By not denouncing the "church" of Scientology and its assorted and sordid corporate entities, you are aiding in leading the lambs to slaughter. Instead you hide behind thugs hired as bodyguards to keep you from even seeing protesters, going so far as to confiscate signs that tell the truth about Scientology. Tom, you are as big a coward as your hero, David Miscavige.
In your films, you generally play an ordinary guy that has been placed in a position where you have to make a decision to pursue that dark path or do the right thing. A hero that ends up doing good and getting the girl too.
In real life, you are the guy who has chosen the dark path. You are nothing but a shill for a greedy, dangerous and deadly commercial enterprise. You still get the girls, but they don't stick around very long. Why? Maybe because you try to shove your false religion down their throats?
Are you proud that people are abused in your name? Don't try to tell us that you don't know that Sea Org Members at the base will take their lumps if you don't like the way your salad tastes.
You may have been protected from the truth in Dublin yesterday, but it will not last for long. The truth will come out soon and you will stand naked in front of the world, accused for the uncaring megalomaniac that you are. Prove us wrong Tom. Speak out.
Sounds like the title of one of those old Hollywood "B" horror movies doesn't it? But for families who have spent over thirty thousand dollars to send their loved ones to Narconon in hopes that they would return happy, healthy and hopeful, only to get those loved ones back in a body bag, life is an endless horror movie with no exit sign in sight.
I know most of you have heard of the recent deaths at Narconon Arrowhead, but there are many more, and there are probably many more than that of which we have not yet heard of. In case you hadn't heard of the four that died recently, I will list them here for you:
March 3, 2009, Kaysie Dianne Werninck, 28, double pneumonia (failure to get medical attention in time) Narconon Arrowhead, Canadian, Oklahoma
October 25, 2011, Gabriel Graves, 32, sauna and vitamin phase, very terrible headache, cause of death undetermined as yet Narconon Arrowhead, Canadian, Oklahoma
April 11, 2012, Hillary Ann Holten, 21, complications of pneumonia and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (adrenal failure), withheld medication Narconon Arrowhead, Canadian, Oklahoma
July 19, 2012, Stacy Dawn Murphy, 20, drug overdose, unattended in withdrawal room Narconon Arrowhead, Canadian, Oklahoma
There are those, though, that you may not have heard of, as there were no mass media reports. I will tell you about a few of them here.
The body of Gregory B. Wisner, age 27, was found in the surf near Indian Rocks Beach, Florida on January 20, 2001. - Gregorys life was a tragedy. He was DISCONNECTED by his father and the rest of his family when he was only 9 years old and he never recovered from this abandonment. His father was R. Michael Wisner, a prominent Scientologist and chief spokesperson for NARCONON. He often appeared on TV touting the benefits of NARCONON.
Gregory Wisner had started to use cocaine in his teens to cope with his problems and, when he was 27, his parents contacted him and coerced him into joining the controversial NARCONON drug rehabilitation program.
NARCONON did not help Gregory in the least and, as a result, his family abandoned him once again. Gregory confided in a friend, I have no one to turn to and that really sucks. I have never been so stripped of my identity. I'm in the middle of nowhere and with no one to turn to. Shortly afterwards, Gregorys body was found washed up on a beach near Clearwater in Florida. postmortem findings found that he had drowned and detected Cocaine (0.70 mg/L) in his blood and urine. His father did not bother to attend the funeral. For the rest of the story, click here.
Pius Keel, a confirmed Scientologist of 22, ended his stay at the Schliersee tragically. He got himself into deep debt for his community. After some time at Narconon he complained to his mother about the barefaced swindle. Narconon is only about money, he said. On September 14, 1990, after less than two months at Narconon, Pius packed his bags and threw himself under a train. - From Narconon Exposed
Grancey-sur-Ource, France - In 1984, a 34 year-old French woman named Jocelyne Dorfmann died from an untreated epilepsy crisis while undergoing treatment at a Narconon center in Grancey-sur-Ource (near Dijon). The assistant-director of that center was convicted[88] of lack of assistance to a person in danger and the Narconon center was closed. Medical experts reported that her death was caused by "an epileptic seizure due to the absence of sufficient treatment at its beginning and of emergency treatment during the seizure". Narconon staff failed to call for medical assistance, as a result of which, Dorfmann died. - From Wikipedia
Next we have a two-fer. That's right. Two guys died within a few days of each other from the same facility:
Paride Ella and Giuseppe Tomba, Valsassina, Italy (1995) - In 1995, two young men, Paride Ella (22) and Giuseppe Tomba (26) died suddenly at the Narconon center in Taceno, Valsassina. Paride Ella died of acute kidney failure (symptoms consistent with a niacin overdose), while the recorded cause of death for Giuseppe Tomba was heart attack. Both patients suffered similar symptoms, vomiting and diarrhea, for days before their deaths. The young men died within a few days of one another, in the so-called 'detoxification' (ultra-high doses of niacin and other vitamins, multi-hour saunas) stage of the Narconon program. The Narconon center had no medical staff and was unable - in either case - to diagnose the seriousness of their condition. Before the deaths, the village's mayor had asked for the Narconon center to be closed. - From the same Wikipedia Article
And another one from Italy:
Torre dell'Orso, Italy (2002) - In Italy, a 33-year-old Italian female patient of the Narconon center in Torre dell'Orso died under similar conditions in 2002. Federica X died from peritonitis, according to her autopsy. She first began to suffer from stomach pains on Monday 7 October 2002, and was driven to the first aid station at Meledugno, which she was given painkillers. She was driven to hospital the following evening, where she died soon after being admitted in a coma. Narconon patient Giovanni Costa later stabbed staff member Rodolfo Savino, whom Costa claimed had ignored Federica's symptoms, and given her insufficient medical aid. Costa was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Also from Wikipedia
April 2, 2007, Fred Oesterreicher, 53, grounds maintenance, heart attack (cause unknown) Narconon Arrowhead, Canadian, Oklahoma
October 12, 2007, Laura (alias), 30, found dead in her bed (cause unknown) Narconon Zutphen, Deventerweg, Holland
June 11, 2008, Patrick W. Desmond, 28, respiratory failure due to heroin and alcohol ingestion Narconon of Georgia, Norcross, Georgia, US
August 27, 2008, Courtney "Cody" Bates, 31, suicide (hanging) while at Criminon San Francisco SBDC New Life Center Criminon, California, US
January 1, 2009, Jean Lafitte, 52, employee, lived on grounds, gunshot wound to the head, suicide (reason unknown) Narconon Arrowhead, Canadian, Oklahoma
My friends, thank you for reading this. You can help by sharing this information with everyone you know. It is too late to help these people, but maybe, together, we can help save some lives.
