Because I have other things planned this weekend, I am cheating a bit and reprinting an earlier blog posting. I feel it is important, perhaps there will be some who have not read it before, and in my estimation the message bears repeating. I may make this a regular feature as I look back and there have been a lot of material published over the last few years…. It also seems specially appropriate on this weekend of IAS celebrations where the sheeple have been regaled with tall stories of the magnificent human rights work of the IAS in “guaranteeing freedom for all” and the church has launched its CGI-fest “Voice For Humanity” public relations campaign.
I have in the past analogized Scientology Disconnection to the evils of Segregation overtly practiced in the US until the mid 60’s.
It bears repeating and seems especially appropriate on this, the 50th anniversary of the “March on Washington” and Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.
I believe that if the church was no longer able to control its followers through the threat of disconnection, there would be virtually nobody remaining loyal to David Miscavige and his Empire of Vampires.
While Tommy Davis famously, and other church representatives not so famously, have stated “there is no such thing as disconnection” there isn’t anyone educated on the subject of Scientology that does not know this is a lie.
The usual pattern is to make a blatant statement (“There is no such thing as disconnection”) and then tack on a phrase at the end “as you describe it.” They can always then explain that there was some minor inaccuracy in the statement that was made, or resort to their old standby “Nobody is FORCED to disconnect. It is their personal choice.” For anyone unfamiliar with the actions of the “church” I will explain precisely what this means with a hypothetical example.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are faithful Scientologists in good standing with the church. Both work in companies owned by Scientologists. They have 3 children and each of them have 2 grandchildren. Two of their children (John and Mary) are in good standing with the church, and are married to other Scientologists. They all work with other Scientologists and their children attend Scientologist owned schools. The second son (Frank) has not been on church lines for some years. He freely accesses the internet and reads “Entheta” and has a declared SP as a “Facebook friend.”
The church hears about Frank from their “Facebook Police” who report that he is in touch with a “declared SP” and has mentioned on his FB page that he has read stories in the Tampa Bay Times about abuses ongoing in the church.
The Smiths are called in by HCO. They are told there is a situation with Frank and they have a duty to get their son to “unfriend” the SP on Facebook and to stop reading “entheta” on the internet.
The Smiths are good Scientologists and feel they must do what their church tells them. They speak to Frank and he laughs at them. He tells them he is a grown man and he will be friends with whoever he wants and isn’t going to stop reading the internet. He tells his parents that he loves them and respects their choices and would never interfere with the way they choose to live their life and expects the same courtesy from them. He finds it all rather strange and gives his mother and father what will be their last hug and tells them he is looking forward to their annual reunion.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith report back to HCO. The Ethics Officer opens Introduction to Scientology Ethics to page 312 and reads them the following “High Crime”: Continued adherence to a person or group pronounced a Suppressive Person or Group by HCO. The Ethics Officer informs them that Frank is now officially designated a Suppressive Person by HCO for committing this High Crime and asks them whether they plan to disconnect from him and their daughter-in-law and two of their grandchildren. They know the consequence of NOT disconnecting will be for them to be declared and thus lose their jobs and their other two children and 4 other grandchildren. This IS the “choice” they are given. And yes, technically, they DO have a choice — they can walk out and tell the Ethics Officer they will not disconnect from one son and lose the other two and their jobs. So, they call Frank and tell them they will no longer be communicating with him until he “handles himself with HCO.” And that is the end of another happy family.
It is beyond reprehensible for the “church” to offer “Sophie’s Choices” like this and try to convince an uneducated media and public that it is in fact a “choice.”
Just like the segregationists in the 1950’s and the early 1960’s church members today believe it is their God-given right to control and abuse people in this fashion. If pushed beyond the lies they will assert they are practicing their “religious belief” and it is protected under the United States Constitution (not sure what they rely on outside the US, but the US is where the pattern and practice is set). And to that degree, they are right, just like many segregationists justified their immoral and inhumane treatment of non-whites by proclaiming they were good christians who attended church on Sundays and practiced the teachings of the Bible. They also asserted they were acting within the law — and until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that was at least somewhat true. And they too tried to sugar coat their immoral and inhumane actions with lies like “the negros are happy that we are providing drinking fountains for them” and “they don’t want to mix with the white folk anyway.” Grotesque today, but said with conviction and a straight face in 1961. Just like Tommy Davis’ “It’s a personal choice.”
