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source: http://counterfeitdreams.blogspot.com/ (April 2008)
I spent 35 years working for the Church of Scientology, all over the world, and at all echelons, including the top level at the Scientology International Base in Hemet, California. This blog contains my story. It is a work in progress, and I am adding chapters as I write them, so the most recently written chapters will appear first. To read the chapters in order, refer to the blog archive list, below. Chapter One: Going Home I woke up in the dark, the grim reality of my life seeping into my consciousness like a poison. Around me, I could sense the forms huddled on rough-hewn makeshift bunk beds, softly breathing. I could feel the mass of them around me, vaguely see their clothes and towels hanging from the bunks, smell the unwashed bodies. I couldn’t sit up, as I would hit my head on the bunk close above me, so I slid silently out of bed. The others had their own work schedule, getting up an hour after I did and returning after I was asleep. That was fine with me - I had developed a taste for solitude. There were six of us sleeping in the tiny room. No closets, just one chair, a desk, and a broken down dresser. I found my jeans and a clean T-shirt where I had left them, neatly folded on top of the dresser, ready for morning. I pulled on thick socks and my big workboots, and found my heavy hooded coat under the bunk bed, where I’d stashed it. I shook it out to dislodge any spiders - what we lacked in storage space we seemed to make up for in insects. I dressed quietly in the dark and went out into the hall and down the creaking staircase. The old house was dark and quiet, except for the squish of my steps as I went down the stairs, still damp from last night’s rainfall. The stairs were cluttered with every bucket and pan I had been able to find, each now full of water, with the ceiling still sporadically dripping. It was March in the high desert, and the nights were still bitterly cold. Outside, a feeble light was starting to break through the cloud cover. I could see the black tangled silhouettes of trees against the grey dawn, and the long, matted dry grass that surrounded the house. Somewhere, I could hear a few birds starting to wake up. The house was called Old Gilman House, or “OGH” - a big two-story ramshackle house built in the 1920’s. Decrepit beyond repair, it now served as a detention center for those of us beyond redemption, the “non-persons” slated for “offload” from the Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization. The three or four acre compound surrounding the house was completely surrounded by a razor wire fence, with lights and motion sensors every few feet. Aside from the five buildings on the property, there were several storage trailers. Security cameras and round-the clock guards kept an eye on us to make sure we didn’t try to escape. The OGH compound was at the northeastern corner of a 200-acre property in San Jacinto, California, known to the locals as “Golden Era Productions,” but known by its staff as the “Int Base” – the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology, where I had worked for the past fifteen years. And now it was my prison. Karsten, the night Security Guard, was on the porch. He gave me a nod as I came out. A hawk-faced German with short, close-cropped blond hair, Karsten kept watch during the night and handed out the work orders in the morning. “I found these in your room yesterday,” he said, reaching into a box and producing two magazines, a Newsweek and an Entertainment Weekly, several months old. “Why do you read such trash” he asked me, in his thick German accent. “So you can masturbate to the pictures?” He indicated the photograph of a pretty actress on the cover. “I like to know what’s going on in the world,” I replied. The outside world I’ll soon be a part of. “I don’t need to know what’s going on,” he replied. “All I need to know is that it’s bad out there in the wog world and Scientology has the solutions. That’s what L. Ron Hubbard says and that’s all I need to know. People laugh at me because I don’t know who the President of the United States is,” he added. “I don’t need to know that.” He threw the magazines back in the box. “You don’t need this garbage.” Karsten was in many ways the “ideal” Sea Org worker. He lived in a small room on the OGH compound with a single cot and no visible possessions. He wore the same faded brown Security uniform every day, which he would carefully wash in a broken-down washing machine in a back room of the Gilman House. Every time the machine went on its spin cycle it would shake the old building like a passing freight train. Karsten wasn’t married and seemingly had no interest in women. The only thing I ever saw him read was a folded piece of paper he carried in his pocket with the Scientology Axioms printed on it, which he would pore over for hours, his lips moving slightly as he struggled to memorize them. Karsten gave me the work order for the day, clearing brush around the perimeter fence, and I left the porch. Around the Old Gilman House were a group of run-down, one-story buildings that served as staff housing. Most of the Base staff lived in Hemet, at an apartment complex rented by the Church. But some senior staff were not allowed to live in town so were required to live on the Base in these houses. Behind one of these was a lean-to shack, crammed with staff luggage and belongings, and, in the back, an old refrigerator, where I found some granola and yogurt, which I ate out of a Styrofoam cup. I washed out the cup and put it back on top of the refrigerator for future use. Picking up a shovel and rake from the tool shed, I headed for the perimeter fence. I liked to be out and working well before any of the “regular staff” got up. I was, after all, a criminal, an “untouchable.” Weeks ago, early in my incarceration, I had made the mistake of taking a shower in the morning in one of the staff houses, the only house with a shower or bath, and, coming out, ran into a woman who then screamed at me and ordered me to clean the bathroom from top to bottom with alcohol before she would deign to use it. “You are filth!” she screamed in my face. The encounter left me stinging with shame and humiliation. In the eyes of the other staff I was a degraded criminal. Hubbard said that people only want to leave the Sea Organization because they have crimes, so it was important to prove me a criminal and prove Hubbard right. In my daily Security Checks, I would sit for hours, holding on to the “cans” of the e-meter, while an auditor asked me over and over about what crimes I had, what were my evil acts. It went on and on. I just wanted it to be over, so I confessed to anything – treasonous thoughts, hidden vices, secret hatreds. And all of it was then announced publicly at staff “musters” – more and more proof of my criminality and my unworthiness to be a part of the “elite” Sea Organization. Once, I would have burned with righteous anger. I would have challenged every accusation, demanded to be heard, demanded justice. But no more. I was done, finished. I felt hollow, emptied out. I had reached the end of the line. After 35 years working for the Church of Scientology, I had become an untouchable, a non-person, a Suppressive Person scheduled for “offload.” You are filth. So I avoided other staff; lived in my own world, a sort of hurricane’s eye, my calm refuge in the midst of the chaos around me. Now I showered at dinnertime, when no one was around. Mornings, it was straight to work. There, clearing brush, clearing away dead trees, carting away rubbish, I could just be alone, and think. It wasn’t being kicked out of Scientology into the outside world that frightened me, even though I had no idea where I would go, or what I would do. My greatest fear, my greatest nightmare, was being suddenly