This is the second in a series of “I Am Out – Life Is Good” postings. Mark was profiled on Marty’s blog in 2010. He is a very smart guy who was a driving force behind Dianetics returning to the New York Times bestseller list. His story is worth reading – and his perspective of life after the Sea Org is invaluable. Mike Rinder
Hi… My name is Mark McKinstry. I was introduced to Scientology in 1975 at the Davis Mission while attending UC Davis. I joined staff shortly thereafter and later transferred to St. Hill where I worked in the Guardians Office and Mission Office Worldwide.
I joined the Sea Org in 1988 at Bridge Publications and was the National Sales manager from 1988 until 2004. I routed out of the Sea Org shortly after I completed the RPF program in Pac. I was assigned for being a “stat crasher” based on the international sales of Dianetics. Needless to say these sales continued to fall long after my removal to the point that there is virtually no LRH book presence or marketing being done to raw public. So maybe I wasnt the “why” for this.
I thought completing the RPF program would give me a new lease on life and handle any evil purposes I had as well as get me moving on the Bridge as I had been stuck on OT IV since 1979 with no prospect of getting NOTs while on staff.
What I saw and communicated about before being sent to the RPF and verified afterwards was the dismantling of the raw public dissemination lines. The pattern that I saw develop was that some “reform” was being done of an existing action that stops that activity and then the “reform” never comes to pass.
Example: It was determined that Central Marketing at Int was not effective, full of dead wood (despite the fact that people like Jeff Hawkins, Steve Hall, Bill Dendiu and others created NY Times bestellers and kept Dianetics on bestseller lists years). A new “Marketing Unit” was being formed with 50 or 100 members, being trained at Flag. That was in 2005.. No word from them since.
One of my SO recruits, Viviana Churin, who was helping me get LRH books into South America at a good rate was called off of this to join this unit. She called me some years ago from Flag. She was on a call in project to recover OT VII’s (another situation in itself).
It was a hard decision to leave the SO after 18 years in the same Org and post. My wife, my friends, my crusade. But, I was not happy and could see the writing on the wall as to decimation of raw public marketing and Div VI in general.
I had some influence as was known to many people. My ex-wife, Renee McKinstry, had been a public reg at AOLA for years and was also known by many Scientologists.
While routing out, I was informed that in essence I was a degraded being for doing so, I would not make it, etc. I was 51 years old at the time with no assets. It was a hard decision to make, but I have never looked back since or had any regrets.
In short, the 6 years since routing out have been the best of my life. It took a couple of years to decompress. I would have dreams at night about Miscavige and it took some time to destimulate.
The first thing that I noticed was that the “WOG” world was not so wog. I found good, honest, caring people who went out of their way to help me. In fact, they were much more tolerant and understanding than many of the people that I had been dealing with.
My main loss was the friends that I had in the S.O. But, I soon realized that it was they who were in the trap, constantly being fed PR with no real contact with the world.
If Scientology is built on truth, then it’s members should not shy away from encountering data, whether it is on the internet, in contact with people outside Scientology, family, whatever.
A blanket term of “entheta” is given to any information or individual who holds contrary views of facts to what Miscavige says is true, even if it aligns with LRH policy. Witness Debbie Cook’s email.
I believe many SO members know this in their heart of hearts, but the S.O. environment punishes any contrary view with penalties that are greater than what the average person deals with. Because all of your fellow staff endure the same hardship and discipline, it becomes an accepted fact. But when you step out of that world it becomes more and more clear what a control operation exists.
I was on a tour with John Travolta promoting the Battlefield Earth movie. We did advance screenings in cities across the US for the media. What I thought was going to be a highlight of my SO career was in fact one of the worst experiences of my life. The movie was mocked in theaters.. the critics killed it. Friends in publishing that I had invited were at best disappointed, many of whom had ordered large quantities of Battlefield Earth for their stores.
I could not really tell anyone about this, as the staff at Bridge were so excited about the movie’s release. It was like telling a kid that Santa Claus didn’t exist.
