This is an interesting article I came across in the Huffington Post a few days ago (click the link to read the full piece)
I have included some excerpts and highlighted key points.
I think it’s relevant to comments and arguments one often sees on this blog And elsewhere, especially concerning the subject of scientology “tech”/beliefs, both from those who find the “tech” to be invaluable and infallible and those that find everything about it to be crap/evil.
It is somewhat ironic to me that L. Ron Hubbard said that the easiest thing for someone to do is change their mind. But in fact, when it comes to belief, it is one of the hardest. And we see that demonstrated on this blog pretty much every day. As this article notes, this is a threat on a deeply personal and emotional level, and evidence contrary to your beliefs may in fact increase your conviction.
And haven’t we all seen this?
It takes considerable courage to change your mind about politics or religion. Unfortunately, the article gives no solution to this phenomenon other than to keep communicating. Shutting it down CERTAINLY won’t resolve it. But despite no answers, I thought it interesting enough to pass on for general review and discussion. I think it is good to recognize this IS what happens, it is not uncommon or strange, nor is it limited to scientologists or ex-scientologists. Perhaps it will help engender greater kindness and understanding. I suspect there will be plenty of people weighing in on this subject. It’s sort of a Terra Cognita style posting and s/he seems to stir the commenting blood pretty well!
There is truth in this! This is the problem with all the manmade religions… they all seek to control people. Those involved in these religions are deceived and will always view anything critical you say as a personal attack against themselves…. even if it’s said in love. They are never able to separate the two. But I think there is nothing more loving than trying to help someone who is deceived. Obviously when you’re deceived you just can’t see it.
It’s demonic. One tool of Satan is to control your mind. If he can control your mind then he can control your actions. I see a massive display of this in Scientology. There is a reason why the scriptures say to put on the full armor of God… the helmet being a very important piece of the armor, to protect your head from all the deceptions in the world (Ephesians 6:10-18). And talking of control…. this method is no different from a spouse that controls and abuses their partner… it’s an effort to destroy the other person and control everything they do… and the victim always struggles to leave!
Individuals like David Miscavidge, and even the pope (though I’m sure many will curse at me for that one) are just two examples of leaders that are actually “blind leaders of the blind” and “both will fall in a ditch”. Those doing the false teaching/indoctrinating are equally deceived, going along with this lie as if it’s truth.
Back to the topic… It’s a sad reality that when reaching out to a person, to expose a false teaching, that they will always gets defensive and see it as a personal attack. Even the newest of Catholics will be quick to defend catholicism, even when lacking the knowledge of the church teachings… because that religion has become a part of their identity. But I think the best method is to focus on exposing the false teachings.
There are people out there whose job is to “deactivate/deprogram” people stuck in these cults. They’re trained and successful in it. I’m not sure of their title?? But maybe it would be an idea to reach out to one of them to help?
Katy, I take it that you are a Christian as you have quoted the New Testament scriptures concerning being deceived. I am a Christian, and as such appreciate your thoughts on the spiritual aspects of being demonized as that adds to the physical proof that these researchers have demonstrated. God Bless.
To follow up with even more detail
Here’s a very detailed abstract (scholarly paper) on fmri imaging used to study the physiological reactions to counterevidence. It has an interpretation of results that asserts the brain activity in the amygdala regarding counterevidence for deeply held beliefs may be quite similar to that activated by actual physical threats.
In other words the emotional reaction to evidence we are wrong is possibly as strong as if one was being attacked and in mortal danger. This hypothesis is supported by research on confirmation bias, the consistency principle as described by Robert Cialdini, and cognitive dissonance theory as described by Leon Festinger.
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep39589
The idea that appeals to emotionally work far better than appeals to reason or critical thinking is a very old one with many variations.
There is the classic Greek rhetoric on it, the development of psychology has
“So long as an opinion is strongly rooted in the feelings, it gains rather than loses in stability by having a preponderating weight of argument against it.”
― John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women
That gets called the backfire effect and unfortunately research has suggested deeply held ideas become stronger when discussed, even when facts that disprove them are introduced.
George Lakoff has ideas on frames and how we reaffirm what fits the frames we use. Some neuroscientists would say the activation of an established neural pathway even to discount it makes it stronger.
Some therapists now don’t have patients look at negative emotions and behavior over and over because they feel looking at it strengthens it.
Cialdini’s book Influence refers to consistency. Others refer to the sunk cost fallacy.
The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion draws all things else to support and agree with it. And though there be a greater number and weight of instances to be found on the other side, yet these it either neglects and despises, or else-by some distinction sets aside and rejects, in order that by this great and pernicious predetermination the authority of its former conclusion may remain inviolate
– Francis Bacon
Here’s an excellent article on the backfire effect and the research to support it
https://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/06/10/the-backfire-effect/
“Some therapists now don’t have patients look at negative emotions and behavior over and over because they feel looking at it strengthens it. ”
Caught my eye. A standard question in Dianetics is: “Is the incident erasing, or going more solid?” If it is going more solid, then ask for an earlier similar incident until the bottom of the chain is hit and the entire chain erases. Intuitively, it’s fairly obvious that the first trauma will be the one the individual remembers as the determining cause and effect, perhaps analogous to “first impressions” formed when meeting someone. In other instances, negative emotions will not resolve until one knows the basis for them, the structure of them, and Scientology processes address that.
On a related topic, I think it’s important to be aware of the faults of logic and cognitive biases that humans fall in to, and that we see in cultic thinking and arguing. Here are a couple of the most relevant fallacies from the web page cited towards the bottom:
ad hominem: Latin for “to the man.” An arguer who uses ad hominems attacks the person instead of the argument. Whenever an arguer cannot defend his position with evidence, facts or reason, he or she may resort to attacking an opponent either through: labeling, straw man arguments, name calling, offensive remarks and anger.
confirmation bias (similar to observational selection): This refers to a form of selective thinking that focuses on evidence that supports what believers already believe while ignoring evidence that refutes their beliefs. Confirmation bias plays a stronger role when people base their beliefs upon faith, tradition and prejudice. For example, if someone believes in the power of prayer, the believer will notice the few “answered” prayers while ignoring the majority of unanswered prayers (which would indicate that prayer has no more value than random chance at worst or a placebo effect, when applied to health effects, at best).
confusion of correlation and causation: (e.g., More men play chess than women, therefore, men make better chess players than women. Or: Children who watch violence on TV tend to act violently when they grow up.) But does television programming cause violence or do violence oriented children prefer to watch violent programs? Perhaps an entirely different reason creates violence not related to television at all. Stephen Jay Gould called the invalid assumption that correlation implies cause as “probably among the two or three most serious and common errors of human reasoning”
no true Christian (no true Scotsman): an informal logical fallacy, an ad hoc attempt to retain an unreasoned assertion. When faced with an example, rather than denying it, this fallacy excludes the specific case without reference to any objective rule. Example: Many Christians in history have started wars. Reply: Well no true Christian would ever start a war.
observational selection (similar to confirmation bias): pointing out favorable circumstances while ignoring the unfavorable. Anyone who goes to Las Vegas gambling casinos will see people winning at the tables and slots. The casino managers make sure to install bells and whistles to announce the victors, while the losers never get mentioned. This may lead one to conclude that the chances of winning appear good while in actually just the reverse holds true.
red herring: when the arguer diverts the attention by changing the subject.
straw man: creating a false or made up scenario and then attacking it. (e.g., Evolutionists think that everything came about by random chance.) Most evolutionists think in terms of natural selection which may involve incidental elements, but does not depend entirely on random chance. Painting your opponent with false colors only deflects the purpose of the argument. (From the email that I get on NoBeliefs.com this appears as the most common fallacy of all.)