called back to duty. It had happened three times before. I had been banished, “offloaded” to a distant work camp, never to return, only to be mysteriously and inexplicably brought back, seemingly because they could not find anyone else to do the work I was skilled at. Three times. Back from exile to the hell of life at the Int Base – the sleepless nights, the threats, the intimidation, the bullying, the beatings, the degradation. The stuff of nightmares. No more. I wasn’t going back. Not ever. Late one night, about three in the morning, I had been rousted out of my narrow bunk bed by one of the Security Guards, Matt, who was acting as my “handler.” He took me to a room in the old house for an interview. It was lit by a bare bulb and reeking of mildewed carpet from the leaks in the roof. There were no chairs, so we stood. “So, how are you doing?” he asked me, in a casual tone that belied his true intent. “Have you made any progress on your Conditions?” The “Conditions” were Hubbard’s coded, rote formulas for dealing with situations in life. During the evenings, I was supposed to be “working on my conditions,” applying the formulas for “Treason” and “Enemy” so I could work back into the group’s good graces. I knew he hadn’t woken me up in the middle of the night to make small talk. I’d been through this before – the inquiries about one’s “progress” meant only one thing - he had been sent by some executive to find out if I was “ready to go back on post.” I think he expected me to be remorseful, chastened, propitiative, ready to go back and serve the cause again. “I’m not doing any conditions,” I replied. I might as well have slapped him. He was silent for a moment, absorbing my treasonous statement. “If I was you,” he warned me, “I’d be begging on my knees to be sent to the RPF.” I’d never been sent to the Rehabilitation Project Force, but I’d worked with them daily during one of my forced exiles from the Base. It was a group of probably 150 to 200 people, all working in the lower reaches of the “Big Blue Building” in Los Angeles, and all dressed in identical grey T-shirts and black jeans. Out of sight of the public Scientologists, they lived and worked in the basement corridors, sleeping in squalid dormitories, packed 20 or 30 to a room. They worked in the wood shop every day, making furniture for the “orgs” – the Scientology Organizations. They received a few dollars a week pocket money, if that, and were not allowed to speak to anyone outside the group. No phone calls, no radios, no magazines, no internet, no contact with the outside world. They never left the building. Some of them, like my friend Caroline, had been there for three years or more. It was a virtual slave colony. “I’m not going to the RPF,” I told Matt “And I’m not going back on post.” “Then you’ll be offloaded out of the Sea Organization,” he told me. “Out of Scientology. You’ll be declared Suppressive.” “Fine,” I told him. “Then do it.” Now, as I methodically cleared the brush around the perimeter fence, I had plenty of time to think about the future. The brush was thick, and I tore it out by the handfuls, piling it up and carting it off to a compost pile. It was important to clear a wide swath next to the fence so the Security Guards on motorcycles - the “Rovers” - would have good visibility and could race along the perimeter to intercept any breach in the fence – in or out. I had to be careful not to set off the motion sensors. Once I had inadvertently touched the fence with a tree branch and soon heard the roar of a motorcycle as the “Rover” came to see what was up. The mindless work was my sanctuary. I relished my solitary hours. After months of sleepless nights and constant abuse, to just be alone in nature, with no one else around, was calming. I became interested in every detail of my little world. Once, after I’d taken down a small tree that was too near the security fence, I was looking at the cross-section of the trunk and saw that the pattern of rings was beautiful. I took my saw and sliced off a thin section of the trunk and kept it. I still have it to this day. One day I was weeding one of the garden patches and discovered a nest of baby rabbits. They were so amazing, so small. That night in the dormitory I violated my rule of silence and mentioned the baby rabbits I’d seen. One of my fellow inmates, Darius, became incensed. “Here we are about to be offloaded from the Sea Organization," he wailed, "and all you can talk about is baby rabbits?” Darius was desperate not to be offloaded – his father, Greg Wilhere – was a top exec. He spent his evenings writing petitions to be allowed to stay. But I was in a different place. In my mind I was already gone. And other things were important to me now – the cross-section patterns in a tree, a nest of baby rabbits, the wheel of the stars at night, the way the sun bathes the hills in warm light in the morning. A line from the Janis Joplin Song, “Me and Bobby McGee,” kept going through my mind. Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. It was true. I had nothing left to lose. They had taken it all. So there was nothing more they could threaten me with, hold over my head. They no longer had any power over me, and, in an odd way, I was free of them at last. I looked out across the valley. The OGH compound was on a slight rise, at the bottom of the foothills that rise north of the Base. I could see all the way to the highway that wound down out of Lamb’s Canyon. In the dawn light I could see headlights, and I thought about being out there, driving up that road, going anywhere, anywhere but here. A thought formed in my mind: I want to go home. But where was home? I had worked for the Church of Scientology for 35 years, since 1968. I had been all over the world – Edinburgh, Copenhagen, North Africa, the Caribbean, Florida. My mother, who lived in Santa Barbara, had passed away in 1999. I had lost contact with my daughter and didn’t know where she was. My brother was my only living relative. And I wouldn’t be able to talk to him, as he was still in Scientology, a “public Scientologist” receiving Scientology services. According to Scientology’s disconnection policy, as a “Suppressive Person,” I was forbidden to talk to him. And my wife Cathy? She was lost to me forever. She would remain in the Sea Org. She had stood by me through three previous offloads from the Base, believed in me despite constant pressure to leave me. But this time it was too much. I was being offloaded from Scientology, a Suppressive Person. She gave in to the pressure finally and filed for divorce. Or so I was told. One day the Security Guards showed up with the divorce papers, and made me sign them. Maybe she’s been coerced to sign as well. But what else could she do? The last night we spent together, before I was sent out to the OGH compound, we had held hands in the darkness, knowing what was coming, looking at the emptiness ahead, the loneliness. I hadn’t spoken to her since. I chopped away at the weeds, blinking back tears. I want to go home. Chapter Two: The Canyon
