Merely possessing the property gives the impression that the church is undergoing 134x expansion or whatever they tell people at these events they put on.

An Ex, yes, he had already adapted that definition back then only for those who had money. A religion that practices selective proselytism based on economic capabilities. How funny!

But also how shameful just for having said such BS.

This shows how scn is purely a commercial activity structured in a pyramid scheme that has worked on large quantities of new entries to always select a few more “able” fishes.

But now the game is over. Even before COVID, but especially now with the Masterson case, it has closed up even more like a hedgehog, and surely had to make significant internal changes to stay afloat.
I hope someone who left recently will give us some ‘inside information’ (specially about finances).

We’ve previously talked about this change of direction. I think Tony’s publication of Miskiewics’ 1994 interview for the Austrian magazine Profil provides some additional pointers.

Q: What is the goal of your organization, what do you actually want to achieve?
A: The goal of Scientology is a world without mental illness, without crime, and without war. We work towards this by focusing on the individual, because by doing so we can improve the whole world. We reach out to people who are doing well, but who wonder, “Why am I not as happy and successful as I could be?” These are people for whom Scientology is the right thing. And that also sets us apart from other groups whose attempts to help people are geared towards the mentally ill and unstable personalities.

Q: You’re not interested in the less developed, whom you describe as mentally ill?
A: You can’t look at it like that. We are a new, expanding group and we still lack the means to really help all the mentally ill and confused people in the world. We believe that we will reach our goals faster if we help capable people to become even more capable now. In this way, we increase our membership, and ultimately we can help everyone else effectively with Scientology.

Q: There are people who spend up to $200,000 on Scientology in a year.
A: That just shows how important Scientology is to them and how much they appreciate the value of our teachings for this world!

Q: But Scientology undoubtedly costs people a lot of money, doesn’t it?
A: The people who say that are not Scientologists, but our enemies. The most important point is and remains that no one is personally enriched. Scientology is in the development phase. It costs a lot of money to establish itself: We need buildings for our churches, we have to finance materials about Scientology. And last but not least, because we are new, we have to distribute all this material.

It seems to me that this follows Hubbard’s philosophy of “making the able more able.” Miskiewicz defines “able” purely in monetary terms—as someone who can easily afford to spend $200,000 a year on services as well as becoming a Patron Megalomaniac of the IAS. Anyone who can’t spend that much simply is not “able” and does not deserve his help.
(Gracefully he offers them to become an -underpaid- staff member.)

Chris, I can only completely agree with you. In Eastern spirituality, there is a concept called “awakening” that describes a moment of profound understanding of oneself and reality. It is a deeply personal experience and can also occur many times in one’s life. Scn, although it does not explicitly claim to, purports to produce this in series through hubbard’s “enlightened” words and practices.
Obviously, the evidence shows the exact opposite.
The only time this happens in scn is when one day, as you said, a light bulb goes on, they ask themselves what the hell they are still doing there, and they just leave.

The very opposite of an actual event.