Hi Alicia,

You will find Leah’s list here: https://www.mikerindersblog.org/episode-14-listener-questions-part-2/

I also recommend Martha Stoutt’s Sociopath Next Door and Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning

Having worked for DSS/CPS for a number of years I had the pleasure of working with a young man who is Mormon & attended Brigham Young University. Very intelligent, caring, sweet natured person, who had done his duty meeting all the requirements before age 21….”spreading the Mormon word”.

He was very level headed, but deeply entrenched in his faith. Seems like MOST churches have a required Tithe. At 23 he married a lovely young woman of the same faith & they intended to bring their children up as Mormon. He never discussed his religion at work, despite one of his BFF’s ragging on it every day.

This was in the late 1960’s when we were permitted to wear jeans, sneakers, have long hair & men could have facial hair….even if it were “scraggly”. Sometimes you couldn’t tell who was the caseworker & who was one of our “clients”.

John ALWAYS came to work in a suit, white shirt, tie….shined shoes…….VERY SHORT haircut & clean shaven as well. His BFF at work (also named John) who sat next to him was the complete opposite “hippie” & he’d tease the Hell out of poor John every day.

While one John complained as we all did, about college loans on our low Social Worker salary…the Mormon John had his education at BYU PAID IN FULL. Full dedication paid off for him, he was debt free.

I had a friend who had to sign a paper obligating them to pay 10% weekly etc. She asked “what if there comes a time I cannot meet that obligation”………………

She was told “You can OWE back $$$ to us”…………WOW….she quit that religion pronto. Nowhere in the Bible did I read that it was REQUIRED that a church member is OBLIGATED to ante up 10% or more of their weekly salary.

Oh my goodness. Mary Kahn has always impressed me as a very kind and loving person. One who is truly evolved and deserving of much respect.

But to engage in name calling by calling someone a, “stupid idiot” is just not helpful in any way.

I had always thought Mary had evolved beyond the nasty behavior that is typical of this cult and that she was above that.

What I’m trying to say is that there is a struggle going on here by former members of Scientology to shut down this terrible scam. But please consider how name calling others who may not be as experienced as yourself reflects to those people who can help in this struggle.

Mary is truly better than that.

Jenna, being a good scientologist would have just kept her TRs in as she was being bullbaited. As a celebrity of sorts, she would have been exempt from anything too serious for playing her character, though if she got on the tiny twit’s shit list, she MIGHT have a sec-check to suffer through at her own expense.

Playing around in the pro-science/atheist sites, I’ve heard it said that many became atheists AFTER reading the Bible. It just has too many gaping holes in what is supposed to pass for logic. That’s pretty much what happens to me when I read scientology texts now. KSW fails for me as I don’t accept item #1 as true.

Ron’s ‘ethics’ was nothing more than punishment that HE didn’t have to specifically order or carry out. The lower conditions were particularly degrading and could, on a whim, be declared on anyone who caught him on a bad day. For example, the whole SHIP was assigned Liability once. The whole management solely by stats was designed to make everyone fail sooner or later. No matter how incredible a miracle you performed last week, NEXT week, it’s not enough; ya’ gotta do BETTER — or ELSE. NO ONE can always have increasing stats week over week. Those who seem to invariably are cheating a lot or a little, and are most likely lying through their teeth.

Courage ought to be rewarded and cowardice ought to punished. The ones giving their lives to critical thinking makes it in life.

The bank is the evil to be erased according to Hubbard a banker in a casino.

Not all cults disallow or question worldly education. I think the LDS church would qualify as a cult for many people. They have their own university, BYU, and young members are encouraged to go there. There even are LDS-parents who will only help kids who want to get a college educaton if they go to BYU.

The reason: the LDS wants its members to pay 10% of their income each year to the church (tithing). If members have a good education they have a chance to have a higher income.

However, learning about critical thinking also tends to get students and graduates of BYU questioning their faith… 😉