Often one looks at the church of scientology and wonders if anything will ever change.
Are they bound to continue to practice Fair Game, hard sell vulturing and disconnection forever because it is dictated by L. Ron Hubbard?
The answer is no. Outside pressure, bad PR and legal cases DO impact scientology and change the way they behave.
Here is a perfect example:
I know this is just a “PR statement” and scientology says a lot of things it doesn’t practice. I am certainly not saying that because carefully worded statements like these appear in their public statements that it means they are true. I didn’t just have a lobotomy. But someone sent this page to me and it reminded me how things HAVE changed.
For many years, the unofficial policy of the Sea Org was to coerce women to have abortions. There are NUMEROUS heartbreaking and CONSISTENT stories that confirm this.
It was a practice that goes back to the days of the Apollo. It became the “norm” amongst SO members.
But since Laura DeCrescenzo’s lawsuit and numerous media stories about women forced or coerced into having abortions, the practice has ceased within the SO. Women who get pregnant now are pretty much automatically offloaded from the Sea Org. Nobody even TALKS to them about getting an abortion. That last sentence on their website above is now true.
It did have other consequences. Marriages became much more difficult – at the Int Base nobody was allowed to get married at all for years due to the fear that marriage would result in sex, which would result in pregnancies which was then a ticket out of the hellhole. Apparently this restriction has been eased and some couples who waited for years were finally allowed to get married.
But the good news is that outside pressure forced the church to end the practice of coercing/forcing SO members to have abortions.
Outside exposure also resulted in The Hole being disbanded.
David Miscavige no longer plays musical chairs. And physical assaults are few and far between.
These changes are ONLY because of external pressure that has come from those who have bravely stood up and said “This is wrong” despite the threats, intimidation tactics and fear engendered by scientology against anyone who speaks about it’s deplorable acts.
It does bring about change. Keep this in mind if you ever wonder whether anything can be done. Or if you think your voice doesn’t matter.
Hi Mike. Excuse my bad English. I am a former member of the Sea Organization until last year (I left in 2017). I was in CLO LATAM.
CAN YOU PLEASE RESPOND TO THE EMAIL I SENT TO YOU AT THE ADDRESS YOU USED TO MAKE THIS POSTING
Perhaps the dwarf decided despite of himself to offload his wife because she was waiting a kid, or just because she was refusing to keep on taking the pill? Who knows what such a totalitaist guy would do not to share anything to anyone?
I just wanted to applaud all the brave souls who decided to be ex-victims and leave and later speak up. It takes a lot to go into just a PR battle (never mind a legal battle) with the criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology, and those who do deserve a lot of appreciation. Brava! (And bravo.)
The measurable effects on the lives of the victims inside can be a positive one, and that’s fantastic, but first of all it’s a good thing to do what’s right.
Well said, Jens T. And Mike, “It does bring about change. Keep this in mind if you ever wonder whether anything can be done. Or if you think your voice doesn’t matter.” So the moniker on your blog is true: “Something can be done about it!” I want to applaud and thank Mike Rinder for day in and day out posting the truth about the SO and the C of $ on this blog. It truly has made DM change the church for the better re the Hole, marriages, abortions, beatings etc. You have made life better for SO on the inside by your articles, Mike and by the press picking them up. One question: If a woman gets pregnant in the SO so as to leave, if she happens to be UNmarried when she gets pg, will they declare her for that, or just off load her?
Somewhere in Book Two (Science of Survival), the Fatman wrote something like (paraphrasing) Any woman who would have an abortion for any reason other than to save her physical life (and not her reputation) is at 1.1 or below.
Scientologists including His Sourciness Hisself have never been known to practice what they preach.
Scientology and abortion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21b6NY–YFU
I always knew that the cover title on this blog really did mean what it said.Mike,all the work you have put in creating this site and then always adding amazing posts both deadly serious and then also infused with your unique humor,is an inspiration.Light is filtering through the cracks in the fortress cult.?Always.
