Another STAND League fool offers his twisted take on how scientology is maligned in the press.
STAND League should adopt a new motto for themselves, using the wisdom and words of the Bard himself: Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Jim Kalergis has been one of the big FSM’s in the LA area for decades. His livelihood depends on people believing that scientology is good.
This guy actually thinks scientologists re in a position to complain about how people don’t trust them media? Wonder what a Gallup Poll would say about the public “trust” in scientology? I would be certain it would be 0%.
But typical of their pretzel logic, they take a supposed to survey saying people don’t trust the media and twist this into a conclusion “therefore what the media says about scientology is untrue.” And the proof? “My scientology is a force for good.” Yep, sure it is. Good for your bank account Jim as suckers are fleeced and you get your commission checks.
This “reasoning” is like a criminal who has committed a crime saying “But a survey said people don’t trust prosecutors, so they must be lying about me and I should be set free.” Talk about apples and oranges Jim.
Here is the first part of his sound and fury, signifying nothing… The rest is just him quoting Thomas Jefferson as some sort of proof that scientology is being maligned. You don’t need to leave much to the imagination to wonder what Thomas Jefferson would have said about scientology had he been around today. This is just one thing Jefferson said about Christianity: “Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the earth.” It’s convenient to quote Jefferson (“a man I have enormous respect for”) about how bad the media is and ignore his views on religion. Offering up Thomas Jefferson as if he would be a champion of scientology is a little short-sighted. Seems the Shakespeare quote was on the money: this guy IS an idiot.
The conceit of the idiot who just knows he is right, because his Founder told him so, is something to behold.
Here is Jim in all his sound and fury:
According to a recent Gallup Poll, mistrust of news and information sources is at an all-time high. In the U.S., only 9 percent of those surveyed have a “great deal” of trust in mass media. Thirty-three percent have “none at all.”
I lost faith in the veracity of mass media and the evening news many years ago, when it became apparent to me that the Scientology they were covering was some “other” Scientology, not the real-world one I knew so well.
Mass media outlets have continued to create the “other” Scientology. The reality gap between it and my Scientology has grown to the point it’s now a chasm as wide and as deep as the Grand Canyon.
My Scientology is a timely force for good. I’m certain of that, because I’ve lived it for over 50 years, to my great benefit. The media version is an ill-intended mishmash of slander and misrepresentations. Apples and oranges is an understatement. More like apples and hemlock.
It pains me that people whose lives could be bettered using real-world Scientology are being so horribly misinformed. Perhaps the deception is money-motivated. Good news gets fewer clicks and views than sensationalism and slander. Or perhaps there’s a more sinister reason for the overt deception.
So it’s not surprising another Gallup Poll found that only 28 percent of those surveyed considered journalists to have “high” or “very high” “honesty and ethical standards.” Apparently, it’s not just Scientologists who’ve noticed the current state of ethics in journalism.
Here’s what a man I have enormous respect for wrote on the subject:
“Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day.”
If you agree with the above, you’re in good company. Those words were penned by Thomas Jefferson in an 1807 letter to newspaper editor John Norvell. Jefferson’s words are as true today as they were in his day. It’s a mistake to blindly accept what’s being presented via newspapers or mass media at face value. We can only know the extent of misinformation in media content if we’ve been in a position to compare our direct knowledge of the facts to their “truth.”
Social media is even less trustworthy. Case in point: last year, as an experiment, I followed up on Facebook memes featuring quotes by our Founding Fathers that appeared to support then-current political candidates or agendas. Out of the 27 memes I researched, 26 were either entirely false, misattributed or grossly out of context. Yet, social media users gleefully hit the “like” button and shared them with their fellows.
$camologists live in a Möbius strip universe.