From List of common fallacies at http://www.nobeliefs.com/fallacies.htm
To the above I would add:
Sunk cost fallacy: Individuals commit the sunk cost fallacy when they continue a behavior or endeavor as a result of previously invested resources. The sunk cost fallacy makes it more likely that a person or an organization continues with an activity in which they have already invested money, time, or effort, even if they would not start the activity had they not already invested in it. The greater the size of the sunk investment, the more people tend to invest further, even when the return on added investment appears not to be worthwhile. [compiled from several sources]
Very interesting post. A book I’m part way into is “Formal Logic: A Philosophical Approach” by Paul Hoyningen-Huene. And Aristotle. Of course, I am an independent Scientologists, so obviously totally brainwashed into the pure belief that logic is valid in discerning causalities.
Religious beliefs are even more entrenched than political beliefs except for the most partisan of political actors. Politically I straddle the fence … social issues I’m much more liberal in my thinking than economic issues … and am thankfully not America and did not have to choose in the last election. Religiously, I have never met a person that was content to accept my beliefs, and not try to convert me to theirs largely because I am not overt about my beliefs they believe I’m less faithful than they are. Total nonsense.
Anyone else getting mail asking you to buy the Dianetics Book by L. Ron Hubbard? I got a card today!!
I don’t think all of Scientology is 100% crap. However, the things that are useful are not unique to Scientology and could be found elsewhere without the costs of being involved with Scientology. That’s my only qualm with it, really. Anything that works you can get at your public library. The stuff that is unique to Scientology hasn’t aged well since the 50s. Mind you, I don’t blame Hubbard for criticizing 1950s psychiatry. The field of psychiatry deserved and continues to deserve criticism for falling to the same human foibles we all have. Including bigotry and abuse. Psychiatrists themselves noted this. But Hubbard treated psychiatry like a magical, villainous entity instead of an emerging science that needed refinement through ethics and peer review. Psychiatry is improving all the time while all Scientologist texts are dead documents, unable to update or change. Everything that is unethical or counter-productive in Scientology cannot change, whereas in psychiatry, it MUST change as information updates.
Not quite off topic: Just in time for tonight’s last (special) episode, I finished song I promised Leah and Mike and all whistleblowers, “Whistle and Blow”. If you know of someone who might be thinking of finally writing up knowledge of abuses at knowledgereports@hushmail.com, maybe this will help encourage them. Tell them I wrote this for them, from the heart. In fact, Mike, you can count this as my Knowledge Report 🙂
http://bit.ly/2iyp8QA
http://bit.ly/2jW64rA
First blush comment: Sounds a bit dumb, but recently it struck me that the substance of notions “compassion, empathy, understanding” and such are not options in life, but requirements. On the dichotomy, the substance of notions “hatred, hostility, revenge” and such are the fastest way to self-destruction. The same applies to dichotomies of: honesty / theft; integrity / corruption; rationality / irrationality. And much else. And it gets pretty dicey: you get betrayed and suddenly the world changes from day to night, what you thought was good is seen as a deception, and in short, you go nuts. The R6 Bank is not a toy, and you see it right here “debating” Scientology with itself.
Looking at the world, I wonder if it isn’t fair to say, in broad summary, that most people are basically good (the belief Scientology is founded on). Yet, basically good as the majority [obviously] are, we’re all prone to anger and bad stuff when really pressured.
So much has been thought and written about over the ages, to convince man to change his mind about his justifications for doing bad things, and see the virtue and reward of doing the good things. I think of all the times I have been forgiven for things, and blush. I look at truly great souls who forgive everything, out of good, and sometimes, looking back on my whole track of many lifetimes, I just want to crawl into a hole somewhere and die, I feel so very small and dirty, but I recognize that isn’t a solution.
The only real solution is to accept forgiveness (even against one’s own notions that such offenses as one’s own m-u-s-t be tracked own and punished), and do good, and try to comprehend, and understand how life works. That’s a hard mindset to change, to give up on one’s own punishment and guilt, and replace it with something a bit more rational, and start recovering and developing one’s native abilities long abandoned. The question always seem to come up, “By what logic or grace do I deserve good for myself? How is that just?” And one of the more poignant lines scripted for movies was Tom Hanks’, in “Saving Private Ryan”, , “Earn it.”
In this mess we have made of Life, of Creation, it is necessary to find the elements of good and reason and sort them out from the wrong and chaotic. And so many have asked at the end of a lifetime, “Have I done good?” It is not just intentions. Doing good requires a LOT of smarts. A lot of study. And there is so very much to learn and practice.
And oh: for politics, exercising my allotted time to revise and extend my remarks: basically it’s goals and purposes, admin scales, on a fourth Dynamic (nation / mankind). So don’t buy into the media incendiary devices schedule, and just ask about what is to be achieved, and don’t “fight with it”, get more of it, ask more about it, and ask how. It takes some patience, and some auditing training helps, but you’ll end up with someone telling you about goals and ideal scenes you recognize as worthy and viable. The ends are rarely in question; it is the means of **arriving** that are the issues.
If you fight with opinion, you get entrenchment, as the article (I think) describes. The guys who do that kind of research (brain patterns and all) have to phrase it in their terms, in their field, with their parameters. If you listen in on a good and rational Congressional Hearing, most of it is asking questions, clarifying, asking for causes and effects from experts who hopefully are able to summarize their expertise into plain English and get it across. Smart Congressmen steer away from or around political opinions and steer towards expertise.
Great stuff! Thanks for posting this Mike. The one thing we don’t understand is what allows a person the shift from feeling threatened to feeling safe enough to consider an alternate view. Sometimes relationship allows this. Sometimes it is a greater perceived threat to retain the belief (as in the cases of ex-Scientologists.) One thing this does explain is why Facebook is completely ineffective in changing someone’s view!
If one would open a 2000 year old book called the Bible and read it, they would learn how beliefs in oneself (man) is worthless. How an unconditional loving GOD puts his very self (HIS SPIRIT) in us if we accept his son Jesus Christ. We as humans are born defective from the start, but God’s Word (the Bible) tells us HE knew us from the moment we were conceived. HE DETERMINED we needed a Savior and gave us HIS SPIRIT to help us with our wrong beliefs and actions. So if we live for Him (and believe me the SPIRIT of God does live in those who believe) all those “brain” problems described here can be overcome. Yes, if left on mine own to choose what is right and wrong, I would choose wrong! But asking the SPIRIT daily to guide me and protect me, always answers what is right! All people need is to read and study a book that man could have never written spiritually (yes penned only) and has been around as long as they’ve been alive. It would tell them everything they need to know about life and how to live, and live it abundantly!
I’m sorry Maggie, but you completely missed the point of this blog post.
Your belief system, and your obvious devotion to it, is a great example of how difficult it is for people to change their mind.
I was once as evangelical as you, and it took many years thinking things through and examining different arguments and perspectives, but over time I changed my mind, and I’m so thankful I managed to do it. I’m no longer stuck in the mental prison of believing I’m worthless, or I was born defective.
And by the way, I choose right, all on my own.
I wonder if auditing someone’s ser facs would create changes in the “default mode network” of the brain. This could be a way to scientifically test auditing.
I think if the person neutralized the need to be polarized, to be in a battle with thought energy, and the person transcended the blame/praise trap and ended up happy and free…..
I’d say they have altered neuron pathways. So I would say yes to that Marildi. In my opinion.
Well put, Brian.
??
Marildi – what makes you think “ser facs” are anything more than some more made up stuff to keep us in line?
Hubbard didn’t like anyone challenging him, so “ser facs” became another “useful” tool to keep people from digging their heels in about anything.
