Subject: Re: If you believe in your religion so much
From: [email-masked] (Anti-Cult)
Date: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 12:13:04 +0100
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology

On Sun, 21 Dec 1997 18:49:14 +0000.
Angela Riley <[email-masked]>.
From: Sprynet News Service.
Wrote on the subject: If you believe in your religion so much:

>If you believe in your religion so much why cant anyone explain it to
>me. I know I can read a book snd learn but I want to hear it from people
>who live it. Like I said I am looking for some sort of belief or
>church,it would really help me with my eating disorder.

[posted and mailed]

Well Angela, 90% of the people on this NG are either former
scientologists, or just critics to this IMO criminal organization of
thieves and thugs. To explain their so-called religion wouldn't be that
hard, since it merely consists of nightmares from their now dead cult
founder and bad SF hack L.Ron Hubbard. I was a member of this so-called
church for approximately 14-days while I was doing their so-called
communication course back in 1979, and some of their auditing too. It
didn't take me longer to realize what this was all about. Unfortunately,
others were sucked in for much longer time, and was taken for a real
ride, both psychologically and monetary speaking. However, I lived with
a scientologist for 3 years after I myself stopped going to the mind
control center. I tell you that was not easy, and I must also say that
it was scientology that destroyed our relationship.

Now, to your question about what scientologists believe in. That will be
a somewhat difficult project to answer, since it all depends upon where
on their so-called bridge you are, and how much cash you have paid tot
he cult. In the beginning, when they first approach you with their OCA
test, Oxford Capacity Analysis, they will just ask you if you care to
take the test, since it might help you in your life. No matter how you
answer the test, (since it's of no value whatsoever really) they will
evaluate that you have this or that problem, which they of course have a
certain course for. The prices starts with very low amounts of money,
and after they have managed to lure you deeper into their trap, the
price will rise to astronomical values. The whole so-called bridge will
cost you more than $350 000. So at least in that sense, scientology will
probably take care of your eating disorder too, since you will not be
able to afford any high quality food at all after becoming involved in
this money grabbing cult of greed and power.

Sorry for the rantings, back to their so-called belief system. And now I
will include here a long description about what they believe in. It's
written by [email-masked] (Jim Bianchi), and I think it covers
pretty well what it's all about. I may not agree 100% to all of Jim's
statements, but I can honestly say that I agree with most of what he
writes in this FAQ. I have no reason to invent the wheel again, so
therefore I will use his SCIENTOLOGY.FAQ -- A skeptic's view, v2.2
(April 27, 1997).

So Angela, are you sitting comfortably? Put on the seat belt. Here we
go:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
SCIENTOLOGY.FAQ -- A skeptic's view, v2.2 (April 27, 1997)
                 [avail from ftp.sonic.net:/pub/users/jimbo]

	This FAQ is a brief introduction to Dianetics and Scientology,
the organization (the "Church" of Scientology) founded by L. Ron Hubbard
to administer the policies thereof, and some of the beliefs and
techniques for administering those beliefs. All are encouraged to
consult some of the many fine Web sites in existance for more
information regarding this cult. A partial list of these is given near
the end of this FAQ. The abbreviation `scn' is used in this file to
indicate either the organisation itself or the collective policies of
the group, depending on context. A.r.s is an abbreviation for
alt.religion.scientology, the popular Usenet newsgroup that feat-
ures discussions of the beliefs and actions of this cult. Though it is
not specifically mentioned, the IRC channel #scientology is a real-time
counterpart to a.r.s -- though it is basically a skeptical channel,
anyone at all is more than welcome to participate at any time. 

	Prefatory comment: Many of the beliefs and policies of scn
mentioned in this FAQ will be met with astonished disbelief by the
average on -the- street scientologist. For instance, the OT3 Wall of
Fire is not revealed until a person has already gone through a LOT of
prior training (and expended a not inconsiderable sum of money). To most
of those who are committed scientologists, the facts about such as
Operation Snow White are simply unbelievable (scientologyspeak: `out
reality'). Indeed this is one of the major complaints of many skeptics:
the person who might want to join is not told of these bizarre beliefs
and actions up front. Further, policy actively prohibits anyone from
questioning anything taught, or from seeking out or taking advantage of
alternative thoughts or opinions. (This FAQ for instance.)

	I'm advised to warn active scientologists that this FAQ contains
material that may be considered `out tech' or harmful to your case if
you read it. (Not that _I_ care, but You Have Been Warned.) Moo.

	Contents:
[Search on the number of the question -- nn):]

 1):  What is Dianetics?
 1a): What is Scientology? 
 2):  What is an engram?
 3):  What is a thetan?
 4):  What is a Body Thetan (BT)? 
 5):  What is auditing? What is an auditor?
 6):  Didn't Freud have a similar approach? 
 7):  What is the purpose of being audited? 
 8):  What is an E-meter? How is it used?
 9):  What is a clear?
10):  What is an OT?
11):  Scientology claims to be compatible with all existing religions.  
      Is this true?
12):  You've mentioned `past lives' several times..
13):  What are the traps?
14):  I've heard scientology has been involved in suing and harrassing

      those critical of it. Is this true?
15):  Do scientologists sign a contract? I've heard something about a
      billion-year contract.
16):  I've heard of some bizarre beliefs.. 
17):  What is the purpose of all this rigamarole?
18):  So what? Mankind seems to want to b'lieve in something, no matter 
      how weird.
19):  Does auditing work as many scientologists claim?
20):  Are these gains objective and permanent?
21):  Does 'scientology work?'
22):  Why is it so popular then? 
23):  Web sites (pro and con):

                               o   o   o
 
       "Any group arrogant enough to believe it has the exclusive
ability to `Save The Planet' will inevitably conclude that any crimes
are justified in pursuit of its `higher purpose.'"   -Ed Wolfe

                               o   o   o

1):  What is Dianetics?
1a): What is Scientology? 

