I didn’t laugh this week, RB. This was chilling. There are people pretending to care about you, about your feelings. But they don’t care about you. They care about what they want and what they need, and they’ve got all the right words and the right quotes to convince you to do that what they want you to do is going to make you feel better and be happier but its not true, its what they want, and what they need, and the hell with you. I’ve seen this type of manipulation regarding others’ relationships when I was in, and I experienced it myself.
I just got here today, been busy getting ready to go off grid for a week. I considered not commenting at all.
However, this is unfortunate and real life. I know a man who got custody of his sons over 30 years ago. His ex wife committed suicide. After she died, he got her money, which she had hidden from him for the benefit of her two sons.
He’s out now. The boys are too. He’s a bitter old man who last time I saw him still badmouthed both her and scientology every chance he got.
There is no money left. It is long gone. When I saw him 5 years ago, the boys were both employed and the father was living off them. Neither of the boys had even graduated high school.
I have no desire to see how he is now. That, folks, is what your scientology dollars will buy you.
These stories all are very sad to read. I have never posted before nor do I have any connection to scientology.
My question is is there a hot line for those leaving the cult? There must be help to recover from mind control. Perhaps the A&E series could suggest way (s) to find help. This blog is helpful and the tv series was eye opening. Thank you Mike and Leah for doing this!
RB – you express, rather succinctly, with several panels and bubbles of dialogue the tremendous stakes on the table – lives, love, family, emotional/mental welfare and, of course, the material aspects associated with life which may be lost or damaged due to aspects surrounding cos.
Your pen is far mightier than the sword, and from comments I’ve read here, your pen has helped people in many different ways to be forewarned, find their way through the thought stopping and/or escape from the sword of cos.
May you celebrate the forthcoming Independence Day knowing you’ve assisted others in recognizing and recovering their independence. Same sentiments for you Mike and the many others speaking out loudly or in whispers everywhere.
Especially when you consider the IAS hoops to jump through and financial rape that goes on within the confines of the “worlds fastest growing religion”. From what I understand independent auditors in the field can’t keep up with demand. With prices 1/3rd of the cult’s demands and far better auditing it’s no surprise.
Oh my… you’ve visited the dark side with this one RB.
What is really dark and morbid about this is the fact it would be no surprise at all if such a scenario plays out on a regular basis within a Scientology Church. It is so far removed from the comprehension of any relatively sane person such “think” exists within any Church, let alone enforced by such positions as a Chaplin, ethics officer and executive positions alike. Of course this sort of insane rationality is routinely applied to the rank and file if they step out of line, hence they are forced to adhere to such disciplinary think by threat of expulsion. Membership in Scientology is fast approaching zero and the people that remain in it are insane on the subject of spirituality.
Organised Scientology is no joke… it actively destroys people’s ability to think rationally and of course ends up destroying their lives!
I don’t know what to say. Enjoy a real Forth of July eating hotdogs and hamburgers. Enjoy the company you’re with. Watch the fireworks and think of freedom.
When I was about 21. my then BFF’s 19 year old brother committed suicide because he admitted to his strictly religious father that he was “gay”. His father cursed him out, told him he’d burn in the fires of Hell and then his father disowned him telling him “I will NOT have a queer for a son”.& you have two weeks to get your faggot ass out of the house” because you offend God.
Two weeks later Billy hung himself in the family garage….his father said “THAT was God’s plan cause God didn’t would damn a queer to Hell anyway”……
Hundreds of people came to Billy’s funeral…all but his father that is. He remained loyal to their overly strict religion until the day he himself died…..only SOME of his immediate family came to his funeral…
Balletlady, I’m so very sorry for the loss of your wonderful brother. I can’t imagine the grief you went through. Your Dad’s reaction is why I’m not religious.
Peace and blessings to you, dear. May the BEST day of your past, be the worst day of your future.
OSD…thank you…..however in the first case, this was my FRIEND’S 19 year old brother whose name was Billy……who bore his father’s name which cause his “Godly father” great humiliation and embarrassment to have a “gay sinner son”. Billy was the sweetest young man you could ever hope to know, very kind hearted and compassionate & caring…all too sad his father saw all of that as weakness.
However….25 years ago my OWN BROTHER Dennis, did commit suicide when he was 43. He had “issues” since he was a young teen…..but in “those days” he didn’t “show clear and recognizable mental health signs”.. He married 2 times, fathered two sons, one with his first wife while he was stationed overseas with the military & they divorced…..he got custody of his son who was handicapped.
He then married a few years later and fathered a second son, and then divorced when the second son was 3 months old. My brother totally ignored his newborn son…..and that 2nd son never knew his own father.
My brother he then …married a 3rd time and adopted his 3rd wife’s 3 biological kids…all the while Ignoring his own 2nd son…and THEN after he divorced the first wife….he “surrendered for adoption his FIRST son from the marriage he had when he was stationed in Korean with the military because his THIRD WIFE didn’t want the handicapped boy around.
