Another thoughtful piece from our Special Correspondent who brought us An Evaluation of Scientology and Fear: That Which Drives Scientology.
Justification and Rationalization in Scientology
Rationalization of doctrine occurs in all religions. From the moment one is introduced to the creeds and canons of a church, he’s forced to make sense out of the illogical and absurd if he has any chance at salvation. Scientology is no exception.
Making excuses for material that doesn’t make sense, but which one is expected to accept as true, becomes a way of life for church members. This is especially true in The Church of Scientology where nearly every aspect of the organization must be rationalized to one degree or another if one is to go OT—become an authentic Operating Thetan—and remain in their good graces.
Justification of Ethics Abuse
Harsh ethics has become accepted in the Church of Scientology—by both staff and management, and by a cowed public, bullied into rationalizing the abusive behavior by believing they’re the ones who are always wrong.
Scientologists rationalize being assigned wrong conditions. They rationalize spending thousands of dollars on frivolous Sec Checking. They rationalize being forced to disconnect with loved ones. Staffs rationalize illegal orders from seniors. I’m sure many rationalize false reports as “really not false.”
Everyone who’s ever written a KR on a friend felt guilty afterwards. And if they didn’t, they probably should have. In shame, many conveniently forgot to route copies to their buddies.
Ratting out friends and relatives has become high art in Scientology. Splitting up families is seen as okay. “It’s the greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics,” is a classic justification. “The need to stay clean” and “This is our last chance,” are two more.
Ever submitted to unjust ethics just so you could continue with your processing? Don’t worry. You aren’t the only one.
Rationalizing the Purification Rundown
Day after day, many must rationalize chasing down bowlfuls of vitamins with rancid oil and CalMag on stomachs already upset from weeks of abuse. One person I know had to be hospitalized. Another took months for their digestive tract to recover. Still another had to go to Flag for “handling.”
Many rationalize the feeling of dizziness as an indication of past drugs turning on—and have nothing to do with heat exhaustion from sitting in an oven-like sauna for five hours.
Since it’s impossible to know if one’s body has been purged of all toxic drugs and chemicals without laboratory analysis, the EP must be rationalized, as well.
Rationalizing the Survival Rundown
Since LRH has been dead for over thirty years, we must first believe that David Miscavige either a) happened to stumble upon another lost, closet full of long-forgotten LRH rundowns, b) just before he died, LRH whispered in David’s ear, “Wait thirty years and then round up every mention of objective processes you can find and put them all in one book and…”, or c) DM, in his infinite wisdom, just knows that “the SRD is what Ron wanted.”
On the SRD, one must constantly rationalize the concept of present time—PT. A person can achieve the EP of being in PT on one process, only to start the next with the same EP. A friend of mine had the viewpoint that being in PT was like being pregnant: you either were or you weren’t.
All the original HCOB’s in the SRD pack have had all their headings, routings, and LRH signatures removed. Many paragraphs have been eliminated, as well. The justification is that the SRD is for new people; it’s a Div 6 action.
In fact, there is so much wrong with the SRD, and so much verbal tech bandied about, the rundown should be the subject of whole new article. I’ll be sure to get right on it.
Rationalizing Study
In an earlier article, An Evaluation of Scientology, I gave examples of other barriers to study besides LRH’s big three. Anyone’s who’s ever done Student Hat, knows that every non-optimum condition while studying is caused by misunderstood words, lack of mass, or skipped gradients—period. Which means the author is always right, and thus, his BS must be rationalized as true and correct.
By this twisted logic, LRH is never wrong. An HCOB doesn’t make sense? A piece of policy seems unreasonable? Management is inconsistent and unreasonable? Unfounded theories? The onus is on you, dude. Find your MU, and rearrange some more paperclips.
Rationalizing and Justifying Staff not Applying Tech and Policy
Whether you believe in LRH’s tech and policy—and I don’t care if you do or don’t—is beside the point. Once you’ve signed up for a service in Scientology, you’ve tacitly agreed to play by his rules. You may have to justify the hell out of these rules, but da rules is da rules—whether they make sense or not. Watching them constantly broken can be disturbing for practicing Scientologists. Everyone who’s ever been inside has plenty of their own examples.
Considering the amount of LRH tech and policy misapplied, not applied, and butchered, there must be a lot of foggy-headed Scientologists out there.
Orgs Rationalizing Failing Stats and Insolvency
Class 5 orgs and missions have been insolvent for decades. Free labor and whales are the only things keeping them alive.
Course rooms are empty, save for old folks doing GAT-version-three of courses they first completed in 1975. “Number of times through the materials equals certainty,” is a standard rationalization. “We finally have the tech,” is another.
Stats are horrendous, and if not plunging, are scraping the bottom with no place lower to fall. Per Scientology policy, orgs are in Confusion—unless there is lower condition LRH forgot to add (Brian-dead?). I’m sure DM will discover a few that LRH forgot to release in another closet someday soon. (If we’re lucky, he’ll find the real wording for the Doubt Formula!)
Rationalization and delusion by staff is extraordinary. From empty Div 6’s, to few or no Div 4 graduates, their ability to “go on hoping” boggles the mind.
Rationalization of Programs
Any Scientology staff member can attest to the number of absurd programs passed down from upper management. Many are as thick as phone books; most lack any semblance of reality. More often than not, the very first target is wholly undoable and never completed. (Example: “Hire 25 new people, hat them up, and post them in HCO by the end of next week.) And yet, dutifully, these programs are rationalized as feasible, and then accepted. David Miscavige is famous for this type of wishful reality.
Following in the wake of his delusion, the public has rationalized GAT 1, GAT 2, The Basics, and the SRD as “what Ron intended.” Of course, none were written by LRH and all created huge “hidden data lines.” That all these new “confidential” transcripts and references were found in lost closets doesn’t seem the least bit “odd” by the faithful. Long ago they conditioned their minds to believe whatever their leader presented and told them was true.
“We can’t show you this new material because if SP’s got a hold of it, they’d publish it online and all hell would break lose” is a tired justification—if not outright lie.
Rationalization of Things-That-No-Longer-Are
Gone: Saint Hill Special Briefing Course. (Imagine LRH walking into a Saint Hill today.)
Gone: The tech vols.
Gone: Hard introductory TR’s.
Gone: The Key to Life (may still exist, but I haven’t seen or heard of anyone doing the course in a decade).
Gone: The Grade Chart as written by LRH.
Eliminated: Many HCOB’s and PL’s uncomplimentary to DM.
Deleted: Segments of LRH lectures not complimentary to DM.
I’m sure old-timers could add many to this list.
Rationalization for Ideal Orgs
No agenda has been pushed so hard recently—and been rationalized to such a high degree—as the plan to make all orgs “Ideal.” And this despite the myriad LRH references to the contrary.
Regardless of dwindling, if not empty, orgs and moonlighting staffs, parishioners continue to buy into DM’s idea of acquiring bigger and bigger, and gaudier and gaudier chunks of MEST.