Never fear to hurt another in a just cause.» — L. Ron Hubbard, "Code of Honor", The Creation of Human Ability, p. 5
There is ample evidence that Ron believed and used that statement. There is also too much evidence that Scientologists in general employ that clause. Before we get into that, we have a special note from the Great Humanitarian himself, written in his own hand. Many thanks to Gerry Armstrong for this:
And here are a few more policies from Hubbard:
«If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace.» — L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL 15 August 1960, Dept. of Govt. Affairs
«A truly Suppressive Person or group has no rights of any kind and actions taken against them are not punishable.» — L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL of 1 March 1965, "Ethics, Suppressive Acts, Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists"
«ENEMY SP Order. 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.» — L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL 18 October 1967
«The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the Tone Scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered.» — L. Ron Hubbard, Science of Survival, p. 170
Do Scientologists believe this stuff? You bet your life they do. I will give you only a few examples, but if you look around you can find many, many more. What you will find is that the policy of death and violence started at the very beginning of Scientology and continues right up to this day.
I started this blog post because I saw this:
There, according to Rezendez, the Narconon official warned the newsman he was "a small fish in a big sea with a lot of f•cking sharks" and that he was dealing with an interplanetary organization." Barber allegedly promised to come after Rezendez with "hobnailed boots," and said "I will kick your ass up into your throat if I ever catch you f•cking around with Narconon." - "The Narconon sting: Scientology's Minnesota drug scam" by Paul Fishman Maccabee 1981
I knew some bad things had happened in Scientology, but I had never heard of threats from Narconon before. So I asked my good friend, investigative reporter David Love (former Narconon staffer and now outspoken critic) if anything like this had happened to him. He kindly responded by sending me a copy of his submitted evidence to the SQ Intelligence Police in which he says that Aline Proulx (who was, at the time the Esto Officer of Narconon TR and was the former Executive Director of Narconon Canada Continental) had confided certain sensitive data to him, and then told him "If you ever divulge any information I've told you, I will scourge you in HELL and YOU will disappear!"
Which got me to thinking how many instances of this has happened in Scientology. I found way too many to list in this post, but here are a few.
As a result of the book "L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?", author Bent Corydon says, his assistant was beaten and his wife abused with repeated obscene and threatening telephone calls.
Shawn Lonsdale, a videographer who protested at Scientology's Flag Land Base in Clearwater, FL. was told by a Scientologist "People don't live too long doing this kind of thing in Clearwater." On February 13, 2008, he was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide. Right.
Eugene Ingram, a Private Investigator for Scientology said to Gerry Armstrong, "I'll put a bullet between your eyes." Later Judge Breckenridge in his Decision in Church of Scientology California vs. Gerald Armstrong, No. C420153 said ". . .being assaulted by one of these individuals; being struck bodily by a car driven by one of these individuals; having two attempts made by said individuals apparently to involve Defendant Armstrong in a freeway automobile accident; . . ."
"Bernard Green recounted some of the more grisly tales floating around throughout the movement's disenchanted members with a relish bordering on glee. [...] a man in Los Angeles punished for some anti-Scientological action by having high-pressure water hoses turned on him until he was pounded senseless." - George Malko: "Scientology: the Now Religion - Epilogue"
"Conditions were declared. Everyone had to work all day and half the night. We all slept on the floors. People started to break under the pressure. New conditions were declared. People were locked up at the bottom of the elevator shaft and fed bread and water.
The threats to personal safety were overt and continuous, totally different in kind and character from the little FOAD you were recently whining about. We're talking real, in your face, you are fair-game we can kill you sorts of threats." - Zane Thomas's Story
". . .He is prepared to speak out. Most are not. Scientology has a reputation for hunting down its critics. One man has taken to wearing an armored vest because of alleged threats against his life. One American former cult member claims that he was ordered to kill two opponents of the organisation. . ." - The Independent (Jan. 1994): "The Prisoners of Saint Hill" by Tim Kelsey and Mike Ricks
Mark Plummer (Warrior) describes assault by a Scientology staff member: "I’m gonna kill you!", while shoving me backwards with both arms against my chest.
