“Entheta” is a term in scientology which is a contraction of “enturbulated theta” — enturbulated means upset and theta means life force.
In simple english, entheta is bad news. It is not something that is untrue, just something you don’t want to hear. Anything that will cause upset (or in the case of scientology itself, doubt about it).
Hubbard says that entheta is the work of “chaos merchants” (suppressive persons), and when the entheta concerns scientology, it is an attempt to “destroy mankind’s only hope” and is entirely lies. His “logic” is that scientology is only good, so anyone saying otherwise is lying and is bad.
In general, scientologists dismiss “entheta” as lies without even looking at it or knowing what it says. Though Hubbard tells everyone they should “look, don’t listen,” that in fact means to look at what I say you should look at and reject without looking those things classified as entheta.
In the private world of scientologists, this is what happens. Many outside the Sea Org DO have access to the internet and cable TV and newspapers. But if it something about scientology, they avoid reading/viewing as if it not from an official scientology source, they already know it will be entheta because it is something peddled by the chaos merchants. This is “fake news” before before that term was even invented.
But what about celebrities who are increasingly being confronted with the “entheta” in media interviews? How do they deal with it?
Here are two recent examples of how they deflect — and also admit that they refuse to look.
‘Ant-Man’ Star Michael Peña Says Scientology Made Him a ‘Better Actor’
Here is the relevant part from this interview with Michael Pena (husband of Brie Shaffer, Danny Masterson’s Assistant)…
The actor noted that he doesn’t take the criticism of the religion to heart, and doesn’t follow any media that is openly critical of Scientology.
“I don’t read that stuff,” Peña said. However, he admitted he’s at least aware of the backlash against the controversial religion. However, it doesn’t impede his relationships. “Yeah but – OK, imagine we’re friends, you and me,” he said to the interviewer. “Buddies. And there’s a tabloid story about you. There’s no way I’m going to read some f****** tabloid story about you.” He also called such articles and programs “misinformed.”
While saying he doesn’t read it, and wouldn’t believe it, he also categorizes every criticism of scientology as “tabloid.”
And here is one of the other handful of celebrities who will even allow reports to ask about scientology, lifelong scientologist Elisabeth Moss:
This is what Lizzie said in a recent article in Showbiz Cheat Sheet
But one thing fans do know about her is that she is a Scientologist.
The church and its followers have been involved in disturbing situations and accused of other terrible crimes. Despite the stigma that comes with believing in the words of L. Ron Hubbard, Moss remains a famous face for the religion and defends it and her commitment to it in interviews.
Moss tries not to talk about Scientology in public to keep viewers focused on her performances more than her background. But on this occasion, she saw fit to defend the church. She claims it’s more wholesome than its public reputation suggests.
It’s hard to square her religious affiliations with some of her most well-known work. The reported conduct of Scientologists towards any sort of questioning — threats of violence, counter-accusations against critics, forcing members to disconnect from their friends and families — has a lot in common with the acts of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale. Again, Moss firmly disagrees with this comparison.
Again, the deflection, never actually responding to what is really going on. It’s the old lie “scientology is really open,” followed by “come on in and find out for yourself” or “get a book and read it.”
For an organization that claims its members are “more able” and can “confront and shatter” suppression and have superior communication skills — there isn’t a single one of them that will actually confront reality and communicate freely on the subject to provide any convincing reason why the numerous stories of abuse and destruction in scientology are not true.
It’s easier to just pretend it doesn’t exist and deflect. That’s the scientology way.
It’s funny, that only after I realized I was no longer interested in doing scientology was I able to talk to people about it. Not necessarily only complaining, just honest expression of the experience I had with it.
When I was still in, just the mention of the word Scientology by somebody could send a jolt of alarm through my body.
My body was trying to tell me something and eventually it got through!
I never examined my cognitive dissonance that I couldn’t explain Scientology to people, “because it was weird”, my literal phrase used when contemplating doing so, until I was out.
True, if a notorious tabloid were to write a possibly defamatory article about a friend one may indeed skip the article. However, this is about a great number of sources, including many highly reputable ones, writing about the abuses of a “religion.”
