Posted on 02/01/2019 7:44:25 AM PST by rktman
I’m nominating Leah Remini for this year’s John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Let me tell you why.
For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with the “religion” of Scientology. As a child I was a big fan of L. Ron Hubbard’s science fiction writing. My mom used to get me a subscription to Isaac Asimov’s monthly sci-fi publication and often there were short stories from Hubbard.
One day I mistakenly checked out his Scientology handbook “Dianetics” and while I was grossly disappointed to discover it was not the sci-fi romp I’d hoped for, it did launch my lifelong obsession with the weirdness that is Scientology.
By the time Leah Remini’s very public denouncement of her former religion came about I had probably seen or read nearly every available documentary or publication challenging the Church of Scientology (COS).
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
No, they are similar.
BTW, I think all churches should pay property taxes, since I no longer see the distinction between religions and political parties.
To be more precise, I think either every land owner should pay property taxes, or NO land owner should.
Had I my druthers, I’d say that no land owner pay property taxes.
Info on the internet probably hasn’t help.
How do you believe it has cost you money wise over the years?
How MUCH do you believe...
You're right about that. The church's pr around the internet is so awful today, they're hardly making any new converts.
Those few who do wander in, usually blow in short order, as they get to know the cult.
The organization is literally crumbling now.
There's not much to believe in Scientology. It's more like eastern religions, in that you subscribe to a set of practices that either work for you, or they don't.
Much of what I learned over the decades is still of great value to me.
Over forty years I donated about $30,000. I also never allowed myself to be sucked into their cash extraction machine.
I knew when to shut my wallet and say, "No thanks, I'm good."
I was one of the kids that they attempted to recruit.
Around 1987 or so me (around 19 yrs old) and two female co-worker friends took a trip into downtown Boston.
While walking Newbury Street on a gorgeous spring afternoon a pretty young lady approached me to ask some questions for a survey.
after a few answers i replied something apparently profound and she grabbed my arm and whisked me away from my friends to a close by building up a couple of flights of steps to a dingy room.
There were about 4 or 5 guys, they wanted to hook me to the machine, i was like i’m outta here then they blocked the door and wouldn’t let me out.
Eventually, after agreeing to buy the book for 5 bucks and give my address they let me go.
I was like WTF just happened..
I had read a few Hubbard books like Battlefield Earth but Dianetics was just crazy..only read a few chapters.
For something like 20 i was constantly getting mail from them at my moms house.
I was young, if those tools tried to block the door now there would have been a serious brawl on their hands.
getting mail from them for 20 years after.
Since breaking with the church I've read stories like yours before. They always amaze me because I never saw anything like that being done to anyone fresh off the street in all my years there.
Those kinds of physically coercive tactics were common in the Sea Org, but only amongst Sea Org members. Never with non-staff public or (heaven forbid!) brand new people.
But, 'the fish rots from the head, down'. David Miscavige's violent tactics eventually permeated all throughout the organization, so I don't doubt your story one iota.
I will say, though, such incidents like you experienced are rare. Even now.
By the way, picking up the cans and having the intro session wouldn’t have hurt you. There’s no hypnosis, and you’re in full control of yourself the whole time.
The e-meter is a simple galvanic skin response device. It merely registers the tiny electric charge in your skin, which can fluctuate in harmony with a person’s thoughts and emotions. It helps the auditor help you to locate buried emotional ‘charge’ in your memory. It actually does work when used properly.
Had they just handled your objections standardly, you might have even enjoyed the experience. It honestly blows my mind that they did what they did. That was entirely outside of standard church protocols.
Yea it was a weird experience, i can picture the whole thing in my mind like it was yesterday.
The e-meter i suppose is like those old lie detector machines i would see in the arcades years ago. you grip the two metal posts and it measures electric current.
the thing is if i enjoyed the experience and listened to their BS maybe i would have got sucked in...
probably not though.
If they had a rented room right of of Newbury street i imagine they were running operations in almost every major city in the US.
Speaking of memories i reallly wish i could go back to that day.
the good times...
lol
Thanks to this thread i’m at this moment half way through episode 2, got it paused at the moment...pretty crazy stuff and there are two more seasons?
wow
I researched Scientology a pretty good deal around ten years ago and learned their game so this is nothing new to me so far but to watch the interviews is pretty intense.
Wasn’t Scientology created due to a bet between Hubbard and some famous satanist i forget his name maybe Allister Crowley or something like that?
Hubbard bet the satanist something like 10 dollars that he could create his own religion and make it work?
To the best of my knowledge that's an urban legend strung together with some odd facts about Hubbard's real life.
Yeah, there are a lot of horror stories to tell. Most are from ex Sea Org members. They've suffered more than anyone at the hands of Miscavige, and they were the most dedicated of all Scientologists.
Maybe, maybe not. Just having a pleasant experience in an intro session won't necessarily hook a person.
Usually what hooks a person, is finding something in the presentation of Scientology that truly clicks for them. It might be something that popped up in an intro session - some significant realization or something of a profound nature. Or, it could be something they find in a book or lecture that strikes them as the answer to their problems.
It's different for each individual. For me, it was the description of Dianetic theory. It was exactly what I was searching for at the time.
Of course they are, as both claim to uniquely be the one true org, and both require unwarranted unquestioning implicit submission once you really get into it. Scientology however is far more insidious and crafty in ways of the world, effectively having a history as a religious mafia. But while the SO-CALLED JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES appeal to the common and even lower class of society, and uses Scripture and some Truth of it in order to give authority to its false interpretations of Scripture and history, Scientology much appeals to empty souls of certain successful persons, and uses some valid Scriptural principals to seduce such souls with its psychological manipulation and to fund its empire building.
Interpretation of The Word v space aliens ? Similar.?
Strong arm tactics v door to door ?
Buy your way to a planet, Galaxy or whatever the end goal is?
They may be classified as cults but that is the only similarity.
Almost all religions believe they are the only way.
While Truth is exclusive by nature, so that if you are correct then one who actually contradicts you cannot be, yet the difference btwn what we call "cult" and that of particular denomination as the SBC and the broad scope of fellowship of evangelicalism, is not only that the likes of the JW's consider their particular sect to be the one true body, with no denominational fellowship, but that unquestioning quite comprehensive assent is required, with often severe discipline of those who find warrant to question most any teaching. Thus even reading opposition literature is forbidden to the JWs and quite comprehensive clone-like group-think is produced. Therefore its common designation as a "cult" (as a pejorative) is not simply due to it very restrictive particular doctrinal position but also its psychological control.
Scientology likewise not only has no denominational fellowship, but it also historically has been notorious for engaging in very intense psychological control, even and illegal activities (one being http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Snow_White) and oppressive legal tactics.
Here is more on them: http://www.christianindex.org/1468.article http://www.watchman.org/profile/sientpro.htm http://www.watchman.org/sci/historyofterror.htm http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=607 http://www.clambake.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scandal_of_Scientology http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/scirelg.htm http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/cooper/sos.html http://www.apologeticsindex.org/cpoint7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoASMyv9Cek http://www.xenutv.com/ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5694888509800082473&ei=fmJpSe-EIY6cqALgzqndBw&q=scientology+video&hl=en http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scandal_of_Scientology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Freakout http://www.amazon.com/L-Ron-Hubbard-Messiah-Madman/dp/0942637577/ref=cm_syf_dtl_top_3_rdssss0 http://www.xenu.net/ http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/
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