My wife, when I returned from the tour saw that I was upset and was trying to get at what it was. I told her..”Didn’t anyone watch the movie before releasing it?”.
She reported my comments and a day later I was under investigation and later removed from post and sent to the RPF. This was despite the fact that some time earlier I had been highly commended by COB which by policy cancelled my ethics file.
But that is all past history.. and a glimpse of the insanity that everyone involved has their own slice of.
My life now?
I live on the ocean in Hawaii. I run my own business, set my own schedule. I travel from Hawaii to the mainland 4-5 times a year to visit family. My passport is full. I went skiing in Austria two weeks ago for vacation and take 2-3 vacations a year in Asia and Europe. I tell people that I feel like I am on summer vacation.. I keep waiting for someone to tell me that vacation is over.. time to get back to school.
Our training and propaganda would prompt.. well, he is living for the first dynamic only.
It is true that coming out of the S.O. with only the clothes on my back, no phone, computer, bank account, car was a bit daunting. But in fact, it was a total adventure as I could do what I wanted to do. In short order I got myself established and used my skills to create a nice life.
Now that I have that safepoint established, I am again working on the 3rd and 4th dynamic projects. Not just selling people leatherbound books for some PR cause that rarely gets implemented beyond event videos.
Last week I joined the local Rotary club. I volunteer to help clean up beaches in Hawaii. My brother and I are starting a school in Cambodia for kids there. We also donate time and materials for Habitat for Humanity to help build shelters for those in need.
Know what I found? That the “wogs” I am involved with are as caring as any Scientologist. They might not have all the tech that we do, but it doesn’t stop them from contributing. There is life beyond attending an Int Event, watching a video and then donating. Even if all of the projects presented were real, there is no substitute for getting out and helping one on one. A privilege that very few Sea Org members have.
The catalyst for me was meeting with my two brothers after I completed the RPF (and could not speak with them for 2 years). I observed that they were both doing better in life than I was. That was hard to confront, as I was the one with the tech.
So..I guess my message to anyone who is contemplating a change of path and venturing out into the world.. go for it.
Your worst days are behind you, believe me.
Remember the story LRH tells about the prisoners? One finds an escape and comes back into the prison to inform his friends that there is a way out. They don’t believe that it is possible. They have given up hope. He knocks one unconscious and drags him out the escape.
The Data Series, a lost technology, states that in order to evaluate something you have to have something to compare it to. I am not asking you to believe me or that your experience will mirror mine, but you should at least see for yourself. Isn’t that a basic truth of Scientology?
Anyone who tells you it is not safe to look or experience something different is not your friend.
Trust your own eyes and experience. Don’t let others tell you what you see.
In any case, life is out there ahead of you. Reach out for it.
Mark McKinstry
Mark, Your story and example are really great to hear. DM constantly propagandized that anyone who left the SO would crash and burn. The reverse is the truth. Being in the Sea Org today is the surest way there is to crash and burn, especially if you try to do something productive. Battlefield Earth, edited and secretly directed by DM, is a total reflection on this nut job’s delusional world he lives in. Basketball sized cod pieces? Need anyone say anything more? What a hideous overt product that film was. Factually someone did look at the film before it was released — DM — he micromanaged every edit. Another one of his jewels was the Tom-Cruise-IAS-Freedom-Medal-of-Valor-black-turtleneck-insane-laughter video that became the laughingstock of the Internet. Battlefield Earth is solidly on the list of the 10 worst films of all time. That is typical result of DM’s special “touch of death.” He directs and edits and it’s the worst film of all time. He C/Ses and people die. He issues New Era of Management and poof, the Flag-Folo-Org line disappears forever. He redesigns orgs and now they are empty morgues. He fixes tech and orgs stop making auditors. And the list goes on.
So it’s just GREAT to hear you are out and successful and making up for lost time.
The release of the Battlefield Earth movie was an uber bizzare episode. A-List star actor. Fantastic story. Utter rubbish produced and put on screne. WTF? I read BatEarth many years before i was in SCN and i loved that book. It wasnt my all time favorite sci-fi book, but it was in my top 10 for sure. Before i went to see it, i read some movie critic reviews and they panned it. That was no big deal as the critics often thoroughly pan sci-fi movies (i think most of them have no reality with other planet imaginings) and enjoyable action flicks.
