Art by Valeska Paris
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO THIS ARTICLE HERE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN PRIVATE MESSAGES AND EMAIL.
BUT TELLING ME IS NOT WHAT IS IMPORTANT. REPORTING IT TO THE AUTHORITIES IS.
LEAH AND I CANNOT REPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT YOU TOLD US SOMETHING. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
IF YOU EXPERIENCED OR WITNESSED SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE TO BE A CRIME, YOU MUST REPORT IT. EVEN IF THAT AGENCY DOES NOTHING, THERE WILL BE AN OFFICIAL REPORT ON FILE.
IF YOU THINK THE CRIME IS “TOO OLD” REPORT IT ANYWAY. LET THE LAW ENFORCEMENT/PROSECUTORS MAKE THAT DETERMINATION. UNLESS YOU ARE A LAWYER, YOU DON’T KNOW.
PLEASE, STEP UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
THE SCOPE OF THE ABUSE IS TERRIBLE, BUT IT REMAINS CRIME HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT IF NOBODY FILES THE PROPER REPORTS — AND THAT IS ABOVE ALL, WHAT SCIENTOLOGY WANTS MORE THAN ANYTHING: NOBODY REPORTING THEIR CRIMES.
Last Tuesday Tony Ortega wrote a disturbing piece highlighting yet another atrocious story involving the Freewinds and scientology’s attitude towards its children.
It somehow seems sadly appropriate to focus on this issue on Mother’s Day to remind us that many mothers have been split from their children by scientology and how powerful the control over minds this cult has to be able to break this bond. My mother disconnected from me and it was heartbreaking. I really believed that would never happen. I know many mothers who have had their children disconnect from them. It is achingly painful. It is wrong. It is scientology.
But as terrible as disconnection is, it pales in comparison to the abuse of children that stems from the same twisted belief system that pretends to be the champion of family values.
As Leah and I have attempted to explain, the latest story from the Freewinds is not new news.
Many have tried to bring scientology abusers to justice, but are met with a Goliath of an organization with enormous resources, but even more significantly, an ironclad belief system that makes it OK to lie to authorities when they believe doing so will benefit scientology.
This is a “church” that strikes fear not only into victims, but witnesses as well.
Scientology is well aware of decades of physical and sexual abuse against its members, including children, and it uses its power over people to keep those skeletons hidden in the closet. Concealing crimes is part and parcel of scientology scripture and conditioning.
Scientology Grooming
Scientology is all based on the words of L. Ron Hubbard. His word is the word of God, it may not be altered, interpreted or discarded. This is the “scripture” of scientology and it is learned and taught under supervision. There are drills to learn the basics of scientology verbatim. You are constantly tested to make sure you are learning it exactly and not thinking for yourself.
There are mandatory books and courses that ALL are required to buy and do. There are no variations to Scientology teachings.
These teaching are called the “tech” or technology. It is unalterable policy of the organization. And there is policy that Hubbard’s policy cannot be changed by anyone other than Hubbard. He died in 1986 and despite his promises, he has NOT returned to re-assume his role as the leader of scientology. So nothing will be changing in the way scientology conducts itself. Ever.
Cult expert Steve Hassan opines that scientology is the worst cult because of the format in which the indoctrination takes place. Believers are required to sit and read Hubbard’s words or listen to his lectures each day, look up words to ensure “duplication and understanding”, pass tests and learn things verbatim — this is “self-brainwashing.”
Most importantly, there is very specific teaching in scientology to “contain flaps”, not to report situations to law enforcement and that protecting scientology — “man’s only road to spiritual freedom” is more important than anything, including the well-being of one or more children. There are plenty of children, there is only one hope for mankind…
It’s the scientology way
Scientology wants to be recognized just like “any other religion.” In covering up crimes, it is doing a good job of fitting in with a lot of other religious organizations, though even the Catholic church is now confronting reality.
Unlike the Catholic church now, scientology has never admitted to a single wrong-doing. Not one. Despite hundreds of accounts of child abuse.
Why? Because the command to keep this (and anything else that might bring bad PR) away from law enforcement and the media is laid out in Hubbard’s teachings.
First: It is a “High Crime” to report another scientologist to the authorities or bring them to court without permission of scientology.
Decide not to follow these rules and the penalties are severe. You will be declared a “Suppressive Person” and expelled. Your family and friends who are scientologists will be forced to disconnect from you. If your employer is a scientologist he or she will be required to fire you. Your life will end as you know it.
This is a list of a few of the things denominated as High Crimes in scientology (these are all published in an easily available book called Introduction to Scientology Ethics):
Delivering up the person of a Scientologist without justifiable defense or lawful protest to the demands of civil or criminal law.
Reporting or threatening to report Scientology or Scientologists to civil authorities in an effort to suppress Scientology or Scientologists from practicing or receiving standard Scientology.
Bringing civil suit against any Scientology organization or Scientologist, including the nonpayment of bills or failure to refund, without first calling the matter to the attention of the International Justice Chief and receiving a reply.
Writing anti-Scientology letters to the press or giving anti-Scientology or anti-Scientologist data to the press.
Continued membership in a divergent group.
Continued adherence to a person or group pronounced a suppressive person or group by HCO.
Failure to handle or disavow and disconnect from a person demonstrably guilty of suppressive acts.
Public statements against Scientology or Scientologists but not to Committees of Evidence duly convened.
Testifying hostilely before state or public inquiries into Scientology to suppress it.
Scientology convinces its followers that turning in any scientologist to “Wog Law”, or “wog solutions” would only make the person worse (“wog” is scientology terminology for non-scientologist or anything not scientology). The only hope for a child molester, rapist or pedophile is to be cured by scientology auditing (counseling). And certainly not to fall into the hands of the criminal justice system which is controlled by psychiatry and is thus bent on destroying people.Second: Even the terminology is different. The words sexual abuse, abuse, rape and pedophile are not taught or used in scientology, instead these perversions are all denominated as “abberations” which is defined by Hubbard as:
Abberation: a departure from rational thought or behavior. It means basically to err, to make mistakes, or more specifically to have fixed ideas which are not true.
The word is also used in its scientific sense. It means departure from a straight line. If a line should go from A to B, then if it is aberrated it would go from A to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, and finally arrive at B. Taken in this sense, it would also mean the lack of straightness or to see crookedly as, for example, a man sees a horse but thinks he sees an elephant.
Aberrated conduct would be wrong conduct, or conduct not supported by reason. When a person has engrams, “
Engrams are defined as:
An engram, as used in Dianetics and Scientology, is a detailed mental image or memory of a traumatic event from the past that occurred when an individual was partially or fully unconscious”.
Scientology teaches that one is abberated because he has engrams. Once those engrams are treated (erased — through auditing), the abberated become “normal.”
Changing the meaning and significance of words is part of the grooming in scientology.
Third: Scientology children are considered to be old thetans in young bodies. Fully capable of rational thought and reactions. They are also “raised” by scientology. Children in the Sea Org are rarely even see their parents. But even non-Sea Org scientologists will have their children “handled” by an auditor or sent in to their local org, often following a written report about their “out-ethics”.
Any child who progresses in scientology is subjected to “security checking” on a scientology e-meter. These are questions designed to uncover “sins”, including being asked about sexual matters. These sessions are recorded on video and written down and kept in a folder indefinitely.