	Most scientologists will tell you it's the greatest thing since
clumping cat litter, while an equal number of critics call it an evil
cult and a money grubbing scam. Mr. Justice Latey (an English judge),
described scn in these words in a famous 1984 court case:

	"In my judgement it [Scientology] is corrupt, sinister, and
dangerous. It is corrupt because it is based on lies and deceit, and has
as its real objective money and power for Mr. Hubbard, his wife, and
those close to him at the top. It is sinister because it indulges in
infamous practices both to its adherents who do not toe the line
unquestioningly and to those outside who criticise or oppose it. It is
dangerous because it is out to capture people, especially children and
impressionable young people, and indoctrinate and brainwash them so that
they become the unquestioning captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn
from ordinary thought, living, and relationships with others." 

	Scientology is derived from _Dianetics: The Modern Science of
Mental Health_, first published in 1950 by the American science-fiction
writer Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (1911 -- 1986), as a supposedly
scientifically validated self-help technology that eliminates the need
for expensive psychotherapy. Dianetics depends for its (claimed 100%)
effectiveness on his theory of the engram.

	Whoa. Self-help technology? But what if I don't NEED any help?
The concept of the person who needs no help is utterly alien to
scientology. Everyone needs help. Everyone has body thetans. Everyone
needs auditing. The major method of recruitment seems to be to ..ah,
inflict, on an otherwise unwary person a free `personality test,' the
results of which are almost invariably indicative of some facet of the
life or personality of the person taking it that requires immediate
attention (scientologyspeak: his `ruin'). If you don't have any
immediately obvious ruin, one will conveniently be found for you.

	DMSMH (as it is called) might make sense to the casual reader
who is not overly knowledgable about such things. The whole thing
*sounds* as if it might be plausible. All the proper buzz words are
present (many of them being obscure nelogisms and bizarre redefinitions
created by Hubbard himself). Basically it says the mind has two major
parts, the analytical and the reactive. The *analytical mind* is like a
perfect computer which always does *exactly* as instructed. The
*reactive mind* contains a perfect record of every incident (engram)
involving pain and unconciousness that has happened to a person,
INCLUDING THOSE INCIDENTS TAKING PLACE IN A PAST LIFE. All abberant
behavior, psychosomatic illness and dimunition of a persons' abilities
are said to be the result of the reactive mind being restimulated, or
`taking charge,' at inopportune times.

	Dianetics is said to be concerned with the body, Scientology
with the spirit. Both speak of producing vastly improved abilities.
However, the practices have merged until today the primary focus is
decidedly on the `benefits' available through scientological processing
(auditing).

	Hubbard lost control of Dianetics shortly after it was initially
officially organised. Much like hula-hoops and slot cars, people are
attracted to the novel and the faddish and reportedly `Dianetics clubs'
and `auditing groups' briefly sprang up all over the country.  

	The first "Church of Scientology" was founded in New Jersey at
the end of 1953 as a reaction to Hubbard's loss of control of Dianetics
due partly to financial mismanagement. Shortly thereafter, he regained
control of the trademarks and rights to the Dianetics organisation.
Scientology expands on the teachings of Dianetics, adding the ..ah,
doctrine, of the thetan and the Body Thetan.  

2): What is an engram?

	According to Hubbard, an engram is a record (in perfect video,
color, sound, taste, feel, etc) of every moment of pain and
unconciousness ever experienced by a person (including those occurring
in a past life). These records are held in the `reactive mind' and are,
by their ability to be restimulated, the cause of all abberant behavior,
psychosomatic illness, and general dimunition of ability. Basically, the
mechanism of restimulation is: a person blunders into a wall, falls,
strikes their head and is momentarily rendered unconcious. While they
are unconcious, the reactive mind is still busily recording all that is
happening -- a blue car goes by, a dog barks, the wind gusts, someone
shouts, "Geez, you must be blind!" At some future time, if a dog barks,
the wind blows, and a blue car goes by, the person may go blind (or
temporarily `grey out'). When the analytical mind received the
impressions of the dog, wind, car, etc, the reactive mind took over (in
the manner of a "fight or flight" reflex) and the analytical mind shut
down the optic nerves because the phrase "Geez, you must be blind"
contained in the reactive mind was interpreted literally as a command.

	Not only has the theory of Hubbards' engram been discredited by
competant medical research (see engram.FAQ), but his other ideas of the
structure of the mind, especially considering his total lack of any
scientific, psychological or medical education or background and since
they depend to a large degree upon the engram for their existance, are
..well, rather bizarre.

3): What is a thetan?

	A thetan can be thought of as the soul (the "I") of a person. In
a rather silly experiment that `proves' the existance of the thetan, one
is asked to mentally picture a cat. That which is looking at the cat is
the thetan. Having neatly disposed of several millenia of metaphysical
and philosophic speculation and writing, Hubbard eventually gets around
to the kicker -- a person must have his engrams and `body thetans' ..ah,
exorcised is the only word that fits, via a complicated and expensive
pseudotechnology known as auditing. What's more, the average person has
some (unknown but large) number of Body Thetans that have clustered on
his body. BUT WAIT.. THERE'S MORE: The story of exactly what BTs are and
how they came to cluster reads like one of Darth Vader's wet dreams!

4): What is a Body Thetan (BT)?