I was driven insane by Scientology in 1988 after the completion of OT VIII on the Freewinds. The insanity was rooted in a belief after seventeen years that Hubbard and Scientology were correct. The absurdity of OT VIII and the display of no OT abilities, turned my mind into a split personality rooted in Buddhism at the time. When the recession hit, I lost my trucking business to bankruptcy as my clients fled. Prior to that I lost a $100,000 per year job due to the application of study tech to a problem. Scientology simply does not work. My Townhouse went into Foreclosure as well due to the recession. After a brief time in the street, I managed to make a few ties with new people. I was not declared until 2008 when I met a few Scientologists from Clearwater. Staff never pursed me because I was very angry and would take their heads off literally. When I read Miscavige’s return to OT VII order I blew up totally at the Sand Castle. It was stupid 36 pages written by an idiot. I threw the cans against the wall, Pounded the walls furiously with my fists for 10 minutes. Then on the way out I overturned furniture and screamed at the auditor and staff. I told them “I am right on OT VIII; you are wrong”. I had a split insane personality for at least a dozen years as I gradually recovered.
George,
I (and probably others) would be very interested to know more specific details about this experience of yours. Details, for example, about how exactly you tried to apply study tech to a problem, and how it caused you to lose your $100,000 job. And how, in as much detail as you can possibly come up with, how OT VIII turned your mind into a split personality rooted in Buddhism. And any possible details about how you recovered. And whatever else you can think of. It might take you a long time to write, and it might be long enough to be a book. But I would want to read it.
Dave
I can write another book now but I will just give you a few details.
After OT VIII on the Freewinds I returned to my job in Miami. I ignored people. I would go to meetings and answer questions with nonsense about misunderstoods. My head was full of space alien ideas. I made enemies by refusing to listen. It goes on and on.
They ganged up against me. The real kicker was an hour meeting with another director where I got hung up on “this” or “that” as a better word. I could not follow ideas. I suggested giving away our trucks. A mess in my mind.
Hubbard tried to hijack original Buddhism and he was totally wrong. When I was in the Army serving in Korea during the Vietnam war, I learned Buddhism straight from the monks in Thailand and Singapore. Original Buddhism was the opposite of Scientology. As the monks explained, there was a cult called the “Pudgalavadins” who formed 100 years after the Buddha’s death. They had the primitive idea of the thetan.
They were not Buddhist and declined. I was perfectly ok studying Scientology for 17 years. When Hubbard claimed he was the connection to original Buddhism, he split my mind into an almost endless circle. My Hubbard was an idiot but I just finished OT VIII.
It split my mind in half.
Very interesting. Thanks. I’ll look for the book when you’re done with it.
George: I am sad to read your story. Scientology has 65 years of proving to the World that doing Scientology is hazardous to your health, your financial well-being, your mental well-being, your physical and spiritual well-being.
Write to your State Representatives and request the FDA and Government force the cult of Scientology to put a BLACK BOX WARNING on all $cientology courses and auditing routing forms that states:
((((((WARNING))))))))
$cientology is a faux religion and a cult. $cientology and $cientologists including Mark “Marty” Rathbun extorted and bribed the United States Internal Revenue into granting it Tax Exempt Status in 1993 via unethical and immoral methods.
$cientology is a Criminal Organization that has destroyed thousands and thousands of people’s lives. RUN AWAY!
The US Government is afraid of $cientology or is using $cientology as an experiment to see how GAS LIGHTING and brain washing methods works on people.
$cientology $ervices and $cientology Front Groups are not required to work under the laws of the land.
$cientology has its own justice system and in 65 plus years has NEVER GRANTED ANYONE JUSTICE.
Google: Luis Garcia, Debbie Cook.
$cientology uses Deceit, Manipulation, Fraud, Extortion, Bribery and Financial ruin, shattered families and lives are only a few of the side effects of Doing Scientology $ervices.
CAVEAT EMPTOR!! Buyer Beware. When entering any $cientology organization or affiliate, you are entering a mind fucking evil cult and your life is in danger.
Great idea. I will send this to Vern Buchanan, form Sarasota my rep.
Oh boy, where to start?
Yes, he is correct. The media “enjoys” a trust lower than Congress, for example. And yes, they deserve all the mistrust that they get. So how does that help scientology’s case? Spoiler alert: It doesn’t!
Even polarizing figures such as the last two presidents usually enjoy the support of part of the media most of the time. But Jim admits that scientology is receiving UNIVERSAL disapproval in what he thinks of as the monolithic “the media.” Now THAT is unusual. This consensus in the media–an institution that thrives on disagreement–is only found when there really is nothing redeeming to say about a subject, such as the health effect of smoking (although Dr Hubbard was a lone dissenter), Harvey Weinstein (and perhaps soon, Danny Masterson) or the latest mass shooting. In every one of these cases the problem is not the media; it’s clearly the subject matter!