Fourth: It is a considered a terrible crime against humanity to do anything that brings ill repute to scientology. Scientologists believe that ONLY scientology can save mankind. Hubbard explained in his seminal writing “Keeping Scientology Working”:
“We’re not playing some minor game in Scientology. It isn’t cute or something to do for lack of something better. The whole agonized future of this planet, every Man, Woman and Child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depend on what you do here and now with and in Scientology.
“This is a deadly serious activity.”
Scientologists believe that the well being of scientology trumps all other factors and concerns, even the well-being of children (who, after all, are merely old thetans occupying young bodies). If the reputation of scientology were to be sullied to might prevent people from coming into scientology and being saved.
What is a Sec Check?
This could be a 20 page dissertation, but to keep it as short as possible, in scientology this is a “Security Check” so called because it was intended to ferret out spies and “plants” Hubbard was convinced were sent into the organization.
It is done using a scientology lie detector — an E-Meter.
Scientology HATES it when the E-Meter is described as a lie detector, but here it is in the words of L. Ron Hubbard:
Children (like adults) are subjected to sec checks. There is even a specific sec check designed for them as you can see here:
The person being sec checked is required to answer questions and if they have no answer, they will make up things in order to get out of the interrogation (again, scientology will protest this, but if you ask ANY former scientologist who has been sec checked they will tell you they HAVE invented things to try to get a sec check to end).
And there are other twists within the scientology “scripture” such that if something bad happens to you it is because you have done something bad to another.
So, for example, if a child says they were molested or raped they will be asked: “Do you have a similar overt (transgression) of your own?”
If the child was a girl and responded: “Well I don’t have a penis, how could I rape someone” the auditor would then remind her that she has lived many lives and perhaps was a man in other lives….
Then the auditor would steer the child to “take a look” and would say: “when I ask you the question again, just tell me what images come to mind.”
From there, the imagination takes over, and the result is often wild stories of raping or molesting another in another lifetime. This “proves” to the victim that they have done similar things and that is the only reason they are really upset about being raped or molested this lifetime.
The perpetrator of the crime is called in and “handled” with Scientology technology. The incidents are never reported to Law Enforcement.
Further, this made up and coerced story is in this child’s folder to use against them should they ever leave Scientology. Scientology uses this “evidence” to “prove” this person is guilty of the most alarming crimes (and of course Hubbard decreed that anyone critical of scientology invariably has heinous crimes so this makes complete sense to scientology).
To give you an idea of the sort of questions that are on a sec check, this is perhaps the most famous sec check in scientology. It is given to every scientologist on Grade II and sometimes more often than that. These are screen shots of the CURRENT official “Technical Volumes” of scientology. This is not “old” or “outdated” — this is current scientology practice.
Scientology defines the world on their terms
Leah describes an incident she experienced this way;
When I was young, I worked for a man and woman who were affluent members of the church of Scientology, John and Valerie Futris.
John and Valerie had a Scientology printing company called JFI on Fountain Ave. Before Scientology had their own printing presses, John and Valerie printed did all of Scientology’s promotional material.
Me and my friend Sherry Lewis worked at JFI, we were underage. But we believed we were old beings (thetans) in little bodies. We all believed that, none of us were going to school but rather did Scientology courses and worked for Scientologists like John and Valerie.
One day, Sherry and I were called into Valerie’s office, she was very upset, she was crying. She asked us if we knew about John’s “Out-2D” with our underage friend Amina Lowe.
2D is the “Second Dynamic.” In Scientology, the second dynamic refers to family, children, personal relationships and sex.
It can be used in a variety of ways, including: “She was my 2D” which means she was my girlfriend/ wife, or “Out-2D” means cheating on your partner, or committing “deviant” sexual acts.
Valerie went on to say that John Futris had sexual relations with our friend, who was a minor.
Valerie never used the words statutory rape or any such words. She just said he had gone “out 2-D” with a female, which translates into a man cheating on his wife.
It wasn’t until literally last year when I mentioned to Sherry that I missed John and Valerie that I realized he was in fact was a child molester. It still hadn’t dawned on me that I never changed the way I was conditioned to think about these sort of things that happened in Scientology.
This of course was never reported to the police.
Any Scientologist confessing to a crime in Scientology is just considered top have “gone Out 2D” and is “abberated.”
They are not labeled child molesters or rapists.
Victim blaming — an art in scientology
In scientology, the victim of sexual assault is labeled “a problem” and abberated, promiscuous and having gone “out 2D” rather than “this child or person was a victim of a crime.”A scientologist who reports an assault against them usually learns a lesson that this is an unwise choice. Many Sea Org members have been assigned to the RPF when they are the victim, the theory being that they must have done bad things to “pull it in” and need “rehabilitation” (which consists of hard labor, sleep deprivation and intensive interrogations).
Regular scientologists are usually ordered to undergo security checking at their expense to uncover what they did to be raped or abused. Once this has been established, they are sent to “Ethics Department” to work through “lower conditions” and “make up the damage to he group.”If the rapist or abuser is a big donor or scientology celebrity there is an immediate lockdown of information. The victim is placed under a “Non-Enturbulation Order” (as talking about a celebrity scientologist involved in a crime is definitely upsetting to the organization).
Should the victim violate the order and speak of the incident again, they are automatically declared a Suppressive Person and expelled from scientology with the consequences to family, friends and jobs described above. The Non-Enturbulation order is made public for other scientologists to see and they are required to write a report if the victim mentions the abuse.
It is a perilous position to be a victim of sexual abuse in scientology. Even more perilous if the abuser is a prominent name in scientology.
Thus, many victims do not tell their scientology friends and family what happened to them.
But there are people who DO know. The scientology auditors, chaplains and Ethics Officers.
All crimes told in sessions, sec checks or to an Ethics Officer in scientology are religiously noted down and preserved in folders and in many instances videotape recordings. This is an unbreakable rule in scientology. These files MUST be kept. And they form an exact record of guilt or innocence for law enforcement.
A terrible case of child molesting in Burbank
Tony Ortega, at his blog, covered this story “Scientology’s Day Care from Hell the Scandal the Church Managed to Keep Hidden Until Now”
Leah provided me with some more details based on information people have given to her directly. This is one first hand account:
I remember getting a phone call from Keli Daniels who’s son Zeut was also in Bridgette’s Day Care. She said “something terrible is going down at Bridgette’s. It sounds like there’s be some molestation with some of the girls.” My heart stopped.
There was that fearful feeling of ‘okay, something bad has happened involving a ‘fellow Scn.’ , but if I demand and get too loud about his, the Church will turn on me and it will be MY overts in question.”
I was told that Bridgette was being “handled” at the church based on the fact that her two sons (the oldest more so) had taken advantage of two of the older girls (more were being investigated) during baby sitting at their homes outside of the daycare.
One of the girls mother, told me that Bridgette was leaving the day care during the day to go have sex with her boyfriend when she claimed she was ‘going to Scientology course.’
Bridgette was leaving her three sons with all of the Scientology kids – at least 10-12 toddlers, babies and 5-7 year olds.
She told me that the boys had discovered porn on the internet and were watching it during the day when they were suppose to be watching the kids.
Then, they would get “stimulated” on this binging and began experimenting with the girls left in their care.
One of the moms and Bridgette were good friends and would go out for a girls night.
Same with the Pettyjohn’s where they would want to go on a date night. Bridgette’s boys were already established as “baby sitters” from the day care so they would hire them to go to either of their houses when the parents went out.
The mother told me that with her daughter the older kid started with making her take her shirt off, then tell his younger brother (10 or 12 at the time) to touch her nipples.
Then over time it escalated into having sex with the girl using their fingers.