I tried several times talking to my brother but when I mentioned his rejecting his OWN SONS, he refused to talk to me any more. My parents wanted nothing to do with my brother because he placed his OWN handicapped SON up for adoption
I found out my brother committed suicide about two weeks after he died…..his SECOND former wife called my mother to tell her the “news”……she hadn’t spoken to my brother, her own son, in several years because of his actions with his own two sons.
For ME, life has NOT been easy…my eldest brother ALSO suffered from mental health issues and has been in and out of psychiatric care since he was 17..he is now 70. At least I was NOT in CO$ so my eldest brother always received the care he needed.
Unless you have lived with someone close to you that HAS a mental illness…you will NEVER understand fully growing up in a household like that…with TWO siblings with mental health issues.
There ARE those who just aren’t GOOD PEOPLE….they are pure EVIL and seem to take great delight in harming others……and in the case of “the organization” it seems certain folks will go to the end of the Earth to wound the nicest of people.
For all my friends here…ONE DAY WHAT YOU HAVE LOST WILL BE RETUNRED TO YOU.
GOOD will OVER COME…..
Aftermath is unscripted. Are u trying to say that Marty is not claiming his is unscripted (i.e. Factual in TV parlance)? He reads from a script to falsely claim that others who are telling their truthful stories are “scripted and rehearsed” of which there is NO evidence (but everyone who has appeared has said it is untrue).
What is your purpose in trying to give credence to this absurd position here with a straw man argument that “Marty never claimed he was unscripted”?
Yes. Moderating on phone. It’s a response to Valkov that somehow went in wrong place. Cannot fix it on phone. But at least I won’t have to read a response to it from him telling me how I misduplicated him.
Just Hummin' Alongsays
Balletlady – I’m also very sorry for your friend and her brother. As a Christian I can tell you this father was wrong in so many ways. My precious nephew is gay and he and I have very open discussions about his being gay and my being christian and at the end of it we just love each other even though we may not see exactly eye to eye with each other. I’m sorry to have to admit that a lot of christian’s use the cross as a flag pole and raise their own banner of hate or prejudice and think that justifies their position. It doesn’t.
I am continually amazed at at the true stories detailing the unrelenting judgementalism and hard heartedness of fundamentalist Christians. Christianity, the way Jesus Christ spelled it out in the New Testament, is all about forgiveness and mercy and kindness and understanding. When these Fundamentalists types go to their churches and read and study the New Testament, how does what Jesus said to do in there morph into the narrow minded, highly punitive, my way or the highway “Christianity” these people actually practice in their daily lives? Gandhi once said, when asked his opinion of Christianity, “It is a wonderful philosophy. I would like to see it applied.” Amen. I know professed atheists who in their interactions with people are continually demonstrating what Jesus said to do! Certainly, Gandi, a Hindu, in his practice of tolerance and forbearance, in his advocacy of gentle rather than violent methods to restore order and persuade people to reason, in the way he operated in life he was more of a Christian than plenty of the psalm singing donkeys one finds in church on any given Sunday. Jesus (or somebody) said it well: “Oh, ye hypocrites!” End of rant.
Aqua, the answer is simple. “Christian” means to follow the teachings of CHRIST. The people you are hearing about are NOT Christians. Similarly, stories one might hear about Vegan’s eating people are NOT true. To be a Vegan means NO eating of meat.
I get it, Wynski, but these people CALL themselves Christians; their identities are wholly wrapped up in believing in Jesus Christ, and they talk about Jesus all the time and evangelicalize about it A LOT – and yet they don’t PRACTICE ‘Christianity. (And I’m not technically a Christian by the way, and I could not care less whether anyone else is or not) It just blows my mind that people are able to compartmentalize their Sundays for Jesus, read what he says to do, sing hymns about it , etc. and yet it all has nothing to do with the way the actually operate in life. So, I guess you’re right; in actuality, they’re NOT Christians. Try telling them that, though. You might get your head blown off. Literally 🙂 .
Aquamarine… I wish I had an answer that satisfies me, if I had one I would gladly share it.
The only thing that comes to mind from the NT is, Jesus explaining how to tell his real disciples from the false, is ” you shall know them by their fruit”. Then in Galatians it spells out the fruit of the Spirit..love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. If someone calls themselves a Christian and these character traits aren’t evident – that’s your first clue they may not be real.
Rather than acknowledging and seeking to change their own personal preferences and prejudices so many people just want to find something to validate them and a lot cherry pick out of The Bible without seeing they are contradicting the teachings of Jesus.
There are a lot of really good Christians out there but it seems the bad ones get all the press.
Please, rant all you want about this, trust me I do!
