Embedded Files
“In Scientology, we have this single difference: We are dealing with discoveries” (Hubbard, pg. 80, 1956,2007)
“In Scientology, we have this single difference: We are dealing with discoveries” (Hubbard, pg. 80, 1956,2007)
Scientology is touted as 'the most successful new North American religion of the last century' ( CNN), but what is Scientology?
Scientology is touted as 'the most successful new North American religion of the last century' ( CNN), but what is Scientology?
Scientology is a penitentiary of certainty; by which parishioners are indoctrinated to believe only what the Church states to be true. In this case, we are eternal souls with infinite past lives and experiences. This high control group is not the first and it will not be the last.
Scientology is recognized as a religion in the Unites State of America. Therefore, with the United States Constitution's First Amendment Protection and Tax-Exempt Status, the ethics of Scientology towards their critics, particularly journalist, are questionable rather than holy.
To understand Scientology's relationship with Journalism and the Media, one must first uncover what Scientology is! Is it a self-help group, religion or cult?
Rather Scientology is something in between!
One of the initial and prolific exposes of Scientology was Richard Behar's 1991 Times Magazine Article, in which he describes what Scientology is. He states...
“Hubbard wrote one of Scientology's sacred texts, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, in 1950. In it he introduced a crude psychotherapeutic technique he called "auditing." He also created a simplified lie detector (called an "E-meter") that was designed to measure electrical changes In the skin while subjects discussed intimate details of their past. Hubbard argued that unhappiness sprang from mental aberrations (or "engrams") caused by early traumas. Counseling sessions with the E-meter, he claimed, could knock out the engrams, cure blindness and even improve a person's intelligence and appearance. Hubbard kept adding steps, each more costly, for his followers to climb. In the 1960s the guru decreed that humans are made of clusters of spirits (or "thetans") who were banished to earth some 75 million years ago by a cruel galactic ruler named Xenu. Naturally, those thetans had to be audited”… ( Behar, Time, 1991)
Before we untangle Xenu; who is this L Ron Hubbard guy?
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard
Scientology was founded by L Ron Hubbard; it was derived from the pseudo-science of Dianetics that was also developed by Hubbard. Dianetics seeks to explore why the human mind thinks irrationally.
L Ron Hubbard was born in 1911 in Nebraska. The eventual founder of Scientology, lived a life of adventure and excess; a life straight out of the movies… or so is promoted by the Church of Scientology.
The thing is, despite being a “child prodigy”, Hubbard was actually a disgraced naval officer and notably a prolific pulp-fiction author before World War II. Have you seen Travolta’s “Battelfield Earth”?
Hubbard found initial commercial success with his pseudo-science Dianetics. Despite Dianetics' popularity, it was widely dismissed by mental health professionals. Thus, L Ron Hubbard would develop a deep-seeded hatred for Psychologist and Psychiatrists alike. As a result Hubbard, would develop Scientology, and eventually would rework Dianetics as part of the essential texts within this new-aged religion.
This hatred, would translate into the entire mental health community being an enemy within Scientology, and all those whom spoke out about Hubbard's religion.
Payment Required for Enlightment
Payment Required for Enlightment
In fact, mental health skepticism, is not the first time the religiosity of Scientology was brought into question. In the December 2015 edition of the Journal of American History, Schultz writes on page 972,
“the most controversial religious movements of the twentieth century. Adherents see it as guiding their path to self-empowerment; critics charge that it is a cult that ensnares the emotionally vulnerable. Thee Internal Revenue Service officially declared Scientology a religion in 1993 after the church’s aggressive lawsuits against the agency resulted in a coveted religious tax exemption. Scientology is now estimated to control billions of dollars in assets.” (Schultz, pg. 972, 2015)
Scientology amassed their fortune through, auditing sessions, selling literature, and parishioner fees that are understood as donations to and by the church. Bare in mind, these MANDATORY auditing sessions are tens of thousands of dollars. It is said that registrars of the church have had credit cards taken out on parishioner’s behalf, and other means of payment have been arranged; sending folks into crippling debt.
Former Scientologist Leah Remini has stated being a Scientologist requires a quarter of a million dollars’ minimum! But more on the "Trouble Maker" later...
As stated above, one goes "clear" through auditing sessions, in Paul Anderson’s 2012 film " The Master", although not credited as a LRH biopic, Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman recreate a chilling and disturbingly accurate auditing session, which can be seen in this clip.
Each auditing session and Scientology course a parishioner registers for, is completed with the intention to go "clear" and progress up "The Bridge to Total Freedom" (curriculum of Scientology).
When one's mind is "clear" they are in an ideal mental state. “Going clear”, a term as colloquially used by Scientologists, is like enlightenment. In this state, an individual can think rationally, and not be influenced by past traumas and experiences; that would otherwise affect their conscious mind.
The higher one is on The Bridge, the more benefits and answers of the mind are revealed. When some individual reaches OT level III on The Bridge, a confidential level, parishioners are told the creationist story of Xenu.
XENU and You ?
XENU and You ?
Scientologist believe in a galactic overlord Xenu; who 75 trillion years ago, created and established a new society in his image by invading the Earth, and killing everyone in volcanos filled with atom bombs....