	According to Hubbard, 75,000,000 years ago [give or take a week
or five], a galactic confederation comprising some 76 stars was faced
with a massive overpopulation problem [+250 billion per planet; 178
billion on average] that was solved by the Evil Galactic Emperor Xenu
through the simple expedient of killing off billions and billions and
billions of excess citizens, freezing their thetans in a compound of
alcohol and glycol and shipping them in to Teegeack [as the Earth was
called then] in spacecraft that exactly resembled DC-8 airliners. Once
there, he chained these thetans to active volcanos [naturally, no
evidence exists to show the presence of active volcanos at those spots
in that time period], and detonated H-Bombs on them. As if this wasn't
enough, he then recaptured them using electronic beams, shipped them to
Las Palmas (in the Azores) and to Hawaii, where they were exposed to 36
days of what amounts to bad movies which implanted them [a la "A
Clockwork Orange"] with commands to `..go and do Bad Things.' These
bill-yuns and bill-yuns of thetans then apparantly attached themselves
to the local life forms. Since these local life forms each also had (or
were) thetans, perforce the `new' ones had to cluster on their bodies.
Et voila.. clusters of Body Thetans! Got an arthritic elbow? Betcha
bottom dollar (assuming you still have it after you find out why) it's
caused by a cluster of Body Thetans. Sinusitis? Yup. You got it. Body
Thetans again. Nearsight- ed? Have AIDS? Cancer? Overweight? Can't get
no satisfaction? Scientology can handle those! You bet. Sign here. Take
a number. Oh, yes, we accept Visa and Master Card.

	There you have it, folks. According to Hubbard, we are all
spirits of space aliens murdered and brought here 75,000,000 years ago
and our Body Thetans are the result of the excess! Of course, there is a
lot more foolishness to scientology than this (which, by the way, is
more-or-less as described in the OT 3 `Wall of Fire,' and would have
cost you in excess of $200,000 to learn about -- aren't you glad you
read this FAQ first?); such as Gorilla Goals, the Hoi-Polloi, radiation
is water soluable, Piltdown man, Clams, weepers and Boo-Hoo's (read
about them in clam.FAQ), the R6 implant, the Obscene Dog, the 5th
Invader Force, sloths, Incident I, Heaven (he's been there twice), zap
guns, Marcabians (they look like smurfs), MEST, implant stations in the
Pyrenees and on Mars, ethics tech, operation Snow White, Operation
FreakOut, the Mother Ship, christianity is an implant, and much much
more. Hubbard seemed (he died [scientologyspeak: `dropped his body'] in
1986 while hiding from the law -- reputedly screaming about how his body
was infested with BTs) to have this ability, amounting to genius, of
taking the absolute wackyest proposition possible and running with it
until the stories of Lewis Carroll sound lucid by comparison!

5): What is auditing? What is an auditor?

	In auditing, moments of pain and unconciousness (engrams) are
sought out and re-experienced by posing lists of questions designed to
cause the subject to recall them; in this way, their `charge,' or
ability to cause abberant behavior, psychosomatic illness, etc, is
dissipated.

	An auditor is defined as one who listens. ONLY. Through a series
of drills (TRs -- Training Routines) a person is trained to be able to
confront (face) a subject and not react in any way (by facial
expression, body language or vocally) to what is said to, or done in
front of, him. An Ideal Auditor would thus be one who acts like a human
ELIZA program with a tape recorder attached and an *extremely* limited
set of responses.

	As can well be imagined, the questions asked and the answers
given are intensely personal, dealing with details of the subject's
(referred to as a Pre-Clear or PC) sex life, his finances, relationships
with a spouse, a girlfriend/boyfriend (or both), siblings, parents and
friends, jobs, hobbies, and conduct *in both present and past lives.* It
has been charged that these written records -- which are never destroyed
-- can be culled at some later date for potentially damaging details
with which to blackmail or covertly (or overtly) threaten blackmail
should a subject attempt to leave the cult or take some other action the
cult doesn't particularly care for. The highly critical Anderson Report,
which completely banned the practice of scientology in parts of
Australia for many years, found that the mere fact these records *might*
be revealed quite often had a chilling effect on scientologists (and
ex-scientologists) who might've otherwise been moved to question or
speak out against some of the policies of, or leave [scientologyspeak:
`blow'], the cult entirely.

6): Didn't Freud develop a similar approach?

	Yes, it was called abreactive therapy and was abandoned when he 
found it produced no permanent results.

7): What is the purpose of being audited?

	Originally, in Dianetics, it was to produce a person entirely
free from the influnce of his reactive mind (or `clear'), and who
thereby had all his abilities restored. In Scientology, it is intended
to exorcise one's Body Thetans, thereby producing a being who has had
all his abilities restored (an `Operating Thetan').

	The *real* purpose of this foolishness becomes abundantly clear
once it is realised the ONLY way to rid oneself of Body Thetans (or deal
with any engrams present) is by auditing (or scientological processing),
which, coincidentally, costs many tens of thousands of dollars. Indeed,
to get up to OT 8 (at the present time, the highest released level) can
cost in the very close area of (US)$350,000! The concept of the presence
of clusters of body thetans (each of which must be audited away or
exorcised) dating from (at least) 75,000,000 years ago means this
expensive auditing can be continued virtually endlessly (or until the
money runs out, whichever occurs first).

8): What is an E-meter?