I arrived at the theatre very much looking forward to the film. I was confident that with JT invovled in the project it would at the very least be enjoyable. It wasnt. Just Mega Crap. It was so very bad, it wasnt even funny. Some bad movies are so absurdly bad, that they end up being a lauph a minute even though its evident humor and lauphter were not the intended result. Not with that abortion.
And what made the whole experience even more bizzare and frankly embarrassing (internally, i had no SCN affilation marks on my person) was the dozen or so Scientologist sitting in the front row carrying on like it was the most incredible movie ever made. They would loudly cheer the scenes where the hero did something heroic…then boo and his loudly when the protagonist was being dasterdly….it was ridiculous…..if found out later that a wealthy scientologist, for whom they all worked at her compnay, was paying them to go see the thing as some sort of plan to manipulate the “wogs” into thinking it was a great movie..i.e. by mocking up admiration for the movie and doing what they were doing, those hypnotized wogs were supposed to fall in line and come into agreement that the BatEarth movie was a fantastic must see blockbuster of a film.
Basically, for all the days the movie was in that theatre, these fools were thought each and every showing of that film and acting like crazed moonie fools. Please, if this isnt cult-induced stupidity, i dont know what is. Mark, to think that a staff SO member such of yourself would be RPF’d for stating the obvious about this film is proof positive that DM and his Animal Farm soviet style thought police state has turned the church into nothing more than an implant station.
Mark,
You shared here about the gutting of the dissem lines for Scientology books to raw public. This is something I have been curious about for years. Why aren’t Dianetics, Problems of Work, New Slant on Life, Fundamentals of Thought – why aren’t these books in major books stores? Why can they only be sold to raw public via stress tests on street corners and in malls? This has never made sense to me, particularly as many of us were continually urged and pushed to sell books, sell books, gotta sell books, because a percentage of book buyers will reach for courses (and I subscribe to that datum, btw – I have lots of reality that that’s true). Point being, instead of relying on book sales on the street, why aren’t books sold in the places where people go to buy books? Is the profit margin not large enough? People who buy books walk themselves into orgs!! This I know is true, so I don’t get it. Unless the answer is that DM actually does not WANT raw public walking themselves into orgs. I am flummoxed (is that the word?)
One thing that has changed in the last twenty years in that the large book chains have central computerized inventory systems that allow them to micro-manage in a way that Davie only wet-dreams about. They have algorithms that measure shelf space vs sales, and any book that isn’t earning its keep gets its cover ripped off (for paperbacks), shipped back to the publisher, or tossed in the Bargain Bin of Doom. (Books in a bookstore are usually on account. The store doesn’t owe the publisher a thing until the book actually sells. If it doesn’t sell, the book or paperback cover comes back as proof that it didn’t.) The thing is, chains know their exact sales now, and don’t have to go by easily manipulated Best Seller lists any more.
According to Bookscan (ACNielsen) which collates chain sales figures, in 2005, “Dianetics has sold 52,000 units since BookScan began collecting data in 2001. Battlefield Earth, his 1980 science fiction novel, has sold 29,000 units since 2001.”
http://web.archive.org/web/20070704080854/http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/news/author/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001476331
Those aren’t exactly world-beater numbers, and quite possibly it’s not in bookstores because it doesn’t sell.
New Slant on Life, Fundamentals of Thought and of course Dianetics were all produced in mass market paperback form and were in bookstores. There was event TV ads for these books.
Again, this was in the days when there was a Central Marketing Unit and a unit at Bridge Publications dedicated to getting books into bookstores and promoting them. There are numerous PL’s that stress the importance of this and advising to take a percentage of income/staff devoted to new public and advising not to cannibalize on existing public, the current operating basis.
There are numerous reasons for this unmock, but if you follow the threads of Mike’s blog, it’s all about the money and real estate.
