That is a question for which there are a few answers, but none of them are “this city wants scientology.”
The first answer is “COB wants it” — so therefore it must be done. Scientology is no longer the kingdom of L. Ron Hubbard. Everyone knows you can’t say that these building boondoggles are “what LRH wants”. But that does not matter any more. After all, it’s been Miscavige in charge of scientology for longer than Hubbard ran the show at this point.
The second is “we always need new reasons to hand over cash, after all, that’s what scientology is all about.”
Number 3 — “It’s Sea Org Day”???? What does that have to do with it and why are two PUBLIC scientologists promoting this?
Number 4, you only have to “give half” to get the “full status.” The other thing scientology is all about. Status.
And as for all the poetic words about what a wonderful state New Mexico is, according to the VALLEY “OT Committee” — if this is SO important and everything is so magical, why don’t you two move there and join staff? Or join the Sea Org? That would be the right thing to do no? Isn’t that what LRH said?
You are both OT VIII’s and Platinum Meritorious IAS funders (at least) and Bill is even featured on ScientologyTV…
It is curious that it is considered more valuable to scientology to have someone like this be a source of continuing revenue than a staff member in one of their small and failing orgs. It tells you what the true priorities of scientology are. It is a vehicle to generate income, rather than a vehicle to bring spiritual freedom. That’s merely the sale pitch.
Too true. The sad thing is that it’s easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled. It’s quite frustrating and seemingly hopeless for a lot of people. You can shove proof into their faces and they will accuse said evidence as some kind of “fabrication”. Indoctrination in many cults and political regimes is deeply ingrained into the populace that they can’t even begin to fathom how wrong (hell, even evil) the entity they worship actually is.
If we objectively look at history, we find those that those who commit evil acts think of themselves as good people committing good acts. If we don’t examine our own beliefs we WILL be those people committing crimes against Humanity.
Off topic comment…but still relevant…
I live in Buena park Calif…a fairly large city in Orang Co..
I have NEVER seen any indication. Scientolgy exists here..
No signs. No billboards…etc
Interesting…
Shirley –
That’s where we lived until a few years back (we’re an hour away and still have a son in OC) and I would say that was our experience too up until we did encounter it. OC has their IDEAL Org right near the Orange County High School of the Arts (OSHA) and I encountered it when I started helping a friend’s daughter get home from school there. Then my husband ended up working for a scientology-owned business and WOW did they push us hard to try to get us (& all other employees) in there. That’s what brought me here and to Tony’s blog. Just one of the craziest and hardest years we’d had, as they so insinuated their way into our personal life.
The hardest one though was my “bonus son” who’d been part of our loves since our boys and he were early elementary school. He joined via a girlfriend from a very prominent family and disconnected from us about 2yrs later. I’d shown him this blog and Tony’s when he first started to date her and he laughed when I suggested if he joined that he’d have to disconnect from me because I was publicly and vocally against co$. Yet, eyes wide open he got involved, took out a loan for services and was suddenly a different person.
Sadly I think that’s the case in many places – it’s not known or really “out there” for most of us, but when you do meet someone or end up working with or for someone who’s “in” it becomes very obvious how insidious it is and how even very intelligent, aware and kind people can get sucked in before they know it.
As far as “why Albuquerque “?, I think the answer is in the explanation given … It’s the handful of New Mexican Scientologists’ “endearing antics” … I mean, hey, who doesn’t just love that adorable wild and crazy crew? … If I wasn’t an SP, I’d go platinum Albert Schweitzer right now …
I can tell you there are ex-Scientologist New Mexicans. In fact, I have driven by the empty lot of the Albuquerque Org. Two cars, probably staff members. It is not a lively and vibrant Org, but yet another m’Org.
New Mexican Scientologists: if you need help please reach out to the Aftermath Foundation. It’s a rough state with low income and high crime and poverty. You can get help and end the abuses of the cult by leaving.
“Cob wants!” translated means he will show up soon in some video (like Bin Laden, just videos). Probably it will be the IAS event live. So now he needs to feed the public with great news and achievements and make the few members left to believe they are still kicking the butt of the wogs big time and there is still room for expantion.
Pathetic and sad are the only adjectives I can find.
After Leah and Mike’s Aftermath they have passed the no return point. No more recruits or new starts. The crap is over
The El Dorado (City of Gold) legend came about from the Spanish invaders seeing the natural mica flecks in the Taos Pueblo adobe glinting in the sun and thinking it was gold.
This Organization is Illegally using my artwork herein to promote Scientology. You have been advised to CEASE AND DESIST, immediately!
What type of FRADULENT Organizton is this? This is THEAFT.
I am waiting your advisment of compliance to remove my artwork from your promotion immediately.
Barbara Chichester
ARTIST
barbara-chichester.pixels.com
Oh my.
Did you write a formal letter to them?
They go batshit crazy protecting their “intellectual property” but abuse the rights of others with reckless abandon.
Beautiful artwork by the way. I see this piece in your “SouthWest USA” collection.