No this is not a joke; in fact, this is directly from the confidential technology, and teachings of founder and former pulp-fiction author LRH. It is said, this religious scripture is handwritten, and kept under lock and key until parishioners reach OT III on The Bridge to Total Freedom.
In November 2005, 'South Park' was quick to expose the clandestine creationist story of Scientology in its episode " Trapped in The Closet". The adult cartoon soon faced backlash from Tom Cruise & lawsuits from Scientology under their "Fairgame" policy.
Tony Ortega, a longtime critic of Scientology and journalist, said this on " Trapped in The Closet" ...
"...Matt Stone and Trey Parker summoned me to South Park Studios to consult with them on what would become their Emmy Award-nominated “Trapped in the Closet” episode of South Park — one of the most effective pop culture blows against Scientology (and Tom Cruise’s ego) to date, perhaps for all time. In one half-hour cartoon, the South Park geniuses managed to break down and fully expose the comically sinister upper-level Scientology cosmology for the next generation. " ( Ortega, 2015, https://tonyortega.org/2015/11/03/ten-years-ago-south-park-rocked-scientology-in-a-way-its-never-recovered-from/)
Ironically a cartoon about children in Colorado would be one of the first outlets to expose Scientology; the church did not like that.
Scientology and Celebrity
Scientology and Celebrity
Celebrities have always been championed within the church of Scientology, like other businesses or political campaigns, celebrity endorsements provide a sense of legitimacy.
Stars like Elisabath Moss, Kirstie Alley, John Travolta & Tom Cruise, are poster children for the methods and teachings of L Ron Hubbard!
In fact, celebrities are so highly regarded in Scientology, they have their own Celebrity Center in Los Angeles, California!
Even when a celebrity member of the church gets into legal trouble, Scientology helps them. This was seen recently in the ongoing sexual assault case of Danny Masterson.
When a celebrity leaves the church, it is a different story. Even when they grew up in Scientology like Leah Remini. Remini left the church after an incident at Tom Cruise's wedding!
It was Remini who would then redefine her career exposing Scientology...
Moreover, the former Scientologist & ‘King of Queens’ star, Leah Remini continues to speak out about Scientology today.
She first spoke out in her 2015 book titled ‘Trouble Maker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology’. In the book, Remini shares stories and experiences from practicing Scientology.
On page 121 she writes “As a celebrity Scientologist, you are expected to be an example not only to the outside world but also to other scientologist… I donated millions of dollars” (Remini & Paley, pg 121, 2015).
Remini later states " I wrote this book because I feel an urgency and responsibility to revel the injustices and hypocrisy that were perpetrated against those who left and spoke out before me. Those who again and again have been harassed and bullied into silence. This book is also a personal act of defiance- against intolerance…” (Remini & Paley, pg XIV, 2015)
Suppressive Person, Disconnection and Fair Game
Suppressive Person, Disconnection and Fair Game
Enemies & critics of Scientology are deemed as Suppressive Persons or SP for short. SPs are defined by scientology.org as "a person who seeks to suppress other people in their vicinity. A Suppressive Person will goof up or vilify any effort to help anybody and particularly knife with violence anything calculated to make human beings more powerful or more intelligent. The Suppressive Person is also known as the Anti-Social Personality. Within this category one finds Napoleon, Hitler, the unrepentant killer and the drug lord." (https://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-attitudes-and-practices/what-is-a-suppressive-person.html)
When one encounters an SP, they ought to disconnect from them. Disconnection is defined by LRH on scientology.org as “The term disconnection is defined as a self-determined decision made by an individual that he is not going to be connected to another. It is a severing of a communication line." (https://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-attitudes-and-practices/what-is-disconnection.html)
In HBO's " Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" famed screenwriter Paul Haggis shares his harrowing tale of disconnection from his daughter. The documentary's synopsis has been described as " The heart of the film is a series of shocking revelations by former insiders, including high-ranking and recognizable members such as acclaimed screenwriter Paul Haggis (Crash), as they describe the systematic history of abuse and betrayal by Church officials, including the current leadership of the Church." (https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/going-clear/Synopsis)
Mike Rinder, former Executive Director of the Office of Special Affairs, left the church and has spoken out alongside Leah Remini; both of whom are labeled SPs.
On his blog, (https://www.mikerindersblog.org/all-posts/) Mike shares the original documents defining the policy of fair game. The documents state...
" SP Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked sued or lied to or destroyed".
In addition to his blog, Rinder and Remini have 3 seasons of "Scientology & The Aftermath" available to stream on Netflix, and their podcast "Scientology: Fairgame" out now.
Together Remini and Rinder represent the hundreds of thousands of people whom are fair gamed, declared SP and been disconnected from friends and family; in Mike's case his own children.
These fair game policies also apply to journalist like Richard Behar who wrote the following in 1991 describing the lengths to which Scientology will go...
