I have often noted that scientology’s claim about “new churches” is a semantic sleaze to try to fool the bubble-dwellers and outside world alike that they are actually expanding.
They are not.
What they have done is moved existing orgs into new buildings and called them “new churches.” And those new buildings are EMPTY. They have not opened any new organizations in a decade other than one in Dublin for no good reason, though they have shuttered quite a number by “combining” them into one.
Here is a classic example that highlights the foolishness of this “ideal org strategy.”
Scientology is investing millions of dollars to buy a new building for the Perth organization. This has been a chronically small, failing org. Forever.
Now, they are getting all hot and bothered anticipating floods of “new public” that are going to be pouring into the org as a result of conducting Dianetics workshops in INDONESIA!!!
That is 2000 miles away, in a country that speaks a different language.
Why not spend some money to open any sort of organization in Indonesia? If you were actually trying to help people or clear the planet that is what you would do.
Let’s not forget, there have been IAS Freedom Medal winners from Indonesia and endless PR about how “LRH tech” is accepted by the government there and is used in prisons and the educational system and to organize government offices. And now someone is apparently doing Dianetic seminars (though I seem to recall this being touted 20 years ago too).
Indonesia’s population is 10X the entire country of Australia and 100X of the entire state of Western Australia (where Perth is located).
A quick peek at the scientology.org website shows not even a single mission in Indonesia, in fact, it directs the inquiry to the org in Taiwan and a Mission in Bangkok…
Not even a hundred thousand is being spent to establish anything in Indonesia, meanwhile ten million or more is being spent to open a new building for the 100 scientologists in Perth.
What more evidence is needed that the “ideal org strategy” has NOTHING to do with “clearing the planet” or “expanding scientology” — it ONLY has to do with convincing the sheeple that Miscavige is not the Captain of the Titanic.
So poor Perth will now have the franchise for Indonesia? The poor bastards who have to run that part of the scam are the new walking dead. They will never make inroads in Indonesia, not without a well run mission network there. And, as there is no mission network, the whole thing smells scammy.
Why spend millions on Perth? To throw the IRS off the scent? No, the IRS is a toothless kitten at this point. They haven’t the money or the will to investigate Miscavige.
Or do they? $cientologys large coffers are not its Achilles heel. It is the refund policy now in place and the lack of oversight on Miscavige. Those are perhaps the best place to hammer the Clam.
The biggest problem in handing Perth the Indonesia franchise is the lack of Indonesian speakers. I suppose they have a couple of ‘native’ speakers on the hook, and if those speakers get Ka Khan status the pretense may work fine. Fine if you’re writing up for Advance mag or another in house propaganda rag. Everyone else is just going to laugh at the Clampire.
Captain Smith went down on the Titanic, However the CEO of the White Star Line Bruce Ismay, who was on the Titanic survived. The big boss always has to have someone below on the Totem pole to take the blame. Who will Miscavige blame?
The Google trends searches for Scientology in Taiwan are starting to resemble the Japanese ones.Non-e trending.
Taiwan:https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=TW&q=scientology
Japan:https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=JP&q=scientology
Indonesia:https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=JP&q=scientology.
Dianetics does not even show up on Google trends since not enough searches.
I’d love to see his face when he reads “Captain of the Titanic”
Dave turns purple……..
………..
I can’t even deal with the idea of how it is for those Cl V org Staffs, who had been on for years and all though the insanity of getting an ideal building..and then later rattling around lonely in the yuge building…
I was staff for so long, …. it’s painful to think of the stuff that must go through their minds, the dance to keep it together to keep believing, and to not kick up the fuss that gets you golden-rodded out.
Some of my old friends have been staff since the 70’s. I hate to think of how it is for them.
I’m so glad it’s dying out. So glad to find out about the expansion lies!
Its sad to observe people make their own prisons, that’s true, but then that’s what some people do. Like that old saying of leading the horse to water but being unable to make it drink the water. If these people persist in their delusions despite all the clear evidence right in front of them that they’re being lied to, dishonestly used and defrauded of their valuable time and energy – if they just won’t LOOK, what can you do with such people?
I’ve written them off as far as wasting emotion on them is concerned. Help get the truth out there, sure. Help Mike do that, sure. But I’m not doing it with any emotion. People like this can break your heart. Its like being sad about someone being a drug addict. Its a waste of emotion. Help, sure, but stay neutral emotionally. No sense in getting dragged down. That hurts you and doesn’t help them one bit. My 2 cents.
