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The scientology church in Holland
was, other than Belgium and Germany, never bothered. But now ex-members file
complaints with the police for extortion and blackmail. “Scientology is one big
money machine.”
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Geurts not only pressed charges for extortion, he also pressed charges for
swindle.
Geurts: “The church sold me materials, known within the church as
original materials. That is very important to study scientology. I found out
these materials were altered. I spent tons for these materials. I want my money
back. As far as I am concerned, this is swindle.”
It’s warm on the 5th floor of the
scientology curch in Amsterdam. Fach Rozemond puts two cans in my hands. “No,
like this. You have to keep your fingers around the cans”. Rozemond sits on the
other side of the table. Between us is a flesh colored Hubbard Qantum Meter, one
of the most crucial items from the toolbox of the scientology church. “With this
we can locate the charges of a pre-clear”, explains Rozemond. “Such charge
distorts harmony. It can be caused by the grief someone feels, for instance a
loss.” The pre-clear, me, is a person that is not yet clear, a person suffering
from all kinds of things from the past.
“Think about people around you”,
Rozemond asks. While I picture my family, like a good family man, we watch the
needle of the meter standing motionless. Nothing happens. “There! What was
that!?” Rozemond shouts, as I want to put down the cans. “What were you thinking
about?” The needle all of a sudden moved. “Eh, I think I didn’t think of
anything”, I mumble. “Hmmm… the meter measures all sorts of pain, mental and
physic”, Rozemond says. She doesn’t seem impressed from what I say. Julia
Rijnvis, head of external affairs of scientology Netherlands, saves the
situation. “Come, we go downstairs”, she says. “O, one more thing”, Mrs.
Rozemond says, “the meter only works when both sides are open for it.”
Complete brainwash.
Welcome to scientology, a religion leading you to a higher spiritual
level through the bridge of total freedom according to one, a dangerous cult
only greedy for your money and which should be prosecuted according to others.
The latter includes Willem Geurts. “I left the scientology church after being in
for ten years, 150,000 euro’s in dept (220,500 dollars. Navy).” Geurts lost
everything he had: friends, his job, his home. He spent a total of 300,000
euro’s on scientology (441,000 dollars. Navy). He knows of people who have spent
lots of money and are now tons in debt. “Almost every scientologist is in debt.
Only during the last fifteen years it happened to at least 500 people.”
The
decision of the Belgian government to sue scientology was for Geurts the final
reason to go to the police and press charges. “I pressed charges on extortion,
swindle and practicing not allowed pressure. Because these are the ways
scientology gets its money.” Geurts told the police of his experiences with the
extortions , like the infamous donations. Geurts: : It is expected you donate to
the church. This is how it goes: about 50 people gather at some place, a
speakers stand in front of them and says ‘we need 200,000 euro’s for a media
campaign. Or to obtain some real estate, it doesn’t matter what. Nobody is
allowed to leave before the money is donated. If needed the whole group stays
all night. Anyone trying to leave is pushed back in, being told he or she is
behaving anti-social. It happened to me.There is tremendous social pressure to
make you pay.
Sometimes more then one person talk to you at the same time, it is
complete brainwashing. They continue until you get psychotic and begin making
mistakes. When you promised to donate, you have to confirm it in writing. When
necessary, five people surround you. On the paper you sign it reads that you
voluntarily donated and there is nothing you can do about it. Subsequently they
escort you to the bank. When the money isn’t transferred on time, members of
scientology come to visit you, or phone you, harass you at your job.”
Afraid of law suits
Geurts not only pressed charges for extortion, he also pressed charges
for swindle. Geurts: “The church sold me materials, known within the church as
original materials. That is very important to study scientology. I found out
these materials were altered. I spent tons for these materials. I want my money
back. As far as I am concerned, this is swindle.” A small part of his money
Geurts got refunded. After he left scientology, Geurts decided to found an
organization to demand as much money back as possible: Scientologypayback.org.
Geurts: “I managed to get refunds in the amount of 500,000 euro’s, of which
26,000 euro’s for myself. I asked an incasso office for advise.”
Geurts
wants other ex-members also to press charges. It wont be easy, because many
ex-members are afraid of law suits. “The church always goes to court for long
lasting court cases.
Most people can not afford that.”
Geurts: “Scientology
is one big money machine. The first book I ever bought I payed 300 guilders for
(200 dollars. Navy). The following books only were more expensive. Prices of
courses you buy also increase very fast. They cost you thousands of euro’s, up
to 50,000 for courses that last one year (73,500 dollars. Navy). Then you have
audits. They run from 1000 up to 2000 euro’s an hour (1470 up to 2940 dollars).