A Mexican woman has alleged that the Church of Scientology's security chief chased her and threatened to kill her for leaving the church ... She told Miller that a Scientology security guard had said to her, "You're a suppressive, you denigrated the church. We're going to kill you! You will be dead!" - St. Petersburg Times: "Woman accuses Scientology guard of threat"
"A Scientologist in Heidelberg is convicted to pay a fine for threatening to murder a 17 year old, who was critical of Scientology." - FAQ: Scientology in Germany
Arnaldo Lerma was told, "We will give you a guarantee of safe passage out of the state of Florida with all body parts attached if you tell Suzette Hubbard the marriage is off." - Scientology story sparks heated response.
Taz, the vocalist for Tampa Bay area band Trocar received an anonymous death threat by telephone at his work, saying that if he performed at the Lisa McPherson Trust benefit concert, he "wouldn't walk out alive." - Benefit Death Threat
"I was told ... to get the idea of leaving out of my head because I would never leave the property alive." - Affidavit of David Mayo (1 May 1987)
"Sheriff Lee Baca is curious. One of his own lieutenants has warned me that my life may be in danger from Church of Scientology paid hit men." - Graham Berry
Had enough yet? I have. At least for tonight. Thanks for being here. I hope you come back soon.
In the last couple of years, there have been many reports of physical violence done by David Miscavige to more than a few Scientology International Management Personnel. People are astounded that the Ecclesiastic Leader of the "church" would do such a thing, and if he did, how could he have gotten away with it for so long. After some research, we can surmise some answers. The first answer may upset a few people but we have to look at it logically. That is, given his upbringing, Miscavige almost had to turn out the way he did. He grew up in Scientology. His education was almost all in Scientology. He was a Commodore's Messenger and worked closely with Hubbard for much of his life. He saw that, when it served his purpose, Hubbard used violence to get his point across too. Who knows, maybe young Miscavige had his bell rung by the Commodore a few times. No matter who was "supposed" to take over after Hubbard's death, I believe Hubbard personally groomed Miscavige for the Post because he saw in Miscavige what he knew himself to be. Vicious, Violent and a Coward. In Hubbard's own words:
"People attack Scientology; I never forget it, always even the score. People attack auditors, or staff, or organizations, or me. I never forget until the slate is clear." Not really a "turn the other cheek" kind of guy eh?
Ok, but what about some evidence? I am glad you asked.
Joe van Staden, Captain at the time till he was fired, in Birth of the Sea Org:
The time I got fired in Corfu went something like this. One of the commodore’s messengers came up to me and informed me that the commodore wanted to see me. At that point I had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong, but as I approached his office and noticed some of his aides including Mary Sue avoiding eye contact with me and making haste to vacate the area I knew – here it comes. Before I even entered his office there he was in my face screaming at me for making a dog’s breakfast of the ship. Then he took a swing at me, I ducked and felt the swoosh of air over my head as he missed the target. For a second there I thought he was going to go down as he lost his balance. Next he screamed at me telling me to go fix up my mess. I only found out what he was talking about once I got out on deck and one of the messengers informed me.
Here is the thing; the Apollo spent most of her life up north in very damp conditions. Since she entered the Med the timber deck above the commodore’s office began to dry out. As a consequence it resulted in some leaking into LRH’s office leaving visible rust streaks down the bulkheads. The short of it is I was fired as captain, once again, and put on the deck force to fix up “my mess”.
And Otto Roos:
"One day, when all the XII's were on leave, except myself, he sent a Messenger down, stating he wanted the folders. After refusal by myself (C/S hat) he became 'Commodore' and ORDERED the folders up, sending some hefty guys down to just get them (a cabinet FILE full!).
They were just TAKEN, and that was that.
A few days later I was called up to his office and upon entry was hit, kicked, screamed and shouted at. (Even the Aides were not in sight, they were hiding as he was really mad!)
He just blew his stack on finding the references to 'discreditable' reads and the contents of some of the personal folders."
CLEARWATER—Possibly the highest-ranking, most influential Scientologist to defect from the Clearwater-based, international sect has sued Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard for more than $225 million.
Citing physical abuse, the intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and the violation of his civil rights, Howard D. "Homer" Schomer, the 49-year-old former treasury secretary of the sect's Author Services Inc. branch, is demanding a jury trial and damages of $226,528,200. Schomer's claims, if proved true, offer a dark view of the inner workings of an arm of the most visible yet secretive of the world's "new religions."
Schomer's suit alleges that he, having voiced reservations about Hubbard's true aims and those of his myriad of organizations, was subjected to intense interrogations for hours at a time, denied food and water, accused of stealing money and being an FBI or CIA agent, spat upon, threatened with bodily harm, locked up under guard and told he would be "falsely thrown in jail."
Schomer fled the sect in December 1982, and went into seclusion before filing his suit on Oct. 25. "I was frightened because I didn't know what was happening and terrified of what they could do," Schomer said during an interview Friday. "I was threatened with injury and with going to court because they said they would bring false witness against me.
"And it still terrifies me what they can do to me, and that's why I didn't come forward sooner. But I
realized that eventually I had to do something, so I came out in the open.
And then, possibly the most damning from Monday, 23 April 1951 (UPI) Los Angeles:
The wife of L. Ron Hubbard, 40, founder of the Dianetics Mental Health Movement, filed suit for divorce today, charging he is suffering from a mental ailment.