The Class 5 org with which I’m most familiar, has been insolvent for decades, has made one Class 5 auditor over that same period of time, the staff all moonlight, and if not for having to pay for the Bridge, the vast majority of the public would be retired. Their present building could pass for a mausoleum, but for some reason, they need bigger quarters.
Apparently, “if you build it, they will come.”
Rationalization for Overt Products Put out by Golden Era Studios and Bridge Publications
For years Scientologists have rationalized their antiquated tech films as state-of-the-art. Maybe if playing on Mystery Science Theater 3000, but certainly not in towns like LA and Hollywood. Golden Era Studios video technology has always been two steps behind—and twenty times as expensive—as what’s already on the shelves at Best Buy.
Bridge Publications poured millions of dollars into what was touted as the most advanced book printing plant in the country. Around the same time, they switched from cassette tapes to CD’s. Meanwhile, outside in the real world, bookstores were going out of business, and kids had moved on to E-books, solid state memory, and live streaming.
Rationalizations In the Chair
From the moment one first sits down and picks up the cans, to the words, “End of Session,” preclears—PC’s—must rationalize if they are to continue.
Even if the images in your mind don’t seem real, your auditor will tell you to go with the “incident” anyway and do the best you can. Can’t decide whether you were the slayer or the slayed? Doesn’t matter. Won’t make any difference in the long run.
Ever wonder why items you think should “read” don’t, and items you think should not, do? Don’t try to think why. Just go with the flow. Accept what the auditor gives you. The e-meter knows best and is never wrong.
Ever been given “repair” lists even though you already knew what was wrong? Doesn’t matter. The CS knows best.
Ever burned up half your hours clearing words of which you already knew the definitions? Doesn’t matter. One MU and you’re screwed.
Ever routed to review—at your expense—even though you knew what was wrong? Or you had no idea? Doesn’t matter. You don’t know your case like the CS.
Ever rationalized attesting to a process or level that you had uncertainty on? Don’t worry. This is SOP—standard operating procedure.
Ever agreed to a process that didn’t make sense but if you didn’t do it you couldn’t continue up the bridge? Don’t worry. That’s just your bank talking.
Rationalizations of End Phenomenon
More often than admitted, the stated end phenomena—EP—of levels and processes, if not completely unrealistic, have to be rationalized if one is to continue.
Examples include Method 1, where one is promised the recovery of all of his education. If lucky, he’ll salvage the last semester of high school—much less anything from trillions of lifetime’s worth of study. If the process worked as advertised, we’d all be geniuses.
Most who’ve gone “Clear” have had to rationalize the expected gains of this level. For many, the exalted state-of-being as described in DMSMH turned out to be a lie. The big letdown—some would call this the big con—was when you learned you were only “Clear” on the 1st dynamic (which basically meant you were still 87.5% fucked-up and had a long, long way still to go—and a lot more money to spend).
Perhaps the most fantastic rationalization of all happens after reading the space opera presented on OT 3.
LRH justified keeping the OT levels confidential by convincing parishioners that people would get sick and die if exposed to the material outside the confines of an advanced org.
Etc, Etc,
For all you reading this who have ever done a Scientology service, I am one hundred percent positive that you could give many more examples of your own. For those of you who worked in the Sea Org, I’m sure you were forced to carry around basketfuls of rationalizations and justifications just to endure the continual mistreatment and insanity.
P.S. I still haven’t been declared!
One of the things that irked me when doing Student Hat was LRH’s MU on “reasonable.” He seems to have had a confusion on “reasonable” vs “rationalize.” I hope to remain reasonable despite suffering through that inane course. And falling asleep can sometimes be an indicator of extreme boredom, not an MU.
And here is the Solutions to all those Problems.
A speech given by a graduate of Harvard.
It’s a joy to see that Young Generations understand the Problems and find the Solutions to all above nonsense.
There is so much hope in the World of Today.
https://www.facebook.com/HarvardEducation/videos/10153893399331387/
“Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin,
Is a great equalizer of the conditions of men.” – Horace Mann, 1848.
At the time of his remarks I couldn’t read — couldn’t write.
Any attempt to do so, punishable by death.
For generations we have known of knowledge’s infinite power.
Yet somehow, we’ve never questioned the keeper of the keys —
The guardians of information.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen more dividing and conquering
In this order of operations — a heinous miscalculation of reality.
For some, the only difference between a classroom and a plantation is time.
How many times must we be made to feel like quotas —
Like tokens in coined phrases? —
“Diversity. Inclusion”
There are days I feel like one, like only —
A lonely blossom in a briar patch of broken promises.
But I’ve always been a thorn in the side of injustice.
Disruptive. Talkative. A distraction.
With a passion that transcends the confines of my consciousness —
Beyond your curriculum, beyond your standards.
I stand here, a manifestation of love and pain,
With veins pumping revolution.
I am the strange fruit that grew too ripe for the poplar tree.
I am a DREAM Act, Dream Deferred incarnate.
I am a movement – an amalgam of memories America would care to forget
My past, alone won’t allow me to sit still.
So my body, like the mind
Cannot be contained.
As educators, rather than raising your voices
Over the rustling of our chains,
Take them off. Un-cuff us.
Unencumbered by the lumbering weight
Of poverty and privilege,
Policy and ignorance.
I was in the 7th grade, when Ms. Parker told me,
“Donovan, we can put your excess energy to good use!”
And she introduced me to the sound of my own voice.
She gave me a stage. A platform.
She told me that our stories are ladders
That make it easier for us to touch the stars.
So climb and grab them.
Keep climbing. Grab them.
Spill your emotions in the big dipper and pour out your soul.
Light up the world with your luminous allure.
To educate requires Galileo-like patience.
Today, when I look my students in the eyes, all I see are constellations.
If you take the time to connect the dots,
You can plot the true shape of their genius —
Shining in their darkest hour.
I look each of my students in the eyes,
And see the same light that aligned Orion’s Belt
And the pyramids of Giza.
I see the same twinkle
That guided Harriet to freedom.
I see them. Beneath their masks and mischief,
Exists an authentic frustration;
An enslavement to your standardized assessments.
At the core, none of us were meant to be common.
We were born to be comets,
Darting across space and time —
Leaving our mark as we crash into everything.
A crater is a reminder that something amazing happened here —
An indelible impact that shook up the world.
Are we not astronomers — looking for the next shooting star?
I teach in hopes of turning content, into rocket ships —
Tribulations into telescopes,
So a child can see their potential from right where they stand.
An injustice is telling them they are stars
Without acknowledging night that surrounds them.
Injustice is telling them education is the key
While you continue to change the locks.
Education is no equalizer —
Rather, it is the sleep that precedes the American Dream.
So wake up — wake up! Lift your voices
Until you’ve patched every hole in a child’s broken sky.
Wake up every child so they know of their celestial potential.
I’ve been a Black hole in the classroom for far too long;
Absorbing everything, without allowing my light escape.
But those days are done. I belong among the stars.
And so do you. And so do they.