Just Hujmmin, thanks for your response,. I agree that there are many good Christians I honestly do not judge all Christians by the meanness and rigidity of spirit I’ve observed in a certain Fundamentalist type of Christian. . I’ve traveled a good deal and lived in other countries besides the US. People are mostly good no matter their religion. Professed atheists have been some of the kindest and most caring people I’ve ever met. I love that quote: “You shall know them by their fruit” .Beautiful truth. Spot on. I think this is true of everyone.
Oh my… my heartfelt condolences to you and anyone else to lose people because of such bigotry. People like that guy’s father are not safe in my space. I take a slightly different approach to being tolerant of such assholes. The world’s turns into a twisted mirror when such bigots are assessed by someone who observes or finds out what they actually do/did and cause to others. They indulge in all manner of subterfuge and righteousness to cover their tracks when they run into someone or something they can’t overwhelm. Imagine Miscavige in deposition, the way he would react.
Thank you al for your loving, caring kind hearted souls….it SHOWS that “the organization” has LOST some truly remarkable people because of their OWN DOCTRINES…….so sad that they think abuse is “ok”.
My BFF & I were both 21 at the time, Billy was as I noted 19 and the first and eldest son….the family had six children total….three girls, three boys. None of the other children as the father once said “turned up GAY”.
Dear old Dad wore a large cross on a heavy chain around his neck to “show his dedication and belief in God”…..Yeah, right…..guess he missed the part in the Bible about acceptance and forgiveness……to this day I find it sickening and all tool sad. Billy would have made a huge difference in this world…But THEN….I didn’t have to explain THAT to anyone on THIS board did I cause you all already know that.
Aw shucks being old… they were great lessons to be a student of (didn’t seem so at the time though). I only just mentioned this morning – what unbelievable fun this world can be for kids.
Oh yes, a trip down memory lane. There must have been a parents handbook back then that got passed around. These were a staple in our household. Thanks!
I think it was the good old WOODEN PADDLE that “got applied” when needed. Kids today fear nothing….to spank a child today brings you basically up on POSSIBLY “child abuse charges”……..
If you acted up in school in “those days”….you knew damned well you’d “get it” when you got home….I refer to it as “A Healthy Fear Of Death”…lol
My best wishes & LOVE to everyone on the BLOG…..hugs for Mike & his family & Leah and her family…ALL the “formers” and all the other, like me, “never ins”….
“have my work cut out for me’ is $cieno speak for $100/hour ‘counseling’ sessions. Raymond would never get full custody, hell he’d be lucky to get shared custody.
As you all know, SMP was set to launch June 21st, 2017. That clearly hasn’t happened yet. What is happening is that PDU is secretly going to big donors and asking for 8 million dollars to get the production started. This is such an obvious cash-grab and is honestly a strategic misstep.
If you want to control people, and you’ve promised them something that will supposedly final make their voices heard, just fucking deliver it already. This just makes you, and DM, look like the liars you are.
The Planetary Dissemination Unit, they are incharge of global marketing and are run by the Sea Org. I don’t know if they’re at Int or what, but they do fund-raise and produce propaganda the world over.
Ironically, it’s exactly what pundits predicted – that SuMP’s nominal opening, would then be used as an excuse to raise even more money to actually do anything with the expensive facilities that donors funded.
It also indicates a pretty sorry state of affairs within the CofS, that they are getting to dealing with operational funding too belatedly to even meet their promised launched date. My suspicion is that IAS funds are dwindling, and needed for other things like legal expenses (including PIs) and subsidizing the completion of failing ideal org projects. Or put another way, they may have been so engaged trying to handle Aftermath, that they dropped the ball on starting their own media productions.
I’m lead to wonder if, a bit like what is apparently going on with OT 9 and 10, that they may not even know what they would produce if they hit a point that they actually had to start to try to deliver something, and so may effectively be putting it off as long as they can while stringing people along.
I figured they’d keep fundraising for additional production into the future, but given the grandiose promises and desperation of the clams for the thing that will “guarantee planetary clearing”, this definitely feels like a mishandle of what could’ve been a slam-dunk of propaganda and a great avenue to fundraise into the future.
I must’ve given the Cof$ too much credit and thought they’d at least be competent in keeping the illusion up, given how easily they could’ve accomplished this. Total failure I guess.
iamvalkov – um, please remind me why you’re here commenting after your a**kissing over at Marty’s all week and stating that Mike never posts your comments that disagree along with you and Marildi? Just wondering.
Just want to make a point that whether you agree or not with comments here, Mike, to my knowledge has been fair and posted ALL points of view from all different people posting, unlike Rathbun’s site. What say you?????
This story very upsetting for me, because I remember this insane logic very well. I went through this “we want to help you” far too often.
They always pretend to help and you sit there and you KNOW this guy is trying to bullshit you! Accepting any help only worsens your situation. And they sit there with a good, brainwashed conscience.
If the bubble dwellers actually did “wonder” that brand of curiosity would eventually land them in the waiting room outside the MAA’s office. They “know better” than to ask difficult questions anymore which, of course gets the wheels in motion towards leaving.