Mrs. Sara Northrup Hubbard, 25, said "competent medical advisers" had examined her 40-year-old husband and concluded he was "hopelessly insane" and should be placed in a private sanitarium for "psychiatric observation."
She said doctors told her her husband was suffering from a mental ailment "known as paranoid schizophrenia."
Mrs. Hubbard also charged he subjected her to "systematic torture" by beating and strangling her and, denying her sleep.
Her suit said Hubbard once told her he didn't want to be married and suggested that if she really loved him, she would kill herself because a divorce would "hurt his reputation"
Mrs. Hubbard described her husband's Dianetics research foundation as his "alter ego" and said the institution did more than $1,000,000 business last year.
When informed of the doctors' recommendation that he be placed in a mental institution, Hubbard took their 13-month-old daughter, Alexis, from Mrs. Hubbard's apartment and went into hiding, the suit charged.
The wife also said Hubbard told her he was unmarried when they were wed Aug. 20, 1946, at Chestertown,
Md., but it was not until December, 1947, that he divorced a former wife, Mrs. Margaret Grubb Hubbard, at Port Orchard, Wash.
Mrs. Hubbard asked $500,000 damages to compensate for the loss of "the golden years of a woman's life" and annulment of their marriage if the court finds she never was legally married to the Dianetics founder.
How do Scientologists get away with violent actions? First, they help get local officials elected, and they attack local officials that are against them. Second, in many cities where there is a large Scientology population, they are actually a large employer of off duty police officers as "security officers". Take a look at the short video below.
There have been more than dozens of cases of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse of Children in Scientology that were never reported to officials or if they were reported, not until years later. The reason is, in order to keep the dark side of Scientology out of the public eye, Scientologists may not take their legal differences, or even criminal complaints outside of the church but must handle them internally through mediation. Also there is this. Scientology ethics always assumes that if something bad happens to you, that you are responsible for pulling it in on yourself.
Then there is the policy of 1st of September 1965 entitled “Ethics Protection” written by Hubbard in which he says:
“When people do start reporting a staff member with a high statistic, what you investigate is the person who turned in the report. In an ancient army a particularly brave deed was recognized by an award of the title of Kha-Khan. It was not a rank. The person remained what he was, BUT he was entitled to be forgiven the death penalty ten times in case in the future he did anything wrong. That was a Kha-Khan. That’s what producing, high-statistic staff members are – Kha-Khans. They can get away with murder without a blink from Ethics…. And Ethics must recognize a Kha-Khan when it sees one – and tear up the bad report chits on the person with a yawn.”
This policy not only pertains to staff with high statistics, but public Scientologists as well, as long as they are big producers (bringing in lots of money). Hubbard also said that he did not care what his staff members did as long as they were “ up-stats” (helped make money) for Scientology and implies that staff can get away with murder in a blink of the eye, and not to bother him with details.
Examples of these policies are rampant and I will only give you a few of them here.
First is the story of the late Alexander Jentzsch, the son of Scientology president Heber Jentzsch. From the Scientology Cult website:
In Scientology Inc., the reputation of David Miscavige comes before all else. Which was also seen in the tragic loss of Lisa McPherson who, while she lay dying, was driven to a hospital 45 minutes away — no doubt to put some distance between her and the Flag Land Base where she had been neglected, while Morton Plant Hospital was only blocks away in the other direction. But of course putting PR first is just another way of saying "cover up."
And on that theme, Alexander had already fallen into a well-worn groove. Behold, Alexander Jentzsch was the victim of a child predator inside the Church of Scientology when he was 12 years old. The incident was covered up the Church of Scientology executives and neither the boy's father nor mother were ever told about it by the Church. Yet you can bet David Miscavige KNEW ALL ABOUT IT. He receives info on ALL potential legal liabilities. Karen only found out on July 2010 when multiple former executives from the area where Alexander was working contacted Karen and told her what had happened to her son. Here's what they said:
Witness #1:
"I was a member of the Sea Organization from August 1989 till August 2007. It was when I worked in the Office of Special Affairs Flag Land Base, that I learned about the rape of Alexander Jentzsch, then a 12 or 13 years son of Karen De La Carriere and Heber Jentzsch. I started working in OSA in January 1997 and it was during that year when I learned about the rape through my then co-worker Annie Mora, who had been
assigned to keep an eye on Alexander from the point of time he was received at the Flag Land Base.
The rape incident involved a female FSO Dept 5 staff Marie Warren, seducing Alex to have sex with her in one of the crew berthing apartments. Once this incident became known by Annie Mora she was executing the immediate handling which included making sure the knowledge of the rape isn't spreading not only inside the church but to the outside; it would have been devastating to the image of the church to have this crime become general knowledge. Another action was to transfer Alexander and Marie out of Florida to California to help cover it up from the Authorities. Needless to say Alexander´s rape was a huge flap and would be the kind of incident OSA staff would automatically deal with, hence my knowledge of it."
A Scientologist by the name of Donald Anthony Strawn, also known as Tony Strawn, was convicted in 1995 to thirty years in prison for sexually molesting two girls, ages 11 and 13. The children were in his custodial care at the time. Scientology directed (under threat of expulsion) that the mother not report the incident to the proper authorities, because the church could "handle" his "aberration".
I was 13 years old. I think I was 13. Everyone had beer and got drunk. I think the first night or the second night I was up there, I was sitting next to him and I had had a few beers and so had he. And so had everyone else. And he put his hand down my shirt and down my bra and started feeling me. And I...it really scared me and I asked my friend later, I said, "What's Wally [Hanks] doing? Why did he do this?" And she said, "Oh. Don't worry. He just does that with the girls. That's just what he does but don't worry about it."