The church and many others believe there will never be any legislation that outlaws the practice of disconnection or shunning like the Civil Rights Act that effectively outlawed segregation. It is “protected” by the First Amendment. But there has been precedent. Polygamy was outlawed for being a violation of public sensibility even though it was a religious practice of the Mormon church.
But what REALLY changes wholesale violations of human rights is a shift in public perception and the raising of social conscience. The long struggle to end segregation that resulted in the Civil Rights Act was preceded by a change in public opinion. And that change was brought about by voices speaking out against the abuses and standing up for human dignity. And a long process of education and exposure. Putting FACES to the nameless abuses. The first who spoke were not heard widely and many suffered at the hands of the very oppressors they were seeking to civilize. But, more voices joined the outcry and soon it could not be ignored and the oppressors became an unpopular minority.
My hat is off to those who HAVE been standing up and doing what they can to bring an end to this abusive practice. Lori Hodgson, Cindy Plahuta, Claire Headley and Karen DelaCarriere spring to mind — but there are MANY others (and if I did not mention you, please take no offense). They should all be applauded and supported in any way.
One thing is for sure, there will be no INTERNALLY generated change. Hierarchical religious organizations do not traditionally change their immoral practices unless forced to do by outside pressure — public opinion, including the media and the courts. Exhibit 1 – the Catholic Church and rampant abuse of young boys. Exhibit 2 the Mormons changing their rules to allow African Americans into their temples in 1978 (yes, 15 YEARS after the Civil Rights Act).
It is the change in public opinion that alters how society addresses these sort of problems.
And that comes about by raising awareness.
There is an old adage by L. Ron Hubbard that seems especially relevant here: Constant alertness. Constant willingness to fight back. That is the price of freedom.
And from Martin Luther King: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Update: Someone just sent in this version of Way to Happiness that is being distributed in Clearwater today. It is amazing how a group of people who are breaking up families and violating fundamental freedoms of speech, thought, association and religion can so blatantly attempt to associate themselves with human rights icons. I am adding their MLK quote to the post above as appropriate to bringing an end to the abuses perpetrated by the Church of Scientology.
It was my privilege and I feel honored by having had the opportunity to march with MLK back then.
Doing so wasn’t the “popular” thing to do in the beginning.
It was also a little scary at times. The DC cops were not there to protect us. They tried to intimidate us and get us to react violently in response. They spit on us. I saw mounted police ride through a crowd purposefully injuring people who were sitting peacefully on the lawn listening to MLK. Times have changed so much and the rule of law has replaced a lot of tyranny since then. My only contribution was only to be there.
But MLK was whole nother story.
He was a powerful leader who had an ability to lead people to see that right makes might rather than the other way around. He changed America and he changed the world. If he had not been assassinated I think he might have become the first African-American president. Maybe that’s why he was assassinated.
Mike,
I totally agree with your publishing the Disconnection story again. It makes us remember and reminded of the cruel, unjust and paranoidic enforcers of Disconnection. I want to spell out several examples of “friends” that disconnected from me and my wife Ronit. I put “friends” in quotation marks because true friends with integrity would stand up for you.
When I voiced my real opinion and about Church’s Tech squareling and mistreating staff to an Israeli Scientologist I have know for over 15 years, she wrote to us a disconnection letter the next day. This was even before we went public with our story. Another Israeli Scientologist has requested Ronit to unfriend a “declared person” on FB, while her own son was friends with that person on FB. When I was routing out of the SO, I was threatened by the then Staff MAA, Matt Wolfe, the same that was appointed to be an Executive at AOLA, that I will never see my sons again, if I live the SO. This was done on numeral occasions. Before going public with our story, we passed it along to the Scientology Israeli community in the US and Israel and none of the “loyal-to-the-Church friends” had guts to write back. About 300 people have “un-friended” Ronit from FB.
The cruel “disconnection” policy has to be repeated and voiced here and it will encourage more people to speak up their personal experience that are happening every single day.
Thank you Mike.
I’d like to keep, at the fore, the subjects of child abuse, child neglect and child endangerment which have a strong relationship to disconnection. How many children have been adversely effected by this vile practice of losing important family members, that could be contributing to their well being or development? This is a form of child abuse/neglect in my opinion, to abandon one’s duty to the children in your life, especially because of some arbitrary, capricious and vapid decision on the part of an ill trained, ill educated “ethics” officer. Think!