The book street selling thing has been for years, but got push by DM when the New York Org was being renovated and there was a big push to fill it up for the grand opening.. to develop a successful “Formula” for this that could boom any org (at no real cost to Miscavige). Staff from Bridge were in New York for weeks selling books on the street.
Unfortunately, the answer is that DM does not want raw public walking into Orgs. Anyone with any success at dissemination will tell you that a video display will never replace a person. 5 minutes of stat analysis would tell you what has worked over the past 30 years.
Not rocket science.
Mark
Aquamarine there is no raw public campaigns because DM cut all financing to the campaigns. With no money to advertise, nothing can be done.
The established DM pattern is, 1. Promote our “biggest dissemination campaign ever” at an event.
2. Funnel in massive donations from Scientologists who want to support dissemination.
3. Bank the new millions in cash in accounts that DM personally controls.
4. Find fault with the marketing person assigned to run the campaign. Label the person “out ethics.”
5. The person is then busted and without anyone to run the campaign nothing can be done.
6. All funding is cut off since there’s now no one running the campaign.
This was done to Jeff Hawkins in 1990 which killed the Dianetics campaign. it was done to me in 1989 right after I cracked the “Dianetics Route” (figured out how to get book buyers into orgs and started doing it inexpensively). Then it was done to Manu Spencer when she was running the Scientology Dissemination Campaign in 1998 (successfully selling Fundamentals of Thought, New Slant on Life, and other books in public bookstores) using my TV spots. What Mark says is totally correct.
Mike.. Thanks for posting this and for all the comments. I am a few hours behind you in Hawaii so just getting notice of this article.
Just to make it clear, I don’t have any ill will towards Renee and her reporting. She was operating in a climate that says the group is all, the group will handle all. I believe that she thought by reporting this I would get “handled” and things would be resolved. In a sense she was right, as it started me on the journey out. I wish I could give her the same helping hand.
In fact, my being on the RPF for 2.5 years was much harder on her than on me.
I think the point is that in the face of suppression and the destruction of the subject by Miscavige, our first duty is to flourish and prosper, because that is the ultimate answer across the dynamics. In the course of doing that, if we can reach out and provide a comm line or assistance to those on the inside who need help, as Mike and Marty have so ably done, then we can be most effective.
Just having Mike and Marty communicate about various events filled the vacuum for me and ultimately blew the charge on various incidents. It also gave us all a forum where we can communicate, share our experiences and uncover and expose the falsehoods.
Thanks again for all of your comments. Hope my article can help others.
Best,
Mark
I commented above on Renee reporting you – but I do get what you say about that. it seems that for every person RPFed there is probably at least one other person ARCX. Even other SO may feel responsible for someone elses RPF or even responsible for someone else blowing/escaping/routing out. Its a very tightly wound problem that the RCS cannot see – because of the fear the RCS instills, no one talks. This is the downward spiral in their own house.
I liked what Oracle said too. “What you did will always matter.” Ditto that.
Mark, I am glad to hear you are doing so well. I wish the best for you.
Mark – First, thank you for all you have done to help the peoples of earth. I am but one of them. I can look back and see all the good that was being done, with good intentions, and good results in places like Davis, Berkeley, New York, etc. The 70’s was a very “alive” time in this world. I am very happy you have found that the datum that man is basically good is really true. No need to label as wog, etc. All are part of the 4th dynamic and like it or not they are all part of our ability to live life to its fullest. I am also glad you have found success and happiness in moving onward in your own game of life. I really appreciated all that you wrote and I am certain that it will help others along the path toward truth and honesty. Your picture demonstrates your beingness and it is a good one.
Perfect 🙂
Thanks for this fine writeup, Mark. A lot of people say they were glad to find so many decent people outside the CofS, but you have to be a decent person yourself to recognise them.
Mark,
What a wonderful story… a great demonstration of courage and competence… very inspiring! Makes me reflect on all the wonderful ways my life has changed since leaving the Church, the expansion I’ve experienced on so many levels and all I’m thankful for.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Marsha
Excellent write up. Thank you for sharing. I have shared many of your same realizations after leaving the SO.