Barbara,
Your work is beautiful and I’m so sorry that the “church” of scientology would so blatantly use your artwork without permission and license.
I’m very thankful Mike Rinder posts these promos of theirs here so that they are exposed for how often they “borrow” and misuse the works of other artists without knowledge or credit. I hope very much that you are able to collect appropriate usage fees and get an apology. I know I’d be angry if someone used my creation to promote something I didn’t approve.
But do know that we think your work is beautiful!
That zia symbol is a painting by Barbara Chichester called “Zia Mountain Golden Hour.”
Pretty sure it’s copyrighted. I found it on her website.
She just posted here. I hope she collects from them and forces them to stop.
If you alerted her, good job.
She is a magnificent artist. I glanced through her website. It is impressive.
Evidently she has received a reply saying they wouldn’t do it anymore. 😀
OK, happy to hear that. Though I wonder if they have offered to pay for the use they did make! (That’s a rhetorical question, of course they didn’t)
One thing that always strikes me is the Church of Scientology offering discounts on Scientology Religious Status. In this case, 50% off. I created a thread on ESMB Redux to memorialize such discounts and sales:
Sale! Discount on Scientology Religious Status!
https://exscn2.net/threads/sale-discount-on-scientology-religious-status.248/
That thread in turn likes to earlier threads on the original ESMB that do the same.
Selling religious status is bad enough. Offering discounts and holding sales on religious status is so crass as to render satire futile. Offering discounts on religious status is beyond caricature.
Seriously, do Scientologists brag about the discounts they received on religious status? “I got this Rolex for 25% off!” “That’s nothing, I got 50% of on the religious status of Patron Maximus Blovatus in the Church of Scientology!”‘
I bet it really irks those that paid full price for their status. It must be torture not being allowed to complain (aka natter) about it.
In the end, the way I made it with Scientology was to place all of it into an infinitesimally small square on the tip of my nose. That action even gives it more credit than it deserves.
Albuquerque is one of the ignominious SFOs* that bought a historic building more than a decade ago, allowed it to sit and deteriorate (not to mention rack up expenses like taxes at $15k per year), in recent years has been trying to sell it off and meanwhile has bought a dated building in an office park – a concrete monstrosity with windowless sides, in the running for the ugliest of recent purchases;
> https://tonyortega.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/received_1805164776236140-e1532822982928.png
Like St. Louis, they have had the first property on the market for years, likely because a wishful ‘postulate’ of pricing it to high recover the costs of buying and holding the property is unrealistic. And as in Boston, they’re presumably stuck waiting for a sale to go through in order to have funds to renovate the second property they bought, that has now been sitting for years itself (and given the state of the economy, they’re likely to sit at least several more).
Albuquerque is one of the orgs that doesn’t even seem to have its own Facebook page, which is typically a sign of the smallest and weakest of orgs. One fundraising event picture I found showed about 3 dozen people, many of course gray-haired and looking like old-timers – also typical of all the members the smallest of orgs can still gather.
Thinking about it, the bottom line is that Scientology’s ideal project list is down to mostly the weak and tiny orgs that don’t really matter. If the ideal org project hasn’t started working as expected by now, putting the last few remnants amounting to about half a dozen smallest orgs with probably around that figure of 3 dozen members each – so probably barely 200 active scientologists among the lot of them – isn’t going to change anyting.
*Small and Failing Orgs
I’ve heard of brutalist architecture but this takes the biscuit.
The grammar in this (and SO many other communications) kills me. It shows how uneducated the majority of Scientologists are.
But that’s what they specialise in, the lack of proper education is to keep people trapped.
Mike said, “Everyone knows you can’t say that these building boondoggles are ‘what LRH wants’. But that does not matter any more. After all, it’s been Miscavige in charge of scientology for longer than Hubbard ran the show at this point.”
I slightly disagree with this point. Scientologists really do think that these building boondoggles are “what LRH wants”.
Why do Scientologists think that it is “what LRH wants”? Because Miscavige says it’s what LRH wants.
Just more money neded
I wonder what the McCaffrey’s did to get this job?
It is not hard to imagine why LRH did not promise us that we would make it. LRH was not stupid. He knew that there were cockaroaches that cared more about greed than helping the planet survive. He also knew that there were well-intentioned suckers that would go along with it.
He also knew that there were a lot of cowards that would not stand up to DM and would do whatever he wanted if he would just allow them and their families to live. I am already dead so I do not have that problem. But I am too far away from the flames to jump into the fire. As for our only chances being with ideas orgs, that is correct. But “Ideal Orgs” are what LRH talked about in the PL; not the bullshit they have now. LRH talked in the PL about the org repelling it’s public. Hell, that is it’s entire function now.
Bill I’m curious do you still believe in L Ron Hubbards Scientology? Just asking.
I have had some good results from some of LRH’s tech.
The organization I have compared to the Nazis many times. Do I think that they are going to clear the planet?
Hell no, they are not even trying to do that now.
Better do a Tee Are One Gary. That is still workable I think. 🙂
It’s a joke !
LoL Newcomer that was hilarious.