Dawn, those caught in a scam (false subject) who can only view it through the false lens of the subject will remain trapped. THAT, if you look at all their comments are the common denominator to the few Ron Bots that visit this blog.
The answer is hundreds of years old and let to the scientific method that allowed us to reach for the stars.
It lays in the simple fact that there is a truth outside of our perceived truth. Once somebody grows up and recognizes this he/she will understand that his individual truth based on his perceptions (True is what is true for you) is a deviation from the absolute truth. Seeking this absolute truth with rigorous methods and objectivity has enabled the progress in sciences and society overall.
With that attitude of seeking the truth a continued conversation and sharing of subjective perceptions of the absolute truth is fruitful and will lead to ever better understanding for all participating.
The problem is, so many never grow up and never recognize the value of ever closing the gap between their subjective and the objective absolute truth. That is why for hundreds of years people held “the earth is flat” as a belief so close to their heart.
So there are two types of people. The ones seeking the truth and the ones who found it. (As Vaclav Havel once recommend is to run from the latter.)
The price to be paid for not seeking the truth is mental slavery. Be it at the hand of a cult or a reality TV Star turning politician. The end result is the same: manipulation beyond recognition.
We are living in a sad age, where in some areas seeking the truth is no longer valued as it should be.
The antidote is education (not indoctrination) giving every person tools and the desire to seek the truth.
It’s a great article that sheds light on how and why humans become actively resistant to beliefs that differ from or oppose their own.
A wider context of understanding there is provided by the psychological theory of cognitive dissonance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance , which holds that “… cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time; performs an action that is contradictory to their beliefs, ideas, or values; or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas or values”.
Mike notes that the article provides no “cure” for the common human bias toward reinforcing our opinions and beliefs, regardless of whether or not they are accurate and evidence-based, which seems to leave our species in the same unfortunate position that our foreknowledge of our own inevitable future deaths does – that is, with a keen awareness of the indisputable and unalterable fact, but no way to change it.
However, when you reflect upon it a little deeper, it’s obvious that just having the explicit knowledge of what has heretofore been an unconscious tendency or deep-seated predilection provides those who are mindful and self-reflective with a tool for understanding and, potentially, changing this tendency to reflexive and automatic behavior and thinking.
Further, the fact that head-on confrontations with those holding opposite views can act to heighten defenses and downshift us into emotional reactivity doesn’t mean that ALL approaches are equally as unworkable. Indeed, just to cite one well-known example, the ancient art of story-telling and parable creation works to sway hearts and minds by NOT making a frontal attack on folks’ beliefs and opinions. Instead, the story only indirectly and symbolically communicates different views and enables those who encounter them to not be put on the defensive and downshifted into reflexive emotional responsivity.
So, tell your favorite $cilon a good parable – like an updated version of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” that captures and exposes lil davey’s evil actions without ever talking about him directly – if you want to avoid re-stimulating their “service facs”.
I think that one of the very best things there is about Mike’s blog is the sheer level of language. The quality of the thinking and expression – whether I agree – is superlative to any other scio blog I’ve ever visited. It’s very nice to read thoughts expressed with expansive vocabularies, correct spellings and excellent sentence structure. This isn’t on target for today’s blog, but I’ve wanted to express these thoughts for some time. And today’s posts are superior in the quality I seek.
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”
John Maynard Keynes
I like that!
Hi Mike, et all…
Right up my street this one. As a born in making my way in the ‘actual’ world I have not stopped working on this.
Currently working my way through Steve Peters “Chimp Paradox” research. I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who has ever wondered why they did, said or thought ‘X’ and regretted it… which would be anyone human.
To me, this subject is THE most important for humanities future.
Can we forgive ourselves and each other and learn instead of beating ourselves up for making mistakes and attacking others for the same.
In other words can we be wrong.
Thanks Chris. Always good to have your contribution here! 🙂
Took a quick scan of the info about the Chimp Brain (=Reactive Mind in scientology) and interesting how different the theory is. Peters says it is the part of the brain that directs survival and procreation. A protective mechanism. But he claims it cannot be eradicated, but controlled with care. Fascinating. Worth some further review.
Chris, what I find even more telling is that Peters, a psychiatrist, has worked with gold medal winners and top athletes and yet I was conned for years by an OT5 world class tennis coach named Oscar Wegner,(now at McMullen Complex in Clearwater) who would never work with anyone in pro tennis who had a therapist or psychologist on their professional coaching team (most top 100 players have one). Can anyone find a single scientologist in the world outside of Oscar Wegner, who developed his revolutionary teaching methods before he became a scientologist in 1978, who is a leader in any industry? is there a single example of the “tech” that is applied by a world class leader in any field of endeavor outside of acting, which may only require good genetic coding as the primary skill? I challenged Oscar and his preclear friend to provide me a single example of a the tech being applied in any recognized field of human achievement. They both disconnected me from me afte r I offered ten grand for ten minutes for any scilon to go on the record and answer my legitimate concerns after preclear Lucile Mosier kept telling me to contact the OSA, which of course, I actually did request, and they never would contact me. Oscar, an OT5, is such a coward that when I accidentally ran into him in Clearwater, in front of his boss, he ran like a little sissy and told his boss he did not want to speak with me nor come near me. So much for shater and confront. This from a man who stole a million dollars from ‘investors and friends promising them returns on their investments. Of course, all the money went to course work. 800K and he’s only OT5. They made him redo everything, lol. Last year at age 76 he spent 89 days in the purif, telling me repeatedly he had so much radiation pouring from his head he had to keep going back.
Good points made, except the Church of $cientology doesn’t even let members do their own Internet research to see opposing opinions. Apparently people are supposed to be kept sheltered under the sheeps wool of the ‘religion’ – all warm and cosy knowing that their beliefs are the only true beliefs
Ive noticed the words ‘bigot’ and ‘apostate’ are both used continuously by Church members to describe people against the Church. Bigot kkjysimply means someone who treats a group of people (usually ethnic or religious) with hatred and intolerance. I can’t say any of the people the church calls ‘bigots’ – like Leah, Mark Bunker, Tony Ortega, of John Sweeney – fall under this definition. If anything – they feel compassion for the Co$ members who have been bullied and mentally scarred by COB DM. Apostate – no matter how much the Cof$ loves to use the word, simply means someone who has left the religion. The mouthpieces for the Church seem to have found a few big words they love to use – and like a Grade 7 English student, use them ad nauseam. Time to get out the dictionary and learn some new words.
Plus, have also noticed that, when they use those words that you can see them stopping all their thinking processes and blurt out the party lines? And they can’t even cite anything that supports their position beyond “…it comes from Source?”
This frightens me, especially when I watch the eyes go steely and glazed, as if they can smite you with laser-eyes!
Whether they are conscious of the fact or not, Church members, and especially hard core Scientologists are bigots: bigoted against ex-members, LGBTs, and, it could be argued that they come close to bigtory against non-Scientologists in general, in light of their generally elitist (top 1/% of the top 1% are the auditors, etc) and superior view of themselves vs. everyone else.
I forgot to include psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, media professionals, and probably a lot of others singled out for disdain and worse by church members.
I posted a link to this on my FB wall, in hopes my Mormon family and friends might gain an insight.
*crossing my fingers*
We all live in a bubble,
taking belief for granted, &
Poorly recognizing that forming beliefs is the principle action of forming identity.
And it is personal, deeply.
We ARE emotion-based creatures, fighting fo protect ourselves and who we are, in a world all-too-often threatening and hostile. In walks Hubbard with all the answers…
Believing.
If there was only one pearl of wisdom in The Old Mans treasure chest of knowledge, it was knowing that we, as sentient human beings, need and want something to believe in.
