Of course, following the Masterson conviction, scientology put out a statement about how they have been subjected to “prejudice” and “bigotry.” Here it is, in all it’s holier-than-thou sliminess, and their usual outright lies.
The prosecution’s introduction of religion into this trial was an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process rights of every American. The Church was not a party to this case and religion did not belong in this proceeding as Supreme Court precedent has maintained for centuries.
The District Attorney unconscionably centered his prosecution on the defendant’s religion and fabrications about the Church to introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry. The DA elicited testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs and practices which were uniformly FALSE.
The Court’s statement of Church doctrine was her own invention, DEAD WRONG, and blatantly unconstitutional.
The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement. Quite the opposite, Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally FALSE.
There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed
harassment by the Church is FALSE, and has been debunked.
Yes, scientology was not a party because it was not named a defendant in the prosecution. That of course is irrelevant — they probably should be prosecuted for obstruction of justice — they were very much a party to the events in question.
Their argument holds as much water as Fundamentalist Mormons claiming the introduction of the religious beliefs of Warren Jeffs and his dozens of “Child brides” somehow “prejudiced” his prosecution as a pedophile. It’s plainly absurd. It was a central part of the case, explaining why the crimes had gone unreported for so long.
I did a post about this very thing some time ago that I am reposting below as it is as relevant today as it was then. But I want to add something that Leah pointed out to me. Perhaps the most famous scientology sec check (interrogation form) is “The Joburg.” It is still VERY much in use today and anyone in scientology who progresses through Grade 2 has had one (and many people before they even get to Grade 2). Often specific questions from this form written by Hubbard are asked as part of a “tailor-made” sec check which is created for an individual by their Case Supervisor for a multitude of reasons.
You can find a copy of the Joburg Instructions and Joburg Questions here. But I have excerpted and highlighted the most relevant sections below. Note this IS CURRENT IRONBOUND POLICY of scientology.
There could hardly be anything clearer.
And here are some of the questions contained on this list — confess to any of these things and scientology “faithfully” promises that this will never be turned over to the police and nobody will ever testify against you in court.
Game – set – match.
And here is the full earlier post on this subject with a lot of other references.
Reality Check: Scientologists and Law Enforcement
With the ongoing rape trial of Danny Masterson, a lot of people are curious about scientology’s position with respect to reporting crimes to law enforcement.
Scientology responded to reports they forbid this in typical fashion — quoting the LA Times:
The Church of Scientology declined to comment on the pending criminal matter, but said the religion has no policy against reporting crimes committed by Scientologists to law enforcement.
“Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land,” spokeswoman Karin Pouw said.
Though most people reject scientology’s denials about disconnection, breaking up families, abusing people etc etc and thus reject this lie, one has to have an understanding of scientology and the words of L. Ron Hubbard to understand what scientologists believe and how they act.
The first thing to know is that what L. Ron Hubbard says is to be taken literally and followed to the letter by all scientologists. His words are not parables and are not to be interpreted or used as mere guidelines. They are specific instructions on what to do. In scientology, one follows the words of Hubbard EXACTLY. Scientologists believe that if they are not followed precisely they do not work. But they work “100% of the time” when implemented exactly. His words are denominated “the technology.”
Let’s begin with the first Hubbard quotes, taken from the list of Misdemeanors, Crimes and High Crimes that he lays out in his scientology “justice system.” The “Justice System” is one the component “technologies” of scientology.
In the book Introduction to Scientology Ethics, the “bible” of scientology “ethics and justice technology,” Hubbard lists the following as High Crimes (there are hundreds of transgressions listed in the book, High Crimes are the very worst category that can result in being excommunicated from scientology):
Delivering up the person of a Scientologist without defense or protest to the demands of civil or criminal law.
Reporting or threatening to report Scientology or Scientologists to civil authorities in an effort to suppress Scientology or Scientologists from practicing or receiving standard Scientology.
Public statements against Scientology or Scientologists but not to Committees of Evidence duly convened.
Bringing civil suit against any Scientology Organization or Scientologist including the non-payment of bills or failure to refund without first calling the matter to the attention
of the International Justice Chief and receiving a reply.
As I have said, these things are to be read and followed exactly. The plain language leaves no room for doubt. Though scientology claims it “has no policy against reporting crimes,” these words from Hubbard make clear it is exactly what they demand from their members. Of course, if challenged they will claim “this is how we interpret the language” and know that no court can second guess their “interpretation.”