It must be galling for David Miscavige to be forced to restrain himself from physical violence against staff. We know that is a difficult habit to break once acquired. Due to public exposure, he now restrains himself as onlookers know he must and Miscavige knows they know he must and they know he knows that they know he must…so that likely creates some awkward psycho-social dynamics. A sort of on-going, two-way missed withhold where one CoB is busted and staff are glad about it and one CoB knows they’re glad about it and…well you get it. It’s the ‘elephant in the room’ as they say.
But what about disconnection practice ending? While abortion and CoB bitchslaps may quietly slip out of sight, I think that’s a reformation requiring formal implementation and thus FANFARE. That means the ouster of DM. No way can he put an end to that practice. He would have to shake hands with his dad! People who have disconnected from their families would be forced to admit they were wrong for doing so and that degree of wrongness is next to unforgivable and therefore unconfrontable. DM would be scapegoated.
I think when we see disconnection discontinued will be when the CoS adopts a new name.
“The Church of Scientology of the New Reformation”, for instance. But then there’s the question as to whether a ‘technology’ carved out of untenable assertions and confirmation bias can survive without the means to threaten its flock into acquiescence.
Why don’t we put that Cruise fellow in charge and have DM sip his drinks somewhere with no extradition treaty?
Oh, that would make too much sense…
To be perfectly honest, when I first heard that DM was beating up people I found it a little hard to believe but I also thought “Yeah? So what? Being physically assaulted did not seem like that big a deal to me compared with the other things I had to deal with in the SO, like my wife being held prisoner while they waited for me to die, being ordered by RTC to commit injustices, not being allowed.to see my family for 7 years, penalizing up stats and rewarding downstats, etc. I considered myself a dead man long before I got AIDS from a blood transfusion. I would have volunteered to be beaten up myself if they would have just let me see my family or just let me see my wife one last time before I died. Then after she finally got off the ship she told me that she would not have been allowed off to go to my funeral. Some other staff member would have been sent to sign the cremation papers etc. She had been ordered to end cycle on me when I was still alive. She was advised not to take me to a doctor but to put me in a hospice, where all drugged up, I would have died quietly with no fuss or any annoying deathbed statements. Fortunately, she did not do this. She was treated like an out ethics criminal because she wanted to see her dying husband.
So why were all these things allowed to happen? Brutally, they were allowed to happen because I allowed them to happen.
I stopped my father from calling the FBI when he speculated that my wife was being held against her will. I should have called them myself. I should have gone to the media. CULT WON’T ALLOW WIFE TO VISIT DYING HUSBAND ” would have made a good headline. There may have been some TA.
So Mr Rinder is doing a great public service by publishing these abuses. Even though it is highly unlikely that any SO members will ever read them other persons not as brainwashed as myself will read them and will act as soon as there is enough outrage. Probably would save a lot of lives. Possibly the “Church” could even be reformed. It will be too late for many, certainly those already dead. Certainly there are many in the organization who believe that I would have been better off dead than to be allowed to live to write these words But, if enough people speak out, at least further crimes will be averted.
P.S. After I left the ship my dress white uniform was sent to me with my officer bars and campaign ribbons. I was puzzled by this. This was the property of the organization and certainly they would not want me wearing those items if I were no longer in the SO. I later realized that it may have made a good photo opportunities or compliance report for the person sent to sign the cremation papers. A shot of myself in my dress whites officer bars and campaign ribbons lying in my coffin would have looked sharp, depending what my face looked like. They had withheld from the Freewinds crew the fact that I had AIDS and so they could have said that I died in the line of duty. That is nowhere near as farfetched as what they said about LRH.
(Small last addition)
I was awarded the campaign ribbon of AWARD OF EXTREME. COMPETENCE by COB for helping save another cruise ship which was on fire and sinking in Freeport harbor. In the issue DM said that this award is only given for things such as saving lives. As Mr Rinder is saving far more lives by his actions than I ever did he is welcome to my award. I would not expect him to ever wear it . I don’t know what is worse, the fact that it was awarded by DM or that it was worn by a person with AIDS. (there can be no live virus on it since HIV is killed when it comes into contact with air.