Mark, I’m glad to hear having a good time. Not just the vacations but also the charity work. This notion that you have to eliminate your dynamics to clear the planet is absurd. One thing I’m sure of is that if this planet is ever going to get cleared, the people doing the clearing are going to have to be surviving across their dynamics. It’s the only way a person can operate sanely.
On the subject of you getting RPFed for questioning Battle Field Earth, that’s another perfect example of DM’s psychotic management. The people that should have gone to the RPF were the ones that influenced the making of that movie.
Keep up the good work.
“Anyone who tells you it is not safe to look or experience something different is not your friend”
“Trust your own eyes and experience. Don’t let others tell you what you see”.
Mark, these two statements of yours are pure wisdom which applies to all dynamics and to all relationships including one’s relationship to oneself.
Thanks 🙂
Mark,
I LOVE IT when the good guys win.
t took being out of the SO for you to have the opportunity to demonstrate in real life that you are an excellent product of Scientology, and you certainly did that. Scientology is “knowing how to know” Well, you took what you knew and adjusted your environment to yourself. Against many odds you passed your supreme test . That, in my view, is what a real Scientologist DOES. He is ready, willing and able to be, do, and have on any dynamic he chooses on a self determined basis.
Congratulations, and thank you for sharing this with us, it is simply great.
“Know what I found? That the “wogs” I am involved with are as caring as any Scientologist. They might not have all the tech that we do, but it doesn’t stop them from contributing. There is life beyond attending an Int Event, watching a video and then donating. ”
Amen to that.
I wasn’t SO, but after many years on staff I have some reality on what you say.
After getting out of the cult I realized that, in spite of all my training and years on staff, I didn’t have a clue on how to be a real person. I hadn’t a clue what folk were like in real life. I learned fast as most of us do, since we are after all social beings, but it was a shocker. Most people are social, unless they are trapped in a cult that is run by a psychopathic whole track implanter ( hi Dave!).
Now that I am no longer a borderline psychotic I find that all the things I learned on my training are actually useful.
Good on getting out and doing well after getting out.
Thanks for your story, which I believe will give some under-the-radar folk the courage to escape from the black cult that claims to be Scientology.
To David: Get it while you can Dave, it’s gonna dry up fast now.
“Trust your own eyes and experience. Don’t let others tell you what you see.”
+1
Thank you for your story. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mark,
Great great write up and such a beautiful life with now all your dynamics
in full play.
I can fully duplicate how life can seem like an endless vacation after the
SO!
I left Class V org staff in 1995, after 15 grueling years. It was very hard for me to do divisional recruitment as I wouldn’t have signed up my worst enemy for the crap I had to deal with 361 days a year. (Yes, on a good year I got 4 days off!) So, life is indeed an endless vacation since then, and I relish every moment of being free of the schedule and restraints of a lowly staff member who marches to the tune of a largely insane management!
Your write up is great, Mark, and you’re truly deserving of all the benefits you’ve created for yourself.
DAVID! Wake up! You can do BETTER! You are slogging off! I haven’t heard an out PR flap for over a few weeks now! I want you to 5X your stats this year at driving the Church of Scientology into the GUTTER! Wake up and get some new products! I want the Sea Org reduced by another 25% by the end of the year! You are moving too slow! I want to see seven more Orgs closed (um..merged with other Orgs if you will). At LEAST 17 new news casts on your sadism airing on nightly news. And ten more deaths as a result of bad manners and people not being able to care about the person in front of them. Your stats are DOWN so far this year. Get it together! You are not moving fast enough to have Scientology wiped off the face of the Earth in your lifetime! We are depending on you Dave. Maximum destruction and minimum creation! Get moving!
That means YOU, Miscavige. START!
Thanks for posting this Mark. It is so good to know how folks who got out are doing.
“I could not really tell anyone about this, as the staff at Bridge were so excited about the movie’s release. It was like telling a kid that Santa Claus didn’t exist.”
Great line, great story.
