Every now and then I indulge in yet another anti-Scientology film or article. I tried to appreciate this series but it's presented in such a dispassionate way, like a narrator describing a lion-mauling with a jaunty demeanor. The most important information is in the form of text & there is far too much reading required. But there are some eye-opening tidbits and unmasking of certain aspects we haven't heard about. I think they should have hired those re-enactment specialists, like the media does, to make a bigger impact.
I have some personal experience with Scientology. I've studied it extensively at some points. What strikes me most is that L. Ron Hubbard was a Sci-Fi author and a con man before he became the leader of what is erroneously called a church or religion. His own son calls him: a golden tongued grifter who was just another name on dime store pulp mags until 1949 when he said, "You want to know how you really get rich? You start a religion." And his next book was Dianetics.
In the 70s, my then fiancé was talked into taking the Dianetics course. They charged us $120 per session with an upfront commitment of thousands. The person who coerced us promised we would have a chance to change our minds. It was the only reason we agreed. The very first course was on how to read a book--any book--with the dictionary beside you looking up every word, including And or That. People giggling or looking at each other in disbelief were told that not taking it seriously would be cause for dismissal (with no refund), nor were we allowed to socialize. We finished that first session but didn't return. We were hounded for weeks and eventually went to the police and filed a complaint. The group blamed the rep, who was allegedly removed from membership-the sacrificial lamb.
Years later, a dear friend of mine--a wealthy celebrity (rest his soul)--was pressured to join. He wasn't approached openly or wined and dined. The cult took one of their own members, had her actually divorce her current husband, and pursue a relationship with my friend who had reached out to her innocently after they had met as child stars years earlier. They ended up getting married. Very shortly, my friend learned of the true motivation and severed his relationship with the woman. Due to his fame, and threats from Scientology, the marriage was said to be annulled-by her-for other reasons, which only served to add fuel to other controversial topics in my friends life. But as a gentleman who truly cared for this woman, he never revealed the truth. Later they forced his ex to make claims against him, which she almost immediately retracted. After my friend's untimely passing, Scientology set her up to join a séance where the fake medium told her the ex-husband spoke and was deeply sorry he didn't follow her directions, that his fame fell because he didn't follow her vision for him (he's as famous for his controversy as for his music but I wouldn't say he fell). This set up was produced by the cult specifically to show to future members of celeb status to infer the power of Scientology on their career. My friend's experience is not really very unique to this dictatorship. I've heard of other similar experiences (minus the séance).
Scientology is no religion, no more than any mob or gang. Anyone who really wants to understand Scientology should first research L. Ron Hubbard before he wrote Dianetics. He was a pathetic man with low self-esteem who wrote tall tales for pennies and conned people out of money. He used Affirmations and Visualization techniques to psyche himself up before attempting a grift. If anything, Dianetics is about control and manipulation; how to psyche people out and intimidate them. It's not about bettering yourself or the world. Why can't the FBI investigate this cult and remove their Non-profit status?
I have some personal experience with Scientology. I've studied it extensively at some points. What strikes me most is that L. Ron Hubbard was a Sci-Fi author and a con man before he became the leader of what is erroneously called a church or religion. His own son calls him: a golden tongued grifter who was just another name on dime store pulp mags until 1949 when he said, "You want to know how you really get rich? You start a religion." And his next book was Dianetics.
In the 70s, my then fiancé was talked into taking the Dianetics course. They charged us $120 per session with an upfront commitment of thousands. The person who coerced us promised we would have a chance to change our minds. It was the only reason we agreed. The very first course was on how to read a book--any book--with the dictionary beside you looking up every word, including And or That. People giggling or looking at each other in disbelief were told that not taking it seriously would be cause for dismissal (with no refund), nor were we allowed to socialize. We finished that first session but didn't return. We were hounded for weeks and eventually went to the police and filed a complaint. The group blamed the rep, who was allegedly removed from membership-the sacrificial lamb.
Years later, a dear friend of mine--a wealthy celebrity (rest his soul)--was pressured to join. He wasn't approached openly or wined and dined. The cult took one of their own members, had her actually divorce her current husband, and pursue a relationship with my friend who had reached out to her innocently after they had met as child stars years earlier. They ended up getting married. Very shortly, my friend learned of the true motivation and severed his relationship with the woman. Due to his fame, and threats from Scientology, the marriage was said to be annulled-by her-for other reasons, which only served to add fuel to other controversial topics in my friends life. But as a gentleman who truly cared for this woman, he never revealed the truth. Later they forced his ex to make claims against him, which she almost immediately retracted. After my friend's untimely passing, Scientology set her up to join a séance where the fake medium told her the ex-husband spoke and was deeply sorry he didn't follow her directions, that his fame fell because he didn't follow her vision for him (he's as famous for his controversy as for his music but I wouldn't say he fell). This set up was produced by the cult specifically to show to future members of celeb status to infer the power of Scientology on their career. My friend's experience is not really very unique to this dictatorship. I've heard of other similar experiences (minus the séance).
Scientology is no religion, no more than any mob or gang. Anyone who really wants to understand Scientology should first research L. Ron Hubbard before he wrote Dianetics. He was a pathetic man with low self-esteem who wrote tall tales for pennies and conned people out of money. He used Affirmations and Visualization techniques to psyche himself up before attempting a grift. If anything, Dianetics is about control and manipulation; how to psyche people out and intimidate them. It's not about bettering yourself or the world. Why can't the FBI investigate this cult and remove their Non-profit status?