Exactly. Therefore any person advising or ordering another to get an abortion should be RPFed or dismissed from staff. Should an abortion actually occur from the order the ordered should be charged with murder.
In March 2002 the Captain Freewinds John Michael Napier, in his office screamed at the top of his lungs directed at my wife and I ‘ I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT FAMILY.” He was blaming my wife for my CSW to go to my parents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. He is DM’s diving buddy and he was not always like.this. He is obviously the person who ordered my wife held against her will while they waited for me to die. Had he held my wife against her will for only a few more weeks or a month I would certainly have been dead.
“These changes are ONLY because of external pressure that has come from those who have bravely stood up and said “This is wrong” despite the threats, intimidation tactics and fear engendered by scientology against anyone who speaks about it’s deplorable acts. ” …
So true Mike and thank you for writing this in plain language. My hope is Scientologists will recognize that enough reason warrants an outside evaluation and unbiased inspection of Scientology today, even though policy prohibits it. It’s a tough tough spot to be in, I do not want to be in their shoes.
The same website also states:
“HOW DOES SCIENTOLOGY VIEW
MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY?
Scientology regards the family as the building block of any society and marriage as an essential component of a stable family life.
People often find that after they begin practicing Scientology, their relationships with spouses and other family members strengthen dramatically. That is because Scientology teaches an individual to communicate more freely with others, raises the capacity to love and puts one in better communication with family and friends.
Surveys have found that, after participating in Scientology services, individuals are more likely to marry or stay married and to have children than before they became Scientologists.”
When is COB going to figure out that one of the reasons that people leave the church is because they actually read what’s written in the official Scientology website and are left stupefied and unable to match up what they’ve read to what they’re observing in their Scientologist environment.
Who you gonna believe: COB or your own lying eyes?
OK…if the midget is no longer playing musical chairs and no longer punching out on a regular basis those around him… what’s he doing with all that pent up hostility? It’s my theory that he’s created a new position on the org board….something like POP I/C which stands for Punched Out Person In Charge who has the honor of being beaten to a pulp on a daily basis by none other than the most important being on the planet. A very honored position I’m sure.
The Pope of Pop – it has a nice ring to it.
The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin’ and the joint began to swing
You should’ve seen them knock out Davey in the ring
Let’s rock everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Li’l Dave was blowin’ on some prisoner’s bone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The whole rhythm section was the Gold Base Gang
Let’s rock everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Number forty-seven said to COB
“You’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see
I sure would be delighted with your company
Wanna see you do that SCOHB”
Let’s rock everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Sad sack was sittin’ on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin’ all alone
The warden said, “hey, buddy, don’t you be no square
Partner up with Davey underneath the stairs”
Let’s rock everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Shifty Henry said to Bugs, “For Heaven’s sake
No one’s lookin’ now’s our chance to make a break”
Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, “Nix, Nix
I’m stickin’ it to Davey just to get my kicks”
Let’s rock everybody, let’s rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin’ to the Jailhouse Rock
According to an LRH reference, if a person is dramatizing (acting out some bad thing from his engramic reactive mind), and you then stop that person from dramatizing, the person will get sick becaue the dramatization was stopped mid stream. So maybe by Davie having to stop his dramatization of beating others, he will get sick. And if he gets sick, he could die, and if he died, either someone sane would take over, or the church would fold… so things could change dramatically. Bravely speaking up and shining the light on his human rights dramatizations and violations may just stop the dramatization and result in good things happening.
“Marriages became much more difficult – at the Int Base nobody was allowed to get married at all for years due to the fear that marriage would result in sex, which would result in pregnancies which was then a ticket out of the hellhole.”
Coupled, uncoupled, neutered – kind of like a farmer manages his barnyard animals.
