My name is Robert (Bob) Graham and I was a public member, in good standing with the church of Scientology for over 35 years. I reached the level of OT5 and Class 5 auditor before I left the organization, permanently in 2010. I have not previously spoken about my experiences in the church because my daughter and her family are still “in.” I thought that we could work things out and keep the family unit in place but since my wife I and left, my daughter and her family, including our grandchildren, have all disconnected from us. I believe it is in the best interest, to let everyone know that the d … [Read more...]
Enforced Disconnection — More Proof
My name is Sydney Osborne. I got in Scientology at the Denver Org in 1989 and was on staff as a sup and Director of Training from 1990-2002. I was on Mace-Kingsley Family Center staff (Scn field group) from 2004-2008 starting in Div 2, and later becoming the OES. I've posted on this blog a few times as XclassVStaff. I've known and worked with a lot of wonderful people in Scientology. The Church of Scientology continues to deny practicing disconnection, states there is no pressure from the church, and that it's voluntary on the part of its parishioners. I'd like to share my own recent … [Read more...]
The King Of Ad Hominem
David Miscavige, in typical form, responds to the fairly innocuous statements of Leah Remini reported in Buzzfeed and subsequently in a lot of other media. A number of people who know some of the real story wondered why she was soft-peddling her comments and assumed it was simply that she is moving on with her life and has little interest in even talking about the subject, though reporters want to make it the focus of any interview. Her comments about wanting to spend more time with her daughter and family and not be so slavishly devoted to the church have been widely picked up … [Read more...]
At The Request Of Those In Command…
More of the paranoia. It is becoming almost laughable. Following on from the new staff "non-disparagement" contract comes this. Apparently, the fringes of the internet are causing an unwanted effect on the mighty Cause Over Life OT's.... Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 From: pat parodi <parodi2000@att.net>Subject: Sunday Note and Quote Hello! The hot news this week all concerns the upcoming grand opening of the new Hollywood Life Improvement Center on Hollywood Blvd along with the opening of the new AOLA and ASHO buildings on L.Ron Hubbard Way. At the request of those in command, the … [Read more...]
Chris Shelton Speaks
Chris Shelton, who has posted here as Galactic Patrol for some time, sent me this article for publication. It provides an interesting perspective on being a staff member and being in the SO. It may not be everyone's view, but it certainly aligns with much of what I experienced. And I think it is a helpful addition to multiple viewpoints that are expressed here in an effort to make all data available to those who are interested. I spent my entire adult life as a professional Scientology staff member. I started taking classes when I was 15 and joined staff at the age of 17. I joined … [Read more...]
Cindy Temps
A message from a veteran Los Angeles Scientologist who was recently "declared" resulting in her children disconnecting from her. She is speaking out in the hope that it opens the eyes of others and helps bring the abuses of the RCS to an end. "It is necessary to happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists of professing to believe what he does not believe." Thomas Paine I have been under the radar for too long now. I will not compromise my integrity any longer. It is important for Independent S … [Read more...]
Me and My Big Mouth: Food For Thought Chapter 2
Ok, so my name is Ian Lee. Back on August 15th I wrote an article for Mike's blog. At the time I was in good standing and wanted to voice my opinions of some things that are happening within Scientology. You can and should read that article here before you continue. The specific reason I wrote it was that a friend of mine had posted a voicemail of a mutual friend of ours "disconnecting" from her. The practice which the church of Scientology denies exists. So I decided to put that assertion to a test. I was in good standing. I'm free to communicate. I'll say some stuff and see what … [Read more...]
Lying And Fundamentalist Scientology
Is the "Church of Scientology" a fundamentalist organization? In my view, it is. And if you read the criteria for fundamentalism above, there is not much doubt that the hard core members of the church fit right in to these 5 points. I was prompted to write this by an interesting post on Marty's blog a little while ago entitled Trained To Lie. I posted a comment in response which I repeat here: Marty — the corollary to this is the fact that these people will do anything to “protect the church” and believe that this is “the greatest good.” Thus, telling a lie is not a harmful act if it going … [Read more...]
Miscavige’s Disconnection Dilemma
Now that Leah Remini is officially a Special Person (see Tony Ortega's blog this morning), the big question becomes whether Miscavige is going to attempt to enforce the oft-employed disconnection card with Jennifer Lopez. Everyone knows JLo and Leah are BFFs. They were hanging at JLo's party last nite and featured on the People Mag site (and everywhere else). It is also common knowledge that JLo's father is a Scientologist. So, what is the guy who proclaims to be the enforcer of "standard tech" to do? Would eh dare risk trying to force J Lo to choose between her dad and Leah? She IS after … [Read more...]
Scientology — The Art of Cognitive Dissonance
Somewhat random thoughts after returning from an out-of-town trip. Cognitive dissonance has reached an art form within the walls of the RCS bubble. Cognitive dissonance is described this way: Mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information. The concept was introduced by the psychologist Leon Festinger (1919–89) in the late 1950s. He and later researchers showed that, when confronted with challenging new information, most people seek to preserve their current understanding of the world by rejecting, explaining away, or avoiding the new information … [Read more...]