Programming note: Regraded Being will return next week,. Given the events of yesterday with the end of the Masterson Preliminary Hearing (and the news he is going to face trial) I felt it was important to keep that post available.
Scientology mouthpiece in Clearwater, Pat Harney, was scheduled to give the Invocation at the Clearwater City Council meeting this week. It is part of a rotational system where different faiths are invited to do their thing.
Of course, Pat was at a disadvantage as scientologists don’t pray. They don’t have any set belief in God, and they certainly don’t ask God for things. It’s just not part of the scientology “technology.”
So, she did what every scientologist would do: read some platitudes from L. Ron Hubbard. Of course she didn’t choose anything controversial, no recounting of the Xenu story with DC8’s and people dropped into volcanos 75 million years ago — that would have been entertaining. Nor any of Hubbard’s thoughts on government which might have been more relevant, but not popular, as his views of elected officials and government agencies are grim.
No, she chose to recite (verbatim) sections from Hubbard’s essay entitled “What is Greatness.”
Oh, the irony of the representative of an organization known for its written policies to destroy its enemies spouting Hubbard about “loving your enemies.”
Councilman Bunker had a response at the end of the session where he read Hubbard’s policy on Fair Game.
Here is the full text of “What is Greatness” from 1966… this was the era of ethics, the recent announcement of Suppressive Acts and shortly before he put Fair Game into the scientology jargon in 1967. So typically Hubbard:
What Is Greatness?
The hardest task one can have is to continue to love his fellows despite all reasons he should not.
And the true sign of sanity and greatness is to so continue.
For the one who can achieve this, there is abundant hope.
For those who cannot, there is only sorrow, hatred and despair. And these are not the things of which greatness—or sanity or happiness are made.
A primary trap is to succumb to invitations to hate.
There are those who appoint one their executioners. Sometimes, for the sake of safety of others, it is necessary to act. But it is not necessary to also hate them.
To do one’s task without becoming furious at others who seek to prevent one is a mark of greatness—and sanity. And only then can one be happy.
Seeking to achieve any single desirable quality in life is a noble thing. The one most difficult—and most necessary—to achieve is to love one’s fellows despite all invitations to do otherwise.
If there is any saintly quality, it is not to forgive. “Forgiveness” accepts the badness of the act. There is no reason to accept it. Further, one has to label the act as bad to forgive it. “Forgiveness” is a much lower-level action and is rather censorious.
True greatness merely refuses to change in the face of bad actions against one—and a truly great person loves his fellows because he understands them.
After all, they are all in the same trap. Some are oblivious of it, some have gone mad because of it, some act like those who betrayed them. But all, all are in the same trap—the generals, the street sweepers, the presidents, the insane. They act the way they do because they are all subject to the same cruel pressures of this universe.
Some of us are subject to those pressures and still go on doing our jobs. Others have long since succumbed and rave and torture and strut like the demented souls they are.
We can at least understand the one fact that greatness does not stem from savage wars or being known. It stems from being true to one’s own decency, from going on helping others whatever they do or think or say and despite all savage acts against one, to persevere without changing one’s basic attitude toward Man.
To that degree, true greatness depends on total wisdom. They act as they do because they are what they are—trapped beings, crushed beneath an intolerable burden. And if they have gone mad for it and command the devastation of whole nations in errors of explanation, still, one can understand why and can understand as well the extent of their madness. Why should one change and begin to hate just because others have lost themselves and their own destinies are too cruel for them to face?
Justice, mercy, forgiveness, all are unimportant beside the ability not to change because of provocation or demands to do so.
One must act, one must preserve order and decency. But one need not hate or seek vengeance.
It is true that beings are frail and commit wrongs. Man is basically good, but Man can act badly.
He only acts badly when his acts, done for order and the safety for others, are done with hatred. Or when his disciplines are founded only upon safety for himself regardless of all others; or worse, when he acts only out of a taste for cruelty.
To preserve no order at all is an insane act. One need only look at the possessions and environment of the insane to realize this. The able keep good order.
When cruelty in the name of discipline dominates a race, that race has been taught to hate. And that race is doomed.
The real lesson is to learn to love.
He who would walk scatheless through his days must learn this—never use what is done to one as a basis for hatred. Never desire revenge.
It requires real strength to love Man. And to love him despite all invitations to do otherwise, all provocations and all reasons why one should not.
Happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. To hate alone is the road to disaster. To love is the road to strength. To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.
Such hypocrisy.