Hey Mark,
Thank you for sharing your story and success’!
You wrote: “It is true that coming out of the S.O. with only the clothes on my back, no phone, computer, bank account, car was a bit daunting.”
When you were in the Sea Org, you were there “with only the clothes on your back, no phone, computer, bank account, car ..” Those people are homeless and won’t even admit it. They work 16 hour days plus for the promise of a bed on a nightly bed if they are in good graces. That in itself is enough stress to keep anyone’s ruds out 24/7.
The thing is, you might be surprised of how many people OUTSIDE the Church find themselves in the same position. Starting all over with the clothes on their back and no money in their pocket. People that walk away from marriages or relationships, people that lose their jobs or apartments or homes. Society has so many support systems to help people though. The biggest injustice I have seen is how staff are treated as soon as they want to leave. NOBODY is interested in helping you any more, as if you have NO value and whatever you contributed means NOTHING. There is no place to go but DOWN in the Scientology culture once you leave the Sea Org, as the staff HATE XS.O.. more than “public”. It is a tough decision walking away from something into nothing, and it takes some courage. I think the people that are still there are just lacking in faith in themselves and fell they can only “matter” if they are there.
The thing is, after all of that outflow, from one’s time in the Sea Org, after all of that time of ONLY out flowing and thinking of others, when you step out of that, the red carpet rolls out for you. The inflow can be AMAZING! I KNEW when I left the inflow was going to be AMAZING. And the red carpet rolled out! It was ONLY then that I realized my INFLOW had been BLOCKED in the Sea Org! The staff are never made aware of their INFLOW because all of the money goes to DAVID! If there was profit sharing people would actually have gotten very wealthy in the Sea Org as staff! There is HUGE inflow, wealth and reward, but it is all channeled to David Miscavige!
That is a bummer that your wife turned you in like that. That was a rock slam call. She was rock slamming on you there. I am sure SHE never got handled on that. I think people who suddenly turn on you, actually are rock slamming on you. I am glad you got out of that “marriage”. I think the staff up at Int for the most part are married to David Miscavige. Male and female.
Glad to know you have made the best of things in life. There is a saying, “You can’t keep a good man down.” It is so true.
Thank you for all that you have done to make the world a better place. It will ALWAYS matter.
Brilliant story Mark!
Great story, Mark.
I’m so glad to read you’re out and doing well!
Great story Mark, thanks for sharing.
Life is more interesting and varied on the outside and totally unlike what DM wants those inside to believe that once one is outside one can only “flip burgers at McDonalds”. There is also the aspect of family relations, which DM doesn’t have nor care about.
Hi Mark, please contact me regarding Placerville connection. I’m at quietguy130411@hushmail.com.
I can add two things to this discussion:
1) Renee was the AO person who handled — at least in part — Dr Denk’s memorial service. I met with her one day in the planning stages and told her I wouldn’t be a good person to speak as all I would be able to talk about what “The Crying Towel.”
The Crying Towel had as its primary purpose to dry Gene’s tears, as the name implies. Those tears started when we found out the cancer was inoperable. We didn’t have The Crying Towel then but I stocked up when he came home from the hospital. Those tears would flow so freely at just the slightest provocation. It could be anything; a despairing thought, Harley (our dog) being ultimately cute, excruciating pain, Tiger Woods playing golf, a favorable x-ray report.
When I mentioned this to Renee, she cried and needed The Crying Towel herself. At that time she showed she had a heart, not just an assigned task.
2) Writers of the Future was at Bridge Publications 1986, 1987 and perhaps a bit of 1988 so I was working there was well. One day the Qual auditor (sorry, I cannot remember his name) told me if I would join staff, he would do my NOTS. This is so altered in importance when there was a productive member who needed/wanted his NOTS.
Nice article Mark!