	The E-meter, or eletro-psychometer, is based on a Wheatstone
bridge circuit, and measures differences in the subjects skin resistance
in a crude fashion reminiscent of a lie detector. Circuit details and
method of operation are posted regularly to a.r.s. and can be found on
some of the critical Web pages. Physically, it is very 1950s art deco in
appearance, with a large analog meter as the prominent feature. Several
knobs give the operator control over the sensitivity and range. The
subject (or Pre-Clear) grasps two empty common soup cans (one in each
hand) which are used as terminals. (Footplates were tried but were
rejected as unsuitable.) Thus, being "..on the cans" is slang for being
audited.

	According to Hubbard, any positive change in skin resistance
noted by the E-meter is the result of the presence of the `mental mass'
of an engram. Thus, engrams can be detected. Likewise, a gross absence
of resistance is taken as meaning an engram (or its charge) has been
dissipated (or `flattened'). The reactions of the subject to the
questions asked (actually as well as in terms of any E-meter activity)
and the answers themselves are recorded by the auditor. During the
session, the subject sees neither the E-meter nor the comments recorded
by the auditor, and is normally never allowed to see them. It (the
E-meter) is used purely as a lie detector in `security checking' and
`ethics cycles.' 

	It has been estimated by several outside observers of the scene
that a functioning E-meter could be very easily built by anyone capable
of using a soldering iron for approximately $100 (or less), minus, of
course, the `swoopy' case. In spite of this, a new approved E-meter
retails for upwards of (US)$3500 and it is recommended each auditor have
TWO (in case one fails in session). I don't know about YOU, but if _I_
had a failure (in session or not) of a device I'd paid upwards of $3500
for, I'd prob have some really pithy things to say, and likely wouldn't
be buying another!

9): What is a clear?

	According to DMSMH, a clear is one who has had his reactive mind
(or `bank') totally erased of engrams. Initially some rather incredible
claims  were made for the state of clear -- a clear, it was said, would
be entirely  free of any psychomatic illnesses, have a vastly increabsed
intelligence, a  near perfect memory, have complete control over his
bodily functions (the  autonomous nervous system, in other words),
perfect eyesight, and would never catch a cold or become ill in any way.

	In spite of this, in a rather famous lecture given in Los
Angeles in ('prox) 1951, Hubbard introduced the worlds first clear (of
which there have been at least three -- none of which were him in spite
of his `pioneering' work). This person, a young woman, reportedly
exhibited none of the superhuman poise and presence of mind one would
expect from a being with such greatly enhanced powers; indeed, when
called upon to demonstrate her nearly perfect memory, the young lady not
only had trouble recalling a common chemical formula, she could not
recall the color of Hubbard's tie! (At this point, most of the audience
left.)

	There are many many auditing procedures to go through before one
is said to be a clear. Each procedure must be done properly (or
according to `standard tech'), else the subject or the auditor (or both)
must go back and re-do all the sessions found to be in error, in
addition to error correcting sessions. (Guess who pays for these repeats
and error correcting sessions?) Each auditing procedure is said to have
an `end point' beyond which any further processing is forbidden. That
the end point has been reached is determined by a specific E-meter
action (FN -- or Floating Needle) and by the PC having a `cognition' or
realisation. The cognition for the ultimate clearing course is
apparantly (in scientologyspeak): "I mock up my reactive mind." This
translates to "I create my own reactive mind."

	Huh? Wasn't one of the `scientifically validated' concepts of
DMSMH that one part of the mind was the reactive mind? Now I realise,
after I've spent uncounted hours and many thousands of dollars for
processing, this is a fiction that _I_ create? Welcome to the
roller-coaster, bub. Hang on, it gets worse.

	A recently acquired report has it that as the number of
supposedly clear people mounted and the claims for this state appeared
harder and harder to substantiate, the emphasis was slowly shifted so as
to make the state of clear merely a social distinction internal to scn,
as opposed to a measurable, objective, attainable state; with the
emphasis now being on attaining the status of OT (or Operating Thetan)
..after, of course, paying more money. Many of the same claims once made
for a clear are now made for the higher levels of OT.

10): What is an OT?

	An OT (Operating Thetan) is apparantly like a clear, only more
so. An OT is said to be `at cause' over Matter, Energy, Space, and Time
(MEST). Which means they cannot be affected by anything in the material
world which they do not consiously desire to be. This in addition to the
claims of having a perfect memory, superior intelligence, etc, as made
for the state of clear.  

11):  Scientology claims to be compatible with all existing religions.
Is this true?
 
	Scientology likes to tell people that it is compatible with
other religions, and that you don't have to leave your current religion
to join Scientology.

In 1993, however, they told the IRS something different.

	The following is from "The Church of Spiritual Technology's
Explanation to the IRS As To Why It Qualifies As a "Church" Described in
Section 170(b)(1)(A)(i)." It was reprinted in the December 1993 (Vol. 8,
No. 6) issue of The Exempt Organization Tax Review, a publication of Tax
Analysts, Inc.

	The magazine gives as its source "Response to Final Series of
IRS Questions Prior to Recognition of Exemption of CST Under Section
501(c)(3) As a Church on October 1, 1993. "

--- begin quote ---

Footnote 6: Although there is no policy or Scriptural mandate expressly
requiring Scientologists to renounce other religious beliefs or
membership in other churches, as a practical matter Scientologists are
expected to and do become fully devoted to Scientology to the exclusion
of other faiths. As Scientologists, they are required to look only to
Scientology Scriptures for the answers to the fundamental questions of
their existence and to seek enlightenment only from Scientology. Thus, a
Scientologist who grew up in the Jewish faith who continues formal
membership in his synagogue and attends services with his family
violates no Scientology policy or tenet. On the other hand, such a
person is not permitted to mix the practice of his former faith into his
practice and understanding of Scientology so as to alter orthodox
Scientology in any way.

