There are some who believe that if David Miscavige stepped down or were removed from the top office of the "church" of Scientology that somehow, the "church" will be magically be transported back to its heyday in the 1960's and 70's. They say that Miscavige has changed Hubbard's writings in order to keep himself on top and to pad his ever increasing offshore bank accounts. The truth, if you care to look, is somewhat different. It actually looks like the main plan is to change Hubbard policy and basic information to make it more palatable for a more discerning public. As only one example, if you compare the Scientology Grade Chart from the early 80's to the current one and look at the abilities gained on OT 8, Hubbard's version says:
Whereas the Miscavige versions says:
New OT VIII - Handles the primary reason for amnesia on the whole track.
And of course, when the neophyte asks what the whole track is, he will be directed to the Scientology Technical Dictionary to make the point clear to him.
The first reason Scientology can't be saved is this. If Miscavige has all this money stashed away (according to some it is over a billion dollars) and he steps down, the first thing he is going to do is run for the money and a safe haven (like West Samoa or Taiwan) where he can live like a king and not worry about extradition. This would almost guarantee and end to the church. If the person in charge of a large corporation absconds, the federal government would have to intercede with external audits on the various corporate entities under which the "church" operates such as Religious Technology Center, Church of Scientology International, Church of Spiritual Technology, etc. That done, the "church" would be caught up for years in civil and bankruptcy courts, if not the criminal courts.
Also, the latest generation of Sea Org members are in thrall of Miscavige. They have known no other leader. If Miscavige did a runner, their faith would be smashed to bits.
And what of the Independents? No hard line church member would listen to them. They have too many "crimes" against Scientology.
Also, when the government finally steps in (let it be soon), everything will have to be entered into the public record. All of the Policy Letters and Bulletins that the "church" has for so long tried to keep from the public eye for all to peruse, thereby exposing Hubbard's madness for everyone to see.
No, there is no salvation for this "church". It is time to pull the plug.
Thanks for coming by today. If your viewpoint differs, let's talk about it.
The saddest part is that even if Miscavige ran away, even if there were criminal charges brought, the people who still believe in this shit would not bat an eye. They would go on believing as if nothing ever happened.
ReplyDeleteYou can see this in the independents. They know it's all bullshit but they want to keep believing. Just because it's so hard to let go of something you have wasted so much time and money on.
Yup. "Give me something to believe in"
DeleteThe assumption here is that Miscavige will leave.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of historical examples of evil dictators running off with suitcases stuffed with dollars and/or Swiss Bank Accounts, but these tend to be rulers of "Banana Republics", people who came to power by luck rather than intent and had no ideological underpinning.
Others by contrast go down with the ship. Hitler is the best known example, more recent ones would be Saddam and Gaddafi. Assad has declared his intention of being the next.
My present feeling is that Miscavige will go down fighting, his Church slowly dwindling down to a rump of fanatics who will never, ever abandon him. The chance of a coup is going down not up.
Whether Scientology would survive as a belief set without a central organisation is a different question. Personally I think not, it too will slowly fade away. I doubt also that a 'reformed' Church will appear, there are too many ex-members who have had more than enough of being told what to think.
Excellent reply Hartley. Thank you.
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