There is a second element to what scientologists believe based on the words of Hubbard: indoctrination into the worldview of Hubbard.
He had a very low opinion of everything outside the scientology bubble. He coined a term for it; the “wog” world. Wogs are non-scientologists and it is a derogatory term widely used in scientology.
Hubbard claimed that ONLY scientology, only his “technology,” could save mankind. He reserved some of his harshest criticism for “wog” law enforcement and courts. In fact, the last chapter of his ethics book is titled “A New Hope for Justice” and it expresses his utter contempt for all things outside the scientology “justice system.”
Here are a few choice quotes:
As they themselves are contaminated by their criminal associates, the police and court systems are, in the main, composed of downstats who couldn’t make it in life any other way.
Societies traditionally cave in through their police and justice systems, since these provide a channel of contamination between the vicious and lawless, and decent people.
There is little thought of administering justice so that individuals can improve. There is every thought to punish and create misery.
Justice systems thereby become a sort of cancer which erode every splendid ambition and achievement of the decent citizen.
“Justice” apparently cannot be trusted in the hands of Man.
You can see the full document here: NEW HOPE FOR JUSTICE
To a scientologist, turning someone over to “wog” justice is a cruelty.
Scientologists believe that someone who commits a crime can only be cured by scientology auditing. Hubbard admonishes scientologists:
All evil stems from aberration. And it can be pretty evil. And awfully aberrated. The only road out from evil is processing.
Aberration here refers to non-optimum conditions or conduct. Processing is scientology auditing. Turning someone over to law enforcement prevents them from “receiving standard scientology.”
Finally, the overriding concern of every good scientologist is the well-being of scientology. Anything that detracts from the image or “good work” of scientology is bad, and anything that assists scientology to raise its profile and reach in the world is good. Negative media stories about scientologists committing crimes are very bad for the organization. And thus bad for all of mankind, because if scientology is unable to get “the tech” applied broadly, every man, woman and child on earth is doomed to a dark, painful future. This factor guides all scientologists’ decisions about what is right or wrong, even if there were no specific rules covering a circumstance.
Scientologists who do not report crimes to law enforcement are not merely “following the rules,” they are doing what they have been taught is the “right” thing to do.
This is the crazy level of brainwashing that exists inside the scientology bubble. It is hard to fathom unless you have been a part of it.
Was just watching a crime show about a real crime. One of the detectives stated that “money tends to remove a sense of consequence”. Money, and arrogance, belief that you are better than others – all would seem to apply here.
Wow, not a scintilla of evidence of suppression, oppression, or wacko madness. Does that mean that I am not a suppressive person after all? I mean, if SPs aren’t really a thing, how could I be declared suppressive?
I keep my thoughts about this to mnyself because they are ugly
Praying for you Mike, that treatment for your cough would be swift and minor. Just can’t stop thinking about you since Aaron said you were going to be out of commission for a bit.
In other words, david miscavige is having a hissy fit. Order another case of scotch dave, (make it two); it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
I’m glad that the Club’s statement was issued.
It was picked up by many news wires and it brought attention to their policies of prohibiting the reporting of crimes to police.
If you weren’t curious about Scientology before, you sure are now.
VWD!
If this matter were to go before the United States Supreme Court on appeal in the form of the following question:
“When a person is drugged and then raped on American soil, should the incident be reported to the police or a local Church of Scientology?”
A 10 year old would be able to answer that question correctly.
When “religious law” hinders secular law, it’s relevant in secular law cases to know sufficient details of this.
Period.
Scientology’s “religious” laws did hinder the victims reporting felonies to secular law authorities, period.
It’s relevant to know that Scientology’s “religious” law did hinder secular law enforcing.
I wish the responsible “legal” media would note this point.
Scientology has some rather unhelpful “religious law” that needs spelling out, and the ramifications of Scientology’s “religious law” so that new consumers of official Scientology’s full orthodox “Ideal Organizations” behaviors are taken into consideration as a warning for new participants in official Scientology’s religious services and their movement.
Lesson:
Learn and inform yourself of Scientology’s controversial “religious laws” before you jump aboard official fully orthodox Scientology.
There are consequences to immersing your life into official Scientology.
PS: Splinter Scientologists who gather in small groups, some act alone, those splinter Scientologists dispense with most of the nastiness worst of official Scientology’s full blown orthodox “religious law” and especially splinter Scientology have no “Office of Special Affairs” dirty tricks and legal team to battle with. If a person wishes to do Scientology, do the splinter Scientology “route” and skip the horrors of official Scientology.