The cold blooded, heartless Chaplain. Yes these exact words, an answer for everything, would be said to Raymond. Again, spot-on RB and good to show the never-ins that frequent here what goes on behind the curtain. Hard to believe but true.
Do folks really try to kill themselves over the systematic mindfuckery that the cherch puts them through? Yes, they do, but mostly they just go broke then drift away from the cherch, which has no interest in them except as a revenue source and to shanghai their kids into the $ea Org.
Ok, RB you are walking a fine line. That was not funny. Too close to the truth.
That being said, I know ex-members who barely made it out before they either died of health reasons or committed suicide.
For you fence sitters, that is Scientology today. It needs to go down!
There is nothing wrong with your life (committed to Scientology). Do not try to adjust your life (committed to Scientology). WE are controlling your life (committed to Scientoogy).
Stolen from the opening theme of the TV series: Outer Limits: “There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling the transmission.”
On my path, I keep my thoughts, words & actions, loving, compassionate & kind. What you think, say & do goes out to the universe. And it comes back the same way. Just look how the cult is shrinking.
Yep, simply stated My Inner Space, well done. You pretty well summed up the whole of Scientology far better than you probably imagined. There is a deep fear generated and installed by the applied Scientology doctrine by Church morons in those “lectures” you so rightly referred to them as. Those lectures are relied upon by the Church for inciting compliance but it also creates a living nightmare within the minds of Scientologists. They are not only very lonely people, but desperately afraid too.
Scientologists wear their social demeanor like a Guy Fawkes mask to hide their true selves.
Springing from what you’ve just shared, and correlative to what I shared as re the hypocracy of “Sunday Only” Christians,
Scientologists “in good standing” study Scientology, get tested on it, swear by it, believe with in every fiber of their being, are convinced that folloiwing its precepts to the letter is the only way, the only path, etc. etc. etc….and at the same time, they DON’T do what it says to do hardly at all. They DON’T practice it, mostly.
Continually, they flout ethics policy, tech policy and admin policy…and they don’t see this, or, if they do, it doesn’t bother them!
In fact, nowadays, the reality is that in order to remain in the Church of Scientology at all they HAVE TO NOT DO what policy says to do!
And they see nothing strange, , nothing ridiculous in this….
Sorry to be such a bore but there’s no other way I can say it; this continually blows my mind.
I didn’t laugh this week, RB. This was chilling. There are people pretending to care about you, about your feelings. But they don’t care about you. They care about what they want and what they need, and they’ve got all the right words and the right quotes to convince you to do that what they want you to do is going to make you feel better and be happier but its not true, its what they want, and what they need, and the hell with you. I’ve seen this type of manipulation regarding others’ relationships when I was in, and I experienced it myself.
Scientology…
NOT EVEN ONCE!
I just got here today, been busy getting ready to go off grid for a week. I considered not commenting at all.
However, this is unfortunate and real life. I know a man who got custody of his sons over 30 years ago. His ex wife committed suicide. After she died, he got her money, which she had hidden from him for the benefit of her two sons.
He’s out now. The boys are too. He’s a bitter old man who last time I saw him still badmouthed both her and scientology every chance he got.
There is no money left. It is long gone. When I saw him 5 years ago, the boys were both employed and the father was living off them. Neither of the boys had even graduated high school.
I have no desire to see how he is now. That, folks, is what your scientology dollars will buy you.
These stories all are very sad to read. I have never posted before nor do I have any connection to scientology.
My question is is there a hot line for those leaving the cult? There must be help to recover from mind control. Perhaps the A&E series could suggest way (s) to find help. This blog is helpful and the tv series was eye opening. Thank you Mike and Leah for doing this!
Lou thx for caring. I think there is help but of course if it was published, it would be under attack.
Heart Punched. Brain Punched. Gut Punched.
RB – you express, rather succinctly, with several panels and bubbles of dialogue the tremendous stakes on the table – lives, love, family, emotional/mental welfare and, of course, the material aspects associated with life which may be lost or damaged due to aspects surrounding cos.
Your pen is far mightier than the sword, and from comments I’ve read here, your pen has helped people in many different ways to be forewarned, find their way through the thought stopping and/or escape from the sword of cos.
May you celebrate the forthcoming Independence Day knowing you’ve assisted others in recognizing and recovering their independence. Same sentiments for you Mike and the many others speaking out loudly or in whispers everywhere.
Tragic. And unneeded. There are many outside the cherch going up the bridge. Without all the BS. The cherch is obsolete.
The “bridge” is part of the insane cult. There are ZERO powers or abilities gained than non-scamologists don’t also possess.
BUT, I guess increased mental problems can be “gained” by doing the bridge. Cancer also.
Mike, isn’t, Increased Mental Problems, the EP of some Rundown?