Please write a book – this story needs to be told! good for you for getting out and thriving in spite of it all. Yes, one has to take care of oneself first before one can take care of others…and you did just that. Good job helping people and yes, wogs are fantastic. I have met some of the nicest people outside of the church of scientology . At least there is NO ANGLE with the niceness. IN scientology – the staff initially act like they really care and will do anything to help you but after my money was on account – there was no caring at all. It is hard for scientologist’s still in to really know who cares about them. COB does not care about anyone and that trickles down to the public. If a scientologist calls me – I know they are selling me something. If a wog calls me – they just want to talk or hang out. I love wog land!! It is fun!
Blown SP, you are so right. I found there are some very caring, competent and decent people outside the church, and most are doing very well in life. But my IN Scn friends are judgemental, invalidative and know-best and make-wrongey. And this is even after attesting to Clear and above! So wogs with the weight of their cases impinging on them still manage to grant beingness and strive to help. That says a lot for them and not a lot for corporate Scns. I agree that Mark should write a book. You would sell a lot of them and it would help so many people if you wrote your book.
Wow Mark! What a success story! VVVWD. I am so proud of you. I wish all the SO and Public could read your story. What high havingness to live in Hawaii and travel Europe and have vacations all from the production you do. I know the reference they tried to shove at you when you left… that anyone who leaves the SO is a DB, etc. Well you made good when you had nothing to start with. It puts the rest of us to shame almost. This should be published on all the Indie sites so everyone can see that even at 51 with no money, no car, no job, that you can survive and survive quite well. What kind of work do you do in Hawaii?
What a terrific story. Well done Mark. I so agree that life after the church is rewarding. My biggest wonder was how my “wog” friends treat me with such respect and goodwill and how the church degrades, invalidates, makes wrong and horribly mis-treats it’s own staff. I wondered how could that be? Why would Scientologists talk and treat me with such invalidation when those who have never been in the church grant beingness, give support and much needed ARC. I am very hopeful that these blogs will assure those under the radar that there is life after the church.
Thank you for your story Mark. I am happy you are out and living life!!!
Hi Mark, that was an interesting read, thanks.
Mark – I just love your story. I don’t know you, but I fully get who you are, what you have contributed, and what you sacrificed. My jaw drops that you were RPFed on being reported by your wife, and then for just speaking the plain truth. I am really so glad for you that you are doing so very, very well and on all dynamics. My wish for you (and everyone similarly situated), is that the prosper and flourish keeps on multiplying. I wept when I read Jeff Hawkins account of his treatment on leaving, then Marty’s, then Mike’s…..then the abusive treatment of so many others (Scott Campbell, Mark Fisher) the SP Hole…. and I was ashamed of being associated with the “church” (a misnomer by any standard). Thank you for your write-up. I know it will help a lot of people.
Also just had a look back at your post on Marty’s blog (Mike provided the link above). WOW. I highly recommend a read of that post too.
Another excellent account of life outside of North Kor—er, the Sea Org. Well done, Mark, on creating a life for yourself and others.
I’m loving these stories of “life is good”. Thank you, Mark, for sharing yours. Look forward to writing one of my own.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for sharing. I worked for Renee in Div Six. I remember you well. Like you I found out that after the SO life does indeed exist and one can do quiet nicely. Glad you are well.
Great message, Mark!
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
After 10 years in the S.O., I also was stunned when I got out. While on staff, I had no clue what was going on. I hated the IAS fundraising (just as it was, but also I never saw any LRH that supported it); I was very leery of the rise of, and power bestowed on, RTC; I saw the dwindling freedoms for S.O. members; and I was alarmed by the forbidding of S.O. staff (sans some execs) having cell phones, computers or going to the public library to use the internet. But that just made me less excited — I still had no clue that DM was destroying LRH’s intention. Your point, I thought, is so valid — that extant S.O. staff are by in large very good people with good intentions. Some feel trapped due to family connections; and some are terrified of the “wog” world because they have nothing financially and educationally — I remember a friend of mine, who was an MAA, telling me that she was terrified of the concept of leaving the S.O. — we had been talking about some former friends who had been off-loaded — who did not want to be off-loaded. Talk about a quagmire!!! Somehow David Miscavige MUST be removed.
Thanks Carlismo — it’s nice to have you adding your perspective here!