Dear Mr. Rinder,
I am a never-in but someone devoted to human rights. I have followed your blog for some time now. I applaud your efforts and appreciate very much your statement that opposing voices can bring change and do matter. My millennial children are struggling mightily with last night’s election results. I am very grateful to have your inspiring words and facts to share with them. Thank you.
SMoore
“I applaud your efforts and appreciate very much your statement that opposing voices can bring change and do matter. My millennial children are struggling mightily with last night’s election results. I am very grateful to have your inspiring words and facts to share with them.”
Well said, Sherrie.
I would like to add to Sherrie’s post……but I guess basically say the same things….I truly do admire ALL of you who have stood up against the COS/COB. It takes an extreme amount of courage….fortitude…..strength…..to fight against the Behemoth that is the Scientology machine…….you are dismantling it brick by brick….piece by piece…..and you can only play Jenga so long before the tower Crumbles.
Every post that I read is truly humbling…….You are real examples of what happens when you band together and share your stories….you are CHANGING IT.
Mike….Thank You for letting me be a part of it all….
Your Friend Over The Bridge.
This is a good day for good news. Thank you, Mike. And thanks for all you personally have done to help bring about these significant changes.
I’d like to second that acknowledgement of Mike Rinder.
I echo these sentiments.
It’s a very good idea to look back and take stock of how things are now, relative to how they once were, and to acknowledge progress toward important goals. In that regard, the fact that direct and forceful coercion to abort pregnancies among Sea Orgy staff no longer occurs is a very important step toward ending one of the most significant human rights abuses that has long been endemic within the cherch.
However, while coercion and threat to end pregnancies is no longer the cherch’s policy or practice, the prohibition against Sea Org staff having children if they wish to remain on staff is itself an enforced and arbitrary rule that undermines families and committed relationships at a very deep level. It leaves those individuals who commit their careers and lives to the cult with a diminished familial support network which, over the longer term, makes them even more dependent upon and manipulable by an uncaring cult that is very likely to abandon them in their old age as they become less productive and the years of overwork, inadequate rest and constant stress and fear take its toll on their health.
Lil davey the savage didn’t have some sort of moral epiphany upon waking up one morning to realize that forced abortions were wrong and damaging to individuals and families; he was dragged kicking and screaming to the decision to halt that practice, based on his own fear and the threat he felt. So, while catalyzing significant change withing the cult through any means is very worthwhile, it should never be mistaken for fundamental change in the mindset of the cherch’s sadistic and sociopathic absolute leader.
This is a superb article, and full of hope. We need hope 🙂
Well, it’s people like you and several others who gives voice to those of us who suffer because of policies of the church. And it’s people like you who have affected these positive changes in the church of scientology. I cannot wait (but will not hold my breath) until the abusive practice of disconnection ends.
I recognize that david miscavige needs the disconnection policy to control what’s left of the scientologists numbers.
BUT! The Berlin Wall came down because of the chip chip chip efforts of others over the year. I have hope.
Scientology Won’t Work if Disconnection is not used.
Scientology has to use “threats of punishment and extreme pain” in order for it to work.
The reason is because it is not based on SCIENCE except the “Science of Scamming”
It is solely based on BELIEF.
Hypnosis works when standardly and secretly applied.
That’s right, McCarran. The “chip chip chip” efforts. Well put.
Here’s some LRH which I’m sure has always been religiously applied. ?
“Once the child is conceived, no matter how ‘shameful’ the circumstances, no matter the mores, no matter the income, that man or woman who would attempt an abortion on an unborn child is attempting a murder which will seldom succeed and is laying the foundation of a childhood of illness and heartache.
“Anyone attempting an abortion is committing an act against the whole society and the future; any judge or doctor recommending an abortion should be instantly deprived of position and practice, whatever his ‘reason.’ ”
“A woman who is pregnant should be given every consideration by a society which has any feeling for its future generations.”
Yet LRH attempted several abortions himself, did he not? Wasn’t Nibs born early – the result of a botched abortion?”