Especially when you consider the IAS hoops to jump through and financial rape that goes on within the confines of the “worlds fastest growing religion”. From what I understand independent auditors in the field can’t keep up with demand. With prices 1/3rd of the cult’s demands and far better auditing it’s no surprise.
Depressing stuff. And I bet this scenario or something like this have happend.
I’m certain of it!
Oh my… you’ve visited the dark side with this one RB.
What is really dark and morbid about this is the fact it would be no surprise at all if such a scenario plays out on a regular basis within a Scientology Church. It is so far removed from the comprehension of any relatively sane person such “think” exists within any Church, let alone enforced by such positions as a Chaplin, ethics officer and executive positions alike. Of course this sort of insane rationality is routinely applied to the rank and file if they step out of line, hence they are forced to adhere to such disciplinary think by threat of expulsion. Membership in Scientology is fast approaching zero and the people that remain in it are insane on the subject of spirituality.
Organised Scientology is no joke… it actively destroys people’s ability to think rationally and of course ends up destroying their lives!
Insanity: thy name is Scientology. People are mind fucked every day in this cult.
I don’t know what to say. Enjoy a real Forth of July eating hotdogs and hamburgers. Enjoy the company you’re with. Watch the fireworks and think of freedom.
My freedom was walking away from Scientology. I celebrate daily!
When I was about 21. my then BFF’s 19 year old brother committed suicide because he admitted to his strictly religious father that he was “gay”. His father cursed him out, told him he’d burn in the fires of Hell and then his father disowned him telling him “I will NOT have a queer for a son”.& you have two weeks to get your faggot ass out of the house” because you offend God.
Two weeks later Billy hung himself in the family garage….his father said “THAT was God’s plan cause God didn’t would damn a queer to Hell anyway”……
Hundreds of people came to Billy’s funeral…all but his father that is. He remained loyal to their overly strict religion until the day he himself died…..only SOME of his immediate family came to his funeral…
Balletlady, I’m so very sorry for the loss of your wonderful brother. I can’t imagine the grief you went through. Your Dad’s reaction is why I’m not religious.
Peace and blessings to you, dear. May the BEST day of your past, be the worst day of your future.
OSD…thank you…..however in the first case, this was my FRIEND’S 19 year old brother whose name was Billy……who bore his father’s name which cause his “Godly father” great humiliation and embarrassment to have a “gay sinner son”. Billy was the sweetest young man you could ever hope to know, very kind hearted and compassionate & caring…all too sad his father saw all of that as weakness.
However….25 years ago my OWN BROTHER Dennis, did commit suicide when he was 43. He had “issues” since he was a young teen…..but in “those days” he didn’t “show clear and recognizable mental health signs”.. He married 2 times, fathered two sons, one with his first wife while he was stationed overseas with the military & they divorced…..he got custody of his son who was handicapped.
He then married a few years later and fathered a second son, and then divorced when the second son was 3 months old. My brother totally ignored his newborn son…..and that 2nd son never knew his own father.
My brother he then …married a 3rd time and adopted his 3rd wife’s 3 biological kids…all the while Ignoring his own 2nd son…and THEN after he divorced the first wife….he “surrendered for adoption his FIRST son from the marriage he had when he was stationed in Korean with the military because his THIRD WIFE didn’t want the handicapped boy around.
I tried several times talking to my brother but when I mentioned his rejecting his OWN SONS, he refused to talk to me any more. My parents wanted nothing to do with my brother because he placed his OWN handicapped SON up for adoption
I found out my brother committed suicide about two weeks after he died…..his SECOND former wife called my mother to tell her the “news”……she hadn’t spoken to my brother, her own son, in several years because of his actions with his own two sons.
For ME, life has NOT been easy…my eldest brother ALSO suffered from mental health issues and has been in and out of psychiatric care since he was 17..he is now 70. At least I was NOT in CO$ so my eldest brother always received the care he needed.
Unless you have lived with someone close to you that HAS a mental illness…you will NEVER understand fully growing up in a household like that…with TWO siblings with mental health issues.
There ARE those who just aren’t GOOD PEOPLE….they are pure EVIL and seem to take great delight in harming others……and in the case of “the organization” it seems certain folks will go to the end of the Earth to wound the nicest of people.
For all my friends here…ONE DAY WHAT YOU HAVE LOST WILL BE RETUNRED TO YOU.
GOOD will OVER COME…..
I’m stunned! You’ve gone through so much, and still came out the other side. I admire you very much. You’re one heck of a strong woman.
Aftermath is unscripted. Are u trying to say that Marty is not claiming his is unscripted (i.e. Factual in TV parlance)? He reads from a script to falsely claim that others who are telling their truthful stories are “scripted and rehearsed” of which there is NO evidence (but everyone who has appeared has said it is untrue).
What is your purpose in trying to give credence to this absurd position here with a straw man argument that “Marty never claimed he was unscripted”?
Maybe this comment is miss-placed?