And along this line, Adeline Dodd-Bova said:
"These were the children of dedicated Scientologists. Students' files revealed previous teachers' statements of incidents of physical and sexual abuse. All of these cases were reported to the principal. The reports were "handled" by Scientology alone. Teachers dared not report these crimes on their own outside the school for fear of losing their jobs."
Yolanda Howell wrote:
One little baby I knew in the Sea Org got herpes during a Cadet Org epidemic. A 14 year old girl disclosed to me how she and a few other little girls were leaving the Cadet Org in the daytime and performing sexual services for one of the girl's uncles in exchange for money. A man who worked in the Cadet Org admitted he was sexually molesting the children. Although these incidents were written up, as far as I know they were never "handled".
And finally the statement of Tommy Gorman:
It was around 2001, beginning in May when I decided to go see my friend Jennifer Stewart, because she was still on staff at the Mountain View Org. My mother asked “Tommy, have you talked to your friend Jennifer lately?” I said “No”. I thought about it and thought, hey I should call her. I called her home and her mother picked up the telephone and I asked if Jennifer was there. She said no, she is at Gabriel Williams’ home. Jennifer’s mother told me she would call Jennifer and tell her to call me.
Later that day I got a call from Jennifer. I was happy to be on the phone with my bud. I said, hey, can you come over tomorrow? And she said, I have to ask Gabriel, (who was also her boss at Mountain View Org). I said, no, you need to ask your mom and dad, NOT Gabriel. Jennifer said, NO, I have to ask Gabriel. So I said fine, ask him NOW. I heard Gabriel say “uhmm”, so I started to talk very loud and said, “Let Jennifer come over Gabriel.” Then Jennifer said, “Wow, Gabriel said I can come over!”
The next day I picked up Jennifer at BART ( Bay Area Rapid Transit ) at 4 pm. Jennifer looked a lot heavier, and not the same happy girl I knew. She was wearing a turtleneck. The day was kind of warm and I was confused because Jennifer had told me many times before she does not wear turtlenecks, because she hates them.
I gave Jennifer a hug and she jumped back, and I felt confused.. We then talked for hours in my car. I was joking with her about something and tapped her leg and she again recoiled from a touch. At one point I started to talk about Gabriel a lot, and then Jennifer threw up. I continued to discuss Gabriel because I knew something was very wrong.
Whenever Gabriel’s name came up she was say everything was fine, everything was great, over and over again. I thought this was very weird. It was as if she were in a trance. I finally started yelling at her, to tell me what was going on, and I asked her if anyone had hurt her. Then she started to cry, very hard, for a very long time, and kept talking but I could not understand what she was saying. I asked her what happened, but she said, that she could not tell me.
I asked if she was wearing her turtleneck because she was trying to hide something. I finally got her to let me look under the neck area of the turtleneck. Jennifer had some mark on her neck. When I looked at it closely later on, I saw that she had a right hand mark on her neck when I was looking at her on my left side. She had a thumbprint on her neck on my right side and a couple of finger marks. I asked Jennifer if I could see her arm, and then saw a mark on her arm, she told me she also had a mark on her leg. Jennifer said, “No one will believe me, and Gabriel will kill me and my whole family.” I spent the rest of that night trying to comfort Jennifer. I asked whether Gabriel did this, she said “yes.” She finally admitted that Gabriel had raped her. It was clear to me that Gabriel had threatened Jennifer’s life and had raped her and choked her.
Gabriel was a Scientology staff member at the org in Mountain View, and because of "high production" as reflected by his "statistics," meant that he made Scientology a lot of money. Because of this he was considered by Scientology policy, written by L Ron Hubbard, to be "above the law." This policy is called the “Kha Khan” Policy.
I knew the policy. And I knew that it would be a problem to report this to Scientology because they would protect him, because of his worth to Scientology, and that is exactly what they did. L Ron Hubbard’s policy states that SP’s (enemies of Scientology) always spread false and alarming rumors about up-stats, (high income producers). Hubbard directs staff to investigate any individual who reports or tells, on an “up-stat”.
There is no room in our society for a "church" to have a policy that "it's ok for you to do anything you wan't to people, especially women and children, as long as your stats are up and it doesn't get around". Scientology still practices this. Please see the video below.
In the wake of the Lisa McPherson case and the ensuing lawsuit, Scientology management had to come up with a way to not generate any more bad press and to avoid further lawsuits. One thing they could not do is discontinue using the Introspection Rundown (which was responsible for McPherson's death). After all, it was policy written by Hubbard which he had touted as "a technical breakthrough which possibly ranks with the major discoveries of the twentieth century. It is certainly the greatest advancement of 1973 and is now being released after a final wrap-up of research." Hubbard claimed that he had found the definitive cure for Psychosis. What he didn't say was that this type of psychosis is caused by cognitive dissonance brought on by upper level Scientology training and processing.
In 2000, Professor Stephen Kent of the University of Alberta, an expert on the sociology of religion, and Scientology in particular, submitted an affidavit in the wrongful death suit in which he stated that: "Seen in historical context, the Introspection Rundown is the culmination of pseudo-psychiatric and pseudo-medical therapies that dates back to the founding of Dianetics and runs through Scientology up to the present day. Nothing about the Introspection Rundown is religious. Hubbard's stated secular intention was to eliminate psychiatry, and Lisa McPherson fell victim to an organization, Scientology's Flag Service Org, whose members were following Scientology policy."