You have to like how they cover all their bases…..a fetus ‘may’ contain a spiritual being….
The Golden Rule for LRH was:
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
And COB follows that to this day
Follower: Sir, you said that abortion was wrong in Dianetics, but then seemed to say something different.
Ron: The easiest thing for a thetan to do is change his mind.
Follower: Wow, great – I can use that stable datum in my life.
Ron: Unfortunately, one must be at the top of the Bridge to apply it, as all humanoids not at that level are operating on a reactive computational basis.
Follower: Thank you for indicating that sir. I can’t wait to be OT!
Ron: You’re welcome. Now get back on post.
Follower: Yes sir!
Chee, you’re not expecting consistency between words and action, are you, by any chance? Scientology is terrific at telling you everything you shouldn’t do that its perfectly ok for them to do. But then, so is every religion, which is why I have contempt for organized religion. Jesus Christ, back in the day, said it well: “Oh ye hypocrites”. Too bad that early brotherly love etc. philosophy got crystalized into various sets of the dogmatic dos and don’ts we are pleased to call “religion”.
I also noted that soon after publicly naming individuals that were in the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force) in Clearwater for 12 and 13 years, I saw these people were let out of the RPF. While I can’t confirm positively that one caused the other, its very likely due to the timing. I am glad to see that whistle blowers are helping to improve and even save lives. There are still many important areas where they need to change. One is their widespread use of disconnection and the other is failing to follow their own refund policy. Money that is prepaid for a service but never used is supposed to be returned, if the person requests it as part of their departure from Scientology. The Church of Scientology has a problem regarding these two points. Their “pope” has too many crimes that could be communicated if not for the use of disconnection. To say that strategy is not working out well for him is a huge understatement. On the second point, they literally have hundreds of millions of dollars of unused, prepaid money on their books. As their parishioners become more and more disaffected with their church, its product and leadership, they can not afford to return money to all their unhappy customers. When I was the Treasury Sec for the FSO (Flag Service Org) between 1995 to 2002, our church in Clearwater alone had over $400,000,000 in prepaid money on account and it was growing by hundreds of thousands each week. At that time we were following the refund policy for the church that had been in affect since the 1960’s. We refunded about $100,000 a week while trying to stall and “handle” a waiting line of unhappy customers. Not following the refund policy is just asking for trouble. LRH didn’t write a policy for refunds because he liked handing back money.
Hi Mat,
Why did LRH like handing back money?
I’ve always thought their IRS downfall is going to be the result of something silly…..like refusing to return a minuscule amount of funds on account.
Then that will blow up.
Kind of like how Tommy Davis handled Paul Haggis’ concern re: the California Prop 8 petition, which led to Haggis blowing and ultimately Going Clear
It wasn’t a matter of liking to hand back money. From a business viewpoint you don’t want noisy, unhappy customers. Its better to give back the money with the agreement the person will not return and cause any further problems. In this way you can better get onto getting money from others.
Differentiating between the definition of of the words “refund” and “repayment” in written cherch policy is essential here. Since the cherch has officially disavowed any claims or promises for the services it provides parishioners, and simultaneously has attempted to assert that no claims or promise had ever been made for them in the past ( see here for the applicable $cn policies https://scientologymoneyproject.com/2016/10/19/what-scientologys-promises-actually-mean/ ), getting your money back for services already provided (i.e., refunds) is almost impossible.
However, repayment of funds placed on account as advance payments for future specific services could be another case entirely. Because the cherch charges non-negotiable fees for its services, despite calling them donations, folks should be able to legally demand repayment of those advance payments because (as far as I know) the original policy concerning repayments is still in force.
They treat refunds and repayments the same (and told the IRS this in their submission for exempt status).
Essentially, the difference is that refunds requested after 90 days are simply rejected (“per policy”).