Look, there are plenty of wild horses in the world and they don’t need humans leading them around. They can find their own water just fine, thank you very much.
Personally, I know plenty of aging staff members and they seem trapped, but if they can’t imagine something else making them happier then who am I to judge? Their life works for them. Let them live it and I will live my own life.
“…but if they can’t imagine something else making them happier…” Exactly.
its sad for them, and I’ll help them wake up, and if and/or when they do I’ll help, but FEEL sad myself ? No.
I just “learned” this concept from my cousin’s daughter who’s a physician in the emergency room of a top hospital. What she sees every day – OMG. I’d go out of my mind.
But she does her job, practicing her skills, calm, capable, handling whatever comes her way, caring but emotionally detached. She HAS to be! If she let her emotions take over she’d become a wreck in no time and have to quit. But she is very far from a wreck. She confronts and handles and can mostly help and those she can’t, well…she can’t that’s all. She does her job and then goes home to her husband and 3 daughters and enjoys her life.
And her patients are far better off for her emotional detachment . And btw I’m not saying she’s COLD. No! She’s warm and caring but keeps herself detached, apart, out of necessity, so that she can be effective.
There is explicit policy that calls it an act of Treason to combine orgs.
How do they get around this?
It’s black and white.
I asked that question a few times before I left. Never got a straight answer. Various long term staff, highly admin trained. I knew that they had to know this. They danced around, or just changed the subject. I let them do that because it was obvious to me that they couldn’t refute what was, as you term it “explicit policy”. Written in black and white. Oh, well. Policy be damned, they were and are utterly cowed robots doing precisely what they’re told. I lost respect for them. If for no other reason than loss of respect I was compelled to leave. Respect is something I find hard to fake on any ongoing basis.
The policies are there for “smoke and mirror” effect. Even Hubbard did not follow the policies…criminals don’t follow rules… that is what makes them criminals. Hubbard and Miscavige have no heart – no empathy for others.
When you say “It’s on Black and White” ….can’t you see that blood is covering the policies…their blood….the bubble dwellers get HURT if they try to follow common sense rules.
THAT is Scientology –
Scientologists pretend to follow rules…but break them every day and then pay to go in session to implant “thought stopping”, stop feeling and emoting and justify why they committed crimes that hurt people ….until they have no conscious left.
You are denigrating the Captain of the Titanic. At least he went Down with the ship. I have trouble imagining Dave doing that.
It is one hell of a shame that they rarely actually help people and evolved into this mindfuck and scam of all time. It is my opinion (and I know many of you reading this do not agree) that Scientology could have benefited many, even most people if it had continued toward that purpose. I cannot know if somewhere LRH said to himself, “Fuck it , these people will never dig themselves out of this mess, I may as well see what I can get for myself”. But from what I saw in it there was something workable in some of his technology.
Now I pretty much equate the Church with Nazi Germany. They had tremendous talent but will only be remembered for their barbarous actions in the Holocaust and WWII.
“It is my opinion (and I know many of you reading this do not agree) that Scientology could have benefited many, even most people if it had continued toward that purpose.”
I’ll go on the record as agreeing with that, and everything else you’ve opined in this post, Dead Men.
sure scientology could have benefited many, however you’d have to remove the EP’s of each grade chart action, the L’s and the rest of Hubbard;s rhetoric or persuasion to get one involved.
But if removing the rhetoric and/or hyperbole, why one is left with just something that might help another. Maybe that is what the original “squirrels” were trying to do. Hence you have to call it something else.LOL
But, you know, 1965 KSW, squarely puts Hubbard’s creation of scientology into his game only. And of course, a few years later we have his tech on PTS/SP which puts people with critical thinking skills as an enemy hidden under the guise of evil.
LOL
He’d would decree that everyone is in lower conditions, for this fuck up.
Quite possible.
OSD,
If I may add to your April 16, 2018 at 7:37 pm:
He’d would decree that everyone—- else— is in lower conditions, for this fuck up.
Take a close at “The Life Orientation Course.” It delineates and validates your comment Dude. Or, read closely the Scioland intro to the Key to Life, we’re all at the bottom of the ditch in their opinion. No wonder those two courses are no longer existent, they self consumed. Scio burns the candle at both ends, just like you have to have the good side of an implant for it to work per Hubbard’s tech. They are their own downwards spiral because they help no-one, their claimed products are lies.