It was the moms daughter that brought it up to her mother . The mother confronted Bridgette who defended the boys until finally she demanded they go to Scientology Ethics where they disclosed that yes, they had been doing inappropriate things.
One of the mothers began calling all the Scientology parents with girls and learned that her daughter had been assaulted.
She was a total wreck. Like any mother would be, she wanted justice. She was going to the Scientology organization daily crying, not able to sleep and they were telling her she needed to buy more Scientology counseling to get over it. She said all the church would finally do to help was to give here some free hours to help her get over her emotion of her daughter being molested.
But still, the mother spent over $20,000 in Scientology counseling over it.
The mother told me that she went to the Burbank Police Dept and asked what could the law do about it.
She was told a report needed to be filed by all parents with children affected.
The Church of Scientology intervened and after forcing Bridgette to shut down her daycare advised her legally concerning her own liability and that of both her sons. It was handled to keep it out of the court and public information system.
[As the perpetrators were juveniles, and only one parent (“Ellen” in Tony Ortega’s article above) was willing to press charges, the matter was kept secret in the juvenile justice system]
Scientology got public scientologist Michael Lewis to audit the perpetrators (keeping it entirely OFF org lines) and requested the judge allow the perpetrator to be handled with “religious counseling” rather than put into the usual juvenile system.
The judge agreed.
In fact, I was so distraught over the secrecy and still not knowing whether my daughter had been touched in any way, I finally broke Michael Lewis down – begging and forcing him to disclose what had come up in the boy’s interviews and whether my daughter was on the list.
It should come as no surprise that perpetrator did not show up for his counseling with Michael, which put him in the position of lying to the court that action had been taken and this kid was being rehabilitated.
Beyond this, another person involved with this cover up stated they were told by a church official: “All you can do is write it up for the girl’s folder and some day if it comes up in her auditing, it will be taken up. She’s responsible for her own condition.” So a child is sexually molested and a note should be “put in her folder” in the event she might recall being molested? And the girl was “responsible “ for being molested?
Angelo Pagan gave me some other insight from another scientology parent who had a child at Bridgette’s daycare. He explained it like this:
In late 2012 I was at Dr. Price’s Chiropractic offices in Hollywood [David Miscavige’s personal chiro] where Michael Wiseman and I rented office space for the purpose of promoting Dr. Price’s vitamins.
One afternoon Michael and I were at the office when a young guy walked past our office, Michael started to shake-almost uncontrollably, I asked Michael what was wrong and he proceeded to tell me the story of his oldest daughter (Delilah Wiseman) being physically molested by the young man who had just passed our office and that it had occurred at the Scientology daycare, Bridgette’s Day Care in Burbank. Michael said he felt helpless because he couldn’t do anything about it as instructed by Scientology Policy and instructions from Scientology church official Julian Swartz. My response was “Are you kidding me why are we not kicking his fucking ass”?
Michael tried to explain how the church wanted to “get him handled with scientology” and that part of the “handling” was that the molester was to work in the home of the victims to make “amends” and that he was apprehensive about that as it would expose his family to further danger. I am not sure if the molester actually spent time at the Wiseman household after the daycare incidents but I was so confused by the thought of that actually happening, that I simply could not wrap my brain around this madness.
Michael begged me not to say anything as he was terrified that my knowing this and talking about it would simply cause more problems for him in the church because prior times Michael had been in trouble with his church had at one time put Michael in the hospital with a heart condition; he wanted to avoid another similar incident.
Michael said he was hopeful that Julian Schwartz was going to straighten it all out with Scientology which was what Julian had told all the parents who whose children were molested.
It was the first time that I had heard of Julian Schwartz. As further evidence of Michael’s brainwashing, later when Leah and I were having issues with Julian Schwartz, Michael said “Give him a chance he’s a good guy”
The child molester was ultimately let off with a misdemeanor and probation. He eventually was allowed to quietly depart scientology without repercussions, free to live his life. Another “flap” kept under wraps by scientology. This child molester could be watching children today without anyone being the wiser.
The molesters Scientologist mother, Bridgette Gerholdt, remained in Scientology and ante’d up as a Patron of the IAS.
Everything worked out well for scientology, for Bridgette, the molester — everyone except the children who were molested and any other children who may today come in contact with this animal.
The guilt that those parents must feel to this day is hard to imagine. The one parent (“Ellen”) who was willing to press charges left scientology and her parents disconnected from her. They have no relationship with their granddaughter, who is now 18 years old.
Other Coverage
And BTW….very good art by Valeska Paris! Communicates pretty darn well.
What a killer article.
Let me comment on just one point here, regarding $cientology and the law….when you join as a young adult, or even younger, you have no experience with the law yet. Maybe you knew you shouldn’t be trying to buy beer yet. And don’t speed too much in your car. But when it comes to the law protecting you as far as human rights and the rights of an employee in the workplace, you have no clue yet. And there is nothing of the sort in $cientology! You don’t even know that you are being treated like dirt and that federal and state laws do not allow it. That was the case with me. You just keep getting treated like dirt, you think that’s how it’s supposed to be and finally make yourself get used to it. (Because one of the threats you’ll get is never being allowed to see your parents again if you disobey.)
Never in 33 years on “staff” and in the phony “sea org” did I or anyone else get the legal 10 or 15 minute break; or were OSHA regulations followed on building sites we worked on; or were we reminded to take our 30 minute lunch. Rather, we were told more often that something had to be done before 6PM, nevermind that at 5:30 a meal was served and it would’ve been nice to eat something–you just better have that project done at 6 or you’re dead meat!!!! Raise your hand if you had to forgo meals over and over again to try to make pie-in-the-sky targets.
Sleazy religion has so many advantages! You don’t have to abide by any laws and pay your staff, feed them anything nourishing, take care of them, no matter how much you promised it when you signed them on, after so much mental and emotional pressure that they finally buckled. Don’t just look at the glossy retouched PR photos–listen to what the kids, young adults and adult members who finally escaped have to say.
So all I can say to $cientology parents is DON’T LET YOUR KIDS GET ON STAFF OR INTO THE SEA ORG. Don’t let yourself be intimidated into letting your kids go. If you want them to experience the great things in life, make memories, learn amazing things….DO NOT GET FOOLED that being on staff in any way shape or form is going to accomplish that for them.
The “church” of $cientology has the law wrapped up nicely for now, so they don’t have to take care of your kids like they promised you they would. If you hate your kids then fine, because they WILL be harmed in many different ways that you can’t even imagine because you haven’t been there and you haven’t seen it.
But if you really do love them and want the best for them, get them the heck out of the claws of $cientology recruiters. And get yourself outta there too.
We have the IRS to thank giving them “religious status” privileges . ITS obvious the IRS didn’t do their homework and read some of the cults policies before granting them the status of ” religion “.
WRONG Robert.
The IRS has no authority to grant or deny religious status. See US Constitution for more info.
Strictly speaking, that is true. And neither can a court make such a determination. No government agency can do so because of the First Amendment.
However, in practical terms, the IRS is required to make this determination as there is a category of exemption under 501(c)3 for RELIGIOUS institutions. They have to decide whether an applicant qualifies and they have a list of criteria they go by to make such a determination. You are right, they are not allowed to make a determination and finding on whether and organization is or is not religious, but they must make a finding on whether it qualifies for tax exempt status under their rules to qualify as a religious organization.
Similar with courts. They cannot make such a determination, but they often have to decide whether an organization is protected under First Amendment excessive entanglement questions, and thus, defacto they make a religious determination.