+1
McCarran that was for you for your comment above. How about, for dm/osa, STOP LYING! That would be point “A”. And thank you very much for fighting for your son, as only a true mother would do. You’re awesome!
🙂
To Mary M.
Addition: I got at the moment the idea of psychs, as described from LRH, a psych pushed your theta a little bit around and put in some ideas which reverse the theta flow .. LRH has never said that simply reading in a blog would change your theta to entheta .. the only thing which can happen is that you get some protest, but this belongs to your own data evaluations ..
Doug, you are completely correct
Addition: Why they have so much fear about entheta .. it does nothing if you have theta in the first place ..
Mike: Your story about disconnection is as it is .. but there is a little bit more .. think about a person who is not decleared as a SP but signed as a PTS .. what is then? You are then half and half an SP for everyone in the church. You are a degraded being or a robot .. your ethics is completely out .. and this means at last that you have to cut every connection to your environment .. everybody around is expected as an SP ..
I am now declared as an SP because of my reading of your blog .. do not know why this declaration made me to a suppressive person. There is no harm involved. Yes, the church says that I read entheta, and that I would spread it around. But I do not such things. The only thing which I have ever said about your blog was: It is interestingly to look at your (Mike) viewpoint .. be happy to look at it yourself ..
There is no entheta involved. I friend of mine, a Class IX auditor, did cut communication with me because of my reading of your blog. On which wacky feets stands his tech .. and my friendship .. when he feels that I could harm him with entheta ..
What entheta? Where is here enturbulated theta. Sometimes it happens here, that comments are given which go down to entheta .. but I can still led it go .. I must not agree ..
In my view let it go .. any communication is better than no communication .. entheta must enturbulate theta and when the church says your blog is entheta then the church gives entheta too .. true ..
Mike,
Thanks for re-posting this.
DM “gravy training” on the words of MLK absolutely disgusts me. I marched with MLK and know personally of the sincerity of his feelings for human rights. He was a minister of his religion and used his position to bring people together, not drive them apart as DM and his clones to with disconnection.
Also, please don’t feel that you are “cheating” by re-posting things. If I have one complaint about your blog it’s that I can’t keep up with it! If I get busy for a few days, I miss a lot of stuff. Also, I think of people new to the blog (and there are more and more every day) who have missed all of the posts that went before. I know that we can look in the archives, but I wouldn’t mind if you posted some of the “classics” (like this one) a couple of days per week.
What DM and his cool-aid swigging sycophants have basically done and continue to do to the subject of Scientology and the organizations hasn’t changed. All of their shenanigans are variations on the same sick themes.
Espiritu, that’s so great that you marched with Martin Luther King!
Disconnection is the principal control mechanism that floats the Miscavige boat. I believe it will be the practice that ultimately sinks it. One of the unintended consequences of forcible separation of loved ones, is the creation of genuine enemies from many individuals who would have been happy to just be left alone and an abiding undercurrent of dissension within his own ranks. This is the stuff of which revolutions are made.
+1
Wow. You depicted a scenereo that happens so often in the church. Thank you for your post. I have had this happen in my family and my spouse also had it happen, too.
The granting of beingness…
What a strangely unique concept. Apparently everyone has a different understanding of what it actually means. In the Church they ignore it completely and if you don’t agree with the group norm you are perceived as a threat, sort of like the KKK or this new ISIL really, same thought process just a different physical response. But the behaviour of the church is as fickle as the human rights control of the society they operate in – what a horrible thought.
The fact it’s members believe they are supporting human rights is the biggest farce I’ve ever personally witnessed. Their track record sux!
They claim to have the solutions to the problems of the human mind – how many ex-scientologists are there again? Wonder when the state of “mindless” will appear their dictionaries? (You can’t fix what isn’t there).
Human rights violation in the SO. A six part series from Hana Whitfield. She was close to LRH and captain of the Avon river, amongst other hats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wGwsbwqNb8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I am not or have never been a Scientolgist but have become addicted to finding out more about it. I realize that a lot of folks still believe in it’s principles and teachings from LRH but was wondering if you became disheartened because of Internet information pointing out the faults of Mr Hubbard?
I have promised a donation and plan to keep my word, things are a bit tight (lost my second job) but will make good – I enjoy the post from you and Marty / I would consider “Joining” a spinoff if I knew you guys were running the ship.