The failure to open new orgs, is indeed epic.
If Scientology keeps up the current pace, they will be done turning existing orgs in the US and Europe into “ideal” ones in 4 or 5 years, leaving the question of what Miscavige would do next to keep up the illusion of “expansion.” There are almost no missions left that would be prospects for turning into orgs, as was done in the old days, except for a very small number in major cities such as Houston where Dianetics and Scientology’s haphazard history has left them without orgs – and it’s still open to question as to whether those missions have enough members to support being turned into an org, much less an “ideal” one, unless they got ongoing outside subsidies.
Almost the only thing that seems left to them, that is still a longstanding pattern, is pushing expansion in foreign countries where Scientology has yet to acquire the bad reputation that it inevitably does, and where there might be a chance of some sort of short-term “boom.” Also, as John P. pointed out in an analysis, there’s apparently even more activity in Russia and former Soviet countries, and Taiwan, than we’re aware of.
It occured to me that even groups like the Mormans and JWs allow outsiders a certain amount of access to their Temples and Headquarters. Some religious sites become tourist sites aiding their coffers and local economy. The CoS, not at all successful, in recruiting outsiders operates on the premise “We will not trust any outsider and we will only trust members of CoS and outsiders we manage to cajole into paying for courses.” Then the CoS continues to pull on the teet of an old dried out cow, it’s membership. I would imagine the birthrate among the CoS as a whole is low ir in negative territory. So why is the CoS accumulating all this real estate? Nothing better to do with their money?
Superb comment, A J.
The Church of Scientology is accumulating real estate to protect its tax exemption. It simply has accumulated too much cash, and must start buying assets related to the operation of a religion. So, new buildings.
Scientology’s website states:
“Today, more than 10,000 Scientology Churches, missions, related organizations and affiliated groups minister to millions in 165 countries”
And in a 2013 statement to ABC News, Scientology said
“In recent years we have opened 37 new Churches in major metropolitan areas and cultural centers in a dozen nations.”
Scientology’s own website lists the addresses of only 148 Scientology Churches and 238 Missions (smaller organizations). There are no addresses and phone numbers for any other organizations or groups on their website, and no way to contact any of the supposed 9,614 other organizations they claim exist.
An internet search for “Scientology Organizations” only comes up with the same 386 addresses already listed on their website.
Their website only lists the addresses of organizations in 52 countries, not 165. And 264 of those listed organizations (nearly 70 percent of the total) are in just ten countries.
In a 1992 edition of their encyclopedic book What is Scientology, they list the addresses of 145 Churches of Scientology. Today, they list 148. In other words, according to their own address lists, they have only added three new organizations in the last 25 years.
A 1993 edition of What is Scientology listed the addresses of 236 Missions. A count of the addresses of Scientology Missions on their website in 2015 found 343 listings. Today, that has shrunk back to only 238 listed, a 30% reduction in just two years, and virtually the same number of missions as there were 25 years ago.
Thanks for that reminder of the historical and statistical realities.
Also, only a handful of the 148 “churches” can be shown to have more than 100 truly active members – perhaps somewhat more than that who will show up a couple of times a year for special events – and probably only about a dozen or two of the missions, serve more than a dozen members. The math on 148 churches with an average of 100 members, and another 2,000 members spread throughout the missions, comes to 15,000 active members.
If Scientology had even just two million active members served by those 386 orgs and missions, that would be 5,000 people active at each of them, an order of magnitude greater than the capacity of the huge (but empty) “ideal” orgs – obviously, that’s not happening.
Bravo. This is wonderful reporting.
There is only one ideal org in a hole ex-ussr in Moscow. Some fuzz starts every couple of years about “ideal strategy” for Saint-Petersburg, but now, after 3 org execs are in prison for fraud, I believe it will never materialize. There are no orgs in Kazakhstan, no orgs in Ukraine, no orgs in Belorussia, although from one third to the half of public of Moscow org are from this countries.
Unreal how these people don’t see the real estate scam yet? Boggles the mind.
They are just investing their millions into global real estate. That’s all. It’s smart. Weather anybody is there or not, doesn’t matter…..it doesn’t hurt to invest your tax free millions into expensive tax free real estate. Someone said it’s the most successful real estate scam and their right. And if it “portrays” to the bubble people and a few unknowing people that it’s expanding, well that’s just a side perk, and I’m sure it’s helps keep the non-profit status at the forefront so the IRS think their popular and expanding. I still can’t believe nothing is being done about it.