Sierra Madre Canyon 1967 "Man, wait till you hear about this !" Jerry, his mop of red hair flying, burst in on my quiet Sunday afternoon. "Hear about what?’ I asked, looking up from my book. I was lounging in my favorite piece of furniture, an old barber’s chair from the 1920’s that I’d found at an antique store and installed in my living room. It had a padded leather seat and fancy grillwork, and, by pushing a few levers, one could adjust it to a reclining position. I uncoiled myself from the chair. I’d known Jerry since we were kids. Now I was living with his sister, Dixie, and we let Jerry live in the spare bedroom of our rented house in Sierra Madre Canyon. With Jerry around, life was never dull, and today was no exception. "Scientology," said Jerry. "I was just over at Doug’s house, and there were a couple of guys up from LA talking about it." It was the first time I’d ever heard the word. It was fall, 1967. Fresh out of art school, I was striking out on my own at last, working in LA as a commercial artist and renting a house in The Canyon, a quirky, colorful collection of tiny summer houses tucked up in the foothills about 30 miles northeast of LA. A stream ran through the Canyon in a concrete wash, and it was spanned by wooden footbridges. This was home to a motley collection of artists, intellectuals, and nonconformists, and over the last few years had seen an invasion of long-haired kids – hippies. I enjoyed the freewheeling friendliness of Canyon life. My mother lived just a few minutes away in suburban Arcadia, and I visited her often. She had been widowed since 1960, and was now all alone as both my brother and sister were away at college. The Summer of Love had come and gone, and the dream of peace and love had, for me, started to get a bit stale. I was prime draft age, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I was called up and sent to Vietnam. I was very much involved in the anti-war movement. When Lyndon Johnson came to LA and stayed at the Century Plaza Hotel, I joined about 20,000 others in an anti-war demonstration outside the hotel. We were met by thousands of LA cops, who waded in to the demonstrators, striking anyone they could reach with their clubs. I remember seeing one young girl, she couldn’t have been more than twelve, with blood streaming down her face. Jerry, enraged, had picked up an unopened soda can and was about to launch it at the nearest cop when I grabbed his arm and held him back. More violence wasn’t the answer. But what was the answer ? It wasn’t drugs - I had given them up six months earlier, after a bad acid trip. That was a dead-end street. I was looking for another answer, and weekends like this one would often find me poring over books on yoga, meditation, psychocybernetics, hypnotism, anything I could get my hands on. Like most of the kids in the Canyon, I was looking for something. So Jerry had my attention. "So what is Scientology ?" I asked. "What were they saying about it ?" "They said it’s scientific," Jerry tried to explain. "It’s a sort of scientific way to reach spiritual enlightenment. They said that they had a way to clear away the things that keep you from your potentials." Jerry’s enthusiasm, as usual, was infectious. We decided to go down to the "Scientology place" in LA the next night and check it out. The "Org," short for Organization – we would soon get familiar with all the jargon - was down on 9th Street, near McArthur Park, in a big old house. As we entered the lobby, I saw it was packed with people, talking, laughing, smiling. And what amazed me was that they were all ages and types. Old grey haired people talking animatedly with young long-haired kids. The "generation gap" seemed to be suspended. The lecture hall was large, and there were about 100 people in the audience. Jerry and I found seats in the back. A young man with dark hair and movie-star good looks came out and introduced himself as Seaton Thomas, and proceeded to give us a lecture about Scientology. He was an electrifying speaker – intense, funny, eloquent. He talked about a part of the mind called the Reactive Mind, which stores up all of the painful things that happen to you, and then throws them back at you at moments of stress, causing you to think and do things you don’t want to – to "not be yourself." He interrupted the lecture in several places to show a black and white film of the Founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard seemed to be a pleasant guy, humorous and outspoken. He was a colorful character – the lecturer told us he’d been an explorer, a sailor, he’d led expeditions and studied many different races. Of course this was many years before Indiana Jones, but he seemed to have some of that aura of maverick panache. And he seemed to be a bit of an anti-establishment rebel, something that, of course, appealed to me. Everyone referred to him as "Ron." Seaton ended by describing the State of Clear – what a person would be like without the Reactive Mind – vibrant, sane, intelligent, rational, dynamic. He seemed to fix each one of us with his electric gaze as he concluded the lecture: "I’m Clear. You can be too." I was hooked. I headed straight for the bookstore. I bought three of Hubbard’s books, Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, The Problems of Work, and Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science. I spent the next weekend reading, plowing through all three books in two days. The next Monday, I was down at the Org again, signing up for the Communications Course, a week long course to teach you how to communicate better. I certainly wanted to do that – I had always considered myself to be shy, awkward around girls, hesitant to speak up in a group. If I could get more confident, that would be great. The course consisted of "TRs" or Training Regimens, a series of drills, we were told, that were used to train Scientology auditors. The drills were printed on long foolscap pages in red ink, with an impressive heading stating they were "Technical Bulletins." We weren’t just studying someone’s vague theories, no – this was a technology. It was scientific. We drilled and drilled, and I was exhilarated to find myself talking easily to my "twin" (drill partner) – a very pretty girl. At one point, a feeling of peace came over me, and I seemed to be outside my body. When I told the Supervisor about this I was told that yes, this is a usual experience in Scientology, called "exteriorization." You are not your body, I was told, and as you gain more and more awareness through Scientology, you gain the ability to leave and return to your body at will. Wow. Leaving your body. I went to the bookstore again, this time looking for something wilder. I saw a book on the top shelf called A History of Man with a picture of a big spiral galaxy on the cover. "I want that one," I said. "Er..that’s a very advanced book," the Bookstore Officer said. "Maybe you’d like to start with something more basic ?" "No," I replied, "that’s the one I want." I spent the next few days poring through it. Space Opera. Past Lives. It all seemed so amazing – I was completely electrified. At one point, I felt sick and went to the bathroom and threw up. "Wow," I thought, "if a book can cause that effect on me – it must contain some real meat !" My girlfriend Dixie was less than enthusiastic about Scientology. She didn’t share my enthusiasm and wanted no part of it. Down at the Org they told me about "Suppressive Persons" or "SPs" who didn’t want people to get better and so would try to stop them from pursuing any betterment activity. Maybe my girlfriend was like that, they suggested – maybe she just didn’t want me to get any better. I began to resent Dixie’s criticisms of Scientology – I felt like she was attacking me personally. We began arguing more and more, and finally it came to a head. "It’s either me or Scientology," she yelled. "Well, I’m not going to give up Scientology," I told her. "It’s too important. That was it – she moved out. A few days later she came with her new boyfriend and got her furniture. But I was too into my new life to get too hung up in it. Many others from the Canyon were getting involved in Scientology, and we started to hang out together. One weekend, Jerry and I went hiking with some others from the Canyon, climbing up a ravine in back of the houses. One of the girls who was with us, Linda, had trained as a Scientology auditor. Jerry and I got into a swordfight with a couple of old tree branches, and by the end of it, the branches were in splinters and my right hand was covered in blood from a zillion tiny cuts. Linda took me to the stream, washed my hand in the cold water, and then proceeded to do what she called a "touch assist," touching my hand over