So instead, Miscavige and his henchmen got together with the legal department and came up with a legal contract (known to us as the Lisa clause) that every Scientologist has to sign before taking courses or processing. Here it is:
Church of Scientology
Flag Service Organization
(hereinafter referred to as "the Church")
Agreement and General Release
Regarding Spiritual Assistance
1. I, ___________________________________, recognize, acknowledge and agree that I am exclusively responsible for my present and future condition in life and for the choices and decisions I make affecting my life. With that in mind, and solely of my own volition and in the independent exercise of my own free will, I am voluntarily signing and submitting to CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY _________________________ (hereinafter the "Church") this AGREEMENT AND GENERAL RELEASE REGARDING SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE (hereinafter this "Contract") so that, upon its acceptance by the Church, I may participate in Scientology Religious Services and spiritual assistance under the terms, conditions, covenants, waivers and releases I agree to by signing this contract, and by doing so, I specifically acknowledge and reaffirm all other waivers, releases and agreements I have signed with any Church of Scientology.
2. This contract is my statement of my personal understanding concerning Scientology religious tenets and my statements reflecting my own beliefs and desires. By signing this Contract, I recognize, acknowledge and agree that:
a. Scientology is a religion, the Church is a church of the Scientology religion and all the services and activities of the Scientology religion are exclusively religious in nature.
b. Scientology is unalterably opposed, as a matter of religious belief, to the practice of psychiatry, and espouses as a religious belief that the study of the mind and the healing of mentally caused ills should not be alienated from religion or condoned in nonreligious fields. I am in full agreement with this religious belief. I do not believe in or subscribe to psychiatric labels for individuals It is my strongly held religious belief that all mental problems are spiritual in nature and that there is no such thing as a mentally incompetent person-- only those suffering from spiritual upset of one kind or another dramatized by an individual. I reject all psychiatric labels and intend for this Contract to clearly memorialize my desire to be helped exclusively through religious, spiritual means and not through any form of psychiatric treatment, specifically including involuntary commitment based on so-called lack of competence. Under no circumstances, at any time, do I wish to be denied my right to care from members of my religion to the exclusion of psychiatric care or psychiatric directed care, regardless of what any psychiatrist, medical person, designated member of the state or family member may assert supposedly on my behalf. If circumstances should ever arise in which government, medical or psychiatric officials or personnel or family members or friends attempt to compel or coerce or commit me for psychiatric evaluation, treatment or hospitalization, I fully desire and expect that the Church or Scientologists will intercede on my behalf to oppose such efforts and/or extricate me from that predicament so my spiritual needs may be addressed in accordance with the tenets of the Scientology religion.
c. As I so strongly disagree, as a matter of religious principle, with the use of psychiatric treatment for anyone, including myself, I reject the usage of psychiatric labels and I believe in assisting individuals through religious and spiritual means. Therefore, I am hereby specifying that should I get into a situation in the future, unlikely as it is, where others may think that I need psychiatric treatment of any kind, that I instead desire to receive Scientology spiritual assistance and that it can include, but is not limited to, the Introspection Rundown. Further, I realize that in the future it may consequently be suggested by a senior Scientology minister, should the need arise, that I receive such spiritual assistance, and again, I want to make it clear that under such circumstances I desire to receive Scientology Spiritual Assistance, which may include, but not be limited to, the Introspection Rundown.d. The Scientology religion teaches that the spirit can be saved and that the spirit alone may save or heal the body, and the Introspection Rundown is intended to save the spirit. I understand that the Introspection Rundown is an intensive, rigorous Religious Service that includes being isolated from all sources of potential spiritual upset, including but not limited to family members, friends or others with whom I might normally interact. As part of the Introspection Rundown, I specifically consent to Church members being with me 24 hours a day at the direction of my Case Supervisor, in accordance with the tenets and custom of the Scientology religion. The Case Supervisor will determine the time period in which I will remain isolated, according to the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion. I further specifically acknowledge that the duration of any such isolation is uncertain, determined only by my spiritual condition, but that such duration will be completely at the discretion of the Case Supervisor. I also specifically consent to the presence of Church members around the clock for whatever length of time is necessary to perform the Introspection Rundown's processes and to achieve the spiritual results of the Introspection Rundown. I understand, acknowledge and agree that the Introspection Rundown addresses only the individual's spiritual needs and I freely consent, without reservation, and without condition or limitation, to Church members conducting the Introspection Rundown, and that I accept and assume all known and unknown risks of injury, loss, or damage resulting from my decision to participate in the Introspection Rundown and specifically absolve all persons and entities from all liabilities of any kind, without limitation, associated with my participation or their participation in my Introspection Rundown.
I HAVE CAREFULLY READ THIS CONTRACT AND FULLY UNDERSTAND ITS CONTENTS AND CONSEQUENCES. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT I AM NOT ELIGIBLE FOR SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE UNLESS I SIGN THIS CONTRACT. WHILE IT IS UNLIKELY THAT I WILL EVER BE IN A CONDITION WHERE PSYCHIATRIC INTERVENTION MAY BE DEEMED AN OPTION, I HEREWITH REAFFIRM THAT IN SUCH AN EVENT I WISH TO RECEIVE ONLY SCIENTOLOGY SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE INTROSPECTION RUNDOWN, AND THAT THIS CHOICE IS AN INDEPENDENT EXERCISE OF MY OWN FREE WILL. I FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT BY SIGNING BELOW, I AM FOREVER GIVING UP MY RIGHT TO SUE THE CHURCH, ITS STAFF AND ANY OF THE RELEASEES NAMED IN THE GENERAL RELEASE I SIGNED, FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE SUFFERED IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH SCIENTOLOGY RELIGIOUS SERVICES OR SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE.