Scientology is actually running a pretty unsucessful real estate scam, by normal “wog” world measures. They are essentially buying older commercial buildings for the cost of the shell of the structure, and then putting several times that amount into renovating them. COB Miscavige presumably then claims the entire amount “invested” in his “stat” of net assets, which makes him look good on paper. But if they ever tried to sell any of those buildings, the renovations they have done are so specialized, that any prospective new owner would probably look at the building as shell that needed to be gutted and reconfigured for normal business use, and so would want to pay something like half of what Scientology had “invested” in it.
It is a epic scam of sorts, being used to prop up the illusion of Scientology and the legitimacy of Miscavige, and buy time with the IRS, by spending of vast sums of money, but the sad part is that so much of what people have donated at enormous personal cost is being wasted, much of it even before (typically delayed) construction begins. Scientology, for instance, overpaid for a lot of older buildings in need of work at the height of the property bubble, and has now had to sell some of them at a loss, because they turned out to be unsuitable, but were also allowed to decay and lose value before finally being sold off; and almost all the projects have been long enough delayed that they have run up significant carrying costs for the local orgs such as maintenance and taxes. There’s a fair chance that one day, much of Scientology will be liquidated for the benefit of its victims, but a huge amount of what was spent on “ideal” org renovations would be unrecoverable, and regardless, most of the buildings will likely someday be sold off at a huge loss.
“There’s a fair chance that one day, much of Scientology will be liquidated for the benefit of its victims”
At this point there is no legal road to that destination PeaceMaker. Best to concentrate on stripping their tax status rather than hope for currently non-existent remedies.
Wynski, a couple of major lawsuit losses could put Scientology on that road – though indeed, that’s another thing that I’m not going to hold my breath about.
Mostly, I wanted to point out explicitly what an unfortunate waste of money, and loss of value, underlies the Scientology real estate scam. One way or another, there’s a pretty good chance that we’ll see many if not most of those buildings sold off, hopefully with the money to ultimately go for some sort of good, but the structures are probably mostly going to go for fire-sale prices, after many members literally gave up everything to buy and furnish them.
Of course PeaceMaker. BUT, there is currently none on the horizon and every day it gets LESS likely as time runs out for filings. Standing, standing, standing.
Peteer said:”To have so much opportunity and to accomplish so little of value to anyone or anything….now that is a sad story” Not sad for the Dwarfenführer; He set out to steal power;he got it and megabucks to boot. didn’t have to do anything original, just beat a few people up. He’s no sad at all. In fact, if he feels any emotion at all, it’s relief that he’s gotten this far unscathed. So WHAT if the organization he hijacked paid lip service to helping others. it didn’t do anything toward help, other than helping hypnotise and and enslave able folk.
It’s time to build an Ideal Org in Porpoise Spit.
Isn’t this also indicative of Miscavige only being concerned about the English speaking world and the centralization of all int. Comm. Lines to the U.S.? Didn’t Mr. Rinder some time ago mention that Miscavige was very U.S. centric and thus more English centric? The church is not truly international in scope or in range of attention of management……certainly not with a heavy top down centralized management style….unlike the one described by LRH and his schematic.
The others are untermenschen ( sub human) Anyone without money and the willingness to give it to him are sub-human and should be removed from the human race. As Hitler said “No one will question us when we have won.”
Thanks Mike for shinning the light on this fantastic brainwashing scheme! And talk about a “tailor made” subject for a TV Series!
And it has fooled the IRS into believing that these “Churches” are for the benefit of the community.
No, the only benefit is more funds and real estate for the tyrant Miscabage; Titanic or not Titanic!
SILVIA, the IRS just sees that buildings are being opened, which are legally churches, which will hold “community service” events that will benefit society, etc. The IRS doesn’t scrutinize how empty the building are of members. The IRS doesn’t care how many people are going to use these buildings. That they are there for use, built for such use, renovated for such use – that’s all that matters to keep the tax exempt status.
Many, many churches and places of worship have low membership trends these days. Society in general in America is moving AWAY from affiliation with organized religion. This is a decades long trend.