Just my thoughts- I want to better myself and have been struggling on issues in my life (bad breakup with my girl) feeling lost –
I am open for suggestions and truly admire you and Marty, all the folks who got away from Dave, you guys showed tremendous restraint – I’m sorry but would have loved hairing JUST ONE story of someone giving him a little bit if his own medicine – punching him out …
Your bud in the burgh
Speaking of disconnection and segregation – I happened upon the stress test table of my local org recently. It was set up in the main shopping street, which apparently is frequented by an average of 10,000+ people per hour. It was like stepping into an alternate universe cordoned off by an invisible force field – like walking into a silent vaccuum. On an otherwise crowded street filled with laughter, performing artists and bustle, people gave them a wide berth. Almost surreal. Is this disconnection coming back to haunt them?
Yes! Karma’s a bitch.
On this day, 3 years ago: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/scientology_disconnection_lori_hodgson.php
Thanks for reposting this very well thought out article. Disconnection is the glue that keeps the members of Scientology from leaving. I have had so many people contact me in the last five years that are “under the radar” because they are in FEAR of losing family and friends. I understand how this feels. I did not speak out for many years from fear of losing my family and friends.
So many people who contact my husband and I are sympathetic that my very loved daughter and step daughter disconnected from us. But, not sympathetic enough to stand up and speak out! If all of the Scientologists that do not agree with Disconnection and the abuses in Scientology, STOOD UP and SPOKE OUT, disconnection would have no hold over anyone, ever again. Speaking out will completely stop disconnection.
I can guarantee that there are so many people that read this blog that know me and know how much I ache to have my lovely daughter back. Yet they are frozen by fear and do nothing.
The truth is, that YOU will feel so much better if you stand up and be counted as one that has courage. My gosh, I am a 5’3′ woman and I spoke out in the newspaper about Scientology and I was really scared. But when I stood up and spoke, I felt way better than I did when I attested to OT V! Then I realized that speaking out about the “Church” and their abuses, is what I got into Scientology for, to make this world a better place for all. Not just because it was easy or convenient or I received a Cert to hang on my wall.
As a Mother who desperately wants her daughter back, I personally ask you, please speak out about the vulgar and insidious practice of disconnection. You will be able to say to your self, I helped. I helped return Kara Landry to her Mom. And oh yeah,
I helped Lori Hodgson get Jeremy and Jessica back.
I helped Christie Rinder get her Mom, Dad and siblings back.
I helped Claire Headley get her Mom and Siblings back.
I helped Marc and Bernie Headley get their wonderful Stephanie back.
I helped Grace Aaron get her son Zack back.
I helped Shane Weightman get his Mom and Dad back.
I helped Sharon Graham get her daughter back.
I helped Mike Rinder get Taryn and Benjamin back.
I helped Ginger Lerma get her kids back.
I helped Ziba Fuelner get her son Daniel back.
I helped Cece Smith get her kids back.
I helped Lucy James get her sisters back.
I helped Jannette Haugen get her brother back.
I helped Sarah Goldman get her daughter back.
I helped Maureen Bolsted get her twin sister back.
I helped David Sweetland get his kids back.
I helped Mat Pesch get his brother back.
I helped Tiziano Marzotto get his brother back.
I helped Jamie Luli get her Father back.
And this list goes on and on……
Do you remember how you felt on July 4th when you saw the video of Mishell Little reconnecting with her son? Do you know how you will feel when you stand up against Disconnection and you see a video go up with Ziba Fuelner, Lori Hogdson, Claire Headley, Christie Rinder…. reconnecting with their kids or Moms?
Please help all of the people that desperately want their family and friends back. Please stand up and speak out against Disconnection. Help these Moms get their kids back!
Cindy Plahuta
Powerful message Cindy. Let’s see people energized into action through this.
Kudos to you, and Mike today, for spreading really powerful messages.
Thank you,
Calvin.
She’s right. We need more to speak out and we need some UTR’s to come out publicly. It does feel good to speak out against the suppression. We need to break the back of disconnection by speaking out against it.
Thanks Cindy P! Silence is the heinous, vile sub-product of disconnection. A veil of fear pervades the atmosphere in the church because if you SPEAK, say something, that you actually and really feel, you will be ostracized by your group, family, work. THINK ABOUT THAT. You are giving up your first amendment rights, you’re giving up your human rights, you’re giving up your INTEGRITY. There will be no spiritual advancement, no enlightenment, NO case gain without integrity. INTEGRITY IS EVERYTHING.