These are the two official means of being “recognized” as a religion in the US. If the IRS grants you tax exemption as a religious organization and if courts afford you the protection of the First Amendment establishment clause.
That’s indeed the problem, that as a practical matter an IRS determination of tax exempt status becomes a de facto determination of religious status as well. That’s something that should be left up to the courts – and, ironically, the courts have determined that Scientology isn’t a religion, but no one has the standing to challenge the incongruity between that and the IRS determination.
Also, no one apparently has standing to challenge the unique privileges the IRS gave the CofS such as the highly dubious deductibility of “fixed donations” – which to me represents an unconstitutional establishment of religion. I think the only answer is for the IRS to get out of the business of anything to do with religious status, and just treat non-profits the same.
“as a practical matter an IRS determination of tax exempt status becomes a de facto determination of religious status as well.”
WRONG Peacemaker it is NOT a de facto determination of religious status. I don’t know who gave you that drivel or how you came to that nonsense determination. NO part of the Gov’t can make such decisions. THUS, there is no “de facto” gov’t determination.
You keep asserting this Wynski. Those are MY words.
It is an anomaly that the IRS recognizes religious entities for exempt status and in order to make that determination, they have a list of criteria for a religion. That this is itself a violation of the First Amendment is true, but it is nevertheless a fact that an agency of the government DOES make a determination as to whether an organization falls under their criteria of “religious”. This IS a “de facto determination” and to claim otherwise is silly. I understand your technical nit pick. For the layman this is immaterial.
Look at how scientology uses this determination to insist they qualify for protection under the very law this violates.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen that an IRS determination of religious tax exemption effectively carries weight in various different circumstances and venues, particularly governmental and official ones though I can readily only find one federal government example that I’m going to post in response to Wynski.
It’s similar to what happened with Social Security numbers; they weren’t supposed to be a national ID number, and I believe that technically they still can’t be required – but try, for instance, getting a loan without one. As Wikipedia says:
“Social Security cards printed from January 1946 until January 1972 expressly stated that people should not use the number and card for identification.[17] Since nearly everyone in the United States now has an SSN, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message was removed.[18]
Since then, Social Security numbers have become de facto national identification numbers.”
I note the use of “de facto” there.
p.s. Mike, I’m impressed that you know your US civics better than most native-born citizens. That tidbit about SSNs may or may not be new to you. A few people still don’t have them, but since they are, um, a de facto national ID, as a practical matter it’s increasingly difficult to live in modern society without one.
de fac·to
/ˌdā ˈfaktō/
adverb
1.
in fact, or in effect, whether by right or not.
“the island has been de facto divided into two countries”
synonyms: in practice, in effect, in fact, in reality, really, actually, in actuality
“the republic has been de facto divided into two states”
adjective
1.
denoting someone or something that is such in fact.
“a de facto one-party system”
synonyms: actual, existing, existent, real, effective
“they took de facto control of the land”
I grew up with parents in scientology in Clearwater, FL. My home was a place where scientologists could stay for free if they were in transition from Sea Org or another mission. As a kid I witnessed many illegal activities and was a victim. However, I was told that I created those situations, the books of LRH had all the answers, and I was not allowed to talk to anyone about what happened in our home. I wish the police had shown up at least once to see how this organization and its members had ruined my childhood and tore my family apart.
So sorry to hear your story. I hope you are leading a happier life now.
Wrong, Wynski, for example the Department of State uses the IRS’ determination of religious status when granting religious worker visas – and nothing else. On Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, it asks applicants to certify, under penalty of perjury, that the employing organization is affiliated with a “religious denomination”:
“and that the attesting organization within the religious denomination is tax-exempt as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (codified at 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)), any subsequent amendment(s), subsequent amendment, or equivalent ections of prior enactments of the Internal Revenue Code. ”
Technically, the Department of State regulations and website list the much the same criteria as the IRS for determining whether an organization is a religion:
A recognized common creed or statement of faith shared among the denomination’s members;
A common form of worship;
A common formal code of doctrine and discipline;
Common religious services and ceremonies;
Common established places of religious worship or religious congregations; or
Comparable indicia of a bona fide religious denomination.
But as a practical matter the I-129 application doesn’t ask for anything other than if the organization has been granted religious tax exempt status by the IRS – there’s no option for determination of individual cases. So good luck getting the Department of State to approve a religious worker visa application for an organization if the IRS hasn’t made a de facto determination that it’s a religion.
That’s what I’m talking about. It may raise your hackles about how you think things are supposed to work according to the Constitution – but that’s the problem, this is how it works out in reality when government gets into providing any sort of preferential, or even differential, status to religious groups. It’s exactly the sort of creep into semi-official status and imprimatur that the founders saw had happened with the Puritan church in New England, and sought to avoid. And we can see how abusive groups like Scientology exploit it. The only practical solution is for the IRS and all arms of government to treat all non-profits the same regardless of their purpose, and to let the courts sort out any issues specific to religions and religious freedom.
“But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain – that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it.”
― Lysander Spooner, No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority
“You are right, they are not allowed to make a determination and finding on whether and organization is or is not religious”
EXACTLY Mike, that is ALL I am talking about. Any agency that subsequently were to use a negative opinion from the IRS to discriminate on religious basis would get destroyed in Fed court.
As I read these comments & digest the sordid subject of child abuse I’m left stunned. It’s a very disturbing subject. This subject is so incredibly betraying of any decency inherent in social responsibilities. It’s so sad on so many levels to contemplate the very essence that ‘right & wrong’ don’t exist as we are so often coerced into believing it does. Religious organizations in particular are the biggest bigots and hypocritical cesspits when you shine a light into their darkest corners. I guess “charity begins at home” has more to offer than I ever considered. Any organization or mindset that abuses children, even their own and then turns around and enforces moral virtues on others is one of the worst kinds of evil imaginable. It’s a cancer on the very fabric of any society or group to ignore this.
This is unconscionable. Just when I think this cult cannot get any more depraved, someone uncovers another layer of depravity and I get riled up all over again. In these cases, the children are relying on parents who are so disconnected from reality that they cannot help themselves, much less their kids. The people who should be protecting them are instead protecting a cult. That would make reporting even harder. I know that reporting sexual and physical abuse is something that takes great courage. And that is just for abuse that takes place in the ‘real world’, not abuse that is sanctioned by the “church” that controls every aspect of your life.
People who step forward and report these abuses are even more courageous than those who walk away and turn their backs on the cult- those may suffer disconnection…the ones who report may suffer worse. However, it appears that the cult is weakening, and scandals are coming one on top of another. If the pressure is increased, the cult WILL fail.
Anyone who is suffering, or has been through abuse, please report it. Even if it isn’t prosecuted, you will gain so much by reporting it. You gain self respect, you know you have faced the monster and won. There is a lot of help out here that is waiting on you to step into the light. If you need resources, please let me or someone else know. There are people who can help you gain the courage to report or help you deal with any of the aftermath. This is a difficult subject, but burying it or denying it wont make it go away. The only way to move forward is to confront it and let the light burn away the shadows.
Please call the authorities! Thank you Mike for bringing this subject out of the shadows.
Kat
“Anyone who is suffering, or has been through abuse, please report it. Even if it isn’t prosecuted, you will gain so much by reporting it. You gain self respect, you know you have faced the monster and won.”
Absolutely true and well said. Thank you, Kat.
What an outstanding article.
This. Means. War.
And I am so glad. Thank you, Mike and Leah!!