--- end quote ---

12): You've mentioned `past lives' several times..

	Indeed I have. Reincarnation of an indestructable thetan is
central to the scientology belief system. According to Hubbard, it is
entirely possible to regress a person to the point of reexperiencing the
moment of his conception, his time as a foetus in the womb and his
birth; and bizarre as it seems, also beyond the moment of conception to
the being that `was' the thetan before, and so on and so on. One
prominent a.r.s. poster claims to've been both Mozart and Jeane d'Arc in
his past lives. Hubbard himself claimed to have been Cecil Rhodes (the
man responsible for the Rhodes Scholarship fund and who founded the
nation of Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe)). That Hubbard had, on
several occasions, expressed an absolute contempt for homosexuals, and
that Cecil Rhodes was apparantly one, is taken by skeptics as evidence
of the existance of an overriding `cosmic justice.'

	Scientologists believe the 'thetan' is immortal and
indestructable, and that the bodies we now inhabit are of only
transitory importance. IT IS IN THIS WAY THEY CAN JUSTIFY ANY PAIN OR
DURESS INFLICTED: "..it's only the Present Time body, after all."

13): What are the traps?

	Scientology is boobytrapped in that ANY attempt to question,
alter, or explain any belief or policy propounded by Hubbard, no matter
how benign or innocent the attempt may be, is seen as a crime and is
taken as evidence the questioner is himself a criminal and possessed of
some ulterior motive at best.

      "Since Hubbard's science is a matter of knowledge and certainty,
certainty is sanity, and reality is agreement [according to Hubbard's
theories], it would seem to follow that those who decline to agree with
Hubbard's conception of what constitutes knowledge are out of touch with
reality; and that those who reserve their judgement, or who retain some
uncertainty as to the truth of his claims, are insane."
[Wallis, The Road to Total Freedom, p. 110]

	A further boobytrap is the belief in the omnipotence of `the
tech.' This belief is fostered by two mechanisms: informally, the
average scientologist, mostly due to social pressures and scientological
training, is more than willing to accept anything -- no matter how
ridiculous -- providing Hubbard said it; and formally, wherein policy
states that any failure is not due to `the tech,' it is indicative of a
failure in the person applying it or the person to whom it is being
applied. `The tech' (policy) is *never* wrong. G'teed. Sez so, right
here in this policy manual, which, of course, is never worng..

	A (perhaps unintended) boobytrap is that any attempt to inform
others of the beliefs of scn -- or of the dangers they represent -- is
bound to be met with considerable skepticism, at least. I mean, c'mon
..Xenu? Body Thetans? Spaceships constructed exactly like DC-8
airliners? Bomb threats? Gang-bang security checks? Overboarding?
Burglarising of gov't offices? One coorespondent reported to me the
general reaction to her reports of harrassment by scn was that they were
(putting it politely) the product of a slightly disordered mind ..until
the (in)famous Jonestown massacre and until the files proving the cults
complicity in her harrassment were uncovered as a sidelight of an FBI
raid of the cults Washington, D.C., headquarters.

14): I've heard scientology has been involved in suing and harrassing  
     those critical of it. Is this true?

	Yes. To date, every critical book (eg, Coopers' Scandal of
Scientology, Atacks' Piece of Blue Sky, Millers' Bare Faced Messiah,
Vosper's Mind Benders), article in a major magazine (eg, Time, Readers
Digest) or official report (eg, Anderson, Foster) has resulted in a
lawsuit filed by Scientology and/or the authors being subjected
sometimes to years of harrassment (cf Paulette Cooper, Cyril Vosper).
Interestingly enough, in some of the later suits, the scientologists
often stipulate to everything in those books or reports being true,
instead basing their suits on one paragraph or photograph (cf Miller)
that is claimed to be copyrighted.

  From the Foster report on scientology:
  
49. Although the Anderson Report was wholly unfavourable to Scientology,
many of its findings have not been specifically challenged in any of the
abundant Scientology literature which seeks to attack Mr. Anderson and
his conclusions. No-one could reasonably expect a line-by-line denial,
in every particular, of a Report of that length, but there are a number
of findings in it which one would certainly expect to see denied if they
were not accepted.

	Scientology has also raided the homes of critics and seized
(under color of law) manuscripts, whole computers, boxes of floppy
discs, financial records, books, papers, basically everything they could
lay their hands on. They have done this many times in the recent past.
For the most part, upon appeal, the orders authorising these searches
and seizures have been recanted -- of course, by then it's too late to
do the person any good -- and the scientology officials responsible have
been ordered to return all the things seized -- which they have not
done.

	Scientology has also been involved with illegal (forged)
attempts to RMGROUP the popular alt.religion.scientology usenet
newsgroup (effectively removing it from literally hundreds of thousands
of computer systems all over the world) and illegal cancels of critical
messages on that newsgroup based solely on content (which content is
distinctly unfavorable to the cult). It has also apparantly engaged in a
massive vertical spam campaign in which, by flooding a.r.s. with tens of
thousands of propaganda messages, it hopes to stifle any criticism.

	More recently, scn seems to've more or less settled on a policy
of suing for copyright and trade secret violation. What's that? A
*religion* with *trade secrets?* Questions of form "is scn a religion"
aside, it seems to many skeptics that the concepts of a `trade secret'
and of a `religion' are mutually exclusive. The questions of copyright
violations seem to devolve to "exactly what is `fair use?'" "does the
concept of `the public welfare' outweigh that of copyright?" and "is
quoting material reported in a court document `copyright terrorism?'"

15): Do scientologists sign a contract? I've heard something about a
     billion-year contract.