Together, we can inspire galaxies of greatness
For generations to come.
No, sky is not the limit. It is only the beginning.
Lift off.
This is fantastic work, again.
I love how you pointedly expose the “church” for what it is,
no embellishments, honest and straightforward.
Valuable.
Your three articles already would make a book. Perhaps something like
HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy,
except
in this case as a real handbook for the recently liberated.
…
Call it, perhaps…
The Graduate’s Handbook for the Escaped Scientologist, or
How to Escape The Cult Known as Scientology, subtitled:
The Re-Definition of Identity.
I know,
the “escaping scn-gist” is a rather rare bird. Might be a long wait for the million-book sales mark.
A chapter on Critical Thinking, perhaps in collaboration with Chris Shelton?, would be nice touch.
Still,
this is wonderful work. And I do wish you the best,
with much gratitude.
Thank you.
[Places EVERYONE we are on in 3… 2… (…)
“Well, good evening from the Current e vents desk of SCIENTOLOGY TODAY.
A special correspondent, Inspector Digsley, submits the following essay. Digsley,
what is the exclusive story, go ahead?”
Hello. A very interesting document has been discovered, under the curious moniker of, what, one mister
something or other, here it is: “please dont call me the Commodore” I believe he may be the leader of some sort of sinister cult. Of course, I grabbed a recording and rushed it to the SuMP Complex immediately. What follows is that document:
[Charlie, who is this Digsley Guy?” “I don’t know, Sherman. We are On the Air!”]
…
Yeah, curious how a joe can call himself a leader at the same time as being perpetually silent.
Leader of what? Mimes, I suppose. Himself. Ok, but I keep getting the impression he has himself completely deluded in the realm of self-knowledge. I’ve yet to hear him talk about IDENTITY, as a topic, not to mention anything else, at all.
Leader? decidedly not.
That he calls himself one reminds me of the very definition of megalomaniac. Fitting as the word might be, it was hardly worth the effort to type it out, as the list of psychological disorders, slash, illnesses, is apparently so dauntingly lengthy…
…yeah, Dave, [editor’s NOTE: DAVID MISCAVIGE], thanks for packing up your church-bags and disappearing together, You, your church, and your multiple personalities. The real you really is pretty scary. I hate to sound pitifully & remorselessly cold, but, I do harbor the desire that you perish from the human condition never finding out who the real you actually is. I’m sorry, if I turn out to be the actual one to inform you – that you are going to die, just like the rest of us someday. Immortality? Great, I’m happy to be left out of your next life, the rest of Eternity sounding painfully similar… to yesterday already.
Then, [EVER] sharing the company of your wisdom?…
Just entertaining THE IDEA
of that kind of wretched experience would be so unpleasant I’m afraid it would disturb my afternoon tea,
and I do apologize for the absence of trained trumpeteers upon the final departure of you church, happy as we all shall be. Except you. Please enjoy your studio and all the SuperBowl reruns. Your Fearless Leader, please don’t call me the Commodore, out.
[Pandemonium at SMP. Which is ironically good for their ratings.]
Indeed, I could go on and on with numerous examples of what you mentioned on each category.
Ah, and being concerned about ‘being declared’ – only if accepted – will act as another rationalization.
These threats, titles of SP and what not, are as illogical as all the rationalizations you mentioned.
These declares, and anything else, have zero power unless you accept it as truth or belief and, only then, you are 1000% fucked!
Declares do have power. They also have status, earlier is higher. If i had my Goldenrod, I would enlarge it to 2-foot by 3-foot, frame it under glass, and post it on my living-room wall for everyone to see. Proud, I am. And happy. I am out of that rotten cult, never to return. WOOOAAAH!
And it’s the Escalation of Commitment that keeps the blinders up, while roaring full speed ahead toward the obvious iceberg.
Good article. Reminiscent of something I read from Sam Harris to the effect that smart people can believe things for which they have no proof or personal experience. Here is the quote:
“Tell a devout Christian that his wife is cheating on him, or that frozen yogurt can make a man invisible, and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to be persuaded only to the extent that you give it. Tell him that the book he keeps by his bed was written by an invisible deity who will punish him with fire for eternity if he fails to accept its every incredible claim about the universe, and he seems to require no evidence what so ever.”
Perhaps the same mechanisms of rationalization are at work in the minds of Scientologists who, on the issue of everyday subjects, can be very critical and skeptical.
Mike,
What you describe could be almost any large scale religion, although Scientology seems to be more systematic. The whole thing sounds like something George Orwell would write. Thanks for the article.
Fred
Churches like the catholic church actually believe in their religion and look for miracles with it. The Church of Scientology knows that religion on Earth is implant based. When I was a young man I went out for a ride in my oldest sister’s car one night and got into a huge car accident just up the street with 3 parked cars. I was afraid to tell her so I just put her keys back and went to bed. She found out about it later. This is an overt I am convinced. 🙂 In any event, upon revealing this to the Church of Scientology their view of amends is “You must bake cookies at your own expense in the galley for the FOLO EUS crew for 5 nights as amends”. Is that really delivering an effective blow to the enemy of the group I was pretending to be a part of when the accident took place, is to give people cookies? I didn’t feel right about it, and consequently this is what Mike’s post is about. I experienced it for myself and I know that it is real. 🙂
Hi Lawrence, Amazing to me and a great post.Thank god I didn’t have to prepare my dogs & beans.I probably would have passed out from the fumes coming from the walk in cooler! You make some really good points.Always
I remember the Survival RD in 1980, there was an indian on the cover of the pack. Most of the bulletin where “assisted by senior CS int” means arranged somehow by David Mayo. When RTC in 1983 took over the church, Survival RD dissapeared. It was said that it was squirrel, work of the biggest squirrel : David Mayo.
And now Miscavige think we are in amnesia.
I don’t know how churchists can buy so many illogics. This little piece of shit of Miscavige should be ridicule without pity.
They all disserved to be ridiculed.
Except that the current Survival Rundown isn’t the same Survival Rundown as in 1980. The new Survival Rundown is just the old Objectives with a few additional elements added to it.
I have a question.
What is a red tag?
it’s the label your pc folder gets if your needle doesn’t ‘float’ after a session. The auditor has, I believe, 24 hours to get you back in session and get the correct end result. Like so many things in scn it is a really stupid rule, for example you may have just taken a day off work to get some auditing but are expected back at the office the next day, the scions will sit you down and go on and on at you to convince you that you simply MUST come back the next day for a correction. I remember missing a work appointment just because I gave in to this badgering, my boss was not happy.
Examples include Method 1, where one is promised the recovery of all of his education. If lucky, he’ll salvage the last semester of high school—much less anything from trillions of lifetime’s worth of study. If the process worked as advertised, we’d all be geniuses.
Good stuff….keep it coming…helps all of us….phil
When I was supervising the SHSBC at ASHOF (1974-1976), new checksheets came down for each of the 6 levels of the course, and none of them were signed by LRH. I sent up a query, asking for a properly signed copy. I got a note back from someone (who knows who?) telling me to implement the new checksheets without further counter-intention. MAJOR rationalization (“LRH must have okayed this, right? Right!)