Ex’s who are citizens of the European Union who have been audited, or “sec-checked”, because they were abused, or were aware of abuse and spoke up about it, can give a giant push to getting investigations started. Demand your PC, “Ethics”, and any other folder you think may have information on you, e.g., private investigators reports, that can document this from $cientology under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
This will provide hard evidence $cientology was aware of the incident, and failed to report it to the authorities. If enough of these reports come out, EU authorties would have justification to starting deeper investigations into $cientology. And if enough dirt comes out from that, it might finally get someone in the US to start paying attention to these reports.
IICSA (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse – in England and Wales) has expanded its investigations to include non conformist Christian denominations, i.e., the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Methodists, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism. This investigation is separate from investigations into the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.
Britain has joined several other nations the world over to bring (these) crimes cloaked under the myriad protections of ‘Religion’ to justice. Number One, what can be done to have $ added to the list of groups to be investigated; Number Two (and of Higher Priority), when is the Government of the US of A going to Address this issue; Number Three (and of Highest Priority), What Can Be Done To ‘MAKE IT SO?
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO THIS ARTICLE HERE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN PRIVATE MESSAGES AND EMAIL.
BUT TELLING ME IS NOT WHAT IS IMPORTANT. REPORTING IT TO THE AUTHORITIES IS.
LEAH AND I CANNOT REPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT YOU TOLD US SOMETHING. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
IF YOU EXPERIENCED OR WITNESSED SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE TO BE A CRIME, YOU MUST REPORT IT. EVEN IF THAT AGENCY DOES NOTHING, THERE WILL BE AN OFFICIAL REPORT ON FILE.
IF YOU THINK THE CRIME IS “TOO OLD” REPORT IT ANYWAY. LET THE LAW ENFORCEMENT/PROSECUTORS MAKE THAT DETERMINATION. UNLESS YOU ARE A LAWYER, YOU DON’T KNOW.
PLEASE, STEP UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
THE SCOPE OF THE ABUSE IS TERRIBLE, BUT IT REMAINS CRIME HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT IF NOBODY FILES THE PROPER REPORTS — AND THAT IS ABOVE ALL, WHAT SCIENTOLOGY WANTS MORE THAN ANYTHING: NOBODY REPORTING THEIR CRIMES.
CPS WILL review each & every complaint.
There are NO LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS IF A REPORT IS MADE IN GOOD FATIH. The ONLY issue would be if you made up something (lied) to “get even” with someone.
1 800 4 A CHILD……witnessed it, happened to you etc….call even if it’s been years & the
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS HAS RUN OUT…..
Also, if child protective services gets enough reports even long after the fact, they will still start to realize that Scientology is an organization with severe longstanding problems, but unusually effective at suppressing the cases of fresh victims. That should help key them in to be aware that any newer report that makes their way to them is likely serious and just the tip of an iceberg, and that any investigation needs to be very aggressive and thorough to pierce Scientology’s wall of silence and get to the truth. Hubbard was right that “incredulity” helps protect them; most people don’t expect a “church” to evade the law with ruthless and practiced cunning.
The people working at such agencies generally really care about protecting children. If given enough to work with, they are likely to be able to do something sooner or later.
There is the possibility of filing a CIVIL SUIT if the Statute of Limitations has run out.
Adults harming children, sexual abuse of children is indefensible because they are defenseless. It DOES affect them for t he rest of their life because their mind has not developed enough to make sense of it. What they DO say to themselves is false and destructive in a normal setting let alone after you’ve been told it’s your responsibility when you were molested? THEN, they are told to write up their overts! First, they have been abused which is horribly bad…but then for them to think about, “what they did,” to cause this, what “they” did wrong to pull this in? So, in the eyes of the whole group plus policy they are guilty of overts? I can’t even fathom that! Talk about a setting for depression that beings in childhood! Crimes against children!
Don’t kids think that bad things happening to them that are cause by adults are their own fault anyway?
For example, a parent dies or Mom and Dad can’t get along, or they separate bitterly, or get divorced, and the child believes that if he/she hadn’t been “bad” none of this would have happened, the parent would still be alive, Mommy would still love Daddy or vice versa and they’d still be together, etc. Isn’t this childish mindset rather common? Isn’t an important part of explaining death and divorces, domestic violence, abuse, etc. to a small child the fact that the child is not to blame and must not blame himself or herself? I’m not making rhetorical statements, by the way. These are actual questions as I don’t have children and don’t know. I have heard this though.
Point being: if it IS common for children to internalize and blame themselves for things going wrong in the family ANYWAY, the kid raised in Scientology is truly f**ked. No wonder they’re nuts.
100% True Aqua……as sad as it is children will blame themselves for the break up or break down of a marriage as in “If I listened more, obeyed more, did my chores, was a BETTER KID my mom and dad would STILL be together.
Do you have any idea how stomach churning it is to see a child REMOVED from a home where he she had been the VICTIM of parental or “boyfriend” sexual or physical or emotional abuse? In 99% of the cases the child WANTS to remain in the “parental home” rather then be placed with STRANGERS through Foster Care.
It’s a tough road to hoe, Parental Rights are very hard to remove permanently. IF a parent willingly surrenders their Parental Rights to their own child for the betterment of the child….well THAT hardly EVER happens.
The Court WILL require the parents to attend parenting classes for several months & after review, the child is normally returned to the care of the parent(s). Look at all the cases recently exposed…..the children are placed in Foster Care and that’s it. People don’t understand the ramifications and effect this has on the child. The child feels abandoned by it’s own parents who rather do drugs or alcohol, or have “the flavor of the month boyfriend” move in that abuses them then care for their own children.
I’ve seen kids bounced like ping pong balls back and forth within the SYSTEM….in and out of foster care UNTIL they AGE OUT….then they are on their own. Many kids have been the “guest” at several different foster homes most of their lives if removed by CPS. I’ve seen kids scream and cry trying to get back to the arms of their parents who abused them…or their live in abused the child because the child wasn’t theirs…it was another man’s child and HE didn’t want another man’s child around.
There are some foster homes who have the children in the care for years…want to adopt them, but cannot do so. TOO sad…too sickening…I could go on and on….but nothing will change. There are NOT enough qualified Foster Homes…..and I won’t talk about that one either.
Yes you are right. It IS common for children to do that no matter where they are raised. Yes, there are many times it is horribly painful for children in life anyhow like the death of a parent etc. and the other instances you mentioned. I think the point is that in Scn. they say they have the “tech” to handle life yet when a child is sexually molested they are ignored and not only do they then deal with their self inflicted guilt that every child has anyhow, but the cult adds more guilt by telling them they are responsible and then the molestation is ignored and the abuser carries on as if nothing is wrong. There is no justice in that for anyone. The cult that prides themselves on great communication skills doesn’t even talk to the kids about it because it is covered up. So then the child lives in an environment that makes all these claims of great communications, most ethical group on the planet, what are they supposed to make of that cognitive dissonance? In the real world these things happen too but nobody tells the child that their wonderful tech is THE best and anything can be fixed or handled but you are responsible for being molested. The child still feels horrible and has unwanted memories that are almost illegal in the cult because it is forcibly swept under the carpet, because the PR of the cult is THE most important thing. It’s based on the expectations the child has while in the cult. They expect to be “handled” by this great tech but they are also made guilty for what the adult did to them. I hope I explained my opinion so that it makes sense to you.
?
#80 … Have you ever been a member of any group with similar ideals as the communist party?
Answer: Does this include all my years on staff?