He certainly capitalized on that bit of Truth.
Being honest with myself,
It took me 30 years after being out to realize all my thinking was based upon somebody ELSES alter-ego!
And, 30 years to realize all the effort my hero Ron put behind the intention to prevent me from arriving to that conclusion, having that thought ON MY OWN. Then, in hindsight, it all became rather… clear, risking infringement by use of the word, I suppose.
It IS easy to believe. Once adopted, we will fight tooth and claw to keep hold a belief, as a matter of survival, a matter of life free or trapped.
REASON,
Well, you know…
As kids, we generally were taught to take things for granted, taught to be lazy thinkers, taught to search out the easy, most comfortable path, taught to believe in a plastic bellied system of relative importances that placed material needs far above the quest for identity.
Again, LRH recognized the void, took advantages. He pulled invisible concepts such as spirituality like rabbits out of a hat. Anybody have anything to share here, ? , about what spiritual advancements they actually have made, thanks by God to Scientology?
I think it was always a con, right from the start. Ron was always out for himself, died by himself. My identity today has everything to do with exposing the truth of that, and how clearly that truth appears to me, and, to not take truth for granted. Keep your antennas up, flying high, your flags indelibly stamped with your true colors, in kindness to all.
30 years is a very long time to continue to labor under the delusional belief system that Elron foisted upon us, as if it represented some sort of higher truth that was beyond science and immune to the need to demonstrate its empirical validity. To borrow a Star Wars trope: the Kool-Aid ran deep in this one. Getting completely out of the cult is not just a matter of physically distancing one’s self from $cilons and cult participation; the insidious mindfookery that is at the core of this faux religion’s beliefs can linger for decades after you’re gone.
$cn is a vast, confused mash-up of almost every conceivable religious belief and counseling model, stirred (not shaken) with a sci-fi mixer, topped with an apocalyptic “cherry,” and served up with a flourish in a “party” atmosphere that ‘s feeling more and more Jonestown-like as the cult begins to implode and collapse upon itself.
Many ex-$cilons enjoy deconstructing the cult’s space opera foundational beliefs, exposing its Doublespeak terms and undermining its claimed legitimacy by exposing its crimes and abuses, but there’s a much easier and more direct way to do so that is captured in your final words, “…in kindness to all”.
Kindness, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and love…these are all words that you rarely hear spoken in $cn, and even more rarely see implemented in practice. The cult is, above all else, a decidedly non-compassionate and unloving group, founded by a world class narcissist, and currently under the dictatorial control of a sadistic sociopath. Whatever “good” that it might do is merely a conscious attempt to disguise the evil that lies at its core.
The question: “Is this a compassionate and loving path” is one that we should all use as the ultimate measure of any group’s system of belief and evidenced pattern of actual practices. And when posed in regard to $cn, the answer is a resounding “Hell fucking NO!!!”
Mark Marco..I’m glad out walked Hubbard
I think I get you, glad that Hubbard is, has taken the final stage OUT.
The guy could sell a grain of sand for diamonds. So, good riddance, restoration of personal integrity is at hand, as Hubbard is out.
And Harpoona, too, thanks for the word. Nice to be in the neighborhood.
About those 30 years:
Once I was out, outside of the physical walls, I really dreaded the idea of talking to anyone about scn-gy.
On my own and very insecure about the world at large, the world seemed hostile to my Scientology, and what I believed.
But, privately, it was still my creed.
I believed I had an edge, that I was better equipped than the wogs.
Which gave me confidence, and even kept the idea of joining up with the Sea Org, chastising myself for NOT making the leap…
I kept quiet about that, too.
I was a Hubbard Standard Dianetics Case Completion. Two years at Delphian Foundation got me that. Not exactly what you would call well-trained, by church standards, I was still well-enough trained to ignore the media, and all other sources of information regarding Scientology… Wogs, you know.
This shows how NOT talking about it doesn’t work.
I was still, all during that time, ripe pickings for the Great Con.
So, and I guess that’s my point,
I stayed inside the bubble. Willingly,… But not exactly wittingly…
I was nonetheless residing inside the bubble, just because it was the most comfortable path before me. “Let’s just not think about it.” …was as close as I got… To actually thinking for myself.
Just exactly as Hubbard would hope .. For a billion years. And I say all this knowing full well how weak it must sound for the never-ins. The world now is more alert to this sort of con, which is encouraging …now.
2013
I ran across this blog, and met Chris Shelton’s blog, talking about cognitive dissonance. Critical Thought. Now there’s a term not found in the scn dictionary.
Only then did I realize that, what do you know, this is not a religion or a science, at all. And Hubbard was just a rather privileged kid who discovered a talent for telling stories. Then hypnotism. How excited he must of been, realizing he could mesmorize masses of people into giving all their money … How close he came to getting me forever in that trap.
It was just a gut feeling, that kept me away. “Logic”, my perception of it that is, kept nagging at me to go back! That was the scientologist in me, gasping for breath, even three decades on…
The first thing he takes is your identity.
Heartlessly, I think, is an accurate word.
In the name of personal salvation. How personal can you get?
Marco,
I can only say that I understand now and I hope that others “never in” get to reads Mike’s and others journey.
If there is anything you can take from it it IS your confidence at succeeding.
I’d like to take that course ..
🙂
Also thank you Marco for letting us in on a little bit of your journey.
Underlying “changing your mind” is the ability to observe and think for yourself; two activities discouraged by the church. There is one thing that a Scnist must, must, must never, ever do – to decide to NOT be a Scnist. The church knows that such a person is incapable of reform, they are resistant to threats and duress; all the tools they employ to control members are ineffective. So, they feel their only option is to DESTORY them. There are countless stories of this occurring (including my own). They seek to approximate some harmonic of death. After they are done with you, you are dead to them and other Scnists. This gives you an idea of how feared the free-thinker is to the church. Nothing could be more threatening.
Good comment, Statpush. Co$ gives great lip service to the importance of thinking for oneself. Woe betide anyone who does! Its pretty funny to me now. Wasn’t so funny back then.
GOOD Thinking…
“I was thinking of new ways to make money, so I can buy my OT Levels”
BAD Thinking…
“I was wondering what the IAS does will all the money I’ve given them”
Good God Almighty!! The epitome of pure BS!! Sick cult lemming bastards led by a sick psychopath. Hope she holds her ground. They want the show to end. smh.
Isn’t there a way the lawyers can go after the church the they after priests in similar fasion the way they went after them for abuse if children.
Also if they show any sort of an on going criminal activity as in conspiracy isn’t that Rico.
If not the church the individuals in the church they can bring a class action????
There has to be a way.
So true. Whether it is Scientology, Christianity, Libertarianism or any other belief, once you have invested your time, money, and emotions into it, you need a lot of internal strength to allow new information to change your mind. I teach Tai Chi and I see it in the people who believe in chi. Some believe you can live forever, some believe you can heal others with your chi, some think you can knock someone down without touching them. Try to tell them it’s not real and they get very angry and defensive. It’s all the same. We all need to demand real evidence before we believe anything. Stories and books and old unverifiable tales are NOT evidence.
Not fighting here, just an observation, and maybe a question. If the Chi pervades everything, is the active force, or as Bruce Lee put it, ~~ Marital arts in an expression of self ~~, then I think of the string section guys and girls of a symphony orchestra. You have a long finger board (no frets at all) on a cello, for example, and a good cellist can move his hand two feet up or down that board in a fraction of a second and place his finger on just the right spot to produce just the shortening of the length of that string to, when stroked with the bow, produce just the right vibration to produce just the right note – in harmony with the rest of the notes at that particular instant in time being produced by the many other instruments in the orchestra … and in another split second, the next note, all in a succession, a spring rain, or a thunderstorm, of notes. Wouldn’t that be Chi?