I sign this Agreement and General Release Regarding Spiritual Assistance on this __ day of _________, 20__, intending to be legally bound to it, and request that I be permitted to participate in spiritual assistance.
What this means for the poor, unsuspecting Scientologist is that if the flip out on course, on post, or in auditing, or if they are at home when they flip out and their family has them committed for observation is that people from the "church" can come in and take them and hold them against their will for as long as it takes until they are deemed cured of their psychosis.
The Catholic Church may have its problems but you will not have to sign a contract not to sue in order to take communion. Linda Hight, A spokeswoman for Scientology said that the contract is self-explanatory.
"I'm sure you know the English language," she said, "and you know what it means."
She described psychiatry as "barbaric, harmful, and fraudulent." "The contract is drawn up," Hight added, "for those who wish [to use it]." Seriously though, if the Lisa case was the only abuse on the Introspection Rundown it would be bad enough, but there are many other cases of abuse on this rundown that many people are unaware of.
In an interview by FactNet, Jesse Prince had this to say:
L: Rick Clinger's wife, Cat Clinger is her real name.
J: She wasn't his wife at this time, he was married to someone else. Her name was Cat Morrow when I was there. She was the head of the Wolly unit, Wolly World, data collection. They called it Wolly World. She was under extreme pressure at a point in time where she wasn't sleeping, she wasn't eating, she was being screamed at 60% of the day, just working day and night, and she flipped. At which point, you know, it seems like people do just go to a certain point and it's not like you can say, I'm sorry, let's go to bed now. No, they don't sleep anymore, they are over the edge. She got the standard treatment of being locked up in a room by herself to scream and just do everything. No restraint, physically.
L: They physically locked her up when she went psychotic?
J: Yeah. They hold you under guard when that happens.
L: Against your will?
J: Absolutely. Just like Lisa McPherson , the standard practice. You are incarcerated at that point, and you're not going to be un-incarcerated until they think you're OK.
L: So is that all you know about Cat, that she was locked up? Do you know of other people that were locked up, who went psychotic against their will?
J: Yes, well one person that Stacy Young and I had to watch a girl named Teresa, we were watching her together.
L: Teresa, what was her last name?
J: I don't know her last name. She was a staff member at Gold. There was some big deadline about getting up a new Mark 7, and she was a Spanish girl, a cultural girl. She had skin pretty much the color of mine, black hair, very pretty girl, young girl, about 19 or 20. She was made to stay up day and night, soldering wires and crap to the e-meter, like on assembly. She started to loose it. The higher RC was saying she's out ethics, she's making overt products, that's why. Then the next thing you know, this girl is speaking and in a place so different than anyone else. She's gone over the edge, she's babbling. She's talking all out of her head. They immediately took her from the Hemet base and put her in Happy Valley, which is a little compound that they have where the children stay, it's by an Indian reservation. My God, talk about first hand experience. Stacy and I and that girl Susie Watson Taylor and a couple of guys, it was like 5 of us watching this girl, keeping her confined to a house. One time she got out of the house and there was this huge cactus out in the yard, and she pulled with her bare hand, one of the leaves off, threw it on the ground, and jumped up and down on the damn thing. I mean, her body was pierced everywhere. She didn't feel a thing, she was laughing. I along with a bunch of other people, pulled the thorns out of her, put hydrogen peroxide on her, and she had a fever, but still would not sleep, would not sleep. This went on for about 3 days. Then she started getting little cat naps. Now, I am so worried, because this woman is talking in voices. She hit me harder than I think I've ever been hit in my life, and now here comes Dr. Denk out there. He has five of us hold her down and he gives her a shot, to make her go to sleep. Her last words is, before she goes under, she looks me right in the eyes and says, "I'm not going to forget you for this Jesse, I'm going to get you." And she conks out. Me of all people. Everyone watched her, she ways this to me. Well, she slept for 2 hours and she was right the hell back up. They tried to give her pills and all of this stuff. Anyway, to make a long story short, it took about a month and a half for this woman to start sleeping again, and then making her eat again. She was getting introspection run down, passing notes back and forth to the case supervisor. She says she wants to go, no one will let her go.
L: She said she wanted to leave, they wouldn't let her out?
J: No.
L: Did Denk know she had gone psychotic?
J: Yes, that' why he was out there giving her a shot. We were worried that she was going to die because she wasn't sleeping, and was getting wilder and wilder and wilder. She ran off and just ran up a damn mountain. No one could even follow her. She was running faster than the dogs.
L: They have dogs out there, chasing -
J: No, just dogs hanging around, ranch dogs. Dogs couldn't even keep up with her. This woman had super-human strength.
L: She was psychotic?
J: Completely, utterly, totally.
L: Were they worried about the woman or were they worried that the Riverside police might come onto the compound?
J: It goes beyond that, her parents were calling, wanting to know where her daughter is.
L: Were they lying to the parents?
J: Yes.
L: The parents were worried and they were lying.