It is the sort of thing Hubbard engaged in routinely. Producing lofty “humanitarian” statements that are quoted over and over as if they represent what scientology is about. A collection of “Do as I say, not as I do” pieces. Another famous one he penned is entitled “My Philosophy” where he says “the work was free, keep it so.” Yet there is nothing free in scientology. Hubbard also decreed, and this IS followed, that to give anything away without being paid is “out-exchange” and harms the person who receives it. And that no service in scientology may be delivered without payment IN FULL and in advance. The contradictions are legion.
What is Greatness is one of the most blatant. If it really is something scientologists live by then Hubbard failed his own test with his numerous writings to harass, discredit and destroy his enemies.
No doubt the City fears the screams of scientology claiming bigotry and discrimination if they were not included in the roster of local faiths to give the invocation. The City has no obligation to invite or not invite anyone. And especially if the people they invite don’t believe in the practice they are inviting them to participate in — but instead show up to spout words of their leader, offered with a meek “Amen” at the conclusion. Maybe it’s time for the City to rethink its policy, scientology squawks be damned.
Mark’s remarks at the end were utterly perfect and I’m sure they really pissed off the $cientologists, seeing that they’re hypocrites and all.
Ok ok ok…………….so now you’ve got me wondering…………since “They don’t have any set belief in God”,…..when they are angry just WHAT do they say………………..
“XENU DAMNIT”……………………..
as an under schooled “never in”………..I’m curious but NOT COS curious……
I find that you have to catch the weasel-wording and watch carefully for the crafty qualifications in Hubbard’s pontifications like this, in order to see what he really means and where he’s coming from. Looking carefully we can see Hubbard’s and Scientology’s ugly, end-justifies-the-means, might-makes-right worldview poking out between the cracks, for example:
“There are those who appoint one their executioners. Sometimes, for the sake of safety of others, it is necessary to act.”
“If there is any saintly quality, it is not to forgive. ”
“Justice, mercy, forgiveness, all are unimportant”
And when he writes about “love” I think it is with the cynical twist of a sadist or psychopath, “this is going to hurt me more than it is you” and “I’m doing this for your own good” style – it does not preclude cruelty and vengeance, as we would normally assume. As he puts it in another of his cynically qualified “codes,” “never fear to hurt another in a just cause.”
I think this is just intended to bamboozle the “wogs,” and signal followers who understand the subtext to carry on with his policies about “fair game,” “attack, never defend,” “never forget it, always even the score,” and so on.
That fair game policy has got to be the biggest achilles heal and double edged sword I’ve ever seen.
How many “SPs” do you think would need to be declared before Scientology starts to bleed itself dry?
Attack, attack, attack is not a good strategy when your enemy targets number in the millions. Just a thought.
Is anyone here aware; the loopholes of the slander and defamation laws? Observe.
Scientology, is literally a species of ugly and smelly fish, found in puddles of mud, on the moon called Europa!
That statement, is not slander or defamation. It’s certainly not true, but no rational person would ever believe it to be true. The point is, there are so many many ways to impressionisticly speak ill of someone, in ways that get the spirit of your point across, without being slander or defamation.
David Miscavige is actually just the larval form of a parasite commonly found in the excrement of woolly mammoths. How do I know? Well… I am a Woolly Mammoth!
To be clear; I completely believe Mike Rinder.
I hope Mike, you have forgiven yourself for what you were made to do when you were a member. You seem to be doing a good job of redeeming yourself.
Keep doing what you are doing. Speak the truth until blue in the face and then speak it some more.
The problem with Scientology is L. Ron Hubbard’s orders he’s left them constrained following to the letter or face the penalty system he’s left them to penalise themselves for failing to follow his policies.
https://watchfulnavigator.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/osa-nw-orders.pdf
Keeping Scientology Working keeps them suffering to fail making his policies and his quackery “work.”
They are stuck in a devastating predicament by Hubbard’s orders to them.
This is why I think deep outside academic (like University of Florida would be perfectly relevant) study of Scientology in their back yard is in order!
Chuck, could you identify what you think are a few of the key policies for laypeople to read in that, in order to get an idea of what Scientology is really up to? It’s a long slog that few except some diehard critics and an even tinier number of academics are likely to work through.
Average readers need some sort of guide to the most salient parts.. Thanks for the link to it, though.