Yes. Moderating on phone. It’s a response to Valkov that somehow went in wrong place. Cannot fix it on phone. But at least I won’t have to read a response to it from him telling me how I misduplicated him.
Balletlady – I’m also very sorry for your friend and her brother. As a Christian I can tell you this father was wrong in so many ways. My precious nephew is gay and he and I have very open discussions about his being gay and my being christian and at the end of it we just love each other even though we may not see exactly eye to eye with each other. I’m sorry to have to admit that a lot of christian’s use the cross as a flag pole and raise their own banner of hate or prejudice and think that justifies their position. It doesn’t.
Much love to you and to your friend.
I am continually amazed at at the true stories detailing the unrelenting judgementalism and hard heartedness of fundamentalist Christians. Christianity, the way Jesus Christ spelled it out in the New Testament, is all about forgiveness and mercy and kindness and understanding. When these Fundamentalists types go to their churches and read and study the New Testament, how does what Jesus said to do in there morph into the narrow minded, highly punitive, my way or the highway “Christianity” these people actually practice in their daily lives? Gandhi once said, when asked his opinion of Christianity, “It is a wonderful philosophy. I would like to see it applied.” Amen. I know professed atheists who in their interactions with people are continually demonstrating what Jesus said to do! Certainly, Gandi, a Hindu, in his practice of tolerance and forbearance, in his advocacy of gentle rather than violent methods to restore order and persuade people to reason, in the way he operated in life he was more of a Christian than plenty of the psalm singing donkeys one finds in church on any given Sunday. Jesus (or somebody) said it well: “Oh, ye hypocrites!” End of rant.
Aqua, the answer is simple. “Christian” means to follow the teachings of CHRIST. The people you are hearing about are NOT Christians. Similarly, stories one might hear about Vegan’s eating people are NOT true. To be a Vegan means NO eating of meat.
I get it, Wynski, but these people CALL themselves Christians; their identities are wholly wrapped up in believing in Jesus Christ, and they talk about Jesus all the time and evangelicalize about it A LOT – and yet they don’t PRACTICE ‘Christianity. (And I’m not technically a Christian by the way, and I could not care less whether anyone else is or not) It just blows my mind that people are able to compartmentalize their Sundays for Jesus, read what he says to do, sing hymns about it , etc. and yet it all has nothing to do with the way the actually operate in life. So, I guess you’re right; in actuality, they’re NOT Christians. Try telling them that, though. You might get your head blown off. Literally 🙂 .
Aquamarine… I wish I had an answer that satisfies me, if I had one I would gladly share it.
The only thing that comes to mind from the NT is, Jesus explaining how to tell his real disciples from the false, is ” you shall know them by their fruit”. Then in Galatians it spells out the fruit of the Spirit..love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. If someone calls themselves a Christian and these character traits aren’t evident – that’s your first clue they may not be real.
Rather than acknowledging and seeking to change their own personal preferences and prejudices so many people just want to find something to validate them and a lot cherry pick out of The Bible without seeing they are contradicting the teachings of Jesus.
There are a lot of really good Christians out there but it seems the bad ones get all the press.
Please, rant all you want about this, trust me I do!
Just Hujmmin, thanks for your response,. I agree that there are many good Christians I honestly do not judge all Christians by the meanness and rigidity of spirit I’ve observed in a certain Fundamentalist type of Christian. . I’ve traveled a good deal and lived in other countries besides the US. People are mostly good no matter their religion. Professed atheists have been some of the kindest and most caring people I’ve ever met. I love that quote: “You shall know them by their fruit” .Beautiful truth. Spot on. I think this is true of everyone.
Oh my… my heartfelt condolences to you and anyone else to lose people because of such bigotry. People like that guy’s father are not safe in my space. I take a slightly different approach to being tolerant of such assholes. The world’s turns into a twisted mirror when such bigots are assessed by someone who observes or finds out what they actually do/did and cause to others. They indulge in all manner of subterfuge and righteousness to cover their tracks when they run into someone or something they can’t overwhelm. Imagine Miscavige in deposition, the way he would react.
Thank you al for your loving, caring kind hearted souls….it SHOWS that “the organization” has LOST some truly remarkable people because of their OWN DOCTRINES…….so sad that they think abuse is “ok”.
My BFF & I were both 21 at the time, Billy was as I noted 19 and the first and eldest son….the family had six children total….three girls, three boys. None of the other children as the father once said “turned up GAY”.
Dear old Dad wore a large cross on a heavy chain around his neck to “show his dedication and belief in God”…..Yeah, right…..guess he missed the part in the Bible about acceptance and forgiveness……to this day I find it sickening and all tool sad. Billy would have made a huge difference in this world…But THEN….I didn’t have to explain THAT to anyone on THIS board did I cause you all already know that.
LOVE ALWAYS….
A Little FUN for those over 60 years old
Most of our generation — 60 plus years were Home Schooled in many ways.