	While a contract is not necessary, some scientologists join what
is called the Sea Org (Sea Organisation). This is a para-military group
of elite who sign a billion year contract. They take for granted the
fact of reincarnation and this `billion year contract' is a measure of
the feeling some of them have for this drek. There are more normal 2 1/2
and 5 year contracts available to those who wish to be part of the
staff, but who have other plans for their next few hundred thousand
lifetimes..

16): I've heard of some bizarre beliefs.. 

	To start with, acceptance of scn as having any validity at all
means one must believe the entirety of Hubbards' theory of the engram,
the reactive mind, past lives (which implies reincarnation and
inter-life memory), and eventually, the thetan and the Body Thetan (BT)
and the effects these have on human physiology. The `Wall of Fire' story
(see above -- Xenu, etc) is only revealed on the higher Operating Thetan
(OT) levels, specifically OT3. Relatively few scientologists know of
these simply because they have not progressed to a high enough level (as
noted, to get to the point where OT3 is taught costs 'prox US$200,000).
A persistant rumor has it the `cognition' (realisation) said to be the
end product of the OT 8 levels is `Source is the 8th dynamic.' Given
that Source (with a capital `S') is a common nickname for Hubbard since
he is the ..ah, font of all wisdom, and since the 8th dynamic deals with
the infinite (it's often referred to as `the god dynamic') this can only
be taken as implying `Hubbard is god.'

	According to what has been presented as part of the OT 7 levels,
committed scientologists are exhorted to go to a zoo or other place
where there are many animals and communicate with them until sure the
communication has been received and returned. [nope, nothing bizarre
there -- my cat communicates with me all the time!] After that
(undoubtedly invigorating) experience, they are instructed to do the
same with plants and trees. [BTW, these instr|uctions, known as OT
VII-48, are the (in)famous `six lines' for which many critics on a.r.s
were threatened with a lawsuit for posting]
	
	On the OT3 levels, or what is known as the `Wall of Fire,' there
is an internal caveat that reading and attempting to understand this
material will lead to the unauthorised person becoming ill and dying of
pneumonia. One recent poster to ars, who is a devoted
scientologistdroid, advanced the arg that posting these `sekrit
skripturz' (as they are coloquially known) would be irresponsible as
this would unleash a plague of illness among the unwary who read them.
[a plague of laughter, perhaps..]

	Then there are clams ..ooooh, CLAMS! <snap><snap><snap>
Bwahahaha! [see clam.FAQ for more on this fascinating subject]

17): What is the purpose of all this rigamarole?

	Scientology has, as its stated goal, "..creating a world in
which there is no crime, no insanity, or war." It expects to do this by
"clearing the planet" (this is the reason for the Sea Org's existance
and, presumably, the reason for the billion year contract). Clearing the
planet means making everyone a scientologist (shades of the crusades!).
And what about those who don't want to BE scientologists? Good question.
I'm glad you raised it. Can you say `final solution?' I knew you could.
I kid you not, folks. Based on its past history and documented policies,
scientology is a dangerous cult.

18): So what? Mankind seems to want to b'lieve in something, no matter  
     how weird.

	Scientology is billed variously as an applied religious
philosophy, an (infallible) science of the mind, a system of ethics, a
study technique, a (foolproof) administrative method -- a complete
cradle-to-grave-to-cradle (reincarnation, remember?) codex of living.
Speaking only for myself, while I may scoff at many (most) of the things
in which scientologists believe, my objections are not with those
beliefs, per se. Rather, they are with the fraudulent elements on which
the whole scam is based and the inevitable results of following them.

	According to Hubbard, scientology is scientifically valid and
thus can be tested and in every such test will give the same result:
basically, vastly expanded individual abilities, which, in turn, will
lead to spiritual freedom. Spiritual freedom, of course, is a matter of
faith and not of science and thus cannot be objectively tested. However,
the claims of expanded ability -- since Hubbard explicitly stated they
are NOT obtained via the mechanism of faith -- are very much subjects
for scientific inquiry and validation. To date, the cult has absolutely
refused to even discuss any testing of its claims -- either to bring to
light some of the `scientific validation' that Hubbard claimed existed
with respect to his `discoveries,' or to submit to independant
researchers a suitably trained subject(s).

	Further, certainly enough people have been trained to a high
enough level by now (especially if cult claims for membership are to be
believed) to expect they would make their influence known throughout the
world. One of the technologies advertised by Hubbard is the
communications tech, which is s'posed to give one command of the tools
necessary for perfect communication with anyone. This, in concert with
the phenomenal increase in intelligence also claimed for processing,
would seem to make for, at the very least, Pulitzer prize level
communiques, articles and letters from scientologists. Almost without
exception, every communication -- written or oral -- I've seen or heard
from a scientologist has been turgid, boringly repetitous, ill-couched,
full of obscure nelogisms and acronyms (which the reader is presumed to
know), and with many mistakes in spelling, grammar, and usage -- or all
of the above. In itself, of course, this is not exactly a capital crime
-- one could say the same about any of the reams of pronounciamento's
emanating from the Pentagon. However, its other faults notwithstanding,
the U.S. Defense community does not claim to offer the benefits of an
infallible communication technology, nor does it claim to be able to
raise the intelligence of its members, or to be able to cure virtually
all physical illnesses. Hubbard's organisation DOES.