I took an intro Tai Chi class once, and, being a Scn OT, of course I perforce had to get into mocking up the flow of energy … the movement of the hands around a glowing ball of energy, the movement of the foot forwards and the rotation of the ball in coordination with the energy flows upwards in the space of my body (90% water, or whatever the number is for us walking liquids), and I was starting to have a good old time, wondering if I couldn’t extend that energy out as a tractor beam to a big jar sitting in a corner … when the instructress blurts out, pointing, “Look at [Nickname]!! He’s really into it!!” (Total collapse of my imaginary world, that it was all just play and such and no one would notice. Sniffle. So unfair. The only consolation I have is the famed Mannequin Piss in Belgium – that poor kid couldn’t even take a piss in the woods without getting noticed, statues made of him, parked all over Belgium, fountains, no less. Gad. Perverts with repressed desires and penis envy or swollen prostates or vitamin B12 deficiencies or whatever. That’s what you get for riding bicycles everywhere to save the world from CO2 death. Crotch problems. Now they’ll probably use their Fourth Dynamic Chi, and of ALL the posts on this blog, they’ll notice just. this. one. and send one of their version of CIA 007 to assassinate me for slandering one of their iconic national monuments.)
May the Chi be with you!
Uh oh … I lost my chi.
One Big Mac with Chi.
Chi sera, sera ….
Chi-crets. Chi-irp.
Chi frogs.
Chi Geuvara (NOT!).
Chi-mmunist infiltration.
What chi are we playing in?
Can I get a Hip Hip Hooray for Nancy Dubuc, President of A&E. Get this she’s being fair gamed by the midget. You are clearly the stupidest man on earth Dave.
I prefer stupidest man in the universe….
Think BIG! 🙂
Ok, ok. He’s the stupidest man in this universe as well as all universes in the cosmos. Big enough?
Hip hip,
Hooray,
!
What did the church do to Fair Game the Pres of A&E?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nancy-dubuc-discusses-canned-kkk-series-says-scientology-is-harassing-her-twitter-964863
I’d like to know too…
It’s explained here: http://www.businessinsider.com/ae-boss-says-scientology-is-harassing-her-over-leah-reminis-tv-show-2017-1
HIP HIP HOORAY!
Mike, I interviewed Anthony Magnabosco a while back. He does this thing called Street Epistemology and it is a up and coming way to get people to challenge their own beliefs. this is not pointing out what is wrong with their beliefs but getting them to examine the truth and value of their beliefs themselves.
I doubt this could be done on the street with Staff and Sea Org but more so for Scientology Public in privet or chat sessions.
I think there is lot to be learned here as this directly addresses the question poised by this article.
How he does it
Did not end well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic8O-m1lAZo
Ended well:
https://youtu.be/D8LYTy4DmEs?list=PLh10RgQgGuM-tnT7fKwgF4Dt57oh_yL5r
But great lessons from both interviews.
I can connect you and Anthony if you like.
I find being in a good marriage, in a loving realationship, helps me to overcome my fixed ideas of ego bias.
My way or the highway is something jammed into the Scientologist mindset. I have some political friends who are just as fixed as Scientologists.
The practice of self scrutiny, questioning myself, like I question others helps me to overcome this natural human ego bias.
I found that when I instilled in myself, the value of seeking the truth over seeking being right, I was then able to neutralize within myself this fixed way of thinking and reacting.
After years of this practice, I started developing a curious reaction to my inner ego biases. Instead of arguing with someone who pushed those buttons, I became curious as to why I was reacting so negatively and judging others.
By seeing myself, by labeling and isolating for observation, my reactions, I was in a better position to sort out the real from the unreal.
It was then I had this wonderful cognition:
“Accepting being wrong comfortably, can be a very healing was of feeling right”
This realization only happened to me when I got better at being the witness of my experience as opposed to being reactionary.
Marriage is a great place to learn these lessons. Family and good friends is another.
Correction “a very healing WAY of feeling right.
This makes perfect sense because even though I don’t agree with some of my religious practices ( Southern Baptist) I still get on the defensive when others speak ill about it. I agree to an extent but also will defend it. The biggest worry for me with Scientology is that they are exploiting young children with the parents approval. No religion that I know of is allowed to molest or seduce children into having sex with senior officials nor are they allowed to keep children from attending school.
Oh yeah… the never ending wonder and analysis of why we like things when we do and every shade of grey concerning passion and belief, particularly political or religious above all others. With this type of analysis do we also give rise to why some people like one type of music and not another? A red head over a blonde or one season over another? Don’t we also define insanity along the lines of not accepting evidence even though it is obvious or doing the same thing over and over expecting different results?
In the terms of human evaluation, motive is a powerful force but can vary wildly from person to person at any given instant, much evidence exists to explain both sides of the loyalty ledger. Intelligence we link to survival but that is even flawed when one gets old and sick.On a human level, there are no single answers that explains everything to everyone at the same time. Hubbard thought there was with the spiritual (causative) angle beyond mere body management and God is an answer to some why we do and think things. Conquer time and you’ll have your answers.
Thank you Mike.Very timely comments and reading what you highlighted most helpful.Here is my take on what I have learned since starting here,how many years ago now?!LOL.Anyway what I am seeing is that blogging here,Tony’s & elsewhere has and is allowing me to shed not only my old ways but to see my mind,body and spirit in a whole new light.I know the Truth in my heart.I know The Cult has morphed into total evil,but I am not threatened by those who really believe they can use Ron/dms tech outside the barbed wire topped fences of cos.Each to their own in this.The important part to me is look at all we communicate to each other with the web.It really has become the Big Key to unlock All the jail doors of the cult.dm can shower with cash but in the end,we will stand triumphant because as you so eloquently said as your heading,something can be done about it and we all are doing it.?
Very nice Ann. I love the part about how the comments help us shed old ways and invite new ones in. The article did open my eyes as to why some comments make me smile and others raise my blood pressure! LOL In the end, though, I always consider the contrasting idea, just not in the moment. Good article Mike!
We protect our political and religious beliefs like they are our children, when the only thing we owe them is CRITICAL EXAMINATION.
Well said. A wise friend of mine often says we are failing to teach our children critical thinking and it should be required in school. Perhaps people would not fall prey to cults, conspiracy theories, and extremists if we did so.
+1! Outstanding post!
Critical examination!!! Yes yes and double yes. Critical examination is a high crime in Scientology.
Individual research, which came to a conclusion that did not agree with Hubbard, was seen as coming from a criminal and thus justifiably destroyed.
Just that one thought; LRH condemned all criticism as coming from a debased criminal!!!
This very idea, once agreed with, numbs our reasoning skills. Thens makes our conscience a weakness.
This doctrine of Ron’s is dangerously pathological.
It is why Scientologists have such stunted critical analysis skills. Maybe that’s what goes first, critical analysis, before the belief in:
Psyches from Farsec
Alien Psycho-Science Exorcism
GE
Bodies in pawn
Invader forces
Ron’s trip to heaven
The Role Of Earth
The Clam, The Coffee Grinder, Piltdown Man, Marcab PR
You apologists have got to understand, you may be able to take your mind to cognition by using your discriminating intelligence in session, but your path, your materials, the data you are using to think with is also from a very emotionally unbalanced man
Ron damaged our ability to think clearly by making anything that opposes us into some sort of demon.
That was Ron’s paranoia becoming our paranoia. And when we demonized opposition as opposed to enjoying a disagreement with someone as adults; bye bye intellectual sovereignty.