Reading this series of observations about “the church” — as written by the author today — it seems not much has changed since I left over 30 years ago. Except, of course, there aren’t ANY checksheets for the briefing course now … and, of course, there are empty (but fancy) buildings where people are supposed to be actively involved in bettering the world but are, instead, probably lurking on this (and other) informative websites and blogs.
BTW, being declared turns out to be really cool. The ex-scientology community (which I wasn’t involved in until I got declared — from out of the blue — decades after I left) … anyway, the community of those who’ve gotten out is MUCH more fun than it was while “in”. In fact, being declared might be the final step in the road to total freedom 🙂
Hi Robin,I liked your post.When I first got my goldenrod I cried all day,it keyed me in so badly.Now I see it as a badge of pride.And yes all you SP rascals declared or not are total freedom.This blog is too and Tony’s also.Thank you for a memory of the old SHSBC where I scrubbed those tables under the huge photos of Ron,after course was over for the night.Always watching that Ron.XO
Mike, as I read each section, it began to unnerve me and I felt the pangs of fear welling up inside me. Then when I read “Rationalizing Study” and then read, “The onus is on you, dude,” for a split second I thought you were talking about me and I wanted to shout out, “NO Mike, I’m out, I’m out!”
After finishing all of the sections, I felt completely numb. One of your finest posts, Mike. When you can stir my emotions, you know you’ve got my full attention. The relief I felt knowing I was out and had been out for so many decades, made me appreciate my life more than ever before.
I guess you can rationalize your entire life away if you’re so inclined.
“unless there is lower condition LRH forgot to add (Brian-dead?)” Are you referring to the Life of Brian, the famous Monty Python movie? 🙂
Mimsey
I’m not familiar with the reference.
There isn’t any reference. The author misspelled “brain” as “Brian”, hence the joke.
My, what a introverted lot Scientologists are. The shame, blame and regret is rife at every turn with anything to do with them. Corruption at the top of Scientology is so complete, that’s all there is at any level of the organisation.
Once I can get my family out I’ll be the dust cloud in the distance to what is obviously an unsolvable situation for which everyone has an opinion on just how wrong it all is. Being wrong is the one common denominator that is being proven over and over with regards to Scientologists – their stats say it all. Nah – it’s been rationalized from both sides of the fence for a long, long time now. The only thing left is justice from a societal level and individually you’re own your own to live with the consequences of your own acts and judgments, but continually blaming others for your mistakes is folly. It’s all about getting a life and living it without the Scientology doctrine rubbing off on you that matters. I’ve never considered Scientology as a way of life, it’s always been just a set of tools. Unfortunately, at a church level they are all broken and it is truly a cult, peopled by those who are in a critical state of delusion.
Hi Mike.
Your Special Correspondent’s posts are great. He/She is able to clearly state in words many of the thoughts I still have spinning around in my head. Keep it up and thank you, you Very Special Correspondent!!!!!
Excellent article! I could relate personally to so much of it. I remember the first time a “friend” wrote a KR on me. From that point forward I realized that I would never have any real friends who were on staff and that I would always, always have to be careful of whatever I said to anyone. Big brother was always watching. It was the first crack in the fun house mirror that is scn.
Hi Amethyst, Very good to meet you.A wonderful post.Yes the first crack in the funhouse mirror is the first blow toward freedom.There came a time for me when the mirror shattered and crashed all around me slicing into body mind and soul.I knew then I had to leave ASAP or I was literally about to die.Always
Imagine LRH walking into a Saint Hill today?
It doesn’t take much imagining.
https://soundcloud.com/octopus-tundra/700802-1-a-short-briefing-of-guardians-office-technical-personnel
Wonderful commentary. Except that there’s one mammoth rationalization that was missed, and it goes along nicely with the rationalization for the Putrif and the SRD: Rationalization of ARC Straightwire. The EP of ARC Straightwire is “Knowing that you will not get any worse.” Everything past ARC Straightwire, all the way up to OTVIII, is a rationalization on why people are getting worse, and here are the steps to “cure” that feeling. Why are people pushed to immediately start OT levels when they reach Clear? Because they’ll get sucked into the “downward spiral” if they don’t. In other words, they’ll get worse. But shouldn’t that have been taken care of a long time before, at ARC Straightwire?
Those three Lower Bridge actions, the Putrif, the SRD, and ARC Straightwire, are suppose to produce some kind of tabula rasa in the person for the Tech to perform its “miracles”. But they don’t, so why are they there? The only reason is to prepare the pre-clear to fork over money for future Bridge actions. In a way, I’m surprised that there’s no GAT II ARC Straightwire that people have to redo. But if there was, that opens up a door to realization that the cult can’t afford to open, both literally and figuratively.
Invalidation of ARC Straightwire essentially takes down the whole house of cards. It requires a lot of rationalization of why it doesn’t stop you from getting worse.
Good observation. In the hidden recesses of my mind at the time I had ARC Straightwire, I thought this, but then successfully blanked it out – as I did most the irrational claims of scientology. It’s embarrassing, actually, to realise this, of course. Never mind, I’m over the embarrassment in a wink. I just celebrate being out every day with jubilation.
Excellent post.
Mystery writer.Enjoyed reading your post.Nice writing.Very clear.Impactful.Logical.Look forward to more posts.
Excellent points Special Correspondent, and well written.
For me, the whole thing just needs to go back a bit earlier to DMSMH and the “research” for that book. Before ‘ethics’, before ‘study tech’, before the purif, before objectives, etc. The fact is, there is no “research”. It just doesn’t exist and NO scientologist can show any proof of “research”. No “research” = no results. The simple fact is there are no ‘clears’ by any changing definition the old grifter came up with. That is one of the biggest elephants in the room and I have to admit that I couldn’t see it until right up to the end of my time in the cult. I was blind. We all were, and it was self induced blindness.
ain’t it funny how clear it is NOW? When you’re IN it’s like being in a room with big wide windows that are all 2 way mirrors. You just see your own tiny made-up world reflected back at you, whilst the entire outside world can look in and see you living in a circus.
38 years I made excuses for “clear”.
“You just see your own tiny made-up world reflected back at you, whilst the entire outside world can look in and see you living in a circus.” Very well put, secretfornow.
“38 years I made excuses for “clear”. – same here. I had a hard time being “clear’ and it was because I’d now opened up the OT III case, of course. (:
So true about LRH’s “research.” Despite his policy that “if it isn’t written, it isn’t true,” all Scientologists must rationalize never seeing any of his research or studies in writing.
A very intriguing post, well thought out and most valuable. Some of us got a lot from it, NOT buying into the BS part. (My OT3 “actual” cog was, “This is LRH’s case I’m running.” Worked. Moved on. Left in the early 80s realizing the smell was getting really bad. And that was before I’d ever heard of cob. So much of the disaster lies at Hubbard’s feet. However, if all I had ever gotten out of it was the incredible woman to whom I’m wed, it would all have been worth the trip.