and over and telling me to "feel her finger." Well, it was a magical moment, enhanced by the fact that Linda was rather pretty and I was enjoying her company and her touch. When she finished, I looked my hand over and couldn’t see a scratch on it. That impressed me. "How did you do that ?" I asked. She smiled. "That’s Scientology." I determined that I wanted to be an auditor. That Christmas, my brother Kimball came home from Arizona State University. "I’ve got something to tell you about!" he said excitedly. "No, shut up," I said, I’ve got something to tell you that’s more important !" We went back and forth like this for a few minutes until we realized we were both talking about the same thing - Scientology. He’d been introduced to it by his girlfriend, Cathy Mullins, who worked at the Tempe Scientology "franchise." He ended up staying in LA, moved into the house with me and began working at the Scientology Org. They could only pay him a few dollars a week, so I ended up supporting him as I was making decent money as a commercial artist. But I figured that was my contribution to "the cause." And that’s how we started to look at it. As a cause. In April, Martin Luther King was assassinated, and South Central erupted in violence. The Vietnam War was still raging and I was due to be called up for service any day. The anti-war rallies seemed futile – they weren’t going to change anything. We had to get rid of people’s Reactive Minds! Then they would see that war and violence were wrong, that it was not sane. They would become rational and ethical and sane. This was the answer. We had to Clear the Planet. My brother and I started auditor training on Academy Level 0, which taught you how to audit someone on the subject of communication. To graduate, I had to find someone to audit, so I found a girl who wanted auditing, and ran the processes on her. I was nervous as hell, and I think she was too. At the end she was thrilled with the results, and I was just as pleased. I was on my way. I had a new girlfriend, Crystal, a beautiful green-eyed blonde. She was part of the crowd that showed up in the Canyon on weekends, wanting to be part of the hippie life. She would come up from Orange County on weekends, and our time together was intense. Then, midweek, she showed up at my house in a taxi, which I had to pay for. She said that her parents had put her in a mental institution, and she had escaped by climbing a wall. Of course, I had already been instructed by the Scientologists at the Org on the evils of psychiatry, so her story really got me going. With my newfound confidence, I decided to take the bull by the horns, and I drove her back to her parents house in Orange County – Jeff the auditor on a mission of mercy! I sat and talked with her parents for about an hour and finally convinced them to not send her back to the mental institution, but to allow her to study Scientology. I was amazed at my own pluck – I had saved Crystal ! I told my mom I was going to marry Crystal. She gave me a wry look that seemed to encompass all of my crazy girlfriends and romantic notions. "Just wait a while before you make any decisions like that," she wisely advised. On the subject of Scientology, she was reserved but tolerant. "I don’t know anything about it," she told me, "but if you kids are into it, it must be OK." Finally, the inevitable happened. I received a letter from my Draft Board ordering me to a pre-induction physical examination. I was being drafted into the army. I was getting auditing at the time, and this came up in my sessions as what they call a "present time problem." My auditor, an older guy I looked up to, tried to calm me down. "Look," he said, "a pre-induction physical really isn’t a physical examination at all. They’re trying to see if you’ll fit into a group, if you’re a follower who won’t make trouble" He advised me to do the opposite of everything they asked me to do. "If they tell you to have your form in your right hand, have it in your left. And stay away from the other inductees – be a loner. I guarantee you’ll end up in a psych interview." Handling the "psych," he told me, was a piece of cake. "Just introduce a ‘comm lag’ – a communication lag – into everything you say. When he asks you a question, wait ten or fifteen seconds, then answer him." Was it really that simple? I went to the physical exam, shaking with nervousness, and followed his advice. Amazingly, I did end up being interviewed by a shrink, and even more amazingly, walked out with a temporary deferment. I was elated. But it was only temporary – my auditor advised me to take the "Minister’s Course" and get ordained as soon as possible. I started volunteering down at the Org what I wasn’t on course. I had started receiving their magazines, which were very poorly designed and laid out. I thought since I was a commercial artist, I could help them to make it look better. I went down one evening and the Dissemination Secretary took me into a back room where there was a drawing board. He pulled out some sheets of photo paper. "These are the ‘shooting boards’ that we receive from World Wide," he told me. "We just fill in the local information." Right away I could see that was where the problem was. The "shooting boards" (which was what they called the camera-ready layouts) were very poorly done. I began to think that to really contribute, I would have to go there. "What’s World Wide ?" I asked. "That’s the world headquarters of Scientology," he explained. "It’s located at Saint Hill Manor in England." Wow, England, I thought. That would be a cool place to live. I had traveled throughout Europe as a student and had loved England. Kim and I started talking over the idea, and the more we talked about it, the more we wanted to go. To be at the center of Scientology, to live in England, to be able to do design work for them – that had to be the best of all possible worlds. And to be far away from my draft board. Jerry got excited about the idea, and his friend Zane wanted to come too. It was the future, and it was good. We started selling off or giving away everything we owned, and packing up what little we would need for our new life. I said goodbye to Crystal and we made vague plans for her to join me later. I put together a portfolio of my design work to show the people in England. And by mid-June, 1968, the four of us were boarding a plane at LAX, bound for London. Listen to an interview I did about violence and abuse at the International Scientology Base.
Download my radio interview (.mp3 - 19,4 Mo) Glosslip Radio is thrilled to announce tonight's guest, XenuTv.com's Mark Bunker. Bunker, an Emmy award-winning journalist will be on the show to discuss the on-going controversy over his suspended YouTube account after airing actor Jason Beghe's candid statements against his former faith, the Church of Scientology. We are also planning on having former CoS Sea Org member Jeff Hawkins to discuss his experiences working with CoS president, David Miscavige, and eyewitness accounts of abuse he
Download my most recent radio interview (.mp3 - 20,9 Mo - 1 Hour 30 Minutes - April 21, 2008) Sources:
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Testimonys of Michael Pattinson and Chuck Beatty Glosslip Radio is excited to announce our two guests this week, ex-Scientologists Michael Pattinson, an OT level 8 who is suing the Church for failed promises, and Chuck Beatty a 27-year veteran of Sea Org. We will discuss the Church's "disconnect"policy and do a recap of the 3rd Anonymous protest on April 12: Operation Reconnect. Glosslip Radio is excited to announce our two guests this week, ex-Scientologists Michael Pattinson, an OT level 8 who is suing the Church for failed promises, and Chuck Beatty a 27-year veteran of Sea Org. We will discuss the Church's "disconnect"policy and do a recap of the 3rd Anonymous protest on April 12: Operation Reconnect.