1) My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE:
“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.”
2) My mother taught me RELIGION:
“You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
3) My father taught me about TIME TRAVEL:
“If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!”
4) My father taught me LOGIC:
“Because I said so, that’s why!”
5) My mother taught me MORE LOGIC:
“If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.”
6) My mother taught me FORESIGHT:
“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”
7) My father taught me IRONY:
“Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about.”
8) My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS:
“Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”
9) My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM:
“Just you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”
10) My mother taught me about STAMINA:
“You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”
11) My mother taught me about WEATHER:
“This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.”
12) My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY:
“If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times, don’t exaggerate!”
13) My father taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE:
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.
14) My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION:
“Stop acting like your father!”
15) My mother taught me about ENVY:
“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do.”
16) My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION:
“Just wait until we get home.”
17) My mother taught me about RECEIVING:
“You are going to get it from your father when you get home!”
18) My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE:
“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.”
19) My mother taught me ESP:
“Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold?”
20) My father taught me HUMOR:
“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”
21) My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT:
“If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”
22) My mother taught me genetics:
“You’re just like your father.”
23) My mother taught me about my ROOTS:
“Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?”
24) My mother taught me WISDOM:
“When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.
25) My father taught me about JUSTICE:
“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!”
Outstanding post! Now that’s a great stand-up routine! And…it’s all true!
Lol, thanks, I needed that!
Aw shucks being old… they were great lessons to be a student of (didn’t seem so at the time though). I only just mentioned this morning – what unbelievable fun this world can be for kids.
Oh yes, a trip down memory lane. There must have been a parents handbook back then that got passed around. These were a staple in our household. Thanks!
I think it was the good old WOODEN PADDLE that “got applied” when needed. Kids today fear nothing….to spank a child today brings you basically up on POSSIBLY “child abuse charges”……..
If you acted up in school in “those days”….you knew damned well you’d “get it” when you got home….I refer to it as “A Healthy Fear Of Death”…lol
My best wishes & LOVE to everyone on the BLOG…..hugs for Mike & his family & Leah and her family…ALL the “formers” and all the other, like me, “never ins”….
Yes, instant reform and contrition came with “just wait till your father gets home”.
(balletlady): GREAT post.
Thanks for adding some lightness to our day.
OMG – BalletLady – are we related? LOL — loved this.
Mom? Dad? is that you?????
“have my work cut out for me’ is $cieno speak for $100/hour ‘counseling’ sessions. Raymond would never get full custody, hell he’d be lucky to get shared custody.
I bet this scenario plays out often in ClamLand.
Ouch. Yea, scientology and its antics do get less and less funny.
Yep! They morph into cruelty.
Attention one and all; news of the SMP sort:
As you all know, SMP was set to launch June 21st, 2017. That clearly hasn’t happened yet. What is happening is that PDU is secretly going to big donors and asking for 8 million dollars to get the production started. This is such an obvious cash-grab and is honestly a strategic misstep.
If you want to control people, and you’ve promised them something that will supposedly final make their voices heard, just fucking deliver it already. This just makes you, and DM, look like the liars you are.
Who/What is PDU?
The Planetary Dissemination Unit, they are incharge of global marketing and are run by the Sea Org. I don’t know if they’re at Int or what, but they do fund-raise and produce propaganda the world over.
I think it’s Planetary Dissemination Unit.
Or it could be Planetary Dis-information Unit. Seems more likely…
Nezquick, that’s interesting SuMP news.
Ironically, it’s exactly what pundits predicted – that SuMP’s nominal opening, would then be used as an excuse to raise even more money to actually do anything with the expensive facilities that donors funded.
It also indicates a pretty sorry state of affairs within the CofS, that they are getting to dealing with operational funding too belatedly to even meet their promised launched date. My suspicion is that IAS funds are dwindling, and needed for other things like legal expenses (including PIs) and subsidizing the completion of failing ideal org projects. Or put another way, they may have been so engaged trying to handle Aftermath, that they dropped the ball on starting their own media productions.
I’m lead to wonder if, a bit like what is apparently going on with OT 9 and 10, that they may not even know what they would produce if they hit a point that they actually had to start to try to deliver something, and so may effectively be putting it off as long as they can while stringing people along.
I figured they’d keep fundraising for additional production into the future, but given the grandiose promises and desperation of the clams for the thing that will “guarantee planetary clearing”, this definitely feels like a mishandle of what could’ve been a slam-dunk of propaganda and a great avenue to fundraise into the future.
I must’ve given the Cof$ too much credit and thought they’d at least be competent in keeping the illusion up, given how easily they could’ve accomplished this. Total failure I guess.
Tku – let’s hope this provides some good solid back-flash where it really counts, ie the money supply wising up to the dupe.
I can soooo see this happening.
Grim but accurate.
iamvalkov – um, please remind me why you’re here commenting after your a**kissing over at Marty’s all week and stating that Mike never posts your comments that disagree along with you and Marildi? Just wondering.