It’s dawning on me that if this trend of reissuing Hubbard’s words with the headings, and bric a brack that the old Hubbard full mimeo issued writings contained, that whole old system that Hubbard wrote extensively was necessary during that years Hubbard was running and micromanaging things, then that might foreshadow the future publications of Hubbard’s upcoming writings.
If they come out with materials that have all the headings and endings with the informative symbols clipped off, of the Tech Vols and OEC Vols, and so forth, someday, the one thing that level of revision would accomplish would be LRH’s OEC Volume 2 policy about how to reissue Ron’s materials, which allows for “blue penciling” (removing from the final edition) those parts of Ron’s earlier written works that do NOT correspond to latest Ron writings.
So, in fact, if the Hubbard materials WERE edited down even like the freezone various historical writers of Hubbard’s tech have edited Hubbard’s Scientology, in fact what we are wtinessing is truly official Scientology orthodoxy going the exact logical path that past “squirrels” chose.
I think this is all evidence that “squirreling” is not really squirreling, but simple a sort of peer review and “blue penciling” that Hubbard rightly himself condoned.
When it was reported here, I think, or somewhere, that Miscavige had ALL of LRH’s writings all laid out on tables at Int, that exactly is what I think was the right step.
Get ALL of Hubbard’s whole writings, and have about 100 of the most literate members read ALL of the materials.
Give them 10 years to maul it all over.
Give them another 10 years, or make them first go to UK universities for some 5-10 year religion history major long term study, and THEN come back and do this exervise of 5 years of Hubbard full chronological materials study (and make them do it like 3-5 times, start to finish), then have them blue pencil Hubbard’s stuff.
Then you’d have the Senior C/S Int office think-tank tech staff, and the Exec Strata think tank staff to reform the mess.
More blue penciling, is needed. A whole lot of blue penciling of Hubbard’s is needed, but it will take people with educations that Scientology does not allow of their members.
But again, since no soul flying OTs have yet been produced by Scientology, I conclude why bother, and of course quitting fast (per KSW #1) is the best move for any Scientologist always.
….um…Chuck? Since it’s all laid out there on a table like a thousand frogs underbellies…
couldn’t we just blow it up and be done with it?
I second your conclusion, but you knew that.
What you’re talking about is critical examination and that is how the world advances. What the cult victims do is rationalisation (since L Ron Hubbard’s writings Are Perfect!) and it leads to cognitive dissonance.
Another winner article, mystery author! I love how clear your writing is. So many of these thoughts go on in everyone’s heads and your writing puts them out there so clearly that even those, who have not been thru it, will be able to get the picture on it. It communicates to everyone.
Isn’t it amazing how one’s eyes are so open after they leave? It boggles me that smart people continue to be so blinded…but I guess that is the point of the article…they willingly rationalize out of fear and all that other stuff. It is ironic that the one thing they think is going to free them from a trap, is in fact the very thing that is trapping them! And what’s even more ironic is the idea that there was originally even a trap to free them from! Not only are they made to believe in a trap that doesn’t exist…they are made to believe that scientology gets them out of the make believe trap!
The sad part is that when you try to tell them, they can only go to the idea that they have been told…that someone who criticizes is an SP so you can not trust or listen to them, even if they were your best friend for decades. WOW…How F==ked up is that? Don’t you just want to shake them and tell them to wake up?!
Thank you for another great article.
Great article. One thing I continually had to rationalize was how nutty many OT7s, OT8s were.
And how many OT8s have died of cancer which the cult claims it can cure….
Rationalization: cancer is just the mechanism they chose to use to causatively drop the body. No more questions, please. Next!
And don’t forget that cancer is 2D restimulation. Now rationalize that one out.
Hi OSD, And don’t forget my rascal sp degraded beings,Cancer Sucks !! Love the comments!XO
Ann B, I keep my cancer in check with TONE 40!
Hi OSD, Let us make it TONE 80 and forever kick,that sucker far far beyond the curb.Stardust xo.
And how not only OT VIIIs have died of cancer but others, too, OTVs, clears, the whole lot. It once looked to me as though the major cause of the death of scientologists was cancer! This was hard to reconcile/rationalise.
It is, indeed, it is hard to reconcile/rationalize. Remember, this is the cult that claimed that they could actually CURE cancer! And I believe ’em! So all these members that died of cancer didn’t really die of cancer. They did die due to their own overts/withholds and especially negative thoughts about the Man, the Myth & the Legend, COB. If they couldn’t have just kept their ‘minds right,’ they’d be with us today. Let this be a lesson to all of us…
woe, dude, tis tough love you dish out…
– you just gave me a cognitive dissonance attack.
hurts, …but not as bad as cancer! And what doesn’t kill you only makes you…
[____]*
*fill the void with your own reality
One would have to be crazy as Hubbard,
to walk around bragging about being OT8… which is probably why they don’t.
Such a man would certainly be in denial about the non-manifestation of OT9, for one thing.
Has it been 20 years, has it not, in the waiting?… 20 years or longer of following the leader-
in silence.
Should not the OT “know” what OT really is?
Should not the OT be willing and able to speak truthfully to the subject of
“The Bridge to Total Freedom”?
Yet, they are never heard. When the critical voice is raised on public media,
there are no OT persons to speak.
There are no OT persons who speak,
to me or you, to pundits, nor to the rest of the world’s teachers.
No OTs to speak openly to the world’s students. Hubbard has their voices mute,
it does appear.
“Being”
OT Eight
means being in denial and rationalization for every other single solitary thing that Scientology says about itself.
OT Eight
is from a belief system that denies everything that is not LRH,
and then again in denial about everything that IS LRH.
OT Eight
is supposed to know everything.
And that is just plain crazy, indeed.
I have trouble blaming them. After all, they were led into it…
“Rationalizing the Survival Rundown”
“Since LRH has been dead for over thirty years, we must first believe that David Miscavige either a) happened to stumble upon another lost, closet full of long-forgotten LRH rundowns, b) just before he died, LRH whispered in David’s ear, “Wait thirty years and then round up every mention of objective processes you can find and put them all in one book and…”, or c) DM, in his infinite wisdom, just knows that “the SRD is what Ron wanted.” ”
Honestly, I suspect this is not DM alone. I suspect when we review everything techwise Hubbard finally wrote, and his final Case Supervising he had Ray Mitoff execute on Hubbard, and Hubbard’s intent to go do the “OT running program” by going circle Arcturus like Sarge told Lawrence Wright in the HBO “Going Clear…” documentary, that “objectives” is the correct emphasis.
If Hubbard felt that simple objectives OT running program was really good enough for Ron, then Miscavige I can rationalize thinks Survival Rundown will NOT hurt anyone’s case, and will bring cases (people’s cases) to the realization that they TOO have more “body thetans” and whatever else the OT 8 Scientologists are not case wise confronting of their own “OT cases”.