	Hubbard's personal record also certainly wants some
consideration when assessing the amount of credence to lend to his
various theories. As it turns out, very little of his history as
popularised by the cult he founded has any basis in fact. The man was a
writer of science fiction and adventure stories and while it is
certainly understandable for such a person to ..ah, creatively enhance
the truth for purposes of book jacket publicity, say (thus an enlistment
in the infantry might become a "period of government service"), Hubbard
has gone far beyond this, both in terms of book jacket publicity and
outright claims to be things he patently was not. Not only was this
policy condoned at the time by the cult, these deliberate misstatements
(read: outright lies) are still held out by it as the Real Truth, the
official version of history.

	Hubbard WAS NOT a war hero. Hubbard WAS NOT the first American
wounded in WW II. Hubbard DID NOT command a squadron of corvettes in the
Atlantic during WW II. Hubbard WAS NOT responsible for the sinking of
two Japanese submarines in the Pacific during WW II. Hubbard WAS NOT
awarded 26 medals by the U.S. Navy during WW II. Hubbard WAS NOT blinded
and crippled at the end of WW II. Hubbard WAS NOT one of the first
nuclear physicists in the country. Hubbard DID NOT travel extensively
throughout China and Asia as a teenager. Hubbard WAS NOT a doctor of
philosophy (Ph.D.), nor was he a batchelor of science (B.S.), nor was he
a civil engineer (C.E.). Except for a degree gained from a diploma mill
in Los Angeles, Hubbard DID NOT receive any college degrees at all.
Hubbard WAS NOT raised on a farm encompassing 1/4 the acreage of
Montana. There is no evidence the Blackfoot Indian tribe engaged in the
'blood brother' ritual at all, let alone with a six-year old white
child.

	The cult of scientology would have you believe the opposite of
each of the above statements -- and more -- about Hubbard. For example,
the movie "Mr. Roberts" is said to be a thinly disgused depiction of his
naval service -- with Henry Fonda playing the character supposedly
Hubbard. Moo.

	It is said the most effective way of leading is by example. The
history of scn/dn is (negative) proof of this: Who do scientologists
have to emulate? A man who consistantly and deliberately lied about
every facet of his personal history and the significance of the
discoveries he claimed to originate. Ask yourself:
 
	What is the worth of a service provided by a group whose founder
felt it necessary to deliberately and continuously lie about his own
past achievements, educational attainments, medical and military history
as well as the benefits to be gained by partaking of that service, in
order to attract people to it? 

	People generally emphasize the aspect of a leader's life which
is in harmony with their own aspirations. But what if those aspects are
fraudulent?

19): Does auditing work as many scientologists claim?

	Up to a point, yes, it does. The basic concept is that a person
talks to someone about himself and his problems. The Roman Catholic
church uses much the same concept in its Confessional (indeed,
scientological auditing can be thought of as basically a `directed
confessional' -- and the group makes much of this similarity in its
propaganda). Of course a person may experience some gains and obtain
some insights -- both of themselves and the rest of the world --
regardless of their age or whether or not they are in the midst of some
emotional crisis (as so many seem to be), espescially given the
`hothouse' atmosphere of a scientologist study group, where one is
*expected* to show some gain. For many, this is the very first time in
their lives they've ever had to grapple with the basic questions of
existance. It would be Really Strange if, in this sense, auditing didn't
work. Or if the Confessional didn't work. Or if just talking to someone
about things didn't work..
 
20) Are these gains objective and permanent?

	Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was woolgathering. Guess the gains I made
weren't permanent. <grin> Seriously, WHAT GAINS? Aside from entirely
subjective and essentially meaningless observations such as "I feel at
cause over MEST" and "My certainty has been increased"
[scientologyspeak: Big Wins], scientologists don't really say much at
all. I submit that, even if "being at cause over MEST" and "increasing
one's certainty" weren't total bafflegab, they are still *subjective*
reactions and scn specifically claims its successes are objectively
verifiable. In short, any `gains' obtained through auditing are, by
definition, subjective and thus can be anything the person may take it
into his head to claim they are and not be required to submit to any
form of objective test. In the sense of "can a gain obtained by going to
Confession or talking to someone about oneself or one's problems be
permanent" the answer is probably a very guarded `yes.'

	The above is one reason for my skepticism. Hubbard claimed
scientific (objective) validation for all of his discoveries and
breakthroughs. He stated that scn does not depend on faith for any
efficacy. Yet, the claims of the cult are most definitely ..entirely
subjective (when they aren't so much technobabble). 

21): Does `scientology work?'

    Depends on what you mean by `work.' It certainly results in a lot of
money being poured into the coffers of a very few. Otherwise? If scn is
as efficacious as it claims to be as regards improving the abilities of
its adherents ("making the able more able"), it has been around for
quite long enough to enable its devotees to make more than just a few
major discoveries in the sciences or medicine, or publish some elegant
philosophical insights, or to make important contributions to literature
or the arts. Ask yourself how many Nobel prizewinners are
scientologists. When was the last time you saw a major work of art
produced by a scientologist? (Travolta and Cruise don't count.) Or when
was the last significant medical breakthrough by a scientologist?

22): Why is it so popular then? 

	I think it started as a monstrous put-on, a stunt. Hubbard had
been quoted as saying words to the effect of, "...the best way to make a
million [dollars] is to start your own religion." I can accept from what
I've read about his personality that he would attempt to do just that --
if only to see if it could be done. Once done, and once it became
obvious the thing could be profitably sustained, well ..when you have a
tiger by the tail, it's best to not let go. After a while, _he_ became
the tiger and others (eg, David Miscavige) held onto _his_ tail. (The
`tiger' being monetary rewards, and the power it brings, at the expense
of the gullible.) One expects a red-headed dude to pop out of a closet
and go, "Gotcha!"