Keeping Scientology Working policy writing
The Business of Orgs
The Grade Chart (with annotations of what steps are pseudo-therapy, and what steps are exorcism noted by each one)
That’s the most important. Outsiders (and long term members) have never just boiled it down to what Scientology is, it is quackery pseudo-therapy and quackery exorcism.
The whole “Grade Chart” is the stepladder of pseudo-therapy and exorcism.
The “tech” of Scientology is the quackery.
——————
Everything Hubbard wrote for Scientology staffs and members, has to do with getting the followers to DO the steps of the quackery and exorcism.
——————
The OSA writings by Hubbard, give some of Hubbard’s grandest secret strategic thinking, the leaked pack of OSA writings can be thumbed through.
They will warp your brain as you adopt Hubbard’s warped rational. The OSA writings all based on Hubbard’s writings for the zone OSA today carries out, tie into making Scientology “indispensable” to society.
https://watchfulnavigator.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/osa-nw-orders.pdf
——————-
The above top refs are the problem.
Hubbard was a megalomaniac for real.
Keeping Scientology Working is the most important writing.
Then translating the “Grade Chart” stepladder, and understanding the pseudo-therapy steps, and the exorcism steps, and understanding that all this pseudo-therapy and exorcism is quackery, then remember Hubbard’s attitude about all his quackery as he defends it in Keeping Scientology Working.
It’s a massive self crippling quackery operation.
I assume, after years of scientology watching, that Pat Harvey is the Karin Pouw of Flag Land Bass….🎸
Right you are. Though Pat Harney is still seen in public on occasion.
https://watchfulnavigator.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/osa-nw-orders.pdf
The OSA Network Orders from an early 2000s era pack from OSA are good to refresh why Scientology has problems.
The problems of Scientology are self created.
Hubbard wrote their problem causing script and leaves them really bad options.
Hubbard just adds false self praise and hype to cover over Hubbard’s flawed policy options.
Hubbard disallows them solve their problems with “wog” wisdom. Yet that is what Scientology needs. Outside wiser minds to Hubbard’s are needed to reform Scientology.
But always, how can you reform Scientology away from snipe hunting for Xenu’s earth deposit of body-thetans. Scientology is a massive long exorcism solution to humans’ problems consisting of the “upper levels” called OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Hubbard’s Scientology is this snipe hunting for Xenu’s body-thetans deposited here on earth 75 million years ago. That cat is out of the bag.
How can any reform fix the fact that the public today has the option to read freely what Scientology’s exorcism OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 official quackery stepladder consists of?
Scientology is futilely destined for decline now that their beliefs are widely known and summarised.
Who wishes to do the five lengthy exorcism of “body-thetans” levels of Scientology on OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7?
I urge citizens of Clearwater to read L. Ron Hubbard’s secret policies to OSA to see what the city is up against.
https://watchfulnavigator.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/osa-nw-orders.pdf
“When cruelty in the name of discipline dominates a race, that race has been taught to hate. And that race is doomed.”
Anyone heard of the RPF? IMO, that was the most specific evidence of scientology’s impending doom, according to Hubbard’s own “teachings”.I always saw “what is Greatness” as one of Ron’s ‘do as I say, not as I do’. platitudes, those things he, and scientology, had no intention or desire to live up to. They SOUNDED good. That was what was important. Image above substance. In real Life, Hubbard hated many many people for trivial ‘transgressions’ like thinking for themselves like it says elsewhere in his sayings all had to know.
O/T. Scientology Patron Meritorious Joy Villa attacks Demi Lovato for saying they (Lovato) are nonbinary and changing their pronouns.
In response to Lovato’s announcement, Villa said:
https://twitter.com/Joy_Villa/status/1395081114776080384
“It’s almost as if the left has invented the best, most confusing way to become a victim.”
Villa bills herself as being a champion of gay and lesbian people. However, I’ve found her to be consistently hostile to transsexual and now nonbinary people.
Memorialized with screenshots on ESMBR, Instagram and WWP at:
https://exscn2.net/threads/scientology-patron-meritorious-joy-villa-attacks-demi-lovato-for-saying-they-lovato-are-nonbinary-and-changing-their-pronouns.3209/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPIxtNrpZ0o/
https://whyweprotest.net/threads/scientology-patron-meritorious-joy-villa-attacks-demi-lovato-for-saying-they-lovato-are-nonbinary.136768/
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It’s perfectly reasonable to criticise “non binary” ideology.
The idea that gender is entirely a social construct is so patently absurd and unscientific it deserves widespread ridicule.