There are A LOT of doctrines from Ron which deteriorate our grasp on reality. And thus intelligent reasoning.
Bolivar and Dealing with critics are extremely destructive doctrines for a mind to house.
Michael Shermer touched on this in the latest Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-convince-someone-when-facts-fail/
“If corrective facts only make matters worse, what can we do to convince people of the error of their beliefs? From my experience, 1. keep emotions out of the exchange, 2. discuss, don’t attack (no ad hominem and no ad Hitlerum), 3. listen carefully and try to articulate the other position accurately, 4. show respect, 5. acknowledge that you understand why someone might hold that opinion, and 6. try to show how changing facts does not necessarily mean changing worldviews. These strategies may not always work to change people’s minds, but now that the nation has just been put through a political fact-check wringer, they may help reduce unnecessary divisiveness.”
What a great article!
Michael Shermer – along with Michael Rinder – is a hero of mine.
Alanzo
Love your 6-step approach! One of the ways that step #5 can become particularly effective is if you were once a True Believer $cilon yourself, which makes discussion of how folks end up chumping for the very intricate and sophisticated long con of $cn seem like much less of a judgement and more like a mutual commiseration.
When I get a chance to talk to $cilons in an open and civil discourse arena, I can join with them as someone who, at one time, actually did hold the exact same beliefs and attitudes towards $cn that they do now. I can remember exactly how that came to pass and how my understanding and beliefs changed as well.
The trouble is, we just don’t have enough opportunities to have such open and civil discussions because the cherch either forbids it entirely, or frowns upon it intensely. For a group that talks a big game about communicating, it’s one of the most highly censored and strictly regulated groups in existence today.
Geesch Mike,
Now Theo and company are going to have to do a ten page post to deconstruct today’s blog! You sure make it difficult for the ‘hangers – on’ to the concept of ‘source has it right’.
Yo Dave,
Speaking of ‘hangers – on’ …………………………….. please check your wardrobe. You will need to re-do the photo shoot on the mountain seen over at TO’s blog today. Grow a beard, get a life and check your culverts good buddy ………… it will be raining later this week. And when it rains in Hermit, it pours everywhere else.
I’ll bet if it’s a raging downpour, the entire base will be put in lower conditions….for years! I really, really sucks being a Scientologist nowadays.
Thanks for posting on this Mike. I was just mulling this over last night, thinking how the most devastating moment I had after I left scientology had nothing to do with the decision to leave, but years later when I one day I dug deep enough to realize that the entire foundation upon which I based my beliefs was based on sand.
To discover factually that I was not a superior being based on things I had been told was hard to accept. Humbling myself to face the fact that I had treated others poorly because I believed I knew what was right for them when I was the one who was wrong was amazingly hard.
My political views have also changed as I have grown older and see the world through a different lens. I am glad I didn’t try to force feed my political views on others and now have to say, um, well maybe I was wrong.
Forcing our beliefs on someone or being angered because someone thinks differently than you is never wise because one cosmic shift in your viewpoint, one tiny thing in your world changing, one person getting ill, one person in your life being someone you didn’t think they were, one person you thought would be there forever walking out of your life, changes the whole picture.
It is wise to not be arrogant or proud. I learned the hard way that it’s a long way to fall if you anger everyone who would otherwise catch you.
Just beautiful Valerie. 🙂
Thank you for that Valerie. That was so fresh and authentic. So beautiful :-))!
That’s a really interesting article with (IMO) a lot of truth. I don’t think it’s quite as clearly delineated or as inevitable as implied though. Some people are trapped by their ego/fears, yeah. More than I’d like and more than is good for a healthy society. But I think that the Information Age we live in, while often ridiculous in content and dubious in effect, holds great potential for cultural evolution. I think that simply being able to easily access ideas and points of view new to us does mean that there is, over all, more opportunity for evidence based understanding than human beings have ever had in the past. Chipping away at those rock solid views. Specific to scientology it seems that many ex members left at least in part because they opened the door to information they initially rejected. Certainly not everyone, and an incremental cultural change, but I think we’re evolving.
Of course, this is belief based on anecdotal evidence so I may be full of crap.
Crap is good! For without crap we’d never know what a good time was. I think your “evolving” due to access of information is a good direction. It’s a constant process of types, giving rise to both the good and the crap. Your reference and use of the term ‘anecdotal evidence’ is a very nice and friendly thing to say. The Miscaviges of the world never share that view, they know it all!
You are kind. I don’t like to discount anecdotal evidence completely because it can be true while statistics and even facts can lie depending on context and completeness.. But it is is something I try to call myself on when I realize I have a strong opinion based solely on it.
It’d be nice if this was true across the board, but what also happens in this “information age” it has given rise to just average people with “opinions” that give them an internet wide soapbox where other like minded people gather and support each other. Rarely do any of these people seek out other information preferring to stay in their fuzzy blanket where people agree with what they think. So in a lot of cases the opposite happens where their thoughts and ideas never get challenged and only reinforced.
You are assuming too much that people will act rationally just because they have access to something.
That is a good point and so very observable. “Be careful not to step in the bullshit,” is a bumper sticker in extremely limited supply.
I don’t disagree with your take on whether many, or even most people, will choose to access information and utilize it to shore up previous opinions. I just think availability can affect those who are open, even slightly, and we live in a time where even those geographically and culturally isolated have more opportunity. Slow change, minute, generational. I don’t see a great revolution of rationality coming. But I think some, a relative few, have gained and I like to hope (belief!) it continues.
If you’re measuring the negatives of the Information Age against the positives- well, thats one of the things I go back and forth on.
One can also work in reverse on this too. What is one thing a tyrant wants more than anything else – control! Open information in an enemy to them, what other people do with it is their business but overall, exposure of the truth always does more good than harm imo.
One must be flexible with what life throws at you or you’ll run the risk of going stale and then moldy.
Mike, that is the ex-Scientologist’s dilemma in a nutshell. You once believed in something so intensely that you dedicated your life to it, took chances with your health and safety, maybe even hurt others in the “just cause”.
Then you come by various paths to the idea that it might actually be wrong or harmful. But which parts are harmful and which are useful? Or was it all wrong and you were completely misled? Or is it just the Miscavige version that is wrong? Are there parts of it that were just copied from legitimate sources that could even be right? Or was Hubbard just communicating with the wrong orifice 100% of the time?
You have to do something that most folks have never even contemplated trying to do. You have to examine every part of your life, sort out what parts are imposed by outside influences and what parts are “you”. Most would find that a daunting task, but add to it the thought-stopping cliches and deliberately misleading propaganda from the Church and you have quite a mess.
Humility does not come easily to a Scientologist, but you have to humbly submit to the possibility that your whole life up to now is a joke.
The only way out of the mess that I know is just to find out the real information and start over. When something seems too horrifying to believe, when that primitive tribalist part of the brain kicks in, you have to just look further. Find out multiple sources. Evaluate the reliability of the source. If it is someone who has direct knowledge and others confirm it, take a deep breath and take a look at it. A long hard road but at the end of it is truth and peace.
I’ve known a lot of Scientologists. Very few I knew were “in it for the money” or trying to aggrandize themselves. Most were sincerely trying to help a world that seems out of control. We were wrong to think there is an easy way out, that by following some formula or using some secret sauce the world’s problems could all be dissolved.
We were misled. The problems of the world are not all from one source and you have to handle them one person at a time. No magic reset button in the sky. Just you and I, doing the best we can with our family, neighbors and friends. But just because we were misled does not mean we can’t find the truth. It just means we have to look a bit harder, a bit more honestly, using the “thinking side of the brain”.
Amen, Bruce.