Just want to make a point that whether you agree or not with comments here, Mike, to my knowledge has been fair and posted ALL points of view from all different people posting, unlike Rathbun’s site. What say you?????
I look forward to Regraded Being’s strips. I know they are poignant. Humor and sadness mixed together.
This one just made made me sad.
I am not complaining. These strips are important.
I think we just need a group hug, after reading this.
This story very upsetting for me, because I remember this insane logic very well. I went through this “we want to help you” far too often.
They always pretend to help and you sit there and you KNOW this guy is trying to bullshit you! Accepting any help only worsens your situation. And they sit there with a good, brainwashed conscience.
I can not image what it would be like to be in this position of losing my wife over this BS. And $cn wonders why they after negative PR.
If the bubble dwellers actually did “wonder” that brand of curiosity would eventually land them in the waiting room outside the MAA’s office. They “know better” than to ask difficult questions anymore which, of course gets the wheels in motion towards leaving.
Criminal. Painful. Depicts so well the reasons why those who wield power currently at CoS should be in jail.
So depressing…
The cold blooded, heartless Chaplain. Yes these exact words, an answer for everything, would be said to Raymond. Again, spot-on RB and good to show the never-ins that frequent here what goes on behind the curtain. Hard to believe but true.
Do folks really try to kill themselves over the systematic mindfuckery that the cherch puts them through? Yes, they do, but mostly they just go broke then drift away from the cherch, which has no interest in them except as a revenue source and to shanghai their kids into the $ea Org.
Stunning. The undiluted truth. RB, you must have seen terrible things. This one drives a knife thru the heart.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who teared up today. Reading RB is usually exasperating but not ineffably sad.
Ok, RB you are walking a fine line. That was not funny. Too close to the truth.
That being said, I know ex-members who barely made it out before they either died of health reasons or committed suicide.
For you fence sitters, that is Scientology today. It needs to go down!
There is nothing wrong with your life (committed to Scientology). Do not try to adjust your life (committed to Scientology). WE are controlling your life (committed to Scientoogy).
Stolen from the opening theme of the TV series: Outer Limits: “There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling the transmission.”
Spot on!
Regarded being. The high light of my week. Sometimes it’s makes me laugh. This one made me sad. Still the highlight of my week.
That’s Scientology for you…
horrifically true
My heart hurts.
Just came over from the Bunker. Rest in peace, Kyle, and everyone else who has died an untimely death because of Scientology.
Oh no! Not another… not sure if I want to go to Ortega’s site this morning.
Wow, RG, Co$ is ALWAYS worse than you think.
Ha,ha,ha,ha! Oh, Regraded Being! You’ve done it again!
Keep up the good ( and important) work!
The names were changed to protect the guilty
Mike, we can still find out who they are…
RB — Powerful . No further comment necessary.
Mike, reading this has made me incredibly sad, but also incredibly angry that people can manipulate others who are vulnerable.
Wow – this has happened to more Scientologist’s than one could ever imagine. Just when you think Scientology cannot get any more cruel – it DOES.
RIP the poor souls whose lives where shattered by this evil, mind controlling CULT and GOD BLESS!
I sure hope there is a higher power that helps bring justice to the planet – the old fashioned way – KARMA!
On my path, I keep my thoughts, words & actions, loving, compassionate & kind. What you think, say & do goes out to the universe. And it comes back the same way. Just look how the cult is shrinking.
Love it,
Thanks Mike!
How sad to go to a place for comfort only to receive a lecture. It must be very lonely being a Scientologist.
Yep, simply stated My Inner Space, well done. You pretty well summed up the whole of Scientology far better than you probably imagined. There is a deep fear generated and installed by the applied Scientology doctrine by Church morons in those “lectures” you so rightly referred to them as. Those lectures are relied upon by the Church for inciting compliance but it also creates a living nightmare within the minds of Scientologists. They are not only very lonely people, but desperately afraid too.
Scientologists wear their social demeanor like a Guy Fawkes mask to hide their true selves.
Yawn,
Springing from what you’ve just shared, and correlative to what I shared as re the hypocracy of “Sunday Only” Christians,
Scientologists “in good standing” study Scientology, get tested on it, swear by it, believe with in every fiber of their being, are convinced that folloiwing its precepts to the letter is the only way, the only path, etc. etc. etc….and at the same time, they DON’T do what it says to do hardly at all. They DON’T practice it, mostly.
Continually, they flout ethics policy, tech policy and admin policy…and they don’t see this, or, if they do, it doesn’t bother them!
In fact, nowadays, the reality is that in order to remain in the Church of Scientology at all they HAVE TO NOT DO what policy says to do!
And they see nothing strange, , nothing ridiculous in this….
Sorry to be such a bore but there’s no other way I can say it; this continually blows my mind.
One is the loneliest number that you ever knew…