Refunds before 90 days or repayments require the requester to do the “CVB (Claims Verification Board) Routing form. Except this requires you to go into the org. And requesting a return of money is a “suppressive act” and so you are an SP who is not allowed on church premises. Voila. It’s magic. No return of funds for anything. And if you sue, like the garcia’s they assert you must do “arbitration” under the IJC with 3 scientologists “in good standing” who are forbidden “per policy” from treating you as anything other than Fair Game (ie no rights to anything).
And that is because people sign contracts with the CoS stating that they will abide by its rules for refunds and repayments.
Always, always, always read and understand a contract before you sign it. Adult life 100 course.
you make it sound like a victim of the mind-fuck perpetrated by the criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology is entering into a contract with all the relevant information and under no undue influence.
I suggest that is not the case.
Undue influence is a thing, also in courts. Check out Jon Atack’s “opening minds” for more about undue influence.
Basically, the victim is being defrauded by the organisation, something that led to a criminal conviction for organised fraud against the organisation itself in France.
Blaming the victims is hardly a great way to find out how to stop the Co$ harming said victims.
Jens TINGLEFF, being an adult means taking responsibility for your actions. If you committed crimes while “under the influence of scamology” you don’t get a pardon. Or, do you think one should?
You need to learn what taking responsibility for your actions means. Maybe someday you’ll get there.
Yes, there’s $cn policy and procedures that attempt to treat requests for repayment of money put on account as advance payment for future services AS IF it’s the same thing as refund requests for services that were provided, but by definition they’re NOT the same things.
If and when the Garcias’ case gets sorted out, or someone else takes the cherch to court and decides NOT to settle with the cherch, but instead, to fully litigate their claim and set case law precedent, we’ll find out if the court is going to view the cherch’s confiscation of money placed on account as the criminal fraud that it truly is, or side with it in conflating refunds with repayment and let them keep the millions that have been left on account. Their case has gotten itself mired down in all manner of procedural maneuvering and stalling tactics ( just where the cherch would like it to stay) so hopefully they’ll get past all that and to what’s important sometime soon.
$cn does its absolute best to settle civil suits that look like they could set an important precedent by getting plaintiffs to sign one of their very detailed non-disclosure agreements. And that is exactly what they’re likely to try to do with the Garcias’ if the case is set to go to trial. or with any case like it, because there’s a whole lot of cash at stake that the cherch thinks of as theirs and really, really doesn’t want to give back.
Harpoona, I know for a fact that what Mike says above is the truth. The only modifier may be that if you have enough damaging information that they may consider a refund in order to make a deal so you won’t talk.
But I think even those days may be over. If a deal was cut and you broke it, the cherch would have to sue to get the funds and that in of itself would be worse than just pulling a stonewall ‘fuck you and your funds ……………. they are ours’ routine.
Seems to me the only option is to continue to expose the criminal activities for what they are and hope other unsuspecting ‘wogs’ don’t get sucked through the Cult knothole. I try not to miss a day that I don’t mention to someone the truth about the cult. This morning I happened to be at my local county offices and had the opportunity to let some of the officials know that the CST compound in their jurisdiction may not be actually doing what they say they are as regards providing a public benefit.
I just asked “what exactly ARE they doing to benefit the local community?” For the CST compound in Tuolumne, I will say that is is nice of them to allow the church congregation that they bought the property from to come and visit the cross on the mountain on Easter Sunday. That is nice of you Jane and I hope it continues.
I think it would also be nice for a Scientology “head on a pike” or two concerning financial manipulation and coercion. A change there would be indeed welcome but it is good news the world at large is knocking on Scientology’s door and demanding change.
This “law” Scientologists adhere to because “L. Ron Hubbard said so” is completely and utterly ridiculous. I remember a lecture he did in 1951 where he stated unequivocally that his opinion of the data (Scientology Axioms etc) should be worthless to you. If you see it working for you and your PC that’s all the evidence you need. Boy, didn’t that sort of advice fall on death ears plus Hubbard himself seemed to research himself backwards until he fully and completely convinced himself he was the “only one.” KSW1 was born & forced down everyone’s throat!