Yes thank you Bruce for saying this outloud 🙂
I’ve found it to be a solution for PTSD and can be done one’s self simply by (changing ones mind) deciding to do it.
I decided to get smarter than LRH when I found out I’d been tricked. Working on it 🙂
You said:
“You have to do something that most folks have never even contemplated trying to do. You have to examine every part of your life, sort out what parts are imposed by outside influences and what parts are “you”. Most would find that a daunting task, but add to it the thought-stopping clichés and deliberately misleading propaganda from the Church and you have quite a mess.”
Reading others stories and the comments have helped enormously to see the thought-stopping clichés. Little by little the truth gets clearer.
As for the now and then squibbles they are so easy to ignore when I reflect on myself years ago….
It does help to have a friend with lots of reality now and then to bounce stuff off.
Best of luck to all that are leaving.
Bravo, Bruce.
I love your comment Bruce. I always think of the slogan from Al-Anon/AA…”Take what you want and leave the rest”. That’s what I did when I left the church. At first I rejected all of what I had been indoctrinated with and wouldn’t even use words that were common in the church. I realized that that was not in my best interest and that I had every right to use what made sense to me. I have also found other sources that I suspect existed before scientology and I take what I want from them. It all makes up who I am and I feel comfortable with the idea that I chose what was right for me. Thank you for this comment. I have been seeing some real good insight on the blog lately that helps me so much. Thanks to all!
Brilliantly said Bruce. Sanest evaluation I’ve read for some time. There’s a lot to work with there and it makes you cherish like minded souls even more. Friends are good!
Brilliant Bruce!!
The real task for an x cult member is the rehabilitaion of critical thinking.
1) practice stillness. This puts our control over cognitive faculties.
2) self enquirer. Looking within at self and being constructively self critical
3) self forgiveness
And the granddaddy of them all:
Discriminating between the real and the unreal
Discriminating between lies and truth
Uprooting learned, study teched behavior, that has become an habitual thought pattern and now part of our subconscious.
Learning the practice of meditation has helped me to unravel Ron’s false influence.
Good Tuesday morning! Wanted to share this. They only need $1130.00 to reach their goal. Please share.
I think we know DM & his minions are watching this blog. Let’s show them that even in small incriments we have the power to put up billboards. https://www.gofundme.com/stopscientologydisconnection
And it costs so little for so much hope 🙂
Though, everything in this world isn’t logical either, and do we really want it to be. For an easy example of this, Leah’s show wouldn’t be so powerful if it was only logic. Emotions are so much harder to work with. I made a full political change for myself a couple years ago. You’d think the declaration was hardest, but far from it. It sent me into a tailspin.
The good news is once you go through that once. If you choose to, it is a bit easier to be open to differences in the future.
I think we see that some with Leah and Mike and this show.
Beliefs can be a good things but also just as equally a bad thing. It is good to stand up for yourself, as long as the cause/purpose is something that can be proven beneficial to others. They can keep peoples morals in check which could be for the best in some cases, but some morals may involve some coercing, such as those related to the beliefs in scientology. If we were taught things by fact and rather than word of mouth, and understood/accepted to the fullest extent, I do not think that such strong divides would be created or exist. Then the organizations such as scientology would not hold the power that they do over people.
Thank you for posting this, it is a great read.
“Political beliefs are like religious beliefs in the respect that both are part of who you are and important for the social circle to which you belong”
The “social circle” aspect I think is probably more important than anything else when it comes to political and religious beliefs. It’s ingrained in us to want to “belong”, to be a part of a group (or “tribe”). It’s just our innate tribal instinct. And I think this aspect has more influence on us than most of us even realize. Hopefully other non-Scientologist folks like me (particularly those identifying as Christian, which is the predominant religion in the US) will try to understand how this can happen to even the smartest and brightest among us. Scientology may seem “foreign” to us, but our beliefs probably seem pretty “foreign” to many others around the world.
When my wife and I (both identify as Christians) first started becoming intrigued about Scientology (the Aftermath show really got us both into it, even though I had started reading about it a little before from Leah’s interviews and Going Clear), I remember that she asked me how anyone could allow themselves to get sucked into this thing. From my limited understanding, I told her (and I’m sure it’s much, MUCH deeper than this) that many were raised into it and probably didn’t know any better, and to imagine that if we were born in Israel or in the Middle East, would we still likely consider ourselves to be Christians in another country that was predominantly Jewish or Muslim, including most likely our own parents who raised us with non-Christian beliefs and our friends (i.e., that “social circle”) who believed differently than we do now?
As for those who weren’t born into it, I also told her that while we ourselves know about the whole “Xenu” story now and how mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually abusive the church is under DM, many people even in Scientology don’t know this stuff (or disregard the stories), and that the initial courses that are offered can actually be beneficial (like communication). It’s sort of like when you go to a psychiatrist, you can leave there feeling much better about yourself just by “talking it out” (which is kind of a way that I view auditing, which again, may not be completely accurate due to my limited “never-in” understanding).
People tend to want to keep that good feeling going, so they continue with it, seeking a greater understanding and a greater purpose to make themselves feel better and better. When they finally get to the Xenu part at OT III (after years and years of study), by that time, they tend to compartmentalize their religious beliefs and mostly just think of all of the good that this “religion” has done for them personally and they tend to rationalize the “strange” stuff. The way I explained it to her, was to imagine, as a Christian who follows the teachings of the Holy Bible, if she truly believed that a snake (Satan) actually talked to Eve and encouraged her to eat the forbidden fruit, or if she truly thought that a burning bush (God) actually spoke to Moses in the mountain, or if she truly thought that a man (Jonah) could actually survive three days in the belly of a fish, etc.……or if she thought these were mostly parables to make a point about faith in God instead of factual events that truly took place exactly as written down by other men thousands of years ago, and do we just rationalize those areas of “faith” because we focus on the “good” that our beliefs bring to our lives? Would she actually listen rationally to an Atheist who questioned Christianity? Or would she just think “whatever” and disregard any criticism of her faith? This is what Scientologists do, disregard attacks on their religion, just like we Christians would likely do as well.
Now, couple all of that with extreme pressure to stay in, crippling fear of losing your family and friends, and having to swallow your pride to one day say “my beliefs all of these years are wrong”, and it becomes a little more understandable how people get into this church and what keeps them there. Watch the heart-breaking and gut-wrenching reactions of people on the Aftermath show who lost their families to disconnection, and imagine your own parents or your own children or every single one of your friends inside of your “social circle”) decided to disconnect from you, leaving you all alone, possibly with no job (if you worked for a Scientologist), little to no education (if you were raised in it), and possibly no place to go (if your family disconnects from you). As Leah once said, basically just start your whole life over with nothing. Our basic “survival” instinct would likely kick in (at least I have to personally concede that mine very likely would), and you would feel great pressure, not just externally, but internally as well, to just keep going along with the religion.
That’s the trap that I’m afraid many folks get into. Hopefully this exposure by Leah’s and Mike’s show now and in the future (don’t see anyway this show doesn’t get at least another season) will continue to chip away at this trap and allow others to finally be comfortable enough to break free from this form of modern-day slavery. Most all of us can be susceptible to these sorts of things.
Holy crap, that was long. Sorry!
No sorrys It’s a good read to see your point of view. I was in 35 years and feel a bit differently but you are pretty close.
One thing I did take out of it is a whole lot more appreciation for the good in life. If that’s what it took to get to where I am so far then so be it. Also through all the worst of it I had a ‘knowingness’ I was born with or whatever, that everything would turn out ok. I still feel that way and only recently realized it was a ‘belief’ LOL 🙂 Unfortunate for those who may not even have that. Daily I think of my friends I left there and vision them showing up in my face book friend requests ~ it happens pretty often 🙂
No need to apologize, that was a very articulate, insightful and compassionate perspective from someone who’s never been involved in $cn!