That’s immediately how I rationalize the Objectives full theory of Hubbard’s being “okay” to redo whenever the ARC Break of status loss is finally “run” as rudiments, to then get the OT 8 to just calm the hell down and realize that L. Ron Hubbard backtracked his OWN case Case Supervising to Ron himself thinking honestly, truthfully, the running program is really the right undercut to even Ron’s case!
So all you truly in the know tech trained Scientologists, get your damn ruds flown so you get it through your undereducated tech trained minds, that Ron is deciding this.
Think like Ron!
(I have to state I don’t believe, that’s not my opinion, but if I were full blown Scientologist, from all I’ve read, I think the Scientologists are being ninnies, but wise ninnies if they wise up and quit this Hubbard insistent path back to the Objectives. Ron’s writing and statements DO point to reverting to the Objectives, for all those “bypassed” OT 8s and everyone else who thinks they are further along case wise than they don’t even know they are MILES below the case advance of LRH and he admitted the OT running program which is the OT objective process, was what LRH knew he needed next—again, this is all delusion to me, NOT to be taken seriously, but it you take it seriously, that is how serious L. Ron Hubbard was, so don’t complain you OT 8 ninnies!)
Hubbard’s endlessly prolific deflecting ideas, rules, courses, requirements, staff positions, steps, cramming, case supervising rules, ethics condition steps, charts, Tone Scales, divert endlessly and always to blame the reader.
It’s never Hubbard’s real fault people don’t get the soul improvement goodies if they admit they can’t fake the goodies well enough to pass the Hubbard test/EPs for each step.
It’s an out of control prolific ever-deflecting con since no OT superpeople result who can soul fly out of their heads as Hubbard’s Definitions of OT 1 and 3 clearly state will someday be the Operating Thetan’s ability.
All Hubbard would have to do is soul fly back to earth from the OT running program around Arcturus that he’s supposedly doing at the moment, and do a big OT announcement to the world that “I’m Back!”
Time for worldwide Scientology, I (LRH that is) am ready to really get the show on the road for earth once and for all!
Alas, no OTs, no OT Ron back to save mankind just yet.
This should be a Debbie Cook letter.
Thank you!
Great essay on surrendering our power to others for our growth.
“Never self audit” is in essence the surrendering of our own personal inner adventure.
“Never self audit” is in essence giving L Ron Hubbard control of our minds
L Ron Hubbard convinced us with his fallacious scientism and galactic arrogance that your mind is too dangerous to look at.
Only Ron, with his fictitious OT powers and wisdom knows what your mind is.
Only Ron has the power to overcome the horrors and deadly mind.
If you attempt to go it without Ron’s tech you will go crazy and red tag.
This one agreed upon data is very dangerous as far as self inquiry and self analysis is concerned.
Once a Scientologist has agreed that the mind is too dangerous to navigate without Scientology, that student has surrendered their own ability to self evolve.
This one thought was the most deceptive and dangerous to intellectual freedom:
‘L Ron Hubbard did the work. All we have to do is put our feet on the bridge.’
Adios self determination. Buenos Dias to fear of self discovery outside of Ron’s thought prison system.
Remember, your mind is too dangerous without Scientology to help you. Only Ron was able to find the truth of the mind.
The lie of OT3:
In 1982, someone I knew, who was on the OT levels, went to AOLA and took out the OT3 materials. This person thought that Scientology was being taken over by thugs and wanted the OT3 materials “safe.”
She gave me these materials. I gave her about 35 cents for the price she spent on Charlie Chan copies. So I spent 35 cents for OT3. (I’m proud of this)
Ok, so I did not do the clearing course. Did not finish my grades. Was a “natural clear” from past life (ah! imagination) Incomplete on my knowledge of solo auditing. No OT preps. Nothing, nada, zip.
So I read the materials is Ron’s handwriting. Studied the theory and procedures and proceeded to audit,
At first I used a meter, then I audited without one. I audited for about a month. Every day for hrs a day.
I did not die. I did not break my back. I did not get neumonia. I did not red tag. I did not go psycho because I was not ready for R6.
At first, before I started this iconoclastic action, there was a small amount of trepidation because of all the years of believing what Ron said about OT3 and the dangers of not doing the “correct mapped out route.”
After I overcame my “learned behavior” of giving Ron power over me with false knowledge, I audited.
After a month of auditing every day I concluded that we were all duped.
The very revolutionary act of doing OT3 entirely unprepared and not having any negative effects brought my rational mind to the conclusion that it was a lie.
My win and stable gain of doing OT3 was my leaving the Scientology thought prison system, and seeing Ron as a con man with messianic delusions.
Your mind is not as dangerous as Ron sold to you. He sold you that your mind is dangerous so that you would only use his system of self inquiry and be afraid of other spiritual systems.
And he did it for cash.
Bravo! Brian.
Some may say,”but I had gains on OT3.”
Whenever we turn our attention within to look directly at the mind, the very real occurrence of seeing patterns and causes is almost impossible to not have.
When we turn within we are actually looking into the dream machine of our perceptions.
Dealing with mental mass, whether you it the “boogie man”, Xenu, BTs etc., will cause a neutralization of that mass, or negative emotion.
The lie to Rons’ system is the story that clothes the mental mass. He clothed mental mass in the likeness of his Sci Fi imagination.
Excellent post, Brian! Bravo! So very glad you’re out and living life on YOUR TERMS! May the best day of your past be the worse day of your future…
Thank you bud! And to you too my friend. You bring us all to the beach Old Surfer Dude.
That’s what old surfer dudes do….
A great revelation, Brian. A fantastic story. In another time, it will be a funny story.
At what point does a rationalization become a shared delusion? Why every day in the Clampire.
At what point do the local mOrgs throw in the towel and lock the doors? If they have been insolvent for years, how do the whales keep them afloat? Just write a check once a month and your friendly Chiropractor will keep the lights on and water flowing. The local telemarketer king will keep the trash being picked up and keep the rack of Way to Happiness booklets full Well, almost full, they probably don’t have to refill that very often.
Madness, mollusk madness.
“At what point does a rationalization become a shared delusion? Why every day in the WORLD!” Do you vote? No difference. Scio is hardly the only gigantic scam. We ALL have delusions about something or other. Waking up is part of the trip, if you wish to follow that road. My reality is that the journey never ends, the game has no finish line. I did get confirmation of that while in scio, so that was a pretty decent “win” all by itself. I suspect that one can find just about any road and get some good mileage out of it, IF one realizes that S/HE is the only real player who counts. 🙂
Great post, Mike.
I find it difficult to fathom how much failure has gone on in the COS. (this is what I realized upon leaving) The COS has super-dedicated, super-energetic people eager to work 100 hour weeks to expand the organization. The COS has state of the art publication facilities that can pump out tons of promo at minimal cost. The COS has new buildings, a cruise ship and a super-duper, glittery world center.
And the COS is shrinking at an epic rate.