Thanks Mike for posting this again. I had two good friends that were recently declared and a good part of that reason is because they had spoken to me after I was declared suppressive. This friend stood up for me in an interview with a church MAA and told the MAA that forcing me to choose between my son and my daughter was wrong. And, giving me Sophie’s Choice and loosing my daughter and grand-daughter thru disconnection is what caused me to go to the press with my story. My friend was trying to get the MAA to see that it was wrong and that the church needed to stop enforcing it. The truth is, that my friend had disconnected and was trying to follow the rules but at the same time get the Church to see that disconnection was wrong and that it needed to change. The Church MAA then told my friend that I was given every opportunity and they tried to help me. What??? The only opportunity I was given would be analogous to a criminal holding a gun to your head and telling you to hand over your money or he’d shoot you.
My choice was this: disconnect from your son and keep your daughter and friends OR stay with your son and we will declare you. Following a declare, family and friends still in the Church disconnect. If they don’t disconnect then they too get declared. My son refused to disconnect from a friend who was declared, who refused to disconnect from Mike Rinder. I refused to disconnect from my son and I was declared. My friends just got declared to a large extent because they had been in communication with me and spoke up for me.
This story is continuing to happen in the Church every day. I have friends and they are told to disconnect from me on FB and, god forbid the church finds out they spoke to me. I am connected to Mike Rinder and have been following my declare in July 2013 and that makes me double dangerous for others to be connected to me.
The truth is, the church does enforce disconnection. I have a letter from IJC telling me he could not approve my petition to stay connected to my son. Here is our article in the Tampabay Times. The letter from IJC is in the article. The article, which ran March 15, 2014 is called SARA’S CHOICE. Most of you have seen it, but for those of you who have not, here it is again:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/scientology-clergy-force-a-mother-to-choose-son-or-daughter/2170325
The more people who have the guts and integrity to stand up and say “NO MORE” to the church, the closer we will get to ending this horrendous practice of disconnection. You have to choose between fear and love. Choosing love you will keep your integrity and help others be free of this oppressive practice of disconnection.
Great report Sara. It looks like the current product, that the rcs is achieving these days is disconnection…straight up and vertical. The sheer quantity of expelled members is such an outpoint in itself, and it’s due to limiting free speech??!! This is so much more tantalizing and salacious than the wins of pcs/preots and well trained auditors and SO much less work. Well done on being true to your son!
I have an alternative ending to your story of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Having duplicated LRH’s essay on Personal Integrity, the entire Smith family refuses to disconnect. The Church is forced to purely apply LRH Tech and reconsider it’s arbitrary and whimsical SP Declare and cancels it..
If every Scientologist would keep his or her Personal Integrity in, this kind of thing would never happen.
I can’t conceive of disconnecting from a family member, unless they were a rabid true SP, and even then only after multiple handlings failed.
And I don’t think much of someone who would disconnect in violation of their Personal Integrity. Personal Integrity is more important than going up the Bridge, for without it, you are not going to make it.
+100!
OH and p.s. Abortions continue in the SO. Karen posted an interview with one of the latest SO members to leave and she says that they still do it, but are much more underground about it ever since Mike posted all about the forced abortions. Karen, can you post the link to that?
I too have paid the price of freedom by losing the loves of my life to disconnection. The church works hard to Black PR a mother to her son and daughter. It takes that much Black PR and lies to get them to set aside the intense love they felt for her in order to do the overt of disconnecting from her now. I wonder how they live with the cognitive dissonance. But then that is what brain washing is all about. Let’s get active and DO things to bring the cult down so that the atrocities end that much faster and we get our families back.
It’s generally accepted in Scientology that the public face needs to be presented as different than the existing scene out of a perceived necessity. This is generated and held up by the ‘us vs them’ viewpoint.
Of course Scientologists practice disconnection and of course the Church will insist that one disconnect from someone the church considers to be an SP. But ‘they’ (the non-Scientologists) wouldn’t understand, so it’s okay to pretend that disconnection isn’t a practice, that families aren’t told to disconnect, and that any disconnection is a ‘personal choice’.
Of course ‘they’ wouldn’t understand the RPF, minors in the SO, bankrupting oneself to contribute to the ‘Ideal Org’, etc., These things must be brushed under the rug because ‘they don’t know what is at stake’. And it’s that firmly-held belief which keeps people beholden to the church and keeps Scientologists from even talking about it among themselves. This is also why Scientologists won’t blink an eye if they know spokespeople are lying about these things.