Spot on, Mick. Add to that the continued hope that things will change for the better and be the way they’re supposed to be. It’s called “going on hoping” and people do it for years and years.
Excellent point T-Marie. I knew it was deeper than I thought. I love learning these new things here.
That was probably the best description of how one can become and remain a Scientologist I have ever read from a never-in. In fact, you seem to have a better grasp of this subject than most ex-Scientologists.
You nailed it completely in my opinion from the importance of being part of a group, initial courses that can be quite helpful, followed by the denial of Xenu similar to Jonah in a fishes belly.
I can only add that from what I can understand, there are MANY Scientologists and ex-Scientologists that still believe in OT III and above (Xenu), even LRH, until the day he died. That is the part that I have a problem understanding. Maybe I battle with this because when I finally got to read these secret, “powerful” upper levels, I left the tech behind rather rapidly. Maybe if I had been more persistent on the level, instead of immediately disowning it, I would have ended up accepting it fully, against my better judgement.
Wait….what? CPO, are you telling me Xenu doesn’t exist? My world is crumbling around me………..ok, I’m better now!
A more simplistic explanation is this:
When a person is lured into scientology, they are done so by a “body router” finding their “ruin”. No matter what the problem is, the person is then told “scientology can fix that.”
When you are offered a lifeline when you are drowning, you hold on for dear life. Years later, you may wake up and realize the lifeline is, in fact, what is keeping you drowning. Or not.
Some of this can be summed up by the anthropologist Ruth Benedict’s definition of a “shame culture” vs. a “guilt culture” in her book The Chrysanthemum and The Sword, in which she contrasts various aspects of Western culture vs. Japanese culture.. In a guilt culture, which tends to put emphasis on individual identity, one’s own conscience is often used to define sin. In a shame culture, which is much more collective, the group is in charge of managing the identity and consequence of sin.
Other people have split it further into various aspects: “Guilt-innocence” cultures which are more individualistic and people who break laws either seek justice or forgiveness, “shame-honor” cultures where people are shamed for not living up to group expectations and expected to receive absolution or punishment from the group, and “fear-power” cultures where evil is seen as animist and those afraid of it pursue power or control over it. Most who define cultures like this say that elements of each are in all societies today to a certain degree.
The thing about shame cultures, where identity is tied up in the group, is that they often lead to people literally dying when they are cast out and shunned. It psychologically robs them of all their measure of worth because it is never based on their own feelings but those of the group culture. While this is harder to achieve in a generally “guilt-innocence” environment, it can certainly be done by cutting individuals off from any aspect of outer society that would lessen the effect of a broader definition. Keeping people isolated and fearful allows religious cults to co-opt other neutralizing influences and create a shame-honor culture that is not only figurative, but material.
Completely controlling the narrative and preventing outside influences may also contribute some kind of philosophical Stockholm Syndrome that is reinforced with the threat of losing one’s identity as a group member, whether it is within the larger organization or the family unit. Not only is separating physically frightening, but certainly mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
It is tough to recognize that I intend to do one thing and observing that I cannot do it. I had been on a high tree with a rope that secured me from falling down. I knew that. I checked the rope. All fine. Then the tree was moving left right and my body went into fear. I knew I could not fall down the tree. But my body did not know that. My brain went into survival mode. That can also happen on other occasions. Like in an job interview. Or talking to a women or whatever situation. One knows that there is no life threat. But one behaves as there would be.
In order to avoid that one is robotizing oneself. Pre installed concepts. Pre installed reactions. Pre installed, trained answers. All to avoid that illogical stuff that can happen with us.
In other words, there are some “illogicals” installed inside us. And the scientists are measuring and mapping those. For what purpose? To help us or to map out new ways to influence us. By telling us we are a subject of control from some sort of inner self. And the only way to be rational is to follow a set of rules. Be rational. Never assume a position and defend it?
That is what they say in this article. Sure they are right. It can be proven without any slightest doubt that adherents to political views, religious views, or to soccer teams or whatever AND insisting that one is not changing mind is not “ratio” but brain whatever malfunction.
Can they simply acknowledge that I am not perfect and let me think what I want to think. Scientology promised to handle those malfunctions. They did not. So, maybe there is a way to handle it. Someday in the future. Different organization. Meanwhile I have to live with my not being perfect.
Great post today Mike. This is so true.
Guilty as charged – cringe
What…guilty of great posts?
Thank you Mike for the continued research and great information. Keep up the good work! I always look forward to your posts. Ranee
Mike, this is an insightful article. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. It makes perfect sense that we defend ourselves when attacked in such an intimate fashion. If we are positioned in such a way that the corner we in which we live is under siege we’re going to defend it because it means our very existence is threatened. Leah has said that she didn’t want to find the life she’d led was a lie. Imagine waking up one morning and finding the sky is green, the, grass blue. Your mother is a male and you dad looks suspiciously like the woman who used to give you piano lessons. Not only is it weird, it’s mentally life threatening. We on the outside sometimes lord it over those souls practicing scientology, when to lose it means loosing the “me”. Don’t know about anyone else, but I’d fight like hell to save “me”. You must have gone through much of these sq
(Sorry, hit the wrong button). To continue…these same feelings. It’s got to be scary on very deep level. So, cheers to you who’ve made it out and discovered a new “me”and “we’re waitin’ for ya.” to those who haven’t made it quite yet.
I think there are phases to changing your mind.
The first phase is to feel threatened or defensive, and to rationalize away the facts which challenge your beliefs.
But after that, another phase occurs where you realize that you can no longer defend the indefensible, and you start to change your own mind.
Every Ex-Scientologist has gone through this, having been a Scientologist earlier. The unfortunate thing for many Ex-Scientologists is that they stop at being an Ex-Scientologist.
Alanzo
This is so true, as evidenced by the daily trashing of Trump by social media, news, entertainers, and family members. I have gotten to a point where I just hide posts on FB. It isn’t because I don’t respect their opinion; it is because I am tired of them trying to shove their opinion down my throat. There is no rational conversation with any of them and I am not going to waste my valuable time arguing nor am I going to stand for being called names because of what I believe in; family members have gone there as well.
Do you see the irony in your comments? The article was called “Why People Shut Down When Their Political Beliefs Are Challenged”.
Isn’t this what cognitive dissonance is? The brain cannot with two contradicting ideas so has to choose one, or sticks to what the person knows rather than the contradictory evidence. This proves why Scientology’s brainwashing is so successful and holds people captive for so long despite intense abuse. I cannot wait for tonight’s episode.
Cognitive Dissonance theory is an extremely important set of ideas on the very topic Mike is writing about. The great Jefferson Hawkins wrote an excellent overview of it a few years ago, which I compiled with other information on my blog. Forgive me for linking to it myself here:
Cognitive Dissonance, More About
Alanzo
Sorry Mike, I don’t believe any of the above.
Hey Dave, thanks for sending me a brand new copy of ISN (International Scientology News). Perfect timing, I just ran out of toilet paper.
Hey!!! Don’t bogart that toilet paper….pass it over to me.
Use both sides and the edges for even greater economy.
That’s the problem with beliefs. It is not logical. Scientific methodology is the best way to determine validity. Those who are uneducated in formal logic and science are left only with belief systems. It’s a shame.
I agree. We shouldn’t be blind followers of anything, including religion. The Scientific Method is the brat way to test the validity of anything. Unfortunately, I come across numerous people, even in my own religious group, that prefer to put on the blinders.