This may be an unpopular question but why is there an invocation at ALL? City Council meetings are, to the best of my knowledge, a strictly secular activity and offering prayers to various deities seems to violate the secular nature of it.
Or am I wrong?
Seems right to me too, but the separation of church and state in this country is often not apparent…
FWIW, the legal doctrine that justifies this in the face of the Establishment Clause is Ceremonial Deism. The Wikipedia article on Ceremonial Deism explains in part:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_deism
* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * *
Ceremonial deism is a legal term used in the United States to designate governmental religious references and practices deemed to be mere ritual and non-religious through long customary usage. Proposed examples of ceremonial deism include the reference to God introduced into the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, the phrase “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency, and the Ohio state motto, “With God, all things are possible”.
The term was coined in 1962 by the then-dean of Yale Law School, Eugene Rostow, and has been used since 1984 by the Supreme Court of the United States to assess exemptions from the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
* * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *
Specifically, the Pew Research Center notes:
On Ceremonial Occasions, May the Government Invoke a Deity?
https://www.pewforum.org/2008/08/28/on-ceremonial-occasions-may-the-government-invoke-a-deity/
* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * *
For example, in Marsh v. Chambers (1983), the Supreme Court held that the widespread practice of opening a legislative session with a prayer does not violate the Establishment Clause. In its ruling, the court explained that legislative prayer has become “part of the fabric of our society” through its “unambiguous and unbroken history of more than 200 years.” This long history, the court reasoned, demonstrates that legislative prayer poses no real threat of establishing religion.
* * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *
IIRC (I don’t have time right now to research this part), one general requirement to satisfy the Ceremonial Deism exception, and to avoid an Equal Protection Clause challenge, is that all applicant religions must be treated equally. That is, if a Christian minister is permitted to deliver an opening legislative prayer, then a Jewish Rabbi, a Muslim Imam, and a Scientology minister must also be permitted todeliver an opening legislative prayer if they apply. The Church of Scientology is quite adept of taking advantage of this requirement.
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ISNOINews:
Thanks for that information!
There is no prohibition against it Scott. Therefore it is not right nor wrong. It is up to people who elect the city council to decide. In the USA the only prohibition is that Congress may not make any laws regarding the establishment of religion. There is nothing else in the constitution regarding the subject
I understand the limitations and the restrictions of the Establishment clause just fine, my question is why they feel the need to start off with a religious interlude at all. City politics, being what they are, are often contentious enough without throwing religion in the mix.
Scott, as they are politicians, they feel that it appeals to their constituents. Do you really think they would do it if they thought it would piss off the people who vote for them?????????
“Another famous one he penned is entitled “My Philosophy” where he says “the work was free, keep it so.” Yet there is nothing free in scientology.”
Work is still free, staff pay is not really a thing. At least they don’t subscribe to the notion that “work sets you free”.
Hubbard insults and belittles and denigrates Christians, Muslims, Jews, Blacks, Women, Chinese, psychiatrists, psychologists, police, bankers, members of the military, members of any intelligence service, doctors, homosexuals, communists, socialists, politicians in democracies…
His blatherings and bloviations about love and freedom of speech and freedom of religion and an abiding hope for a sane world are all “cover stories and misdirectors”, meaning they are all steaming piles of stinky bullshit and just a p.r. front. Scientology and scientologists look down on you degraded, reactive, banky, out-ethics non-scientologists and KNOW, with thetanic certainty, that their sacred mission to save the universe trumps “wog” laws and that the aforementioned end justifies ANY means they employ to manifest it, period. PERIOD.
Lying is the sacrament they fastidiously observe to cloak their policy-driven, master-race fuckery, criminality, and basic, B flat EVIL.
Nicely done, Mark Bunker, to calmly offer the FAIR GAME policy as a rebuttal to “Reverend” Pat Blarney’s, (David’s Token Totem ;goddamned right, I went THERE!) covertly hostile reading of WHAT IS GREATNESS.
How do I REALLY FEEL?
Phuck Pat and Phuck Dave!
And to the great criminal El Con, I offer a hearty, sincere, double-middle-finger salute!
In the name of the Grift, the Greed, and the Gang Bang Sec Check…
Ramen!
Mark, have you ever read the Hubbard “OSA Network Orders?”
They are so problematic but do explain the crippled mindset of why “management” of Scientology, even Miscavige who has decimated “Int Management” can’t do much.
https://watchfulnavigator.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/osa-nw-orders.pdf
The problems of Scientology are L. Ron Hubbard caused.