Download the interview (.mp3 - 28 M - 2 Hours - April 4, 2008) Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/bc/glosslip/2008/04/14/Glosslip-Radio-From-Our-Lips-To-Your-Ears (April 4, 2008) |
Hi. I am Elizabeth and I am an ex-Scientologist. I was involved with the COS for a period of about five years. I first became interested as a teenager. I was very young and naive and the guy I had a crush on was a Scientologist. In my twisted teenage-girl brain, I thought if I bought the books and went to the classes, he would like me more. Plus, the only other Scienos I had ever heard of were celebrities and this was in the times that people actually liked Tom Cruise. Being so popular in Hollywood gave it a cool, glamorous image. (Way OT: I now believe people should not make major life decisions until they are at least twenty-seven and are basing them on real life experience and not on what they think is cool and glamorous and freaks out their parents.) The first book I read was a copy of "Dianetics" that he had given me. I have to admit I was genuinely fascinated by it and it seemed to make perfect sense at the time. The early books and courses make it seem like a practical religion that is actually concerned with helping you to become a better person. They set the perfect trap-especially for a young and inexperienced person with a not so happy home life. I progressed from reading about the tech to taking Dianetics "extension" or "home study" courses over the Internet. Because I knew my parents would not approve, I started lying to them and telling them I was at the library doing homework. Knowing my parents did not approve and I had to sneak around actually made the whole thing more appealing to me somehow. Although this continued for some time, I did not get really seriously involved until I moved away from home. There was'nt a real org where I'm from but when I got to the city (I will retain my anonymity by not naming which one), there was a large org with real courses and staff and services. My first trip to the org was a disappointment to say the least. Looking back, that should have been the time to run away but for whatever reason I did'nt. I did not experience any of the "lovebombing" that is supposed to come with these kinds of groups. In fact, when I walked in the door, the receptionist's first words to me were "What do you want?" Everyone was very suspicious and paranoid and unfriendly right off the bat. The only time I was shown any "love" was when I was prepared to pay money for books and services. Incredibly, in spite of all of this, I continued to show up for services. I was given the "personality test", sold a stack of LRH material, signed up for a course (don't even remember what it was now), and lined up with a roomate who was renting a room in her house when they learned I was staying in a hotel. (I have since noticed that it is normal for Scienos to live together in groups.) After completing my first course, I was asked by the instructor to write an essay on how this course had improved my life. I replied very honestly that I had just now completed it and had not used any of the tech in my life yet. He then escorted me to the office of a higher-up who pretty much informed me I would be writing it or else. This was my first inkling I might have gotten involved in something that was not such a great idea. Incredibly, however, I still stayed for some time. It was while living with my former roommate that I really saw just how messed up these people really were. My rommate was not an evil person. In fact, she was very trusting and always wanted to think the best of people, even the really rotten ones and she always had a drive to please the people around her. Sadly, these traits were what made her such an easy target for the religion. My roommate had been on staff and in the Sea Org. At first, she would talk about what a wonderful experience being on staff was. But then, when she would talk about why she had wanted out, these awful stories would come out and the truth would become more horrific as I lived there. She would talk with pride about how she and her ex-husband would work for days without sleep to help "clear the planet" and how she was put in solitary confinement for days when she became ill. While on the ship, she became pregnant and suffered from horrible morning sickness. The Sea Org staff convinced her she was sick because her baby was an evil thetan and convinced her to have an abortion. When she and her husband finally had enough of slaving for the Sea Org, they "blew" and he was branded an "SP" and she got stuck with the freeloader debt for not completing her "billion-year" contract. Because her husband was now an SP, she had to disconnect from him so she was forced to divorce him. She had been forced to disconnect from her family because they had disagreed with her involvement in Scientology. She lived alone in a rented house and worked three jobs to try to pay this enormous debt. This was a woman who started life happily married with a home and a family and a career she had once loved. She was not a better person because of Scientology. Scientology had ruined her life. Seeing her story is what finally made me get out. I was finally kicked out of the house because she decided to sell it to pay her freeloader debt. The last I heard she was back on staff. Being kicked out was a lucky break for me. I was able to get my own place and start over. At the time I left, I was also being hounded to join staff. I am thankful I never did. And I am thankful my story is so brief! |
Scientology: Why it didn't work for meBy Jono* Source: http://newsblaze.com/ - April 30, 2008 With regards to this claim: "Scientology is the leading authority on mental health. No one does it better than us." - Tom Cruise One of my parents studied Scientology, achieved the state of 'Clear', that is in my words all the pain associated with bad memories is released from controlling your mind, as they claim. From www.scientology.org If one goes Clear, will he lose his emotions ? "No, on the contrary, a Clear is able to use and experience any emotion. Only the painful, reactive, uncontrolled emotions are gone from his life. Clears are very responsive beings. When one is Clear, he is more himself. The only loss is a negative - the 'reactive' mind - which was preventing the individual from being himself." However, later when I was a very young child with other siblings, my parent needed to be supervised for their own protection, and after being left unsupervised they took their own life, following in the footsteps of their parent. A Scientologist doctor had previously diagnosed my parent with having the equivalent of Alzheimer's and recom- mended a therapy called chelation. It is not widely approved of in the medical industry, and obviously did not have lasting results. I believe as a direct result of being a Scientologist, my parent was discouraged from taking any medicine for depression which may have been genetic and encouraged to take ineffective untried therapy, resulting in their depression being left untreated. I think there is a possibility that they could have been saved had they taken medication. Unfortunately, I will never know, or ever see them again. In my direct experience of losing my parent, if Scientology is truly the leading authority on mental health then something is very very wrong with the world. |
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I was a public Scientologist from 1995 until 2005 Dr. Donna Shannon
I was a public Scientologist from 1995 until 2005, when I finally got beaten down enough to join the Sea Orga- nization at FLAG. I was auditing on OT VII at the time. I realize now that it was the best thing I could have done, because waht I saw there caused me to leave. I'll never again have to spend my money on bogus cuses, like auditing or "helping clear the planet". As horrifying as my experience was, it did wake me up! And life goes on. I'll start by just listing a few of the many outpoints I saw (I made my decision to leave based on WHAT I ACTUALLY SAW THERE, not the internet or anything else. As a "good Scientologist", I didn't pay any attention to "entheta". My purpose here is to share with others my own experiences, so that they don't need to spend over a million dollars, and join the SO, just to learn what I now know.) 1. The "tech" isn't applied to the staff at all. Examples of this- if PTSness causes all illnesses, and the tech exists to handle this, why do the staff get sick? And, why do they immediately get put into isolation if they get sick? If auditing really works, and "OTs" are more powerful, why doesn't the staff get auditing? I was on OT VII, but sleep deprivation, lack of vitamins, low-protein diet, and lack of suitable available auditing rooms cut WAY down on my sessions. Eventually, I just gave up (and I was only there for 3 months!). I was posted in the Solo NOTS HGC, as a Director of Processing. I immediately became concerned at seeing how many people who were "on OT VII" were not auditing (over 1/3). The other D's of P were not, except for one, who was allowed special hours and could drive her car to work. She occasionally got a session. The others didn't audit. The C/Ses didn't audit. The staff was not allowed to do six month checks. I thought, but if LRH says you have to be sessionable and get 8 hours sleep and eat protein and take certain vitamins and get your six month check, WHY isn't "standard tech" being followed ?? The recruiters had told me that I would get all of the above-8 hours sleep, good food, vitamins provided, a room to audit in, etc. This was ALL LIES. The Solo I/C finished