But now that we’ve been educated about the unreliability and mendacity of the media, where to go from here? Lower our trust in the media? Probably a good idea, in any event. Yet we’re supposed to take Hubbard’s word–a man caught in more lies and scandal than even the top “9 percent of those surveyed”–and even revere his often debunked ideas as unalterable “scripture?” We should only trust a single “media” outlet, namely STAND, a “publication” that doesn’t even hide its bias, whose entire raison d’etre is acting as an unflinching propaganda outlet for a single institution?
Yes, I get it: To a person, Jeffrey Dahmer’s neighbors had no idea what he was up to. Sadly, they were wrong! Such is the value of “personal testimony” that “my Jeffrey” would never do such things. But it’s safe to say that in time, they reviewed the evidence about their neighbor and revised their conclusions. (Thank you, press).
Maintaining the same naivete about “my scientology” doesn’t come easily! THAT takes effort and a willful immersion in a bubble. Probably, it takes even more motivation than that: While Jim fails to disclose the financial conflict of interest underlying his “reporting” at least he lets it slip that scientology has worked out for him “to my great benefit.” So he would be wise to consider his own words: “Perhaps the deception is money-motivated.” Ain’t no “perhaps” about that one!
Jim’s reasoning:
Claim: “Some news/information sources are untrustworthy.”
Illogic: “But not Gallup as this poll serves my improper premise.”
Fallacy: Appeal to Authority, Appeal to Popularity
Claim: “Some news/information sources lie about Scientology.”
Illogic: “I know this because my experience is different to what’s reported.”
Fallacy: Anecdotal fallacy, Psychologist’s fallacy
Claim: “They lie because they’re money motivated.”
Illogic: “Good news gets fewer clicks.”
Fallacy: Non Sequitur, Ipse Dixit, False Premise, Appeal to Motive
Claim: “Nothing can be believed which is seen in a newspaper.”
Illogic: “Thomas Jefferson said so. He was awesome.”
Fallacy: Appeal to Authority, Honour by Association
Claim: “One must have direct knowledge of something to know its truth.”
Illogic: “But if the media relays someone else’s direct knowledge, it is untrue.”
Fallacy: Anecdotal fallacy, Psychologist’s fallacy
That “some people reportedly find some news/information sources untrustworthy” is not evidence that “what’s reported about scientology is untrue.” Sorry, Jim.
Shit logic, as usual.
I loved reading how neatly you tied a bow in his bullshit logic. An Olympic take down.
“Those words were penned by Thomas Jefferson in an 1807 letter to newspaper editor John Norvell.”
Those words are as true about John Norvell in 1807 as they were about John Norvell in 1807. Today can be a completely different situation as publications regularly fact-check each others’ articles. Responsible authors correct themselves when inaccuracies of fact are pointed out to them. scientology, of course, can not correct the most basic errors of facts: what the “Founder” laid down on paper
Also, what is STAND except a type of modern-day media, a digital broadside? Doesn’t the critique about reliability and veracity apply to them at least as much?
And typically — just like the media Kalergis says can’t be trusted — Scientology even gets their facts wrong: Norvell was not a newspaper editor, just a 17 year old considering a possible future career doing so (which he eventually did).*
Jefferson’s words fit pretty well when their subject is changed:
“Nothing can now be believed which is seen in Scientology PR. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day.”
20 million members?!
“Unprecedented expansion”?!
“Highest ever stats”?!
“no disconnection”?!
and so on….
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Norvell
$cientology is the religion that dares not say its name. Because its name is candy coated Ebola kiddie Porn in the vox populi.
Jim Kalergis is reduced to false equivalency and outright lies to try to make himself and his ‘religion’ the victims of an insidious plot to destroy them.
Any FSM knows that good sales come from a positive attitude and a wiliness to lie like crazy to get with your want.
Read the blog. He brings up not one win , gain or new ability he achieved in his 50 years in the cult. THAT told me he was just spewing a plethora of hype. The lack of facts is abundant.
Suspect the idiot wrote it all as part of a step in doing lower conditions and that’s it.