Given Pena’s cultural background it’s highly likely that he once was a Catholic or at least would have a number of Catholics among friends and family. (And no, I am not comparing the Catholic religion to the scientology “religion”). Does he want us to believe that he dismissed all the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic church wholesale when they broke? And made it a point to studiously avoid all reporting on them? Does he want us to believe that he discredited all the victims because he had some Catholic friends who may be offended by such horrible accusations? Was this all nothing but tabloid fodder?
By his “logic”, claiming a religious (or “religious”) affiliation should act as a get-out-of-jail card. Perhaps, former scientologist Charles Manson should have been unmolested by the legal system? Maybe, they should let his buddy Masterson go already?
@Todd Cray,
“By his ‘logic’, claiming a religious (or “religious”) affiliation should act as a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
In fact, claiming religious affiliation has been doing just that for thousands of years. Scientology is just one of the new kids on this very old and long block.
Religion has been the go-to reason for the perpetration of all kinds of wrongs and harms on our fellow humans inclusive of the most monstrous and merciless of cruel behaviors.
Scientology with its Fair Game and cruel Disconnection policies in the name of “salvaging Mankind” is just a recent addition to a very long list rife with examples of man’s inhumanity to man all conveniently approved of by God, or Jesus Christ, or Mohammed, etc. Down thru the ages there has been no lack of noble, lofty, spiritual reasons for hurting people, robbing people, killing them, punishing them, ruining them.
At least Attila the Hun, as bloody and cruel as he and his men were back in the day, did not pretend that their invasions and barbarous acts had anything to do with spirituality!
Scientology knows they have a get out of jail free card because they’re a religion. Disgusting, but nothing new here.
The scientologist is the last person to know the truth of scientology.
It’s such a weird thing that people argue about what works and doesn’t for years. Then they gain a different understanding and change their minds again.
It’s like they are past the event horizon and there is nothing that can be done for them. They keep saying the same things.
Whenever ellerech says “this makes you freer” he just trapped them a little more.
Whenever Davey says “here is what lrh really said” they are that much more fucked.
But they wore masks.
Criticism is the necessary precursor to correction.
The application of the Scientology ‘religion’ sure does give the shadowy term “pretend,” a long, long bow to draw.
To me, these ‘celebrities’ who admit to or are well know to being practicing (whatever that actually means) Scientologists are nothing more than slaves to their own, very sacred, self important image of themselves. Any threat real, imagined or inclination thereof; that their public will think poorly of them, or heaven forbid, reject them, is their worst nightmare, a career destroying moment in their estimation. However, is it any wonder why they don’t visit orgs, partake in the technology administered in such places and see for themselves the living conditions and financial situation (spelled distress) of the actual staff members who keep their well spoken of religion, doors open? Do they direct any of their good fortune or presence towards them? Their Scientology is done in a highly security guarded, legally protected venues done in secrecy. It’s not in the tech dictionary, but ‘Celebrity PC’ very much has its own definition and separate technology entirely.
Really, what a bunch of sick fucks they are… but it sure does show the great importance of being publicly important or well thought of in the media and what that truly means to them. They simply can’t afford to answer an honest question concerning Scientology. They themselves don’t know what the truth is, not really. It’s social suicide to do so, they sure are acutely aware of that much. Fear is a good word.
The Scn celebs are also mentally isolated, cocooned as it were from the real world, continually love bombed and otherwise very well treated by Scientology staff. They are kept away from “entheta” or anything that might “enturbulate” them. Only “theta” flows their way from the Scientology staff. The “wog” world is where the “entheta” is. From Scientology there emanates only “theta”. Celebs are continually praised, nurtured, encouraged and listened to. Thus, they become convinced that they are very important as BEINGS and not only as celebrities in the “wog world”. They are “Big Beings”. They BELIEVE this. And you’d better believe that if they don’t believe this, they get love-bombed, nurtured, listened to and helped until they DO believe it. For celebs, their Scientology experience can be summed up as a never ending, dependable, consistent flow of very positive attention and the utter emotional security of being loved for their “real” selves (as revealed in auditing). In brief, one would think that Scientology celebs, with their money and fame and talent and very public personas would be or should be the most savvy Scientologists about the real world outside of the cult but in fact celebs are the most sheltered, the most clueless group of all Scientologists, and that they are this way is no accident.