As their technology is practiced in the Cof$ the only definition that seems to explain Scientology’s robotic effect is one of their own – implanting. “Fear of” is as good as a smack in the mouth any-day of the week if it applied correctly. Scientologists are scared people, they live in constant fear, especially of the Church and each other. The fear of KRs being a prime “fear of,” however best of all is lost eternity.
It could also be suggested they live in fear of themselves. All those urges they have to suppress, like looking at the internet or TV and seeing something about Scientology flash on the screen. Must be tough being inside a Scientologist’s head!
A tribute to those who have spoken out against this abuse.
Amen.
Wow, I had no idea that the SO was changing, except for the worse. Maybe they even have actual justice and sent the kangaroos back to Australia. Maybe I should do my A-E and go back and finish my billion year contract. Naw, I’m getting too old for that shit. If the former offenders have really made ethics change, then they should apply the ethics conditions. I don’t know how you make up the damage done; people are DEAD, families DESTROYED, children ABORTED. Maybe what we need is a Nuremberg style trial to give them a fair hearing before we hang them. Oh, you say you’re not supposed to pronounce sentence before the trial? Why not, it is what they did.
I don’t really want revenge but…….
I lied. I do want revenge but I will settle for Justice.
Over 2,700 exes speaking out can’t be all wrong.
http://whyweprotest.wikia.com/wiki/Former_Church_of_Scientology_members_who_have_spoken_out
And also: over 300 documented disconnection cases can’t be all lies:
http://whyweprotest.wikia.com/wiki/Accounts_of_Scientology%27s_Disconnection_Policy_by_Former_Members_and_Others
However.
Should the church no longer enforce (in whichever way) disconnection, and should members decide to reconnect with people they disconnected from (and I sure hope they will), then the church is doomed.
Because right then alle the lies will be put under sunlight, and by far most of the members will see the church for what it is: a scam.
So I guess they won’t end disconnection,
We’ll just have to keep putting pressure on that subject.
“Because right then all the lies will be put under sunlight, and by far most of the members will see the church for what it is: a scam.”
It may be that some of the members or staff would see the scam but at the same time would want the tech carried forward, as they still see its value. Obviously, a per-policy com ev on DM wouldn’t be possible, but I wonder if a “coup” could be pulled off – with DM going out the way he came in.
Probably not. He’s got all the keys to the money! 🙂
But hopefully not to all the “ideal” property. 😉
Thank god speaking out made a change on this (I think you know I spoke to SP Times while pregnant with my first child after leaving the SO). Thank you Mike for bringing it up.
Back in 2003, 2004, right before I left, there was a rule (or whatever you want to call it in the Sea Org) that all married couples HAD to use two forms of birth control. This was enforced at the HGB, not sure about other bases.
SO members don’t even have the money to pay for one form of birth control. Where are they going to get the money to pay for Two forms of birth control???
To pay for birth control I guess they could give up toilet paper … Oh wait, that’s been done…
Dear Cindy, So you are saying that the organization is cheap? Well, I can attest that they would have paid for my coffin. Of course you don’t need much of a coffin when it is just going in to the oven anyway and they could add it to my freeloader bill when I returned to duty. But, you may be right. They would have had only to pay for a coffin once; it is not a recurring expense. And since it could be a photo opp it would probably go in FP as promotion. And you know what LRH says about promotion, “outflow is holier and more renumerative than inflow”.
Society is slowly getting in ethics on the scam.
About 10 or so more items still to be ticked off.
1.Disconnection
2.Crazy niacin poisening in 5 hour sauna sits
3.IAS scamming,
4.Refund policy,
5.Crazy sec checks,
6.Sea org slave exploitation,
7.Endless space cootie hunting at galactic expense
8.Importing third world slaves into the Sea Org.
9.,Ideal orgs ripoff scams.
10.Goon squads going after defectors Jenny at lax style(nearly 800.000 views.
more?
YES. DM in Federal prison. Revocation of tax-exempt status. Prosecution of ALL remaining execs under RICO laws. Prosecution for human trafficking. SNOOOURT!
