Three of Scientology's elite parishioners keep faith, but leave the church (Includes video)

The Saint Petersburg Times (Florida) / Tampa Bay.com ^ | December 31, 2009 | Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin

[Stoat]

They advanced to the Church of Scientology's highest spiritual level, to "Operating Thetan VIII," a vaunted realm said to endow extraordinary powers of perception and force of will.

(edit)

Isene left first, a decision that emboldened Leavitt, who inspired Katz. Such departures are rare among the church's elite group of OT VIIIs, who are held up as role models in Scientology. The three each told the St. Petersburg Times that they had spent decades and hundreds of thousands of dollars to reach the church's spiritual pinnacle.

(edit)

The three OT VIIIs said they want reform of leadership. They pointed to the revelations by Rinder, Rathbun and others who told the Times that church leader David Miscavige resorted to violence to control and discipline key managers, assertions the church strongly denied.

(edit)

For an hour, an ethics officer posed questions while she held the metal cans of an e-meter, the electronic device used in auditing sessions.

Who are your friends?

How are your finances?

Do you have any money offshore?

"I'm sitting there trying to keep really calm and cool, and I'm going, 'This has gone completely gestapo.' "

(edit)

"I kept telling them, 'I'm not putting money on a credit card.' "

She said she was told: You're not with the program. You're not keeping Scientology working.

No, she told them, I guess I'm not. "I just walked out."

(edit)

 

[Cicero]

L. Ron Hubbard was a con artist. But from what I have heard, Miscavage is a thug.

[GeronL]

lol.

How would I know??

They’re both strange. At least Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are nice people.

[RonInNaples]

Yeah, and don’t forget the being baptized for sins of your family so that they can upgrade the heavenly class. But only to 2nd class, first class is reserved for the real Mormons.

[miele man]

To call non-Christian cult members such as the Scientologists, “parishioners” is a gross mis-use of the term. In fact, to call members of a Protestant church “parishioners” is incorrect. Neither the Scientologists nor Protestant churches have “parishes” or call their church buildings, a “parish”.

[hellbender]

Anglicans have parishes. Are you saying they aren’t Protestants?

[Stoat]

Well, I suppose that since the Governments of several countries have collectively lost their minds and officially designated Scientology as a church then that makes them feel entitled to use other religious terminology as well, regardless of how improper it may be.....the ‘slippery slope’ and all. By adopting traditional, accepted terminologies they attempt to legitimize themselves.

The biologically-meaningless physical interactions between homosexuals are commonly referred to as ‘sex’.

Those who adhere to the fascism of political correctness and the endelssly-disproven, regressive policies of liberalism / socialism like to call themselves ‘intellectuals’ and ‘progressives’.

Communist street-thugs here in America like to call themselves “Community Organizers”.

The list goes on and on...by comandeering and stealing the language and twisting it to their own use, fringe and destuctive groups attempt to gain legitimacy and acceptance.

[Godzilla]

[Elsie]

insanity goes mainstream. and spawns.

MORMONism split as soon as JS died.

Since then, it has fractured all over the place; with the Flds offshoot folks being the latest group in the news.

[reaganaut]

These guys want a Scientology REFORMATION?!?!?

ROFLMHO!!!!

We now bring you the “Reformed Church of Scientology”.

[reaganaut]

Isn’t that the mormons? God and his wife, and you can become a god too...

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Yep. They call it “exaltation”.

[reaganaut]

Yeah, and don’t forget the being baptized for sins of your family so that they can upgrade the heavenly class.

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And you have to learn the secret handshakes and pantomimes for them too.

[miele man]

No, I am not. Since I am an Anglican priest myself I certainly know that Anglicans have “parishes”

[hellbender]

Then why did you say that Protestant churches do not have parishes?