Someone wanting to reach clear needs 250 hours of auditing. Costs run into
tons.” He doesn’t understand scientology is let free to do what it likes to.
“Judicial authorities should invade them. They should confiscate the archives
the church keeps of its members. They yse it to blackmail tehir members. When
the authorities would talk with ex-members, the end of scientology would be very
near.”
Anonymous phone calls
A person very familiar with the methods of organizations like
scientology is exit-counselor Sjoukje Drenth-Bruintjes. The past years she
assisted dozens of people who got into trouble because of scientology. Victims
contacting her have very similar problems, Drenth-Bruintjes says. “They
experienced threats, anonymous phone calls. People get unexpected visitors to
their door. Clients are chased on the highway. But what worries me the most:
people seem to suffer from identity uncertainties, like what one sees with
victims of psycho-tricks.”
People contacting Drenth-Bruintjes sometimes have
lost everything. Drenth: ”Often their social environment falls away, their
friends, family, job, because these are considered hostile.” What happens many
times is that complete families join scientology. “Children included. When one
wants to leave, chances are this person is disconnected.” One client told
Drenth-Bruintjes he paid 20'000 euro’s (29'400 dollars. Navy) for a week course.
“This person lost his home.” 20,000 euro’s for a course of a week, more or less
paid under severe social pressure, isn’t that criminal? Drenth-Bruintjes: “Very
often there is much more money involved in the courses than the client
possesses. Leading to financial problems. I am not a lawyer, but I believe this
is not considered criminal by Dutch law. Point is that Dutch law assumes these
choices are made voluntarily. Not considering these people are subjected to
destructive control techniques.”
Previous life in the mid ages.
Apart
from Geurts and Drenth-Bruintjes, Peter Steenkamp confirms that several
ex-members of scientology are in sky high dept because of the massive social
pressure. Steenkamp is active in Ron’s Org, a group of people that consider
themselves as liberal scientologists. Steenkamp: “I know ex-members who are in
dept for tons. These people are declared bankrupt.”
Steenkamp confirms a so
called audit costs up to 1000 euro’s (1470 dollars. Navy). Although Steenkamp is
very critical to scientology as an organization, he believes in the methods.
Steenkamp: "Scientology helped me to overcome my depressions. I found out I
suffered depressions at the age of 3. I then went back to my past lifes and
discovered the source of my depressions lie in a past life in the mid ages. From
then on my depressions were gone.” Peter Steenkamp leads audit sessions with
friends and acquaintances, where he goes back in sessions to events in the past.
By now Steenkamp could help about thirty people.
Not only the high prices,
also the censorship by the scientology church annoys Steenkamp. “The church has
an ethics officer. Doing things you are not supposed to do, you are sent to him.
It happened to me. I read information on the internet, which wasn’t allowed per
the ethics officer. I then said: “I was in university, I decide for myself what
to read and what not. I was then told to leave.”
Julia Rijnvis of the
scientology church confirms that certain parts of Hubbard’s teachings are
confidential. Rijnvis: “Material of the higher levels on the bridge to total
freedom are only for advanced members. It is the same with chemistry: you cannot
let people use the knowledge of 6th grade in 1st grade. We say: it is not right
for your understanding to look at such information, not even when seen on the
internet. When people do, and by misun- derstanding start to ridicule, and
undermining the church, we then declare such person a SP, a suppressive person,
as a last resort.”
Largest fraud
file
While in Holland scientology is left alone, in neigbouring
countries the cult is under siege. In Belgium judicial authorities decided to
sue the church. It is accused of being a criminal organization. Fourteen members
are suspected to have committed swindle and extortion. Furthermore, there would
be false contracts and there would be the practicing of medicine without
license. The charges by the Belgian Judicial authorities result in the largest
fraud file ever against scientology. The law suit in Belgium is not a
coincidence, because the authorities started a parliamentary research commission
in the nineties which resulted in 1997 in a inches thick report: “Policies to
fight unlawful practices by cults and the dangers of it to society and
individuals”.
As a result of the report, Belgian authorities decided to found
two organizations: one to research and watch dangerous cults, the for every
individual accessible IACSSO, and a so called Administrative Coordination cell
which coordinates its work with national security organizations. Belgian MP Luc
Willems, in 1997 reporting on behalf of the parliamentary commission, knows the
methods of scientology very well.”The organization lures people in, and gives
them a personality test. He then is offered a course which doesn’t cost much
money and gives him a very good feeling after finishing. He then is offered more
courses to help the person to become a free human being. These course increase
in price rapidly.”