	The very terms used: "..the Bridge (to total freedom)," the
selfbestowed titles of rank: "Commodore" of the "Sea Org," "Doctor [of
Scientology]," the OT 8 cognition, the reliance on cryptic nelogisms and
bizarre redefinitions, the (somewhat) fantastic "Darth Vader meets Tom
Swift" cosmology, and so much more, all lend credence to this point of
view.

	Comstantly expanding? In actuality, while Scientology claims to
be "the worlds fastest growing religion," claiming 8,000,000 members
world wide, this figure, taken from _Freedom_, the official scn organ,
has been claimed for every year since 1991. A critic once calculated
that, given the membership numbers and the numbers of scientology
centers (or Orgs) in the world, some incredible number of scientologists
receive training and processing at each center. 

	At what point did it become 'real' for Hubbard? At what point
did the con-man start believing his own con? Or did he ever really?
While there are some who say it occurred in the late-70s or when the Sea
Org was founded, and there is evidence to support these theories, I
personally feel this is a somewhat minor detail, suitable for
speculation over a brewski after the topics of red headed women and
politics have been disposed of.

                         o        o        o

	There is so much more than can be put into a document such as
this, but to even start would make it even more unreadable. Things like
the details of the harrassment of Paulette Cooper (operation FreakOut);
or operation Snow White, in which Hubbards' wife and more than a few
leaders of the movement were convicted and sentenced for burglary and
theft of U.S. Gov't files -- and that sentence upheld by the USSCt; the
stipulations made by the scientologists in that case; the RPF
(Rehabilitation Project Force -- an internal gulag); the story of Judge
Swearingers' dog (drowned in a swimming pool); the plan to totally
eliminate the practice of psychology and psychiatry by the year 2000;
how `the tech' would cause illness and death if read by the uninitiated;
how Hubbard's words are being copied onto gold plated CD ROM discs and
buried in nuclear blast proof excavations after being placed into
titanium cannisters; the story of Commander Bill and his `sky watch' on
the roofs of cult bldgs in Los Angeles (they were watching for invading
spacecraft -- so that Ron could be warned in time); the barratrous use
of the legal system to tie up critics and eventually ruin them via
bankruptcy; scn vs the AMA; scn vs the APA; scn vs Eli Lilly; scn vs the
FDA; scn vs the IRS; scn vs Time magazine; scn vs Larry Wollerschiem;
scn vs Dennis Erlich; scn vs Grady Ward; scn vs H. Keith Henson; scn vs
David & Julie Mayo; scn vs Arnie Lerma; scn vs Stephen Fishman and Ewe
Geertz; the Guardians' Office; Susan Meiser; Pat Broeker; Quentin
Hubbard; auditing tomatos; clay table demos; D/A packs; gang-bang
sec[urity] checks; TR-L; Heber Jentszch and the `body raisins;' Lisa
McPherson; the '82 Mission Holders conference; David Miscavige; ack! ze
task, she ees eempossible!

23): Web sites (pro and con):

	The interested observer may want to investigate further. To this
end, I give here some of the critical WWW sites. There are links from
these to most other critical sites, as well as to scientologist WWW
sites. (The reverse is most definitely not true, however.)

Ron Newman: http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/scientology/home.html
	[inarguably one of the finest of critical web pages]   

Marina Chong: http://home.pacific.net.sg/~marina/index.html
	[lots of critical works (including this FAQ) and other stuff]
              
Modemac: http://www.tiac.net/users/modemac/cos.html       
	[probably one of the best sites for the uninitiated]

Dave Touretsky: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/E-Meter [details of
the E-meter, construction and use are found here, along with excerpts of
the so-called higher level teachings]

Karin Spaink: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/index.html [Karin is a Dutch
journalist sued by the cult -- read about it here]     

Anderson, Foster & Lee reports, Latey judgement:
http://www.demon.net/castle/audit/index.htm [the Latey judgement -- part
of which was quoted above -- makes for  extremely interesting reading --
the conclusions Mr. Latey reached were based entirely upon the published
and publically available documents of scientology]

Scientology Web sites:

	 http://www.scientology.org
	 http://www.lronhubbard.org
	 http://www.dianetics.org

                        o       o       o

	The whole story of scientology may never be completely told,
indeed it is going on even as this is being written. I'm not sure but
that the real lesson of scientology is that there exist more than just a
few individuals on this planet who are willing to deceive others for the
sake of several hundred million dollars.

	Heckfire, I knew THAT!

                         o        o        o

      "Somebody somewhere on this planet, back about 600 BC found some
  pieces of R6, and I don't know how they found it, either by watching
  [a] madman or something. But since that time they have used it and it
  became what is known as Christianity. The man on the cross ... there 
  was no Christ. But the man on the cross is shown as Everyman."
  [LRH, tape recorded at the first Class VIII course on the ship Apollo,

  October 3, 1968]

 =============================== end =================================

------------------------------------------------------------------
 "Somebody some day will say 'this is illegal'. By then be sure 
  the orgs say what is legal or not."
              -- L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL 4 January 1966
------------------------------------------------------------------
***** Body thetans? We don't need no stinking Body Thetans! ******
********** http://www.users.wineasy.se/noname/index.htm **********
*** Public PGP key: http://www.users.wineasy.se/noname/pgp.htm ***
****** [email-masked] (Anti-Cult) ******* 
------------------------------------------------------------------
 Victimized by the Co$. "Deadfiled" in at least one Org. Seen too
 much, heard to much, lived too much. Security Coded hard disks
 too much. Have been reading NOTS too much. Having chronic 
 pneumonia. As Arnold said: I'll be back......
------------------------------------------------------------------