I am glad that you wrote the response to the blatant lies from Scientology.
Humorously the Introduction to Scientology ethics book and course have the doctrine that is used to indoctrinate thousands of people and is required or encouraged for the use of staff, Sea Org members, and public.
There’s hardly a serious long term Scientologist who is not going to be indoctrinated with this message. Usually repeatedly.
An additional source of mirth is the fact that the response from Scientology has no name or post associated with it.
Remember the Scientology reference on asking who wrote something and if they have the authority?
How can an anonymous reference be by someone who has the authority? How could you know?
If you are a Scientologist ask yourself why David Miscavige is lying and not even admitting to being the “source” of his lies?
Yes, what you said!
Super Being and Towering Thetan David Macallan, who holds the fate of the universe in his hands as Protector and Executor of The Dreck, is continuously…Nameless and Invisible…🙌🏽
OT Powah, baby!
First of all, “Liar Liar Pants on Fire!”. And…. They actually look like idiots. Shorty is in complete denial that anyone worthwhile actually cares about what he says. Nobody alive would join their fake church unless they have been living under a rock and were desperate for friends.
Mike, thank you so much for writing this post about why the Jane Doe’s didn’t report their rapes to law enforcement earlier. This is so topical. Your enclosed earlier blog post is perfect for today.
Great post Mike!
Your quote: “Justice systems thereby become a sort of cancer which erode every splendid ambition and achievement of the decent citizen. ”
I think it would be appropriate to replace ‘justice’ with Ethics as it applies to the cherch.
Yeah. Nail those mutherfuckers. Or if you can’t do that, allow me to blow those mutherfuckers up. It”s your call.
The cult only puts out one way communications, as if they have the perfect last word ending all discussion in their favor.
True. So much for “ARC” and mastery of communication, eh?
*We all just need to ‘come up-tone’ and realize that we are in living in Davey’s universe; he is the ‘senior terminal’.*
That dumb napoleonic fuckwit probably believes that shit…as he continues to hide.
Typical weasel-wording. Maybe it’s “scripture” rather than policy, and to “abide by all laws of the land” as a demand says nothing about handling reporting if members fail to do so – though of course as seen from what Mike cites as well as other evidence, handling to be internal and not external, on pain of serious consequences.
Speaking of Mormons as an example, they have long had church policies against polygamy and child marriage – but there has been as much of those practices as there is, including whole communities that once controlled towns in Utah and other states, because Mormon officials in both government and the church (many both; ‘Bishops’ typically have day jobs) have been sympathetic if not complicit up to rather high levels.
Mike, I don’t really think that the quote from the Joburg that you posted here is the evidence that there really is a church policy that prohibits or discourages members from reporting criminal conduct of Scientologists to law enforcement.
That quote from the Joburg says that crimes that are confessed in the confessional will not be reported to law enforcement. This is similar to or the same as actual religions who also will not report crimes that are confessed in confessions.
But that Joburg thing is not saying that a Scientolgist that knows of a crime that was committed by another Scientologist, who found out about it some other way than by the perpetrator confessing it in a confessional, is prohibited from reporting the crime to law enforcement. It is only saying that the person who confesses the crime in a confessional will not be reported to law enforcement because of the fact that he confessed to the crime as part of the confessional.
Anybody who is reading this who thinks that I am sticking up for Scientology is mistaken. I am not saying that there is no Scientology policy that prohibits Scientologists from reporting crimes committed by other Scientologists to law enforcement. I am just saying that the the Joburg quote that is enclosed in the red box above is not the thing that prohibits it, unless the crime is only known because it was confessed during a confessional. The quotes that Mike quoted in his posting entitled “Reality Check: Scientologists and Law Enforcement” are the ones that actually prohibit a Scientologist from reporting another Scientologists to law enforcement.
For example, those women who are victims of Danny Masterson’s rapes – they know about the rapes because they experienced it, not because he confessed it in a confessional. They were prohibited from reporting it to law enforcement because of those other policies, not because of the Joburg policy.
Anybody who disagrees with me, or thinks that I am missing the point, I would be interested in finding out and considering your point of view on what I have said here.
Hi Dave. I dunno about over there in ‘Murca but here in Oz there’s “Mandatory Reporting” laws on stuff like pedophilia. The Joburg R-factor certainly contradicts that. I get what you’re saying, but the kult really really have to do a major revision of a lot of stuff to comply with the laws of the land, and we all know that they can’t and won’t because the Fat Fraud always thought He was about the law, as does His successor. The Fair Game stuff alone is promoting and condoning unlawful behaviour. Add that to the whole KSW crap and you have what rightly could be labelled a Terrorist Organisation. Which hopefully will happen in our lifetime.