By the way, I’m one of the people who hadn’t seen that write-up and I think it’s great to revisit important content like this. Thanks.
Mike, since there are always new UTR’s coming out of the church (in spirit only for now), yes it is good to republish articles that were good before. They didn’t have the pleasure of reading them. So it is a good idea to do this in order to get this vital info to them but also to let you have a life. YOu have two beautiful boys that just lift my heart every time I see pictures of them, and I’m sure you want to spend more time with them and their mother. Kudos to you for moving out of something bad and harmful and into a very theta life you have created for yourself and your young family. Flourishing and prospering is the best revenge to suppression and you are doing that in spades. Rock on!
Mike: It is a powerful statement that deserved to be re-read. I’m glad you have other things planned for this weekend. It would be lovely if one of them was buzzing the Miscavige charade at Saint Hill in a helicopter but that would be too much to expect. Besides I think the good country folks of mid Sussex (I don’t count the cult as good folks!) might get upset..
Since we are looking at re-reading here is an old article from the Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-prisoners-of-saint-hill-the-scientologists-call-it-babywatching-but-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-looking-after-infants-tim-kelsey-and-mike-ricks-investigate-the-potentially-dangerous-and-possibly-illegal-secret-treatment-that-the-worlds-largest-cult-uses-to-deal-with-difficult-members-1403815.html
Thank you for posting this again, Mike. Disconnection is the main reason I fight against this church. It is inhumane. You and other whistleblowers seemed to have stopped the felony assaults committed by David Miscavige; outcry does work. (OSA: Despite what you think and say about it all being Marty Rathbun and his band of five, this is a lie; David Miscavige WAS committing felony assault.)
Laura D’s lawsuit seems to have stopped the forced abortions within the church; outcry does work.
I get a sense these days that the church/David Miscavige (probably through the advice of his attorneys) is trying to tone things down and keep bad news from the blogs or the airwaves. David Miscavige knows he is losing as far as expansion goes.
OSA/ David Miscavige: Please end your practice of Disconnection. You want to create a better image? End Disconnection. Treat your parishioners with kindness, respect and a willingness to help THEM. Stop trying to sugar coat and gloss over the abuse of Disconnection (and other offenses committed within the church) with 4th Dynamic activities to create the perception in the environment that the church of scientology is an altruistic group. Start practicing the basic principles of Scientology; practice what you preach.
Disconnection has to stop and I hope Mike and others continue to fight against it as well. I will never stop fighting to get my son back.
Disconnection is the first ugly head of the Four Headed monster of Scientology:
1) Disconnection: Spitting up families, businesses and friends.
2) Fair Game: Confessional information and fake stories published to destroy Church members who disagree.
3) IAS: Donations in Church coffers that are not used for social betterment.
4) Ideal Orgs: Properties donated by current members to make the failing Church look better.
This is a good post. Anyone who gets fired as part of disconnection would have good cause to sue. The right of someone not to be discriminated against because of their religious choices I believe would take precedence over the alleged religious “right” to disconnect, i.e. fire, someone if they left the church. Perhaps whole families will realize the insanity and leave en masse to avoid having to make these painful choices.
Just a reality check:
I left the church in 82. All these below events happened around 82.
I was fired from my job as an electrician ( the owner was a Scientologist). He was afraid he would not be allowed on the OT levels.
I was refused access to a recording studio because the owner was a Scientologist and was afraid he’d loose his family and buisness (thats what he told me. We were “good” friends)
I was standing in line at a grocery store with my cart ready for check out and the person in front of me was a “friend”. They actually got out of line when I said hello, and without saying a word, moved to a line far from me.
I came home one day in my house in Hollywood and found a stack of bumper stickers in my house, I have no idea how they got there, that said, “may your house be filled with scabies.” A few days later I started itching and so did my room mate. It because quite intense all over my body then we had to go to the doctor. My room mate and I were treated for scabies.
This all happened around 1982.
The Church of Scientology was an indecent, immoral and a social pariah before Miscavige. To deny that is to still be brainwashed. I was violated by policies of L Ron Hubbard and only L Ron Hubbard.
Wow. I never cease to be amazed by the shit perpetrated by this group. I guess I still have a long way to go.
Some once said,”just when you think you’ve seen to the apex of how strange and dangerous this “church” is – it gets stranger.