Aqua, I think at some point before too much longer, the IRS is going to ask tough questions about how the buildings are really being utilized – I suspect they feel that they have to give Miscavige enough rope to hang himself, so to speak, and let the “ideal” org charade play out long enough that there’s no plausible argument to be made that the buildings will ever start to really be utilized. Scientology, besides its business characteristics, is starting to take on more the character of a private club engaging in token charitable projects (which could qualify for a restrictive non-profit status), than a religious institution truly serving the public, and I think that the day of reckoning on that and other accounts is approaching.
Other, responsible groups make rational decisions to downsize property holdings when they no longer make sense financially and logistically. Out one of the many things that will probably be unprecedented about what comes to pass with Scientology and its vast assets, is that such rationality may have to be imposed on them.
“…the IRS is going to ask tough questions…” As the saying goes, “Your mouth to God’s ears”, Peacemaker.
From an emotional standpoint I’m with you on all you’ve said as I tend to be an optimistic type while at the same forcing myself to stay strictly neutral about the outcome that I want. Sounds schizophrenic, huh? Well…:)
The IRS doesn’t have enough resources to go after Scientology.
Indeed, I’m not holding my breath waiting for IRS action.
However, at some point Scientology’s situation of wealth and membership will become so bizarrely out of proportion – and relatively well publicized – and the CofS will be weakened enough, that something is likely to happen.
I’m not sure that the IRS has to “go after” Scientology so much as to take some strategic, “small bite” action such as downgrading the non-profit status of one or more of the corporate entities just to a lesser category – there are even some “religious” ones below the level of “church,” including for religious communities – with more restrictions and more reporting requirements. If Scientology challenged that, the IRS could then counter by asking them for evidence that the downgrade wasn’t justified, such as, at least on a one-time basis, to reveal what their membership and service delivery numbers actually were, to demonstrate whether there was some justifiable utilization of all the facilities.
No, they won’t touch the “church” designation. They will, if anything, do as you say about getting rid of non-profit status for various corp’s. Small fines will go with it but no real retroactive taxation.
By that point it will not really be relevant as so little new income will be flowing in it won’t seriously effect the overall financial situation.
The bigger tax hit will come from State/City level with property tax being required on all of their white elephant buildings in commercial zoned areas..
I would like to see a side by side comparison of the “growth” and the “income”.. real numbers
Okay folks, time to submit your predictions on how EXACTLY the CoS will unwind and what DM will do & why.
I think it will just devolve into a few hundred die hard staff & public strung along by DM while he lives as a potentate in a foreign country or island.
It will unwind…slowly. And Miscavige will start to lose his hair.
Ok Wyn. I’ll bite!
I say Dave will follow the playbook of the master con himself. Watch for an upgrade to the freakywinds which will include lavish quarters for you know who.
Then due to the incredible success of SuMP and the massively expanding cherch, Dave will find it necessary to relocate to an area where he can concentrate on assembling the Oh Tea nine and ten data for the faithful. (The renovation of the capsized Cunnard Lines cruise ship is a likely candidate.)
All of this will be required because the fact that the cherch is winning across all fronts on the planet, the Ess Pees (that would be those of us on this blog Dave ….. at minimum) have come out of the woodwork and have vowed to wreck the planet to keep those final upper levels from being released.
Dave has decided to take the bull by the horns and finally do something about it to put an end, once and forever to any risk to His Cult. Only the faithful will be allowed on His new ship which should be able to carry 2 or 3k where they will receive the final processes to achieve immortality and cast off the burden of managing their own finances.
Faithful See Orge staff and dedicated public only allowed. Public will be required to place a prepaid donation of $1,000,000 for room and bored and another $1,000,000 pledge for the levels when they are released. Throw in another 500K for the sec check!
All other cherch property will be sold off and invested in an airline service and surveillance drones to deliver and protect the faithful to their final floating destination.
Yo Dave,
How did I do good buddy?
My father told me that he would get a U boat (submarine) and sink that ship. (The Freewinds) To which I replied “Do you need an engineer for your U boat? (I was the Repair Chief on the Freewinds for 16 years. Since my father is dead now, and I was responsible for keeping it afloat for 16 years, it is my responsibility for making amends for my overt. I am open to any suggestions. I will keep all of them confidential so that none of you can get in trouble. As the Repair Chief, I could think of a number of ways to sink the ship. The lifeboats will carry the people away so no-one will be harmed. I could not allow that. As the only time we know that DM will be aboard is Maiden Voyage Anniversary; that seems to be the time to do it. As I was on the original MV, I would like to be honored with being on the last one. This would be done in honor of my several good friends and shipmates on the Freewinds who have met an early demise; as I very close to did likewise on several occasions. All I want is “NO MORE”. I will leave the fate of DM to you. (To be continued).