Yeah, Communism and Scientology are similar forms of philosophical idealism or utopianism – the belief that an ideal society can be brought about. Both have ideas of society and men improved by science – Hubbard’s “homo novis” or new man in Latin, the New Soviet Man in Russia, and the the New Socialist Man in China. Both also implement ruthless ends-justifies-the-means approaches to achieving their ideals, and both expect individuals to sacrifice – or to be sacrificed – in pursuit of them.
Perhaps most strangely, despite Hubbard’s nominal capitalism, Scientology effectively imposes collectivization on the rank and file, and particularly its staff – individuals are expected to forego any individual accumulation of assets, and live with minimal material comforts or pleasures, so that the regime can have a wealth of resources to pursue the supposed greater ends, including through aggression. And of course there are also the “firsts among equals” at the top, the leadership and various favored and powerful supporters, who get to have their material desires fully satisfied, if not actually to live in luxury.
PeaceMaker, astute observations and cogent conclusions! Good post.
Scientology began as a dictatorship (Hubbard), transitioned to an oligarchy (at least on paper – Watch Dog Committee, IG network) and ended up a dictatorship again (Miscavige).
During my years in the SO I didn’t witness any child abuse. I did witness long term wearing down of people due to 7-day, 20-hour-a-day workweeks in a hostile work environment with almost no pay.
The SO schedule would wear me down in a week!
Id be dead in 24 hours!
Me too. And hey, why not make it a double funeral, to save time?
Oh, and DM, to save money, don’t bother with caskets or headstones for us. Just dig a couple of holes, throw us in, and leave our right arms sticking up 🙂
Yeah, Hubbard hoped to set up rule by an elite, but I think because he had arranged it so that he could control everything from behind the scenes while he was alive, it was too easy for another person to just take over as he weakened and then died, and in the final power struggle that ensued.
Parents can do whatever they like whith their own properties, because,
Birds fly
Fish swim
and Clams shut up.
Damning article, Mike. Scientology is damned.
It is sad, how can religion and brainwashing play with innocent lives. There are also much misinterpretations, but it is hard to say that for scientology… And I still can’t understand, how people can do stuff like that…don’t you have any moral standards?
Perfect timing Mike… let’s heat this up!
Fantastic article and fantastic art. A picture says a thousand words…
And that is what Scientology is ,does & has tucked away in the closet.
To all those people in good standing with the Cof$ – geezers I wish you’d wake the fuck up!
WOW!
One of the most powerful posts against Scientology I have ever read.
Since Scientology started working the “religious” angle and declaring many staff “ministers,” states have passed laws making ministers and others mandatory reporters of crimes against children, meaning they can be prosecuted for failure to report. One of these days a case is finally really going to blow up, and that is going to come back to bite them big time. Also, I think that in California, mandatory reporters may be required to report rape as well, which could apply in the Masterson case if that is every pursued like it should be.
That’s what I’ve not understood! I’m in CA, was a part time volunteer leader at church and we had to go through training to ensure we understood our responsibilities as required reporters. They even gave us a manual with resources so we knew exactly who to contact.
Staff and interns (so paid or not wasn’t treated differently) went through that training annually. Anyone in an obvious role of “counsel” or authority (pastors, Sunday school teachers and even the peer counseling volunteers) were trained more specifically because there wasn’t any gray area of one was in that type of position about being a required reporter, church or no due to the role they held. It was a BIG deal that everyone took quite seriously.
I need to look this up in detail to confirm laws, but what you’ve said sounds accurate based on my experience.
For those afraid to report – PLEASE do so! All those who’ve been brave and put themselves out there will feel the support. Having multiple cases reported demonstrates a trend (think Bill Cosby’s case…) and places more pressure on authorities to act, or they’re clearly being negligent. I personally promise to write, call, etc. every authority in my area on behalf of victims.
This must be stopped and will ONLY be stopped if multiple voices are heard. So many are here to support and stand with you, so please be brave and speak up!
It took time but now in almost every case it is a REQIREMENT to have a background criminal and child abuse clearance on file BEFORE anyone is hired that works with or around children.
In most cases it is now REQUIRED-MANDATED that training is undergone by the new volunteer or employee on REPORTING witnessed or even having a child report feeling uncomfortable about the way someone is talking to them or touching them inappropriately.
#78 Do you feel communism has some good points?
Well, there was no Scientology in the Soviet Union!
absolutely outstanding post.
Thank you.
Great piece of art work by Valeska…
Scientology has to end…
Matter of time…
But waiting for that is difficult..
A very powerful blog today.
My son Alexander Jentzsch was maliciously turned against me in the last 2 years of his life.
He was even set up to do an ambush phone call to me to guide me to go look at a hate website on me.
The cult mocked the fact that I had had a boob job.
This was only known in my confessional folder,
It is standard modus operandi in the cult to use confessional data to act as a hidden influence to break up families by whispering the ear data given up in a confessional to break up a marriage, sever the line between parents and children.
What a *church !*
Karen, my mind immediately went to the fact that your son Alexander was also the victim of sexual abuse, which you later discovere, and it was covered up, with the adults who abused him getting little more than a slap on the wrist.
Ten years ago Sen. Nick Xenophon made THAT speech to the Australian Senate. One of the letters he submitted to Hansard was mine. It detailed the child sex abuses that I was directly aware of as a staff member in Sydney. All of those cases and others have been given to the relevant police forces but sadly the victims have kept quiet and most of the perpetrators have escaped justice for now. Someday I hope that the world will finally realise that this kult isn’t just a batshit crazy UFO cult but a truly disgustingly evil criminal organisation that needs to be dismantled and its principal perpetrators jailed for years.
Scooter, just refer to my comment in yesterday’s blog. I,m just starting to get wound up.
Scooter – Thank you for all you’ve done! The way the Australian community of exes came together to raise awareness and call out abuse was/is SO powerful!
Like Scooter said, without victim participation, the perpetrators escape justice which creates space for more to become victims. I walked through this with my son and understand it’s SO scary – but there are so many willing to fight for and with any of you who come forward!
Michael Wiseman’s father is the famed Freedom Medal winner Bruce Wiseman, head of CCHR and financial advisor to the (scientology) stars. And sometime mystery writer.
Seems a few questions are missing from this “Hit List”:
Have you ever been forced to sign a Billion Year Contract UNDER DURESS?
Have you ever been forced to have an abortion?
Have you ever been locked in “The Hole” against your will?
Have you ever been starved by anyone?
Have you ever been beaten by anyone?
Have you ever been RAPED by anyone?
Have you been forced to Divorce against your will?
Have you ever been transferred around against your will?
Have you ever been persuaded to DISCONNECT from family against your will?
Have you ever been denied the chance to LEAVE or left & Been forced to come back?
Have you ever had your Passport taken from you?
Have you ever had ALL your money & personal possessions taken from you?
There is no end to this list.
COS handles sex abuse the same way the Catholic Church has done in the past….transfer the perpetrator somewhere else so that he can have access to MORE children. Decades have passed…some of the Priest who molested children are DEAD by now, or very old & not much can be done to punish them outside of putting an 80+ year old in prison.
Turn your head, “let US handle it”….then the Catholic Church PAY OFFS for SILENCE. There HAVE been in the past VICTIMS whose college education was PAID for in a CATHOLIC COLLEGE……BY the Catholic Church, as IF it were OK that “my kid got diddled & got a free college education”
SEVEN YEARS…the time frame to bring a child pedophile to justice. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS….the COS parent and OTHER parents in caught in this web of lies & deceit the same parents who want to remain in “good standing with ANY church”…are “expected” to let the “religious order” handle their children been RAPED/MOLESTED……
Nothing will change unless these perpetrators are brought to justice & are locked away….sickening bastards……
One can FORGIVE sex abuse if one WANTS to…NO ONE EVER FORGETS IT………
Well, anyone who has read Dianetics knows that Hubbard considered young children who didn’t like being sexually molested by adults to be mentally deranged and in need of auditing.