Hope you and Sindy are doing well.
Hey Scooter. I have read your writings about your very unfortunate Scientology experiences, and I was very saddened to read them, and I remember you from Flag and ITO, but I wasn’t sure if you would remember me because we did not know each other that well; we had a really nice conversation once about how all the other Australians I had known were doing at the time. Yes, Sindy and I are doing well, and I hope you are doing well too. I agree with what you are saying in response to what I said above, and it makes me wonder whether or not legitmate religious organizations in Australia are required to report crimes that are confessed in religious confessionals; as far as I know, in the US, they are not required to do that. But as we all know, Scientology will stop at nothing to lie about anything, and they have obvious written policies that forbid any Scientologist from reporting another Scientologist to the authorities. And I agree that Scientology is a terrorist organization.
I would be interested to know if any of the Australians and New Zealanders that I knew from Flag in the 1980s have left the C of S, and if they are available for me to communicate with them again after all these years. I have fond memories of all of them. If you are interested in briefing me on this, let me know.
Religious clergy are mandatory reporters in (I believe) every state in the US. It is state law.
My personal take on this, as backed up by having sec checked numerous SO members at FSO, including one who was jailed in Spain with Heber back in the day:
Kulties firmly believe that if you come totally clean in session, get all your missed withholds pulled fully then do your Ethics Conditions for real, you will be bulletproof. I’d say that line was fed to Masterson and tribe during this whole charade that they have carried on. I’m sure that’s why they were so “cocky” before the verdict. Danny had been thoroughly overhauled with Hubbard’s Tehc, no doubt parting with large sums of money for that privilege and then (of course) large amounts to the IAS and other leech organisations as part of a “thorough” Liability formula.
The verdict would have led to a bloodletting in the halls of CC Int and anywhere else that provided Ethics Officers, Auditors, C/Ss and even Course Sup.s and Word-Clearers to Masterson and co. as they were “handled” – it can’t be The Tehc so it must be incorrect application or incorrect Tehc that was used here. Nothing to see here, please move along. Seniors would be happily throwing their juniors under the bus wheels rather than go to the Gulag themselves.
That the ethics book was allowed as evidence is the greatest gift that has been given to us – THAT can now be used in future cases as the precedent has been set in the US Justice system. So the whole High Crimes, Crimes, Conditions, Fair Game and all those other despotic Hubbardian injustices listed therein can be used to prove that kulties lie because their “religion” tells them too.
Tick fucking tock you Demented Maggot. If this isn’t the Tipping Point, it’s a hell of a lot closer than “we” have been before.
Hubbard states that man can’t be trusted with justice; it’s more accurate to say that people shouldn’t put their trust in Scientology.
Scientology has had over five decades to prove if Hubbard’s technology works and works as broadly as Hubbard claims. It’s a dismal failure: empty buildings, empty course rooms and enormous amounts of bad press. It’s been proven over and over again that it breaks up families, ruins lives and bankrupts anyone gullible enough to believe them. Except of course those that profit by being associated with them, money/tax laundering, seedy comfort from association with criminal bigotry and of course a weird sort of elite ‘snobbism.’ The church is shrinking at a remarkable rate, it is dishonest in nature.
We will never know what it would have been like if a social personality was ever in charge of it, there has never been one. Hubbard’s polices are Draconian, punitive and are ordered never to be varied or altered, they are set in concrete for everyone (except Miscavige has manipulated them consistently, editing them and cherry picking them for his personal vendettas and power/money agendas). Hubbard lost his tax exempt status, why? It was proven he was a man of greed and self service only. (He died lonely on the run from process servers pursuing the service of the law in a travel trailer). But boy could he lie and manipulate. Miscavige got tax exemption by legal manipulation, intimidation and persistence, and all while using other people’s money and God knows what occurred behind the scenes.
This Masterson event has many highlights of Hubbard’s true personality taken from his written policy and failed technology written all over it. Why wasn’t Masterson’s criminality and anti social behavior cured by Scientology? He had been receiving Scientology auditing, courses and principles applied to him for quite some time, in other words he was under the auspices of the Church for his spiritual gain. Simple, Scientology doesn’t work or even come close, especially where money is concerned. It’s like a weird sort of closed door club. Miscavige has perverted Scientology even more now, this press release is immediate proof. He is either illiterate or criminally insane – the judge made specific notation that the defense opened the religious door to pursue in the case. Scientology’s justice system is, if you put in Scientology’s terms, a suppressive act in itself. This statement is a prime example of how the church lies and then expects to hide protected behind its religious and constitutional status.