HiIf OSA has me arrested or blown away it is of little consequence. LRH said that a cure which saves a hundred people and kills one is a good cure. You are good people out there on Mike’s blog. The vast majority of the people on the ship are good people. The majority of people in Scn are good people. If there is anything I can do to help all of you good people I want to do that.
The Captain Freewinds told my then wife that I was going to die in 2002. This was at the same time the ship execs (don’t know who exactly) made sure that I would not get any real medical care for my AIDS I got from blood products in Curacao, the Freewinds home port. Since I must already be dead it is of little consequence if I am killed again.I have medical test results which prove all of this. Unfortunately, like most of you, I did not act untill the statute of limitations was up. I have some heart trouble in PT and realize that although I have been lucky (good and bad) that I cannot expect this body to live forever. I would like to help make a difference before the doctors say that I am really dead.
I just saw that this comment is on the blog twice. I only typed it once and this one can be removed.
If OSA has me arrested or blown away it is of little consequence. LRH said that a cure which saves a hundred people and kills one is a good cure. You are good people out there on Mike’s blog. The vast majority of the people on the ship are good people. The majority of people in Scn are good people. If there is anything I can do to help all of you good people I want to do that.
The Captain Freewinds told my then wife that I was going to die in 2002. This was at the same time the ship execs (don’t know who exactly) made sure that I would not get any real medical care for my AIDS I got from blood products in Curacao, the Freewinds home port. I have medical test results which prove all of this. Unfortunately, like most of you, I did not act untill the statute of limitations was up. I have some heart trouble in PT and realize that although I have been lucky (good and bad) that I cannot expect this body to live forever. I would like to help make a difference before the doctors say that I am really dead.
My vote is for it already having unwound, only inertia keeping the rotten body upright(sorta). Eventually, Ms Cabbage will do a “Creston”, though probably on an “Ideal” dive boat (1,000 feet long + 500 crew/servants just for hisself.) somewhere where extradition is non-existant and Americans SO hated that US FBI or state police can’t operate. How are we to know he hasn’t already done it? Has ANYbody here SEEN Dwarfenführer in the flesh in the past decade?
Wynski, I agree on all, and I’ll just expand on your detail about Miscavige going off to live as a “potentate in a foreign country or island” by opining that the shore story for this will be the necessity for him to supervise research and compilation for the upper OT Levels, and the necessity of doing same “off the lines”.
Yes, for this, “off the lines” COB will have to go because the SUPPRESSION he faces on a daily/hourly basis – suppression due to all the amazing expansion of Scientology, of course – well, what he endures in the normal course of his job would be just too much for this vital work, and to keep his promise to LRH, etc. etc. etc.
I also envision a mega event wherein Miscavige announces this to the Sheeple.
Imo its hard to believe the SO population hasn’t already got down to an inoperable level where the CoS just closes its doors … no one home, gone fishing ?
It ends by running out of money. Might sound unlikely today, but that is how all Ponzi schemes end.
But Robert, is that realistic, that the cult will run out of money? Certainly, along with money, it needs people, wouldn’t you say? In other words, “last one out turn off the lights” type of thing?
Not trying to be right about this, just to understand. Seems like they’re running out of people at a brisk pace but unlikely to run out of money.
Other than leaving the country, he is about there.
I think he should stop being referred to by COB. The title reinforces some level of legitimacy. ‘Reclusive leader Miscavige’ and similar terms should be applied, pointing out his odd and negative behaviors.
Dadorkenfuhrer buys himself a wedding dress, announces he’s going to marry Tom and they will move to a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US and all the money and property will be incorporated in some offshore tax haven.
Prediction?
Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of the church of scientology, imprisoned for tax fraud, real estate fraud, human rights abuses, and thuggish physical assault.
Wynski, as improbable as it may seem, one possibility is that things just continue on their path of slow decline, with Miscavige at the head of a Scientology that is increasingly a shadow of its former self, until the end of his life, and many of us not even around to see what comes afterwards. Scientology’s reserves could keep the orgs open with skeleton staffs, supplemented by hired security guards at the doors, and lawyers could continue to fend off challenges including any government action.