OT VII, but hadn't gone to do OT VIII for months after. Why ? If "going OT" is so desirable and important? Again, I was told that when I finished, I would be on the ship within 2 days to do OT VIII. Another lie. 2. The main method used to control the staff in the FSO is intimidation, threats, and invalidation. I expected a very calm, sane environment there, where everyone was "OT" and helped each other and things got done. Guess again!! Not only does no one teach you how to do your post, they HINDER you- a good example of this is the fact that I was there for 2 months and STILL had no computer log in. I was supposed to be a D of P, and contact "my" public, but I had no log-in. No matter how many reports I wrote, it didn't happen. At first, I thought it was just incompetence. But, it isn't. It's INTENTIONAL. I was told that my husband and I would always have the same schedule, that we could eat together, and have the same days off. Another lie. We had ONE day off together in the 3 months we were there. The screaming, foul language, and invalidation, caused a general unease in the area that was so thick you could cut it with a knife. People in the SO have very low morale. They can't trust each other. They won't help each other. Once the Board I/C, Geary Titus, actually STOMPED on my feet when I was new, and trying to look at the availability of auditing rooms for my public to use. I was always being told "there aren't any rooms". Anything that can be done to impede your progress IS DONE. This, then, caused me to question "What's really going on here?" Obviously, doing my job as a D of P isn't what's really supposed to happen. Otherwise, the "admin tech" would be applied, and the organization would be efficient, right ? Who's doing this screaming ? The CO, the DCO, RTC, the senior D of P, the Solo I/C, and on ad infinitum. It appeared that the only way to get "to the top" would be to act like that. I saw right away that this wasn't for me. 3. I was told too many lies. 4. I saw that the public were ridiculed, to some extent. Thier sessions were videotaped, their overts and withholds publicly discussed in the HGC. This is contrary to the "priest/penitent confidentiality" that is supposedly there. 5. "Valuable" staff members, such as auditors, were treated like dirt. There actually is a part of staff meeting where staff members can be held up to ridicule for any reason- the "It's got nothing to do with me" club. When I first saw this, I was astounded. A staff member that I knew well was put into this "downstat club". He was forced to stay an extra 2 hours after his usual day (so he could only get about 4 hours sleep, at best), to do "MEST work". I thought, why didn't they just apply the conditions? 6. The C/Ses only got about 4 hours of sleep, and sometimes were forced to stay up all night. These are the people who are "programming your case"!! They don't audit. They don't get refreshers. They aren't allowed to drive their cars, because one had a wreck when he was too tired to be driving. 7. The buses are overloaded and the drivers are sleep-deprived. The law is violated multiple times daily, as the capacity of the buses is written on a placque in the front of the bus. The buses run late, and there are not enough, but if you are late for your "post", boy, are you in trouble ! 8. There are at least 3 people watching each staff member work- security guards, ethics officers, "inspections" officers, CMO, etc. If each staff member actually did something besides spy on other staff members, there might actually be production going on ! This is just the beginning- these are only a few of the outpoints I saw. And I have many many examples of each, that I saw with my own eyes. There is an evil pall over the Hacienda. No one smiles. No one uses the pool or fitness center. They have no time. They have no energy. They are being kept in and spied on and prevented from leaving. Sure, you can have a car. But, did anyone tell you that you have to do CAR SCHOOL in order to drive it? And ahve a signed "CSW"? More about that later ! Dr. Donna Shannon |
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Left Behind: Leaving the Church of Scientology By Martha Source: http://newsblaze.com/story/20080430155554tsop.nb/newsblaze/OPINIONS/Opinions.html In 2007 my husband and I decided to leave the "church," but we wanted to go quietly, just fade out of sight of their radar. We began chatting with other former members on a private yahoo group, under phony names. One post apparently was just a bit too specific and before we knew what happened, a staff member from the Flag Land Base showed up at our door. She produced photocopies of some of our messages to the private group and said that we must stop going to that site and we must stop talking to a particular person (a family member who was on that group). We told her "no, we're going to communicate with anyone we choose." Soon after that we were informed that we had been "declared suppressive" by the "church." And, as night follows day, the disconnections came rolling in: long time friends, my employer, our contractor on our house renovation. We are very happy to be out of that ridiculous cult. They truly are nuts. If you want to read some really great essays on the subject, I recommend: http://askthescientologist.blogspot.com http://counterfeitdreams.blogspot.com Obviously there are gazillions more, but both of these are incredible Martha |
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Scientologists: Do you approve ? Source: http://askthescientologist.blogspot.com/ April 28, 2008
Illegally locking up church staff members in virtual prisons with 24 hour guards, physical punishment, barbed wire fences and locked doors -- for years, without any "due process" or recourse. Scientologist: By your support of Scientology management, you do, implicitly, approve and support all these things. Because all of these have been done and are currently being done at the Scientology International Base at Hemet California, known as "Gold". This is your church and this is what your church is doing to its own staff members. If you don't know this, you need to become informed. This is what you are supporting! If you do not approve of these actions, you must take action. It is your church and it is your responsibility to stop these abuses.
The Church of Scientology's official press releases don't seem to make any sense at all. It's like they are speaking a foreign language. What is happening in the real world simply doesn't match up with those releases. Well, it's true, they are speaking a foreign language. It's the language they speak in Scientology-land, and every- one needs a Scientology-to-reality translation dictionary. No, I'm not talking about Scientology's technical jargon, I'm talking about "new, improved" Scientology definitions for regular, real-world words. Terrorist: In the normal world, a "terrorist" is one who utilizes intense fear as a method of coercion. In Scientology-speak, a "terrorist" is someone who protests against Scientology's crimes, abuses, lies and fraud. Do you think that caused "intense fear" in Scientology ? Hmmm ... Hate-speak: In the real world, "hate-speak" is saying hateful things about a class of people--as determined by skin color, ethnicity, etc. In Scientology-speak, "hate-speak" is saying bad things about Scientology management. Bad things like daring to mention management's criminal behavior. Gee, I guess "psychotic management people" might be a "class of people", eh ? Does that count ? Anti-religious: In the real world, "anti-religious" means being against all religion and religious activity. In Scientology-speak, "anti-religious" means attacking Scientology management. Now, really! In what universe is Scientology management associated with religious activity in any way, shape or form ? Religion: In the real world, religion means providing for the spiritual needs of people, whether they have money or not--especially if not. In Scientology-speak, religion is selling "religious" services to people, if they have enough money to pay for it. Those without enough money are not worthy of being "helped"--shut up. Volunteer: In the real world, a volunteer is someone who, of their own volition, offers to participate in some activity, but who can cease participation whenever they wish. Scientology-speak definition 1: A volunteer is someone who has been successfully coerced and tricked into starting something, and who now is forceably being prevented from leaving. Example: "RPF participation is voluntary." Scientology-speak definition 2: A volunteer is a salesman. Example: "Our volunteer ministers are visiting every country in Europe." Scientology-speak definition 3: A volunteer is one person who counts as 1000 people. Example: "We have 100,000 volunteer ministers around the world." Religious Freedom: In the real world, "religious freedom" is about people having the freedom to join the religion of their choice, to leave a religion or to choose no religion. In Scientology-speak, it means the "freedom" to join Scientology. Nothing else is allowed. You may not leave. Other religions can just get out of the way, OK ? Freedom of Speech: In the real world, "freedom of speech" means the people are free to express their opinions without punishment or harm. In Scientology-speak, "freedom of speech" means Scientology is free to express their opinion without punishment or harm. You are also free to express Scientology's opinion, and should. All other opinions are forbidden. With these proper definitions, you can now read the Church of Scientology's press releases and understand what the heck they are talking about.