Yes indeed.
It all makes a mockery of Hubbard’s, “an auditor is the most valuable being on the planet crap,” hey? It’s who they audit that are celebrities are…
Scientology is based on a basic principle. A vital principle.
When it comes to many subjects including hypnosis, rhetoric, logic, psychology, psychiatry, the occult and far more most of us have not looked at the subjects and are not well informed.
But in Scientology you don’t need to weigh and consider the evidence and arguments for competing ideas and add the evidence and arguments against these ideas. You only need to find the opinion of Ronald Hubbard and submit to his will.
This impairs the independent and critical thinking of people in Scientology.
Scientology relies on this to survive.
“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion… Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them…he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
One of the problems I had with Scientology before I left was the rule against reading anything critical.
It made me believe that they had something to hide.
I never followed this rule much and did not have any feelings of guilt when I broke it.
A lot of this “entheta” never had much effect on me.
I never gave a damn about what Hubbard did during the war.
When I learned about Operation Freakout (the GO operation against Paulette Cooper) and other abuses like this I had already left, and it made it even more unlikely that I would ever return.
This likelihood was very close to zero even before.
The policy I read stated that critics are to be noisily investigated.
I could live with this. It isn’t very pleasant but it is at least legal.
Operation Freakout went far beyond the pale and is certainly nothing I ever signed up for
or was willing to ignore.
Entheta consisting of some critics spouting a lot of nonsense it is not very effective. It is more difficult to explain away real abuses, and this is what Hubbard wished to avoid when he put this draconian rule in place.
L. Ron Hubbard, in my most thorough research, is the greatest enturbulator of souls, ‘known’ to Mankind.
I like to see it formulated, for current settings, in this, easily understood way:
‘The ONLY thing bad, very bad, extremely bad, utterly bad, of Scientology, is its ‘founder’ L. Ron Hubbard:
ALL his explanations, spiritual thoughts, and organizational ideas, and also his stated goals, are DELIBERATE lies, all INTENDED lies, by him.’
When I first started digging into what Scientology is all about, I discovered the video of Michael Chan speaking at the Greece ideal org about what thetans are, where they came from, and how they got trapped and sent to Earth.
I tried to show it to my Scientologist wife at the time to ask her about it.
She literally stuck her fingers in her ears and ran away.
She stuck her fingers in her ears and ran away?
Well, that may not be as bad as it sounds. I can think of many other places that she could have stuck her fingers and I’m sure you would find some of them far more unpleasant than her ears.
All in all, when you say, “Scientologist wife at the time”, I hope you mean that she is no longer in the cult or no longer your wife.
I’m quite certain you will be much happier if you are no longer married to someone in that terrible cult.
Hmmm …. the usual expression is, “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.”
But the chimp on the right seems to be expressing, “Smell no evil.”
I suppose that chimp must have gotten too close to some ideal org building.
They really do stink.
But even they don’t know the full plot that Old Man Hubbard had – no one did.
Left hand doesn’t know what right one does. 6th floor doesn’t know what 2nd floor is doing.
Etc.
What a mind f-k
In my experience, they just don’t know. Leah scratched her way out of “The Truman Show” that is C of S for celebrities and “O.L.’s” (opinion leaders). It takes a SERIES of stunning (counter) truths to fall into place for one, like a lock combination, to “click” open up the security of the heavy door that is keeping you within. I agree that one of the powerful ways a person, while in, polices themselves to stay away from the door is the C of S doctrine around avoiding “entheta.”
I agree. It took a series to fall in place for me to leave as well. Small steps out one after another over a period of more than 5 years. Which started after being on staff for about 8 years. 1971 until 1979.
Yes, and particularly as a coveted celebrity, Moss has likely been both shielded from the really ugly manipulative and abuse practices, and treated to a “dilettante” version of Scientology in which she’s been and allowed to do and believe whatever she wants. She may for instance even know some of the other pampered celebs who are allowed to get away with things like having same-sex relationships, that even thoughts about would get a regular member or staffer in real trouble.
If people saw for themselves they would see the Truth. The Truth is toxic to Scientology.