Post Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:27 pm

LBV - Is Scn a Cult?

Hope you don't mind the crosspost from http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?p=302639#302639

ANOTHER BEDTIME STORY

(Little Dickie Series #5)

(see earlier disclaimers)


Daddy, in your opinion is the Church of Scientology a "cult"?


Well, let's look at how a cult operates and see if it fits.

It starts with a leader who represents himself as having special higher abilities, information vital to the survival of others, etc. They lie and reinvent their past to confirm this. They claim that their doctrine is flawless and the only real solution. They insist on total obedience to what they call for and stamp out any thing, idea or person that they feel might threaten this.

Potential members are approached in a friendly manner and are often offered something for free like a lecture, test, tour, etc. Front groups are often used which offer things like help with education, drugs, business technology, healing, etc. Through talking with the potential member, information regarding their weaknesses, fears, goals, etc is gathered and then used to manipulate the person to further interact with the cult. They are told the cult has the solution to whatever they appear to need. The person is gotten to participate in some small way with the cult. They are met with friendly people who appear to be very interested in the person himself and improving the person and his relationship with his family, friends, etc.

The cult tells the new person that he is being negatively effected by hidden evil within himself and his environment -- parts of his mind, evil parts of society, the devil, aliens, etc. The person is told that they are in danger and that time is running out for them and for the world and that only the cult can save the day. It's the cult that is good and above the rest of the world. It's the goals of the cult that are senior to the rest of the world.

The person is made to feel guilty for failures of the past, for not taking responsibility for handling the evil, for living their senseless lives, etc. They are gotten to participate further and are surrounded by other true believers to help make the actions of the cult look "normal". As the new person follows along they are validated by existing members.

The more the person buys into the cult the more control is put in on the person and the more is asked of the person. Things like diet, schedule, clothing, money, social actions, sex and personal relationships start getting dictated. If the person balks they are told it is because of the evil in them and or around them. They have to be strong and get through it. If a family member or friend in any way deters the person from participating in the cult, they are told to cut the negative tie.

Efforts are made to isolate the new member from the internet, books, magazines, tv, radio, phones and anything else that might give a message other than that of the cult. The members are effectively brain washed into a specific reality that is most beneficial to the cult. Members are gotten to think in terms of "us" versus "them". Things like meditation, chanting and marching are used to get the members used to doing actions in a sort of mindless obedience.

Members are gotten to spy and report on each other including their own family members. In this way all critical thoughts are suppressed. Members are also convinced that any critical thoughts they have regarding the cult are due to their own bad actions.

If someone wants to leave the cult they are isolated, made wrong, guarded, further deprived of food and sleep, physically intimidated, threatened with the loss of friends and family, told they will have no spiritual future if they leave, that they will not survive well outside the cult, that the evil of the world is waiting for them, etc, etc.

If the cult member still wants to leave, lies are told to the rest of the members about how evil the person actually was. This is followed by lies about how poorly the person is doing after they left. Some cults have even gone as far as producing propaganda films showing ex-members living as bums, trudging through their unhappy lives and these are shown repetitively to their members. Some cults have even taken this a step further and have hired goons to help ensure ex-members fail. They spread false lies about them where they work and live. They put spies in companies they start. They lie to police and government agencies to get the ex-member in trouble and falsely arrested. They even go so far as planting false evidence. The ex-member doesn't have to be acting as a threat to the cult, they only have to be considered a possible threat to be attacked.

A cult is a bit like quick sand. The deeper you get in the more energy it absorbs and the harder it is to get out.

Daddy, when you were part of the Church of Scientology, did you consider it to be a cult?

No. The word "cult", even if not understood, carries the concept of being bad. As a "true believer", I didn't consider myself or my group as being "bad". Also, the internal PRs briefed the staff that a cult was a closed, secretive group and of course we wanted new members and were making our doctrine available to others, so how could we be a "cult"? You must also realize that I didn't have the information that I have now and was cut off from potential sources of such information at the time.

If Scientology is actually a "cult", is it dangerous to others and society?

Unfortunately it is. Let me give you one simple example to make the point.

It was 1980. We were at the international base in Hemet California and we had recently completed building a studio for making training films. It was considered that the training films could make the difference in whether the group would "save the planet" or not. With no time to waste, we had worked day and night to build the studio to shoot the films in.

That winter there was a lot of snow in the mountains. A large storm came, dropping heavy rain for days. At the same time the temperature rose, causing the snow in the mountains to melt. There is a large river bed running through the valley that divides the international base from the city of Hemet and the farms and properties that surround it. In the summer the river bed is bone dry, now it was a raging river about 75 yards across and a few feet deep and it was threatening to break through its banks.

The Army Corp of Engineers brought in huge bulldozers to built up the banks to prevent the river from flooding the city of Hemet. On our side, we had a couple small pieces of equipment and about 60 male staff with shovels desperately working through the day and into the night to prevent the river from breaking through as it would flood our buildings including our new studio.

During the night, as it continued to rain heavily, it became obvious that despite our efforts, the bank on our side would give out within minutes. One of our most senior staff members (who, by the way, had joined the Business Association and other groups in Hemet as a PR function) went around to the other side of the river and covertly popped a hole through the river bed. The river broke through and flooded out the city of Hemet and the surrounding area causing MAJOR damage. The Army Corp of Engineers had two bulldozers buried so deep in mud they couldn't dig them out until the summer. Downtown Hemet had a foot of water and mud wash through its buildings and shops. Acres and acres of farm land was flooded and covered with silt.

Our little team of "flood-fighters" never brought up what had happened. We had zero remorse.

There is a viewpoint that really needs to be understood. The "true believer" is totally convinced that the eventual survival of everyone on the planet is dependent upon the survival of their cult and its goal. This is true even if others need to be harmed as they think that in future lives those who were hurt will "benefit in the long run".

Taken to its extreme, a "true believer" would choose the survival of their own cult and its goals over the survival of all other life on the planet.

This makes a cult dangerous to society. Things like breaking into government buildings, illegal wire taps, blackmail, perjury, theft and even murder is fully justified.

There is another aspect that makes this type of group dangerous. It tends to put others at risk by not following the rules of society to protect its PR or because it thinks it knows better. Here are a few examples to make the point:

I know of a staff member who raped another staff member in a hotel room in Clearwater. This was never reported to the police. The person was "rehabilitated" by the church and he now has a job where he can easily access public and staff rooms. I know of a number of cases where an adult staff member sexually assaulted or raped a toddler or minor and it was never reported. The offenders were moved to another church in another state to be "rehabilitated". I know of a staff member in Clearwater who was carrying around in his gym bag a loaded pistol with hollow-tip bullets. He had broken into and robbed a number of businesses, homes and cars in Clearwater and he was never reported to the police. If the church wants to deny these accusations, I will post the names and specifics in great detail. Another example was when Lisa McPherson needed proper medical attention. Her "handling" fell under the responsibility of Little Dickie and his personal staff and we all know the result of that.

Daddy, are these people terrorists?

I think it would be safe to say that while all cult members are not terrorists, all terrorists are cult members of one form or another.

A wise man once said that on the day when we can all trust each other, there will be peace on Earth. A cult like Scientology has such a disrespect for others rights and viewpoints that they are factually a liability to mankind and can not be trusted.

I totally trust you Daddy and you can totally trust me.

I know. I love you son.