When I first left the COS and entered the business world, I was shocked at how little effort went into promoting non-Scieno businesses. Some of the places I worked and was well-paid had NO sales force and NO promo and NO marketing. We just did or made stuff people wanted.
DM is in the un-enviable position of not knowing what to do yet pretending he knows exactly what to do in spite of massive evidence that he is totally lost, over-his-head, walking in the high weeds and a crushing disappoint to thousands and a laughing stock to millions.
Great piece! Don’t hold your breath on being declared … the midget ordered an all-hands on the Daddy Ron Miscavige smear site, so there’s nobody to pay attention to your declare.
I earned my Instant Declare years ago to no avail.
wondered what happened.
Man, I must have something very, very wrong with me since I never received a Declare. I guess I don’t count anymore…
I have it on good reference that the declare backlog of goldenrods
is longer than Scientology has been around.
or in my case RTC is still throwing darts at a poster of me.
I had a Wanga Voo Doo doll of the COB made up in New Orleans
and took it to Flag, waving it around shouting “get to work you lazy bastards ”
For some reason nobody laughed.
I paid extra for the tiny admirals uniform !!!!!
Does it have a ‘pie face’?
Is that a rhetorical question?
OSD,
Nothing personal, but it is not worth the goldenrod that it is printed on, plus the postage. Is an email OK?
Yeah, you know, TFB, I guess an email would suffice. I wanted the Goldenrod because it was the color of my hair. But, I guess I can live without it.
OSD,
I have connections. Maybe a telex? Or do you really have your heart set on an actual mimeograph?
Amazing, I’ve never seen it all laid out so clearly, the EP of your missive today is the knowledge that a fairy tale is being rationalized. Well done Mke Rinder.
Oh and I hence forth declare you “Truly Well Informed” …. Meritously even!
Comparing Scientology to actual religions, I think Scientology has no standing.
The most major thing is no theologian class within Scientology (Hubbard never allowed Scientology to develop theologians)
Longtime auditors or longterm Case Supervisors, and not even Senior C/S Int nor Senior C/S Flag could be called theologians.
Only the freezone Scientology is there even a theologian type of discussion even allowed.
Official Scientology Hubbard massively crippled and I think it is due to Hubbard’s crashing misunderstood of what a religion is and Hubbard’s obvious ignorance and his impure motives for the movement.
The only “theologian” book that first came out, was Dr. Winter’s critical book,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Doctor%27s_Report_on_Dianetics
But his book was the pre-religion days of Hubbard’s subject.
Hubbard by cutting off all competition and cutting off all the old Guardian’s Office books that were wordsmithed into supportive Sceintology comparative religion topics, when Hubbard threw out all those GO religion cloaking books and papers efforts, that ironically made Scientology way more cult like ever since those days. (Then OSA smartly ran those missions securing the religion academics’ treatises supportive of Scientology’s religious nature, that subject, those papers while grossly superficial and way pressumptuous, the “best” of them would be Harriet Whitehead’s “Renunciation and Reformulation” book a book still too durned deep for any Scientologists to even digest Harriet’s supportive theoretical writing; the OSA treatises missions at least hoodwinked Bryan Wilson into Scientology’s support camp and that won the academics who praise all things Bryan Wilson.)
I wish some freezone Scientologist with some writer skills and religion history brains would emerge.
But they don’t.
History shows that smart religion trained persons do NOT choose Scientology as their religion.
I don’t know of any Scientologists who are former really theologian educated type of minds who can write books that are actually meaningful.
The best that was done was the GO books that got banned by Hubbard.
The religion comparison of Scientology that new religion academics do is so out of whack with reality of the average mentality and smarts of average undereducated Scientologists and freezone Scientologists.
Hubbard’s Scientology content, due to the past-lives space opera trove of memories that Scientologists will be guided to remember, in truth, someone like Captain Bill Robertson was a true quasi-theologian of Hubbard’s Scientology.
Were I still a believer in “OT” goals (I’m not) and were a bunch of the older generation Scientology smarties who still believe around who lived and could step through the Hubbard management history minefield of bad sub-policies and heavy ethics and bad managing methods of LRH’s, but I just don’t see anyone demonstrating really deeper study of religion to even legitimately move Scientology into legitimate religion comparison.
To really legitimize Scientology, what I’d do if I had the power, would include sending 20 young dedicated literate Sea Org members to England for LONG term education in world religion history.
And let that group, those who survive and come back, to be the think tank of the Scientology movement.
Exec Strata ought to be sent over to England, educated in world religion history for 5 years, and then come back. Send the whole crew that were in the “Hole” over and pay for them to pass the tests so they could get into Oxford or some similar UK Universities and study up LONG RANGE religion history really in depth.
Scientology has the time and money, if Scientology believers ever were to really place themselves in religion history.
Scientology needs a couple decades of outside education to reform themselves.
Hubbard did not know religion.
They have a tight control on their big efforts.
They need to smarten up and educated their members!
Really!
Otherwise they are just a wacky Hollywood new religion cult.
The intellectual “legitimizing” of scientology would require the developing of its own ‘doctrine’, a series of philosophically sound arguments in support of Hubbard’s views that can stand up to opposing arguments in a debate. That would be difficult. Hubbard’s views as written rarely make grammatical or logical sense so an official ‘interpretation’ of his writings would have to be composed that DO make grammatical and logical sense. That’s ‘squirrel’ and strengst verbotten!
The main difficulty with developing a scientology doctrine is that Hubbard’s cosmology is a collection of ideas that don’t ultimately fit together to form a seamless whole. When you take any aspect of it and try to figure it to its logical conclusion OR work backward to find its point of origin, you find yourself empty-handed. That’s why questioning scientology puts you in a condition of DOUBT and that is a punishable offense. Therefore, I assert the intellectual legitimizing of scientology is impossible and it must remain a double-speak con-game until such time as it fades from sight and becomes a footnote in history.
Descarte would disagree, he’d think Scientology is a logical progression of his Cartesian dualism. That’s how I bought into Scientology, due to the progression that Scientology is from Cartesian dualism.
Chuck, “Cartesian dualism”? Give me a break will ya? I just came in from sloppin’ the hogs.
Unless you say SPECIFICALLY where Descarte would disagree with me all you’ve done is appeal to an illustrious authority about nothing in particular.
Descartes gets some mention in one of the acknowledgements, when I looked it up, I came away with Descartes saying body and mind as the dualism. And that soul/thinking/mind is immaterial, and body is like the MEST universe. Thetan/soul runs a body.
So Descartes soul-mind/body dualism and the immaterial soul/mind affecting the body and physical universe, that’s like the Operating Thetan affecting a body or the physical universe.
And then engrams are this and past life traumas of the mind that Scientology’s therapy counseling eradicates, making the soul better off in future lives etc, etc.
So that’s how Descartes’ ideas of soul-mind being immaterial and being in the physical universe, seemed to related to today’s Scientology version of Cartesian dualism.
The Descartes immaterial soul’s influence on a person’s body as well as on the physical universe.