What is it going to take to get through their veil of lies and its criminality presented to the courts is a puzzle in itself.
We don’t live in a perfect world but it would be a hell of a lot better off without the Scientology organisation in it.
Miscavage intimidate the IRS rank and file, and during the Clinton administration EVERYTHING was for sale. So I wouldn’t be shocked if donations to Clinton foundations were made by prominent SCN donors …
Everything is for sale during every administration. During Trumps reign of terror if it wasn’t nailed down it was for sale and he had Jarrod, Ivanka and the Tweedles helping him out. I would be shocked if any prominent SCN donors gave money to the Clinton Foundation. SCN is already bleeding then dry.
Brilliant post which will stand the test of time.
Not only is it completely illegal in Scn law, rules and regulations to report
any SCN issue to Law enforcement but if voiced or threatened but the person who voices it is put in lockdown and held imprisoned.
Example: Colm McLaughlin threatened to report his kidnap to the FBI and got 1 year imprisonment on Freewinds, SCN cult prison/punishment ship
Hi Karen,
I’d be interested to read or hear about Com McLaughlin’s story. Is their a blog post, video, etc. with this story?
Thank you.
You can read Colm Mcclaughlin’s story
on the Scientology cult site
http://www.scientology-cult.com/re-colm-mclaughlin.html
That is a heartbreaking story.
GREAT article Mike. While reading it I got flashes of Ralph Macchio’s friend in “My Cousin Vinny” who knew that his friend had swiped a can of tunafish out of a convenience store…”You’re going to arrest ME too?” he quavers to the sheriff of that small Southern town…”Oh, yeah! “, says the sheriff. “But why?” “Aidin’ and abettin’ ” says the sheriff. Turns out what the two guys were accused of was murder. Funny movie.
And here we have our favorite cult aiding and abetting criminals if they happen to be rich. Nice. Nice church. A major crime in itself; aidin’ and abettin’. Obstructing justice.
Of course, they’re legally a religion so they get away with illegal crap like this – in criminal court. Its their spiritual doctrine so likely they’ll squirm out of it.
Though in civil court, not so much.
And in the court of public opinion – uh oh!!!!!!
Yo Dwarf, good luck figuring out how to come out of THIS mess smelling like a rose.
The cumulative lies of Scientology have buried them so deep, their entire organization most closely resembles a cemetery while their tiny leader hides in his personal mausoleum.
“My Cousin Vinny” was one I couldn’t get through: I couldn’t “suspend disbelief” sufficiently. I couldn’t temporarily allow that there was such a clueless ‘almost lawyer’ who would screw up that thoroughly.
I get it. I mean, I didn’t believe it either. I just enjoyed that (cliched) New York humor juxtaposed against the (cliched) attitudes of a small southern town.
I had fun over at TonyO’s page doing an “Awareness” scale plus emotions that Danny may have gone through in court on Wednesday.
My guess how he felt about himself:
Before Verdict:
Source (+21) ————serene
Activity(+11)————–cocky
Prediction (+10)——–confident
Hope(-2)——————–smug
After Verdict:
Effect (-6)——————-anger
Ruin (-7)———————–rage
Despair (-8)—————-frustration
Shock (-16)—————-disbelief
Detachment (-19)——–disconnect
Disassociation (-30)—-remote
Criminality(-31) ———–I am’s what I am’s
That “Tone scale” of Hubbards never really made sense. The emotions he thought were negative were telling of some of his problems, I now see.
And he never, not once, pontificated upon “love”, only slightly touching on the very weak cousin, “affinity”. Poor dude, not understanding the sweeter things in life like empathy or love.
Yep. Hubbard forced a round peg in a square hole many times. Still, I have fun with his charts, scales, and what-not.
And, yes, a year or so in doing scientology I asked “Where is love in all of Hubbard’s pitch? Closest answer I got was from an old-timer who observed: Hubbard was scared spitless of the commitments that ‘love’ encompassed. Too true.
Scientology fails the religion test.
They ought to have have done a more stern ethics handling, pushed Danny to just concede and admit to the rapes, taken the penalties, avoided the expensive trial, and do his jail time. Apologize and pay whatever is due the women to make up the felonies against them.
Scientology failed to do this.