You may have heard that the Church of Scientology wants to create a "Scientology World", which they call "A Cleared Planet". This is their goal and they are quite clear about it. And you may be wondering what kind of a world that would be. We've already seen how Freedom of Religion would be handled, how the church handles Freedom of Speech. And I mentioned the church's handling of Truth. Now let's see how Justice would be handled under the Benevolent Scientology World Order. In a Scientology World, they would do away with "wog" justice. Oh, no, that kind of justice just won't do. Serious crimes would be handled by a Scientology "Committee of Evidence" or "Comm Ev". This is Scientology Justice. There are no lawyers, no rules of evidence and no judges or juries. You are not allowed to confront your accusers. You are not allowed to hear or question witnesses, no cross-examination. Evidence is whatever the Committee decides is evidence, truth is whatever the Committee decides it true. Your accuser, the person who calls the Committee of Evidence, gets to choose the members of the Committee. Imagine a Scientology World. And don't get upset about it. If your emotional "tone level" drops too low, you're in trouble. Hubbard said that the low-toned people should be "disposed of without regret". Happily imagine a Scientology World. Ah! And if you are found "guilty" of whatever, happily think about how you will be "rehabilitated" in the "Rehabilitation Project Force". You'll get a generous four hours of sleep, delicious meals composed of whatever is left over when your betters have eaten, hard labor, a small bunk with many other happy prisoners and the chance to confess and confess and confess. For an undetermined number of years. And, if you get sick or have any body problems, you will be able to "work through it". Don't we all want that kind of justice? That's the "vastly superior" justice that the Church of Scientology has now and wants everyone to have. Welcome to the Scientology World.
I am completely disgusted with dealing with the Church of Scientology's tricks and lies. It is so tiresome and continually annoying when you have any contact with the church. They can never speak simply and truthfully. They "speak in tongues". They never say the simple truth, but only what they've determined is "an acceptable truth", a "shore story". They can't say, "Yep, we sent people around to harass people we thought were 'Anonymous'". No, they say "Our lawyers have never visited anyone to harass them" hoping everyone will mistake that for a real answer. It's "truth" but it is fake truth. It's slimy and twisty. You see, they did send people to harass those folks, it just "wasn't lawyers". It's a trick, see? They make it sound like they're denying it, but all they're doing is avoiding the question. They actually get trained to do that! They talk about the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) as a mild, gentle, voluntary project. "Voluntary"--with 24 hour guards! And, they can point to various bits of paper that make it seem like that's "true". But the actual implementation of the RPF is an abusive, draconian, and worse-than-prison environment. It's tricky! It's a lie, but a twisty lie, pretending to be truth. They pretend to tell the truth, but all the time they're twisting and manipulating, hiding and covering up. Tricks and lies. Scientologists know this. They are told "how to speak to non-Scientologists", how to withhold certain information, how to present other information in an "acceptable way". They are given "shore stories" of what to say outside of the church. Specially trained people are designated at the "public contact point" because the regular Scientologist might goof and tell the real truth. Regular Scientologists have actually done exactly that, disclosed the truth to the wrong person, and the church treats it as a disaster, and sends out emergency teams to "handle" the situation--with carefully manipulated "almost-but-not-quite-truth", of course. The leaked videos were a disaster. Those were special presentations, twisted and manipulated for Scientologists. The public was never supposed to see those! A video for the public is twisted and manipulated in a completely different way. But, understand this: neither type of video is actually truthful! The Church of Scientology twists everything it shows to Scientologists as well. Nobody sees the real truth. The church isn't open, it isn't clean, it isn't honest. It's slimy and twisty. It lies as a matter of policy. It covers up as a matter of policy. It twists everything as a matter of policy. But, at the same time, Scientologists "know" they are "superior beings", 'way above all those "wogs" (non-Scientologists). And while they lie and twist the truth, they have the air of great superiority. They must lie to all these "wogs" because the "wogs" just wouldn't understand, couldn't understand. But Scientologists, oh! Scientologists are so superior, so ethical, so honest, so perfect--they can lie to the "wogs" because "wogs" don't matter ! And crimes? Well, the Church of Scientology is "saving the planet"! What are a few lies, a few crimes, a bit of abuse here and there when compared with saving the planet? Why should the great Church of Scientology have to worry about a few "wog" laws and "wog" ethical standards when they have a whole planet to save? How could lowly "wog" societies have any business telling the great Church of Scientology what it can and can't do ? And so Scientology lies, twists the truth, covers up crimes, hides abuses. Slimes and screws everyone who isn't in the church--and quite a few people who are in the church as well. And they are so damn righteous about it all. "How dare you attack us?!" And I've just gotten fed up with all that hypocritical Church of Scientology crap. I know many non-Scientologists. I know many Scientologists. When it comes to picking people I can trust, I always choose a non-Scientologist. Non-Scientologists are not trained to lie. Non-Scientologists think that laws do apply to themselves. Non-Scientologists think that society's rules and moral codes do apply and should be followed. Time has proven that's the best choice. I have got to take a break.