That’s how Scientology and LRH’s ideas had a foot in the door to philosophy for me. That’s why I joined.
I thought Scientology Fundamentals of Thought, the chapter on the Parts of Man were basically a restatement of Descartes’ dualism of soul-mind and body-physical universe.
And that Scientology’s practices of remembering one’s past lives, that alone was a sort of proof that one was a soul that transmigrated lifetime to lifetime.
And reading the Tech Dictionary’s definitions of Operating Thetan, particular definitions 1 and 3, were LRH says the soul (OT) can exist without a body, that just about was the most powerful draw for Scientology for me, and what lured me and kept me.
Definitions 1 and 3 logically followed, for me, from Descartes’ idea of the immaterial mind or soul.
I understand how somebody gets suckered into Hubbard’s double-talk especially when it resembles previously established philosophies which have their own title, “Cartesian Dualism” for example but Hubbard still has to explain his cosmology thoroughly which he doesn’t.
He distinguishes between ‘theta’ and ‘MEST’ but never explains the difference between the two. A ‘thetan’ “postulates” MEST. (He never explains how theta turns into a thetan!) A postulate is a thought so that means MEST would have to be made of postulate or thought. What is thought made of? It would have to be made of the thetan who originates it because what is there outside of the thetan from which the thetan can draw the material to formulate thought? Therefore, MEST would have to be made of thought and thought would have to be made of theta.
That means the physical body would be made of the same stuff as thought/mind, and thought/mind would have to be made of theta. That means EVERYTHING is theta by Hubbard’s reasoning which is non-duality not dualism. That would be fine except that’s NOT what he’s saying. It’s theta vs MEST all the way with him. His reasoning doesn’t support what he says. What he says is full of holes because he was full of shit. That’s my point.
Sorry, here’s better explained from Wikipedia:
Substance or Cartesian dualism[edit]
Substance dualism is a type of dualism most famously defended by René Descartes, which states that there are two kinds of foundation: mental and body.[6] This philosophy states that the mental can exist outside of the body, and the body cannot think. Substance dualism is important historically for having given rise to much thought regarding the famous mind–body problem. Substance dualism is a philosophical position compatible with most theologies which claim that immortal souls occupy an independent “realm” of existence distinct from that of the physical world.[1]
Then to me, Operating Thetan definitions 1 and 3 about how an OT can exist and operate in the physical universe without a body thus was the core legitimizing principle for my interest in Scientology.
I took Scientology to be a practice of soul therapy to rehabilitate the soul’s inherent powers and getting off one’s “case” off one as a soul thus made one an “OT”.
It made sense that way,
In what sense is it a “progression” from dualism ? Yes, you’ve got reincarnation in there, but that idea predates cartesian dualism by centuries.
Not that I buy into dualism – I think it’s an antiquated idea born of the ignorance of how brains function, a bit like vitalism (the idea that living things are made of some non-material, magical stuff) stems from ignorance of organic chemistry.
From Wikipedia:
Substance or Cartesian dualism[edit]
Substance dualism is a type of dualism most famously defended by René Descartes, which states that there are two kinds of foundation: mental and body.[6] This philosophy states that the mental can exist outside of the body, and the body cannot think. Substance dualism is important historically for having given rise to much thought regarding the famous mind–body problem. Substance dualism is a philosophical position compatible with most theologies which claim that immortal souls occupy an independent “realm” of existence distinct from that of the physical world.[1]
And then Scientology says the soul, the thetan, can exist outside of the body.
Scientology “Parts of Man” chapter of LRH’s in splits a “man” into thetan, body, mind.
That’s how I bought it, then what kept me hooked, was LRH’s definitions of “Operating Thetan” defs 1 and 3 which say that the thetan can exist without a body and thus the soul transmigrating, and thus past lives “case” stuff like past life engrams all made sense as to why one needed to even do the New Era Dianetics engrams running by chains and to erase one’s past life engram chains, to strip off that trauma, and the theory was this helped one regain one’s inherent soul powers that have been covered up by the eons of “case” one’s accumulated.
And then on OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, that made sense to me, since once one was “Clear” at the Clear stage of one’s past life “case” engram stuff, then the only “case left was one’s “body thetans” leaking THEIR case onto oneself.
And thus doing the exorcism of OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 made sense to me, just get rid of one’s “body thetans” and thus goes all the mental case they were leaking onto one.
And thus one was ready for real soul exercises of OT 8 onwards sort of like soul Gold Gym exercises for advanced souls, LOL.
The basic problem was the Cartesian Dualism, I concluded, like you pointed out above, was bogus.
I heard a Daniel Dennett answer in one of his thousands of online lectures where he mentioned how much trouble dualism ideas get one into.
And thus to me Scientology is just another of the wrong turns into dualism thinking the soul is immaterial and influences the world.
I’m hardcore atheist today. No souls, no thetans.
But, thinking if one allows for souls, then one can justify Hubbard’s soul therapy and soul exorcism practises, and of course all the authoritarian organization stuff of Scientology ought to have been a warning to anyone since why was all of Scientology’s authoritarianism needed if the Hubbard soul therapy/exorcism was making souls that had the power to pop out of their bodies and do things like Hubbard claims?
Scientology for even the reason I was suckered into it I know I ought to have known better, my fault I concluded for buying into the same old soul powers sales con other mystical practices have promised about souls regaining their powers to of their human body heads and do things.
,,,,,,[edit last sentence] souls regaining their powers to pop out of their human body heads and do thing.
Chuck wrote, “Comparing Scientology to actual religions, I think Scientology has no standing.
The most major thing is no theologian class within Scientology ”
Chuck there are countless “actual religions” in the world where there is no theologian classes within. Has ZERO to do with being a religion. Studying the nature of God has no place in a religion that doesn’t claim to believe in a God. LOL
Hmm, okay, let me think on that for some weeks, thanks. It’s a point I’ve repeatedly missed due to my own horrible undereducated education.
Chuck, I can probably help you out as I done graduated the 6th grade. And it only took me 3 years? So I am edumacaed.
Excellent summary. Well said and thank you for writing it, Mystery Author.
Is great to see someone finally getting it after all those years. Point by point. I’m glad I bailed as soon as the first major EP on the grade chart turned out to be complete B.S. and having not even been obtained by the Great White Blubbard hisself.
It was completely horrible even way back then. Cannot imagine after Minnie Me took over from the Supreme S.P.
Mike, as we both know, it’s always been bad. Always. And with the the advent of Minnie Me, it’s gone so off the rails, they’ll never get the train cars back on the track. Truly it’s ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’
No doubt OSD. In reality, Minnie Me did a lot people a favor. He killed Scamology faster than if some other’s had ran it. Kinda like why Stalin & Churchill didn’t have Hitler executed, (which he easily could have) he didn’t want the German generals in charge as the war would have taken longer…
Re Minnie Me: You’re absolutely right! Indeed, the dwarf is facilitating the cults demise faster than others. Nice post!
Dave,
Do you understand this concept?