Scientology is not a valid partner with society.
They should lose their religious tax exemption for all of their religion test fail points.
Well said Chuck.
They offer redemption, they deliver betrayal and entrapment. Danny is one example, Gabriel Williams another.
And Danny and Gabriel were the “good” “upstats”🤬!
Right on, Mr Beatty. scientology SHOULD have given the women some justice, except that there is no path to what a “reasonable person” would consider *justice* in scientology. Being *reasonable* is verboten once you’ve read KSW, the 2nd or 3rd essay of every course, IIRC. Within scientology, that proscription extends to any form of reason. Read, duplicate exactly, and OBEY, or ELSE — “Ethics”(punishment) will befall you. Logic and reason don’t enter into it.
And after a while, we all bought into it. It was the social norm.
“We did no wrong.” Anonymous Scientology Spokesperson.
Their very first action is to deny, deny, deny any wrongdoing when any aware child would declare them at LEAST”mean”. Thus those in the organization can have no empathy or feelings of remorse — just like the little sociopaths Hubbard was making us into.
A scn “spokesperson these days is just parroting Davey as ordered, perhaps not understanding how things really go down in scn.
A fundamental corollary of freedom of your religion is freedom from your religion. This is another of Hubbard’s errors.
Hubbard even mentions that eventually you run Scientology off the case.
In army slang, it’s uttered, ‘bullshit baffles minds’ – Scientology takes that literally and sells it.
Did Hubbard do ANYTHING which wasn’t an “error”? Nothing worked as he claimed it would, no “clears”, no super-humans, just excuses why it didn’t work as advertized.
As I read “Bare-Faced Messiah,” Russell Miller’s biography of L. Ron Hubbard, I got the distinct impression that Hubbard’s intentions were not good in almost everything he did. Scientology is not for the benefit of mankind; scientology is only for the benefit of L. Ron Hubbard. And we’re not supposed to know that.
Scientology is, in many respects, Hubbard’s very own “Front Group.” The world sees Hubbard through the “decent,” “law-abiding” people of scientology. Meanwhile, Hubbard is the man behind the curtain, pulling all the strings, ruining lives and attacking everything that ever “wronged” him, including psychiatry and the medical profession.
Hubbard hated mankind. He even hated his own father. His parents did so much for him, yet Hubbard stiffed them by ruining whatever vision they had for their son. His father worked very hard in order to get son into George Washington University.
I’ll lay odds that Hubbard never wanted to pursue an education as a civil engineer–a degree he never got–and he used the prestige of such a degree to further his own ulterior motives. (What better way to convince followers that he designed and built “The Bridge to Total Freedom”?)
to “convince followers that he designed and built “The Bridge to Total Freedom”, he would have had to create (or plagiarize) something that actually worked. As someone said:”What was good was not new, what was new wasn’t good.
The text from the Confessional within the red box does not strike me as being much different how a Roman Catholic priest would respect the confidentiality of a confessional.
That having been said, it is well documented that Scientology will use confessional material against ex-Scientologists who they now perceive to be enemies.
When they claim that there is no Church policy against reporting a crime to law enforcement they are lying – just read the “Scientology Ethics” book for evidence of this.
I am personally aware of Scientology preventing a pedophile from being so reported.
The person in question was a Sea Org Senior Executive at the Cont level and well-respected until all this broke.
The mother of the child wanted to go to the police but was talked out of it on the grounds that it would be “bad PR.”
The pedophile was RPFd and then fitness boarded out of the Sea Org. He soon left Scientology for good.
I only found about this after the fact because this guy was my senior at the time.
I have heard told how Scientologists explain things like this away by saying that children have lived many times and so are really the same as adults.
This is not my experience. The OSA people I talked to about this were shocked and horrified, as was I.
The seal of confessional in the Catholic Church is absolute. The text in the red box is nothing like that.
Oh, if ONLY scientology treated other major allegations similarly: RPF or other “ethics” handling, then fitness-boarded out. Things like rape and statutory rape are blamed on the VICTIMS, who are told not to go to the authorities lest they be declared Suppressive. 45 years ago when I was at Flag, a whole slew of Comm EVs were called on “out-2D”, which, in the SO could be either party of the relationship coming to an orgasm, or even as silly as 2-D “flows” (flirtatiousness when you were married or the recipient was married. Anything except married folks getting it on was forbidden in one of the most suppressive issues (A Sea Org-only order over the old man’s signature, but obviously written by a Messenger trying to sound more experienced than she was),