getting money include
getting it from family and relatives, max'ing credit cards, draining open
accounts, and getting loans, sometimes fraudulently. Members are encouraged
to sign up for large blocks of courses in advance, and are promised
repayment if they do not take the courses. However, actually refunding money
is also a high crime in Scientology, and the person responsible for a refund
will likely be punished. A few people, like Ted Mayett, have gotten refunds
by embarassing Scientology publicly, however in Ted's case at least, the
money wasn't technically refunded. It was repaid from a special collection
at the Las Vegas org.
Departing staff members are frequently handed a "Freeloaders Bill",
demanding payment for the courses and training they received (as promised)
for free in return for their work. While the validity of such claims have
never been upheld in court, many people, who are already in a state of fear
and agitation about their departing, will make arrangements to perform
repayment.
Where the money goes is also controversial. When Hubbard was alive, he was
reported to have smuggled large amounts of cash overseas, and to have
deposited as much as a 500 million dollars in Swiss Bank accounts.
The question of where the money goes is particularly relevant to
Scientology's relationship with the IRS. Until 1993, the IRS had denied
Scientology tax-exempt status as a charitable organization because it could
not track the money transfers among the bewildering variety of
organizations, and because there was evidence that the money was being used
for the inurement of individuals, contrary to the provisions of the law. In
addition to widespread litigation against the IRS that taxed even the IRS'
resources, Scientology undertook investigations and inquiries into the lives
of IRS employees, and engaged in public relations campaigns against the IRS.
Finally the IRS convened a committee that directed Scientology be given the
exemption without performing the legally required reviews, and issued the
exemption with a secret document that is also contrary to applicable law.
Interestingly, the law governing charitable organizations essentially
forbids renumeration by commission, which even the most cursory examination
would have discovered was occurring.
It is known that as much as 30% of Scientology revenues go to legal
expenses. Scientology is also constructing large underground vaults at
several locations, capable of withstanding direct nuclear blasts; and are
placing Hubbard's writings, etched onto platinum sheets for preservation, in
them.
*** Lies and Delusion ***
Hubbard wrote that "the only way to control a person is to lie to them."
Such doctrine, and its egotistical flip side "What's true is what's true for
you," perhaps explain the incredible distortion of reality that pervades
Scientology.
It starts with Hubbard himself. Scientology presents Hubbard as a naval war
hero, a nuclear scientist, a world explorer, and a great humanitarian. In
fact, Hubbard was a malingerer, was considered unfit to be a Naval officer,
and was never in a military engagement. He flunked out of college, although
he bought a PhD from a diploma mill. He was a bigamist, an occultist who
participated in masturbation ceremonies to evoke the whore of Babylon, a
substance abuser, and probably an alcoholic. His exploration expeditions
were disastrous failures. Almost nothing claimed by Scientology about
Hubbard is borne out by the facts.
Shy David www.xenu.net
http://holysmoke.org/redux.sht
Thank you Roland.
---
2 days left then I'm OUT OF HERE!
"You aren't clear - you're transparent." -- Tommy