BTW Leah, Amina was also having sex with another adult scumbag near that time (85-88). She said she wanted to marry him. He must have been 35 at the time.
I don’t understand. Again someone wrote how law enforcement hasn’t done anything. Yet, almost all the posts state how far Scientology goes to hide the crimes. In our justice system, DM has all the rights that an ordinary citizen has. One cannot go crashing into a Scientology building without warrants. To get warrants you have to have facts. Please help law enforcement get warrants. Write to anyone in the justice system and tell them what crimes you have witnessed. Even if it was years ago, the statue of limitations may not have passed. Most law enforcement want to help. Our justice system sometimes ties up law enforcements hands with legalities but I do appreciate our system vs others.
Guyana, Jonestown, was visited by a Senator who had received letters stating, constituents of his were being held against their will. He went to Jonestown and paid with his life. He did it because he wanted to help others. Simple letters began “THE END” of the cult. The power of the “PEN”.
Much has already been done to try to get law enforcement to take a harder look into Scientology. Much continues to be done.
Sometimes it is the fault of law enforcement when nothing comes of good information about criminal activities, sometimes it is the fault of a judge or judges, sometimes it is the fault of lies told by Scientologists, and sometimes it is the fear of Disconnection that silences victims. And sometimes it is simply the depth of the finances of the CoS that prevent people or institutions from standing up to the church, especially when it goes into full attack mode.
There are no easy or simple answers, but yes, people should keep trying to get justice served wherever they see it being obstructed. One of the most assured ways to eliminate the abuses of Scientology is to eliminate their sources of new recruits through education and bringing the abuses of the CoS to light.
Good comment, Alamo. And another way to get justice served is to have a whole episode on the Danny Donkey Punch Masterson coverup in LA on the Aftermath expose show.
Yes, great point Ammo….as in FLDS where many of the police officers WERE associated WITH FLDS & KNEW about the abuse going on within the realm of Warren Jeffs FLDS….choosing for himself the most attractive & youngest females to take as “spiritual wives”.
I agree, Shereefe.
It was actually not a senator, but US Representative Leo Ryan who was killed at Jonestown. His aide Jackie Speier was there as well, and I think wounded. Jackie Speier went on to become a congress member herself. Representative Speier has a piece of the tarmac where Ryan was killed in a frame on her office wall in Washington DC. I have been there and seen it when I talked to her staff about the dangers of scientology. She gets it and so do her staff. Her staff had seen Going Clear, and I am guessing that they have since seen Aftermath. I believe that Representative Speier is the only one in Congress who truly understands the risks of the cult mentality.
What about the cover up in Australia done by Jan Eastgate. She was under indictment and should have gone to jail. Instead she got off. President Of CCHR protecting a child molester. The hypocrisy of Scientology is beyond comprehension. Mike do you have the links to that case?
In this story, there are also links to other stories by Australian journalists that give more details and background about that case:
https://www.villagevoice.com/2012/04/24/charges-dropped-against-scientology-executive-jan-eastgate/
Wow Mark, I forgot how impactful that article was. From Tony’s own statements to the information provided by Bryan Seymour and especially Steve Cannane! Poor Carmen was so let down by the system. Really appreciate how Nick Xenophon has been willing to advocate for individuals – we need a NX here in the US!
Child abuse.
A more-terrifying two-word phrase I cannot formulate. Your post, Mike, filled me with terror, and anger, and pity. And renewed the guilt that I carry.
As a parent, I can personally testify to the devastation wrought by abusers and molesters. That CoS routinely covers up such malignant, malevolent, disgusting perversions at the behest of LRH speaks volumes of him.
My son was abused by other kids when he was 6 years old. We didn’t learn of it until nearly two decades later. Suddenly, the previous 20 years made sense, and yet it was all again cloudy. That which I thought true, isn’t, and that which I thought a lie, explained, yet remained a lie. And the guilt! so overwhelming.
When I read the part of the mom’s reaching out to others for help and it being “handled,” with that handling resulting in more heartbreak and real pain, I didn’t only feel some empathy: I understood perhaps as much as anyone not her, her frustration and pain. We are still dealing with the issues, the outright thieving of 20 years of happiness, injected with venom of the most destructive kind.
I tenderly pity those, whatever the circumstances, church, society, or neighborhood, that find themselves or their families suddenly, through no fault of theirs or the children involved, in such terrible and terrifying situations, especially if they feel as though justice cannot be theirs. I feel nothing but the worst for the abusers, be they children or adults, because by their actions they steal happiness and innocence and joy, perhaps irrecoverably. We’re still trying to find our way through the morass.
OBD – The way you articulated that made it all the more powerful, heart wrenching. We have 2 young adult children and 2 little ones. We experienced similar with one of our elder sons and though we’d gotten him counseling when it happened (at the hands of his childcare prover’s dev disabled teen who was, unbeknownst to us, known for this behavior). We didn’t deal with NEAR the fallout anyone dealing w/co$ does, but it was a caretaker/friend of my ex-husband & his Gf so until we got him into counseling, we’d been so misled into what had occurred and what was known. It came up again in recent counseling he did with additional detail.
It’s incredible despite the years passing, how raw it still can feel for US PARENTS – so can’t fathom the degree of feeling re-wounded our kids must feel. Hugs to you… you expressed that beautifully (feels weird to describe it such, but the way you put it is so illustrative) and I hope and pray for healing and bonding to come as a result. My son has said hearing our (mine & hubby/stepdad) anger at it happening then how it was handled by his dad, guilt we couldn’t protect, etc. is actually cathartic for him as it helps him know there was no excuse and no fault on his part. So again hugs & prayers to you and yours!
I’m with you, more than anything else, THIS is why I’m so passionate about seeing this farce go down & thankful for the exposure Mike, Leah, Tony, and countless courageous exes shine on this evil organization!
thanks for this, Jennyfurrr. I was never in the CoS. But the abuse detailed by Mike’s post just opened up the raw, unresolved feelings. So Jennyfurrr, thanks for your support and prayers. We’ve a long, long ways to go.
Of course! Big hugs & lots of love to you guys. It’s important for others to read and see what you’ve said so they get how long lasting the impact is!
Julian’s last name is actually Swartz, not Schwartz. Leah got it right in her tweet:
https://twitter.com/LeahRemini/status/1016017407993761792
Good reminder – Thanks for re-posting this!
I hope she (or someone w/a big audience does) retweets that w/link to Mike’s story today…
The multitude of stories covered up contained just within her tweet & Mike’s post today represent a mere fraction, yet illustrate how consistent co$ is in their handling of of sexual abuse.
Yet they somehow feel entitled to use Denim Day and similar platforms to propagate their twisted lies, when they’ve re-victimized SO many!
This is the worst indictment of this scam I have ever seen. I can’t believe that no Law Enforcement agency has been able to act on this info.
In reading this, to me, it sounded like Lori Pettijohn’s daughter was sexually molested in their home when the parents would leave to go on a date night and left the kids in the care of these boys. Is that what happened? Was Lori the parent who then complained to the church and cried and got a free ARCX session, but eventually spent $20,000 to handle her upset over this in session. Was that Lori or some other mom?