Although the parliamentary commission advised in 1997 to
make brainwashing and mental manipulation punishable, it is today still not
possible to prosecute organizations which abuse vulnerable people. “In France,
contrary to Belgium, cults are forbidden and several scientology members were
prosecuted and sentenced.”
War in
Europe
In Germany scientology also is strictly monitored. A
special security service to protect constitution observes the church now for
many years.Leading politicians, among them Bavarian secretary Günther Beckstein,
demand scien- tology to be forbidden. Apart from that, Germany has an
organization, payed by the government, handling scien- tology.Hamburg has a
special commission handling scientology which is led by Ursula Caberta. She is
the author of “Schwarzbuch Scientology", which was published in august, in which
she pleas to forbid scientology because it is not in accordance with the German
constitution. Canberta: “Scientology is an anti-democratic political movement.”
Every week she is involved with ex-members who report to her they are in debt.
On a regular basis she assists people who merely have to go underground after
they left the church. According to Caberta scientology is a very aggressive
cult. “Countries and organizations critical to scientology are called in
scientology-language “the Fourth Reich” and should be attacked by them.”
Scientology opened one of its largest European bureaus in Berlin, a 6 story high
building with 4000 square meters of space. With this building scientology wants
to give acte de présence in one of Europe’s largest cities.According to Caberta
the opening of this building is part of a new offensive to conquer Europe. In
the past years scientology also opened large bureaus in London, Madrid and
Brussels. Caberta: “Scientology aims for more power in Europe. That is why the
Brussels bureau is close to the European parliament. Last year a spokesman of
scientology said during one of their congresses that they were "at war with
Europe”.
While there are information points payed by government in Belgium
and Germany, Holland has nothing alike. While in Belgium a parliamentary
commission led to the founding of other organizations, in Holland the last
report from parliament about cults dates from 1986. In this report that the
practices of scientology seem not in accordance with two important rights:
freedom of religion, and respect for the individual‘s life. Since nothing
happened.
Information and Security
Service (AIVD)
The scientology church is not monitored by
national security AIVD, while in Germany it is.A spokesman for the AIVD said
that in the nineties an investigation was done to the dangers of cults in
Holland and that the AIVD concluded there were none. So in Holland there is no
governmental involvement, there are no law suits. It seems politicians are not
interested in scientology’s practices. Remarkable, because scientology is a
strict hierarchical, international branched organization which doesn’t operate
in Holland different from how it operates in other countries.
According to
Sybrand van Haersma Buna, Christian Democratic MP and spokesman for the Judicial
department, “the judicial authorities cannot invade an organization without
reason.”Van Haersma Buma: “But when someone pays 20,000 euro’s (29,400 dollars)
for a weeks course, , that doesn’t seem normal. Social pressure can evolve into
unallowed pressure, and that is punishable under Dutch law, and so are
misleading and threats.” Van Haersma Buma: “It is important people press charges
when this happens. It could be a good reason for the judicial system to come
into action.”
Exit counselor Sjoukje Drenth-Bruintjes is afraid Dutch
government has no idea about the daily practices of scientology. “This moment
government seem to have no idea about practices like destructive control
techniques. People however can have enormous influence on others. Individual
rights, identity and free will can be taken away. That is dangerous for every
individual, and therefor for society. If the government doesn’t take this very
serious, because they are not aware of its existence and the impact of such
psycho tricks, you can not blame them for doing to little.
What we do is by
no means no 007 nonsense, as some people think. People are destroyed.
(The names of Willem Geurts and Peter Steenkamp are not real names.)
In the little part top right on the 3rd page:
Church of the stars
Scientology is
popular among celebrities like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Isaac Hayes, Kirstie
Alley, Lisa Presley and pop artist Beck. In Holland dentist Hans Beekman from
Laren is also a member of scientology. He is known as the dentist of many
members of the Royal Family.
BTW, it is not clear how many members
scientology has in Holland. Julia Rijnvis speaks of “hundreds of people coming
by, while thousands attended courses.” It is also not clear how many members
there are worldwide. Peter Steenkamp thinks “it must be millions”. Geurst thinks
40'000 at most.
(Sorry for possible typo's.)
Pleas note that the reporter never used a
capital in the CULT's name !
Navy
_________________
"THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN
CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM." - L. Ron Hubbard
For additional information:
www.scamofscientology.nl
www.ngfc.nl
www.scientology.nl
Source of this translation:
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