And the Sandcastle gets tuned into an extension of the aquarium and all ex Scios get a lifetime pass and half priced accommodations. The Super Power Building gets turned into a exhibition center for anti cult awareness groups. The Fort Harrison gets transformed into a public 5 star hotel which supports the anti-cult awareness groups in the SP building and sets up a trust fund for anti-cult activities across the planet. Int base gets made into an out-let mall, its proceeds also the support anti-cult awareness center.
All the rest of the Orgs and Scientology assets in the world get sold off and the proceeds split up and handed back to (now) ex-Scios, All lawyers who worked for Scientology do the legals on a pro bono basis for all the above.
Saint Hill however is converted into a wildlife park, so the real foxes have someone to live.
And COB left by himself on the Freewinds with no radio in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
They don’t have enough fuel to handle the Pacific. They will need to stay close to a harbor in case He takes on a leak and in shallow enough water to drop his shorts ….I mean anchor ….sorry!
COB (or just about anyone really) would have no chance keeping the Freewinds afloat by himself.
When I left the Ship in 2002 I imagine I knew more about the Engine Room than anyone aboard having repaired virtually every machine down there in the 16 years I was aboard but even I could not run it and keep up with repairs and maintenance by myself for long. Add to that operating the ship..
It would be hopeless. DM would never even get the Main Engines started let alone sail anywhere. I doubt the Captain Freewinds could even start the engines. In the 16 years I was there I never saw him do it or even heard of him trying.
I already dibsed the Stupid Power Building for the world’s largest and most opulent gay bath house. They already have the sauna. The Vomit Comet can be turned into a high-tech sling. The Oiliness Table, I won’t get into, but it will be put to good use. We can even revive the good old days of the Continental Baths in New York in the Seventies and have live entertainment and concerts. We won’t be able to afford Bette Midler and Barry Manilow (who performed together at the Continental Baths back then), but we can always book Stacy Francis and AKNE. They’ll be desperate for work after the cult collapses.
And think about the benefits for Clearwater. With the Stupid Power building as an anchor, we gays can do what we do so well and re-energize downtown, turning it into a gay-friendly and family-friendly destination (yes, the aquarium will go up). The Potemkin Village will get instantly converted into small high-end boutiques. Why head all the way down to Key West when you’ve got Clearwater only a short drive from Tampa? Within a year, Clearwater will rival P-Town and Key West as a gay resort destination.
Gay On The Bay. You know the world wants it. And after yesterday, the world needs it.
Sounds like plan. Whatever floats your boat Espi but it sure would nice to have life once again become part of the Clearwater scene. As it is you can’t really call it living what Scientology does there.
more yes.
11. full disclosure. Anything that would fall under the heading of ” things we lied about or published in writing that strictly speaking was not true” not limited to subjects concerning just the subject but including the founder.
If Scientology as a subject can stand on it’s own after all that, then what ever is left should be fairly innocuous.
” 11. full disclosure. Anything that would fall under the heading of ” things we lied about or published in writing that strictly speaking was not true” not limited to subjects concerning just the subject but including the founder. ”
That about wraps up the whole shebang Doug! What was it that happens when you as-is something …..? Oh yea, that must be a lie too! dangit!
There is an LRH reference, I don’t remember which one where he says sometimes you have to put a head on a pike in order to get ethics in. I think that that is what it will take to get ethics in on the Church. If one could put let’s say, DM”s head on a pike the lesser offenders would cease offending to a large degree.
Bill, there is no one in the CoS who is willing to confront DM. The problem is that the tek produces sheep and a few psychos who rise to the top. If it produced people superior to homo sap (as L Con said) they would have stopped DM early on.
Yes Mike, I am sure that you are correct. I would possibly be willing to confront DM but since I am no longer in the SO this would have no effect. Probably the main reason I would be willing to confront him is that I have nothing left to lose from it. I would not wish that on anyone.