“Eleven top Scientologists, including Hubbard's wife, were sent to prison in the early 1980s for infiltrating, burglarizing and wiretapping more than 100 private and government agencies in attempts to block their investigations. In recent years hundreds of longtime Scientology adherents -- many charging that they were mentally of physically abused -- have quit the church and criticized it at their own risk. Some have sued the church and won; others have settled for amounts in excess of $500,000.” (Behar, 1991, Times)
Like the actions described by Behar, Scientologist go to great lengths to silence their critics. This includes hiring private investigators, smear campaigns and more. In the attached CNN clip, former scientologist ex-wives speak robotically to Anderson Cooper about their former spouses.
It is clear, there are few lengths devoted Scientologist will not go to protect their church and beliefs. However, as criticism continues to mount against the new-age religion, advocates like Tony Ortega, Richard Behar, Mike Rinder & Leah Remini are speaking out. In dosing so, the pattern of fair gaming taking place against them is evident.
In a 2014 JSTORE Daily article, titled “Are Academics Afraid to Study Scientology?”, R. Graham states " ...“it has been probably the most litigious religious movement in American history.” Scientology is known not just for its litigiousness, but for (alleged) harassment of perceived enemies.” (Graham, 2014, JSTOR Daily).
One of the earliest journalist to speak out against Scientology was Paulette Cooper, a holocaust survivor herself. In a book titled " The Scandal of Scientology" Paulette Cooper exposed many of the questionable beliefs and practices of the Church. These rituals and details were considered confidential and secrets of Scientology. Paulette was a declared a Suppressive Person. It was then that Operation Freakout was enacted by Scientology on Paulette to make her life a living hell! Including lawsuits and death threats, Scientologist went so far as to try to have Paulette arrested for nothing other than being a journalist. Operation Freakout was covered by the NY Times in 1979, as seen below. Paulette's story was most recently coverd in an interview she conducted with Leah Remini and Mike Rinder. ( https://fairgamepodcast.com/podcast/episode-4-scientologys-war-on-a-holocaust-survivor-paulette-cooper/)
How does Scientology's treatment of critics and enemies, through the implementation of the policy of fair game, compare to other major religions?
How does Scientology's treatment of critics and enemies, through the implementation of the policy of fair game, compare to other major religions?
When you compare Scientology to other major religions, the unethical practices come into focus. As Scientology is criticized, their fair gaming is taking place to neutralize those who speak out. On the other hand, in the case of priesthood molestation, the Catholic church owned up to the crimes, and dealt with the priest whom were guilty.
Still each major religion has ethical challenges seen today; like abortion, ignoring social distancing mandates, and the enforcement of Shira or Kosher law. Yet none of them call for the actions described in the fair game policy which is regularly implemented by Scientology. These policies are unprecedented, and present new ethical challenges for ethical and religious scholars.
We still don't know what Scientology is...
We still don't know what Scientology is...
The jury still seems to be out on this one, legally Scientology is defined and protected as a religion. This high control group attacks its critics, charges exorbitant fees that are masqueraded as donations; it's propped up by celebrity endorsement, and presented to the world in Super Bowl commercials! Regardless, if you're a former celebrity, a holocaust survivor, a journalist, a parishioner, or a psychologist; no one is out of reach of Scientology's unethical policy of fair game.
Bibliography
Bibliography
- Behar, Richard . “Scientology: The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power.” Time Magazine , 6 May 1991, p. 50. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Fishman/time-behar.html
- Hubbard, L. Ron. SCIENTOLOGY The Fundamentals of Thought. Bridge/Hubbard, 2007.
- https://tonyortega.org
- https://www.lronhubbard.org/ron-series/profile/introduction.html
- https://www.dianetics.org
- REMINI, LEAH, and Rebecca Paley. TROUBLEMAKER . Ballantine Books, 2015
- Graham , R. (2014, November 5). Are Academics Afraid to Study Scientology? Retrieved from https://daily.jstor.org/scholars-on-scientology/
- Palmaccio, J. GOV 141: Religion and the American Experience Case Study: Scientology St John's University, November, 2017
- https://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-fair-game/
- https://www.mikerindersblog.org/all-posts/
- https://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-attitudes-and-practices/what-is-a-suppressive-person.html
- https://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-attitudes-and-practices/what-is-disconnection.html
- https://www.scientology.cc/about-us/inside-our-church/
- Lusignan Schultz, Nancy. "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief." Journal of American History, vol. 102, no. 3, Dec. 2015, pp. 972-974. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/jahist/jav650.
- https://bestlifeonline.com/celebrity-scientologists/
- https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/24/archives/new-documents-show-scientologists-plotted-to-have-writer-jailed.html
- https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/going-clear/Synopsis
- https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-scientology-fair-game-68514402/episode/episode-0-when-scientology-declares-you-68745518/#
- https://tonyortega.org/2015/11/03/ten-years-ago-south-park-rocked-scientology-in-a-way-its-never-recovered-from/
- Wright, Lawrence. “Paul Haggis vs. the Church of Scientology.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 11 July 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/the-apostate-lawrence-wright.
- Anderson, Paul Thomas, director. The Master . The Weinstein Company , 2012.
- https://fairgamepodcast.com/podcast/episode-4-scientologys-war-on-a-holocaust-survivor-paulette-cooper/
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