The moral corruption of normal people’s character, and the pain and suffering perpetrated on those who opposed Ron’s messiahship, as a result of the violent doctrines written and enforced by L Ron Hubbard, is a societal plague whose only defeat is the cold light of day on the character of the man who is SOURCE of this violence.
These doctrines of violent retribution of critics was a perfect fit for the madman who succeeded him.
Tailer made tools for a sociopath and equal to any Klu Klux Klan philosophy of racism.
Wow Brian, that was really horrible, truly evil. I hope you’re thriving now.
Thank you Hallie, I love life. It is so marvelous. The challenges and victories….. just wonderful.
My goals of spiritual awareness and joy have never been better. I have never lost sight of the goal for one minute in all these years.
I am even grateful for my experience with Scientology.
It took me many years to unravel what was true for me and what was wrong knowledge. What was brilliant from Ron and what was his personal mental problems.
Truth is truth. And the truths I learned I am grateful. And the lies I resolved gave me a strength and fortitude to differentiate between the real and unreal.
I am grateful for being a blind believer. I now know what giving my power of sovereign thought away to others feels like. And the personality distortions it reaps on me through Ron’s fallacious scientism being unquestioned because of fear of violent retribution or being perceived as evil.
To equate criticism of Hubbard as evil, something he instilled in us, is the defeat of reason.
Excellent post – I remember it from when you first posted it, and enjoyed re-reading it today. I have a brother who has cut ties with me because of my involvement in attempts to reform the church, so I have paid a price, but in comparison with some of my friends, it is nothing. Your story Mike is one of the most heartbreaking that I have heard. Jim Logan’s is another – there are so many that have had to bear far more heartbreak than anyone should – all completely avoidable if the people involved were to apply the principles of the code of honor (honestly).
Such a sad sad situation. Thanks as always for your ongoing contribution to the reform of this ugly institution.
Hear Hear
Mike, I love the idea of regular or occasional “Wayback Weekends.” Suggestions/requests: 1) Could you provide a date and/or link to the original post? 2) Perhaps you could also have “weblog days,” a few links to posts from other sources on a similar theme?
I admire the fact that you post everyday, but there has to be room (and privacy) for everything else you do, right? I hope your weekend is a good one!
Worth stating what we are doing here: speaking up to end this and many other abuses the ‘church’ has been engaged on for many years now. Thank you.
I, out of recollection, can mention at least 5 examples of disconnection of some of my friends with family or other associates including my own experience in the matter.
Maybe one day we can make a survey, a simple one, where each on states briefly the date of ‘ethics enforcement’, from who he/she disconnected and that will do for the purposes of the survey. On the other hand we do know we can count on thousands of individuals who have experienced, one way or another, what the coward liers as Tommy, Black Heart and others claim does not exist.
It does exist and it will end, abuses and crimes as these will never last. That is why we are not silent.
Bravo to you too, Silvia.
Agreed 1000% and thank you for bringing this topic back to the table Mike. The Church of Scientology is rightfully and widely being recognized as a dangerous cult that preys upon young idealistic minds and urging disconnection from thier parents who dare voice disagreement. Despite any good intentions or efforts on the part of public Scientologists to disseminate any workability contained in the tenets of Scientology, disconnection and human rights abuses are now mainstream issues. Current members in good standing are simply unknowing or uncaring dupes who have relinquished their responsibility as Scientologists where thier own church is concerned. Controlled and intimidated by fear of disconnection from thier own Church, this is the time when Scientologists should simply walk away.
Thank you, Doug, for caring about this issue and for doing the right thing yourself when the church of scientology was forcing you to make a choice. I know you could walk away and just live your life now and not have anything to do with this toxic church, but you continue to speak out against this practice and I have a great respect for you for doing so.
Doug, you are completely wrong:
No one, statistically, worldwide, knows a single thing about Scientology. Those of us who DO know about Scientology are at a concentration “below detection level” when viewed from outside.
Scientology is dead. Little Davie has ownership of the corpse of Scientology. We need to focus on the death spiral of Scientology.
Nothing else matters. One can focus on whatever practices in Scientology; but Scientology is, effectively, dead.
Sadly, we critics need focus on the lifeboats, not the ship. The ship is sinking.
Thank you, Mike. I’d not seen this post before. I find it both poignant and powerful. As well, you’ve pointed the way to change…constant education of those who don’t know about it…and continuing to point out the outnesses to those still in who may have begun to doubt, the first step in leaving. Well done.