The more likely scenario is that some combination of internal and external events and forces, will bring about situations that, if history is any guide, will inevitably be surprising. We can’t really foresee or predict those, except that my guess is that Miscavige, being enamored of power and knowing nothing else, if not even believing in some part of it, will hang on until the bitter end.
PeaceMaker. I agree
Boggles the mind. Seems like Miscavige would want to tap into Indonesian wealth by setting up an organization there. Perhaps the 90 percent of Indonesians who are Muslim would not welcome a “religion” that ultimately denigrates other religions.
I agree though — It’s all for show so trying to make sense of it beyond that is futile.
I saw Mormons church and Jehovas witnesses temple in Jogyakarta, so COB can at least purchase some fancy building and put some staff in there.
I’m still trying to get my mind around the audacity of this field briefing.
After playing with Google maps, an equivalent would be like me presenting to my church how a study group I have started in El Salvador would increase their Sunday service size in San Antonio, Texas.
To make it anywhere close to the Indonesia/Perth level of separation, I would need to trench out the entirety of Mexico and make it open ocean. Or maybe build a wall…
I might be able to sell a group of 10 year olds on it, if I removed all maps from the room.
Mike, I love reading your site every morning and contributing a bit now and then. Today’s piece, like many before correctly describes the eventual disappearance of the whole scam. Made me wonder, and sadly so, what I’ll read every morning afterwards. 🙁
I envision beautiful stories of families reconnecting in the days after COS fades into the past.
And/Or, a new crusade to motivate the justice system to destroy the Titanium Plates of BS safely buried in their underground vault. To protect the humans of the future. ??
Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world . I kinda doubt there will ever be any enthusiasm for a Church of Scientology … but hey, what do I know …
I think you are perfectly correct, Joe.
Especially when they discover that Muhammad was actually “a small-town booster” from “Kansas, Middle-East” who “mocked up” Islam because “trade wasn’t good in his hometown.” ?
When you spend time with Indonesians you find they generally have a relaxed view of religion willing to adopt bits of more than one. Although a predominantly tolerant people there has been strife between some religions and sects. The historic religion is polytheistic animism and if you scratch the surface of many Muslims or Christians or Hindus there you find animism still in the background. In many remote areas animism is still strong. That’s despite monotheism being the umbrella for the six official Indonesian religions. Most of the adopted religions were brought by traders or settlers. In the 200s AD Hinduism arrived (from India) followed closely by Buddhism. They co-existed for centuries through various kingdoms and courts with the Island of Bali being the main Hindu area remaining. Muslim traders also arrived early and some rich traders married into the ruling families. But Islam did not sweep through until the Arab missionary zeal of the 1500s converted most holding the Dharmic faiths. Although the Indonesian peoples are predominanlty (Sunni) Muslim, Islam is not the official state religion. With a few exceptions Indonesians are less orthodox or fundamentalist Muslims than in the Pan Arabic areas. Pockets of Catholicism and Protestantism exist where the Portuguese and Dutch landed mainly to take advantage of the spice trade.
So are Perth Scientologists going to arrive in Indonesia and settle? Will Scientology take its place as the next worldwide religion to sweep through? Watch this space but don’t bet on it. As Joe says “I kinda doubt there will ever be any enthusiasm for a Church of Scientology” The other factor is that Indonesia is a poor country so the pickins are slim for Davie’s scam.
Ah, Mike, you keep trying to spoil the Miscavige Game: “Leading the Ignorant Into Nirvana”, also known as “How High Can I Grow My Pompadour?” In truth, I feel a lot of sadness for the life of Miscavige. To have so much opportunity and to accomplish so little of value to anyone or anything….now that is a sad story.
That’s because he’s a sad little man.
You feel sorry for Miscavige, Peter.
Spoken like a true Social Personality which is Scn Speak for basically decent honest person who can sometimes act badly.
Miscavige is a sociopath. A suppressive, in Scn lingo.
As such, his goals and purposes are totally opposite to what any normal person would expect, indeed, to what any normal person would even imagine.
As a sociopath he has accomplished a GREAT DEAL.
He has amassed an enormous amount of money which helps no one except himself.
His money is used to ruin his people in every way possible. He has made many, many people extremely unhappy, confused and poor.
He has killed people or let them die when they tried to stop him.
He controls his group UTTERLY, and can make this group do things they don’t want to do , don’t need to do, things that are in fact UTTERLY against their own interests;
He has accomplished much, Peter. If you look from the viewpoint of a sociopath, his life has been of great value and he’s done great things.