Skyler, police can act but it is useless when victims won’t cooperate. You know that trials are required in the USA to put people in jail?
Absolutely right. When I was attacked in broad daylight in front of scores of witnesses by a total stranger, a homeless crazy guy who just came at me for no reason at all – the police apprehended him and took him away. The next day or so they phoned and said I’d have to come and identify him. Filled with dread, I told the cop on the phone I could not, would not. With a barely perceptible sign, he said, “We’ll have to let him go then.” I said, “OK.” Then he said something mild and polite, I forget what, but he was ending the conversation, and…something kicked in, something got thru to me. It was his tone. He sounded so…defeated. No drama, no emotion. Just this quiet defeat. I felt it and it made me feel guilty. “OK, wait, I’ll do it”, I said. Then I peppered him with all kinds of fearful questions. “He won’t see you; you’ll see him but he won’t be able to see you”, the cop explained. “You won’t be alone, you’ll be with us.” Boy oh boy, talk about coming uptone! Did he sound cheerful! Somehow I got myself down there and made the correct identification and in the process made several more law enforcement officers cheerful. And the funny thing was, the unexpected BONUS of doing this was that I made myself feel better too. Look, I wasn’t raped or beaten, just slashed in the hand a little for no reason at all but still it was traumatic. Following thru and cooperating with the police so that they could compete their job and so that the justice system has a chance to work made me feel much better and began the healing process. No way is it easy but I recommend it. The truth, though? It was that barely perceptible sigh that cop made on the phone. It got to me.
Sucks that you were viciously attacked Aqua but, you helped yourself and other potential victims by being brave. The price of civilization I think…
Thanks, Wyn. All in all it was a valuable learning experience in several major ways. I was SOOO lucky to not have been disfigured or maimed.
Aquamarine, Wow, what a powerful post. I get it. You helped many people heal by going there that day. And maybe even helped your attacker because now that he was identified, maybe they got him the mental health help he needed and started him on the road out. But at least you brought a lot of cops and yourself uptone and started the healing for them and you. Thanks for sharing that.
At the top of the abuse pyramid is psychopath (or sociopath take your pick) David Miscavige who has engaged in all manner of depravity … preying on the sheeple members of the cult because he knows — and they know — they are powerless to resist his disgusting predations.
Fact is that disgusting little pervert should be cooling his heels double bunked in a California maximum security state prison for the remainder of his life.
It’s about time all of this gets fully dragged out into the open….
Wow, Mike.
Thanks.
Our laws and proper justice mean nothing. Only what is best for the cult.
Knew a guy years back who told me he had been in the Fort Harrison Hotel room with the police or medical examiner who was investigating the death of a public from Germany or Denmark. That guy was found in his bath tub that was about half full of water. I think the deceased’s name was Havenith or similar. Anyway, the guy told me he found a letter the deceased had received from a girl friend back home. It confirmed that the deceased had been very unhappy with his services and was getting quite depressed. She encouraged him to return home without delay. The guy told me he hid the letter from authorities and never even reported it internally. His intent was to keep it off the record completely as that was best for the cult. So yea, hide evidence and risk criminal penalties for doing so, all for the good of the cult. How dumb can one be?
What a slippery slope. This is how honest, well meaning people morph into criminals. One little excuse, one plausible justification after another. On their way down they go – down, down, down, down, down, down, until, if they’re not stopped, or, if on their way they don’t have some kind of, “AHa” moment where they realize what’s happening and what they’ve been doing to themselves and leave the cult, without the “aha” they continue on down until they reach the bottom where there is no soul, no conscience, no ethics, and all that’s left is, conceptually:
“Master, for this situation, what are my orders?”
In other words, the remains of what was a decent, emotionally and mentally normal individual is a human-appearing bot who is terrific at mocking up affinity when affinity is useful and helpful to the cult, and just as terrific at turning a cold shoulder to the recipient of the affinity when or if said recipient is no longer of any use.
This phenomena doesn’t happen overnite. Good decent people do not become bots overnite. People don’t become heartless, soul-less humanoids because of one or two communication cycles. It takes years of training to drill the normal human emotions and reactions and ethics out of a person. It takes years of a person’s betrayal of his or her own integrity to turn into this sort of thing, and I do mean “thing”.
The truth is destroying Scientology
The truth HAS destroyed Hubbard’s legacy
The truth, in the end, is the real enemy SP of Hubbard and Scientology
Exactly. The truth has been unleashed. If anyone doesn’t know at least generally about allegations against scientology, then they are in the fortunate position of never hearing the word “scientology.”
There is no excuse for a scientologist in “good standing” today to not know about what is in the underbelly of the church. Not wanting to know has become evil in itself because too many people have been hurt and they are only helping to perpetuate the crimes at this point.
One inside this church cannot “look the other way” any more.
Yes indeed, they are active enablers of criminals and as such, criminals themselves. Lucky for them they’re legally a church. “Aiding and Abetting” is the name law enforcement has for what these See No Evil/Hear No Evil/speak No Evil. mealy-mouthed, Miscavige Butt Kissers do.
It’s interesting that in your screen shot of LRH policy that it says: Receipts of commissions on purchases for Saint Hill. Isn’t this what a Registrar’s job is? They get commissions for the courses they sell? So a Registrar now is going against direct LRH policy? Or is that just for Saint Hill Size Organizations? Not Ideal Org or Missions?
I’m speechless as there is no more cruelty than child abuse and asking parents to cut lines with their children.
The facts are true, Scn is a criminal organization and will be caught sooner or later as others cults did.
Also appalling is the hypocrisy of the “Execs and Ecclesiastical leaders”. This event occurred after Miscavige had taken over and his cruelty, and the resultant terror, spread through all levels of the Org. Here is one more story:
Late 90s. A young Sea Org guy that had been working since 12 (or earlier) was now 14 1/2 years old. He felt attracted to a girl and they were kissing one night and experiencing the teen’s body reactions, nothing abnormal I may say.
Their bad luck caused them to be seen by a CMO Executive who immediately reported them and ‘put ethics in’ by sending the young little kid to the RPF.
The spectrum of criminality and abuses of this hypocritical cult goes, at times, beyond belief.
Add to that many humans LOVE to be mean & cruel to other humans (schadenfreude), especially when it is nicely sanctioned by a criminal cult. Character & basic humanity is what happens to people when they buck the cult’s obvious wrong-doings and do what’s right instead. But LRH & $cientology wants to leech all the humanity out of people. Makes it easier to mindlessly commit atrocities.
All true, but in fairness, organized religion has long been an outlet for some people’s repressed sadism. All in the name of God, Jesus, Moses, and Allah and so forth. This has been going on a for a very long time.
Silvia, children in Scientology become casts offs. And nobody cares.
Old Surfer Dude, Not my kids. They weren’t cast off. They were ripped off. They ripped them from me and filled their minds with lies so that they would disconnect from me. So now I celebrate Mother’s Day alone and they drink Kool Aide alone.
Cindy, I feel your pain. Even though I have not had children taken from me, I know a terrible injustice when I hear of it. You have my sympathies and my hope for change, a hope that things will eventually work out for the better, for you and for your children.
Ammo Alamo, Thank you for such wonderful and caring sentiments. I hope your postulate comes true! We’re all postulating that disconnection stops and we get our kids back. Even though I still sling the lingo a bit with words such as “postulate” and “disconnection” I am done with the church and hope it falls so that we all get our loved ones back.
Important and well written article…!
Painful to read but it helped me to realize something.