Scientology vs. Freedom of Speech What does the Church of Scientology believe about Freedom of Speech ? The Creed of the Church of Scientology says, in part: We of the Church believe: ... That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others; The Church of Scientology strongly supports the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The Declaration says, in part: Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Scientologists, naturally, agree with the Church of Scientology in its support of this Declaration and the principle of Freedom of Speech. Hubbard often made quite critical remarks about other religions. He had a very low opinion of most religions and was not shy about expressing this. Many members of those religions have been extremely insulted by Hubbard's comments, but it cannot be denied that it was his right to have those opinions and to express them. Anyone who supports Freedom of Speech would agree that people should not be punished for having and expressing opinions, whatever they are. Even if those opinions do not agree with the Church of Scientology. Even if those opinions are critical of Scientology. Is this not reasonable and proper ? Is this not Freedom of Speech ? Is this not what the Church of Scientology and all Scientologists say, in no uncertain terms, that they believe ? So, why does the Church of Scientology declare everyone who dares to criticize the church an "enemy" of the church, a "suppressive person" who may be "lied to, tricked, injured, or destroyed." Why does the Church of Scientology carry out a systematic plan to silence and, ultimately, destroy its critics? Why does it secretly try to frame its critics for crimes they did not commit? Why does it work hard to sue them to bankruptcy on questionable grounds? Why is the church's biggest expenditure, by far, for lawyers and private investigators--who are assigned the job of tracking down and silencing critics ? The church's Creed "to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely" is equivalent to the Declaration's "without interference". And that concept is exactly the opposite of what the church does. The Church of Scientology seriously interferes with these freedoms as a matter of policy ! No, the Church of Scientology does not support Freedom of Speech. The Church of Scientology attacks Freedom of Speech every single day !
Scientology vs. Freedom of Religion What does the Church of Scientology believe about Freedom of Religion ? The Creed of the Church of Scientology says, in part: We of the Church believe: ... That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance; The Church of Scientology strongly supports the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The Declaration says, in part: Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Scientologists, naturally, agree with the Church of Scientology in its support of this Declaration and the principle of Freedom of Religion. And anyone who agrees with the above principles must, therefore, agree that, just as someone should be free to choose to become a Scientologist without punishment or harm, so should a person be free to leave the Church of Scientology without punishment or harm. Is this not reasonable and proper ? Is this not Freedom of Religion ? Is this not what the Church of Scientology and all Scientologists say they believe ? So why, in the Church of Scientology, is "leaving Scientology" considered a "crime"? Why do they declare the person who leaves an "enemy" of the church, a "suppressive person", who may be "lied to, tricked, injured, or destroyed". Why does the Church of Scientology require that all current parishioners "disconnect" (cut all contact) from anyone who has left the church ? Why does the Church of Scientology permanently separate a family when one family member leaves, or when a family member refuses to join the church ? Why do members who no longer wish to belong to the Church of Scientology have to hide that decision to avoid being attacked and separated from friends and family who still belong ? No, the Church of Scientology does not support Freedom of Religion. The Church of Scientology attacks Freedom of Religion every single day.
Scientology Disconnection: Control Those Scientologists ! From the official Scientology web site: What is "Disconnection ?" If an individual attempting to improve his life through Scientology is encountering persistent opposition from a close associate, his spiritual advancement is impeded. In the vast majority of cases, the antagonism is rooted in false information about Scientology and providing the true data ends the matter. As a last resort, when all attempts to sort out such situations have failed, the Scientologist may decide to disconnect from the person until the antagonism ceases. A person who disconnects is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person. This is one of the most fundamental rights of man. Members of other religions have exercised it down the ages when confronted by those who persistently opposed the practice of their faiths. Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Amish practice “shunning"—a form of disconnection—and their right to do so has been upheld by courts across the country. Certain Orthodox Jewish congregations practice an extreme form of disconnection in which a mock funeral is held for apostate members. Disconnection in Scientology is neither new nor strange in the annals of religion. Gee! They make it sound so “reasonable” don't they? It is “neither new nor strange”? Well, it may not necessarily be "new", but it certainly is strange. Tell me, at what point does someone say “Shunning? Wow, that's a great idea! Let's do that!” At what point did shunning become something desirable for a group to do? What kind of church takes that as a policy to emulate? Guys, just because you found a similar practice somewhere else does not make it, like, a good idea! “As a last resort, when all attempts to sort out such situations have failed, the Scientologist may decide to disconnect from the person until the antagonism ceases.” “The person who disconnects is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person.” You see how the Church of Scientology positions it? It isn't the church that is doing this, it is the person himself, voluntarily deciding to disconnect. Um... no. It doesn't happen like that. Not nearly. Here is a first-person story, a story that is all too common: I have this very close friend, Jack. I'd mostly lost contact with Jack for a number of years. While we still wanted to stay in close contact, he couldn't. He worked at the “secret” Scientology compound in Hemet, California, and was carefully discouraged from any contacts outside of the compound. When he did call, he couldn't talk much, because (I found out later) every call was being monitored. In addition, every letter incoming and outgoing, is opened and read. When the oppression at the Scientology compound got to be too much, Jack left. That made him an “enemy” of the Church of Scientology. After he left that environment, he could finally, freely speak with me again, and that was great! I'd missed him a lot and it was wonderful to talk with him again. Now, understand this very carefully. Jack did not object to my still being active in Scientology. He did not “impede my advancement”. He did not upset me or cause me any problems. I was totally happy! I had no reason at all to want to disconnect from Jack. It is very clear, from the official Scientology definition of "disconnection", and the church's official statements, that I would never have to disconnect from Jack. Since disconnection is completely voluntary, I'm fine, everything was fine. Not ! Everything was not fine. When the Church of Scientology found out I was in touch with Jack, they demanded that I disconnect from Jack immediately. Now wait a single-cotton-picking-moment! Wasn't I “exercising my right to communicate”? Isn't it my right, according to the church, to “communicate or not communicate” as I wish, based on how I'm doing? Isn't that what the church says? If the communication made me happy, where was the harm to me ? Nope, in Scientology, what the church says does not align with what the church does. What the church spins for the media and the public is not what it actually believes. The church lies. I did not have a choice. The church gave me an ultimatum: disconnect from Jack or be declared an “enemy” myself and lose my other friends, lose my job (with a company run by Scientologists), and be barred from any further church activities. This is Church of Scientology extortion, the whip that keeps the parishioners in line and safely uninformed of the truth about the church. But I said “No”. The Church of Scientology can wave their hands and try to spin this and spin this, but the bottom line is that “disconnection” is not for the parishioner's benefit at all. Disconnections are not "voluntary". Disconnection is an abusive tool, used by the Church of Scientology to keep their parishioners ignorant and obedient. Just say "No". |
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LA SCIENTOLOGIE DANS LES MÉDIAS
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Un must : "Ron Hubbard, le gourou démasqué" Ce livre de Russell Miller révèle la face cachée de la scientologie. On y découvre un Ron Hubbard, malade, mythomane et poursuivi par la justice. Il est disponible en format pdf ou html sur notre site. Nous avons également publié une version résumée.
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