Jim is an interesting character. He was the first OT VII completion. He was the darling boy of Los Angeles. In the 80’s he was a much sought after event speaker and FSM. People flocked to his events. Then at one point he went dark and faded away and no longer spoke and no longer did events. I asked my FSM, Divona, at that time, “Hey why don’t we see or hear Jim Kalergis anymore? What is he doing these days?”
She said that he was off the Bridge and disaffected and that no matter how many registrars and OT’s and others came to recover him to the Bridge, no one could handle him. This was in the 90’s around the time the “New and Improved Miscavige OT VII Course” came out. All OT VIIs and completions were ordered back om the Level to get the correct OT VII. Jim said NO and no way was he redoing OT VII which he’d done twice before. He said he got the EP he wanted and was happy with that EP and he was not going to overrun it by doing it again even if there was new stuff to it. Period. End of story..
He was like that for some years and then all of a sudden he surfaced again and was fully on board with Scn. I think what happened behind the scenes is that his wife and kids were told that if we can’t salvage Jim, you’ll have to disconnect from him. Of course no one in the family wanted that, so Jim came out of dust balls to show he is with them and wrote articles like this one. But my question is: Is Jim actually UTR to keep his family, or is he still a true believer? Anyone know the answer to this one?
If he is UTR he’s likely reading this. Hope “he’ll” jump in with an update.
I doubt if he will jump in with an update for us. If he is UTR he wants to take no chances as disconnection is really real.
Another prime example of the scientologist being the last to know the truth about scientology.
So sad and so dangerous. A fool communicating the story only as he knows it, the rest of us being aware of the rest of the story – the part that destroys people’s lives.
Other than that he has it right about the general mistrust in the news.
Only 27 memes? Pathetic. There would have been hundreds leading up to, and after, the election. For better or worse American and British politics 2015 to now have ushered in the Age of Feels True. The ‘best’ memes (in the Darwin/Dawkins sense) either feel truest or spark the most emotion.
As for scientology being a ‘timely force for good’ – utter nonsense. Hubbard littered with path with lies, stolen twisted truths, and drug fueled fantasy. To misquote him: What your own eyes have been deceived into seeing is true for you.
It is a bit rich to read Jefferson’s screed against newspapers as he regularly used one when he was Secretary of State to attack George Washington, his own president. If you want to know a little more about that, Google the wiki entry for National Gazette. I guess there’s truth in “it takes one to know one.”
I confess to no longer trusting the mainstream media on most subjects (NY Times , Washington Post, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC,etc) and I consider over 90% of political memes on Facebook to be sheer propaganda, filled with lies.
Having said that, it is certainly perplexing to see Scientology MOTIVATING so much as victims. Don’t they know what “look what they did to me” MEANS???😀😀😀
Yes, Jim, the deception is money-motivated. Without the steady diets of lies, money would cease flowing into Dwarfenführer’s® coffers and what remains of scientology would dry up and blow away like the gains promised and never delivered.
Of those who KNOW the truth of the organization claiming to be scientology vs what they represent, I’ll bet that NONE believe a word that comes out of their spokespuppets’ mouths.
Jim Kalurgis is proof that anyone who’s in Scientology long enough will choose delusion over reality in order to maintain that carefully constructed bubble.
The end product of Scn will always be complete disassociation
Excellent 👌 summation of Scientology in two para.
Just want to add , after finding our it’s fake and fraud ,if one still associated with it then it’s pertinent to refer it as Stockholm Syndrome.
Fifty years ago, the term Stockholm Syndrome was coined at the end of a six-day bank siege.
The phrase was reported to have been coined by criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot.
The hostages experience a powerful, primitive positive feeling towards their captor. They are in denial that this is the person who put them in that situation. In their mind, they think this is the person who is going to let them live.”
The underlying principles of how it works can be related to different situations :
“A classic example is domestic violence, when someone – typically a woman – has a sense of dependency on her partner and stays with him,” says psychologist Jennifer Wild, a consultant clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford.
“She might feel empathy rather than anger. Child abuse is another one – when parents emotionally or physically abuse their children, but the child is protective towards them and either doesn’t speak about it or lies about it.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22447726.amp