These writings to the old Guardian’s Office and some a little later in history, are devastating proof why Scientology won’t be able to fix itself.
OSA Network Order 4 just orders them not to use “wog” wisdom/knowledge to fix their problems, but that is exactly what Scientology needs. They need to use outside world wisdom to reform themselves.
Maaaaan, thank you for that!!!
No, I have not read those, but I will !
The chapter titles alone speak volumes!
It’s “scripture”🤤😕🤔!
OFFICE OF SPECIAL AFFAIRS
i
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i
Section:
OSA GENERAL
NW Order: 1 PURPOSE OF DEPARTMENT 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
NW Order: 2 REPUTATION OF SCIENTOLOGY AND LRH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
NW Order: 3 PTS-NESS ON EXTERNAL LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
NW Order: 4 WHY FOR THE GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NW Order: 5 SUPERIOR ORGANIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . 13
NW Order: 6 OUR WAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
NW Order: 7 THE MECHANISM OF ATTACK AND DEFENSE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
NW Order: 8 SHIFT OF AXIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
NW Order: 9 A WORKABLE DEFINITION OF WAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
NW Order: 9-1 FORMULA FOR WINNING A WAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
NW Order: 9-2 THE STRATEGY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
NW Order: 10 ENEMY MISTAKES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
NW Order: 11 INTERNATIONAL ATTACKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
NW Order: 12 OUTLINE OF FACTORS IN ATTACK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
NW Order: 13 ANTI-SCIENTOLOGY ACTIVITIES:
INTELLIGENCE TRENDS AND PURPOSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
NW Order: 14 PSYCHIATRY’S FALSE PRETENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
NW Order: 15 THE UNITED NATIONS AND PSYCHIATRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
NW Order: 16 ENEMY ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
NW Order: 17 A REASON PSYCHIATRIC FRONT GROUPS
ATTACK SCIENTOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
NW Order: 18 THE UK ORGANIZATION OF THE WORLD
FEDERATION OF MENTAL HEALTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Mark, you have a way with words.
Pat Harney reading Hubbard’s hypocritical PR-stunt “What is Greatness” could only be topped by having it read by the abusive leader of Scientology, David Miscavige himself.
“When cruelty in the name of discipline dominates a race, that race has been taught to hate. And that race is doomed.”
(Regarding to this, although not being a race but just a cult in which cruelty is perpetrated on a regular basis, the Church of Scientology itself is doomed.)
What a cynicism considering the cruelty perpetrated by David Miscavige and in the Church of Scientology!
Here just some examples of “What is Greatness” practiced by the Church of Scientology’s leader David Miscavige himself:
– “The Hole” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hole_(Scientology)
– “Musical Chairs – INT Base style” – http://www.xenu-directory.net/accounts/blownforgood.html#Musical_chairs_INT_Base_style
– “RTC divorce and family break-up list – Scientology breaks up familes starting at the top and then works their way down” – http://www.xenu-directory.net/accounts/blownforgood.html#RTC_divorce_and_family_break-up_list
Just google: “David Miscavige abuses” …. and “Scientology disconnection”.
Wise Beard Man made sure that not only is this LRH twaddle invocation properly earmarked, but it’s on the record, as well…a beloved Warrior for Truth!
“Fair Game” became part of Scientology lexicon in March 1965.
“Pink legs” in 1967.
It does give me a chance to respond so there is some positive to Scientology’s involvement.
High Five Mark!
Hopefully, Biden will take away their bullets. They only aim them at their own feet.
A reading assignment, at citizens’ leisure, would be to read L. Ron Hubbard’s content ideas within the “OSA Network Orders.”
Long range, the future Scientology “leaders” have more automatic allegiance to Hubbard’s orders to them vs outside world wisdom and advice to them.
OSA Network Order No. 4 is devastating evidence of the long range problems the movement is stuck with.
https://watchfulnavigator.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/osa-nw-orders.pdf
Great response Mark Bunker, it really set the records straight and so well said.
The ONLY thing Pat Harney’s “speech” invoked in me was the urge to vomit.
Mike, I totally agree that scientology should not be included in the rotation for invocations after City Council meetings. You and many others have made it known that prayer is not in the policies and practices penned by L. Ron Hubbard. For this reason, I was offended as I watched the clip posted by Mark Bunker. This was not a prayer but a rant & fair game directed at Mr. Bunker.
Scientology continues to show its true colors through actions and non-answers to questions. They are sinking their own ship, pun intended.