J: She's fine, she's just been working too hard, she's just taking a break. Wouldn't let the parents talk to her, but then, after a while, she was allowed to call her parents. She was told what the hell to say.
L: She was told what to tell them?
J: Yeah.
L: So she was held against her will, her parents were lied to, this was in Riverside County, and Denk knew that she was being held against her will when he administered the shots to her?
J: Right.
L: Did Denk, did you ever hear of Dink going to anyone else who was being held against his will and giving them medication of any kind, anyone that was in a psychotic state or locked up?
J: No, that's the only one that I personally was a witness to. The girl finally came to herself a little better, she was immediately sent away.
And then there is:
The Prisoners of Saint Hill
The Independent
Monday 31 January 1994
by Tim Kelsey and Mike Ricks
The Scientologists call it "baby-watching", but it has nothing to do with looking after infants. TIM KELSEY and MIKE RICKS investigate the potentially dangerous, and possibly illegal, secret treatment that the world's largest cult uses to deal with difficult members.
The middle-aged German student started screaming. He seemed to have lost control. He was a Scientologist, a member of the world's largest cult, on a course of study that, he had been promised, would bring him closer to the secrets of the universe and, eventually, give him the key to eternal life.
According to eyewitnesses, the man, whose name is known to the "Independent", was taken to an isolated room in a communal building not far from Saint Hill, a 17th-century manor house in East Grinstead, West Sussex, and the UK headquarters of the cult.
For two weeks, the room was locked. The German had been placed on an "isolation watch" - or what Scientologists more informally refer to as a "baby watch". It is a treatment that was prescribed by the founder of the cult, L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer, for members showing signs of psychosis or mental ill-health -- people who are, literally, plagued by evil spirits. It is the last resort for dealing with difficult Scientologists. It is a treatment that the organisation has so far kept secret.
The subject of the watch is observed at all times, and not allowed to talk to anybody. He or she is, in the language of the cult, "muzzled". Our witnesses, who have asked to remain anonymous, remember that the German was sometimes incontinent and that they had to wash him down at the sink in the otherwise bare
room. The five people who guarded him were only allowed to communicate with him in writing. Eventually he was allowed to return to Germany.
I think you get the idea. In a sane society, this policy alone should have gotten Scientology shut down a long, long time ago. Please watch the short video below for more information.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Almost everyone I have known that has been in a cult has PTSD in some form or another. Just about everybody that has been in Scientology has told me about PTSD symptoms. But Scientology claims to cure PTSD.
"Rather than mask the symptoms of the disorder or attempt to handle it using theories developed by studying rats, Dianetics therapy uses effective techniques based on the case histories of thousands of hours of therapy. In fact, some of the earliest “patients” which were addressed by L. Ron Hubbard in his researches were fellow veterans of World War II. L. Ron Hubbard found effective techniques that could be learned by anyone to handle anxiety, stress and being “stuck” in traumatic incidents. It is also an effective means to address the psychosomatic effects that are caused by past and present trauma."
"The traumatized soldier in the CNN article mentioned above is planning to go to school for 4 years to become a therapist in hopes that she’ll be able to help other people with their stress. However, in a matter of an afternoon, she can be trained in Dianetics techniques which will permanently eradicate the effects of such stress and leave the person alert, and ready to carry out their life with sanity and happiness."
Every Ex-Scientologist I have ever spoken with has at least 4 of the following symptoms:
Symptoms of PTSD: Re-experiencing the traumatic event
Intrusive, upsetting memories of the event
Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again)
Nightmares (either of the event or of other frightening things)
Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma
Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)
Symptoms of PTSD: Avoidance and numbing
Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma
Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
Loss of interest in activities and life in general
Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb
Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)
Symptoms of PTSD: Increased anxiety and emotional arousal
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Irritability or outbursts of anger
Difficulty concentrating
Hyper-vigilance (on constant “red alert”)
Feeling jumpy and easily startled
Dr. Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. says:
"After exiting a cult, an individual may experience a period of intense and often conflicting emotions. She or he may feel relief to be out of the group, but also may feel grief over the loss of positive elements in the cult, such as friendships, a sense of belonging or the feeling of personal worth generated by the group's stated ideals or mission. The emotional upheaval of the period is often characterized by "post-cult trauma syndrome""
"I escaped from an intimidating and dangerous cult—Scientology—on October 28, 2009. The days and months that followed throughout the past two years have been an ordeal I would not wish on anyone."
For several weeks I was confined to a room on the second floor of the hotel. Meals were brought to my room. One evening I was told to pack. The next morning I was escorted to the airport in Tampa where I was told to pick any place out of the state of Florida, and to go there. I was being given a one-way ticket. I was in shock. I knew what this meant. I was being "offloaded" (Scientology's form of exile). I was no longer welcome in Scientology, which had been my world for twelve years.I flew back to Wisconsin, where my parents were living. My father met me at the airport. Soon I was sitting in the living room of my parents' home, staring at the snow drifting outside the window, trying to assemble my fractured sense of reality into some kind of coherent and workable mental order. For the first week, all I could do was work a huge jigsaw puzzle of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Slowly fitting the pieces together seemed to correspond to an internal process taking place in my mind. I was still unable to think.I noticed that when my father turned on the television, there were periods of time when I would stare at the screen, yet the words of the announcer were in a foreign language. I knew that was strange, because my father was understanding it just fine. My relationship to reality was tenuous for a long time. I had periods of "floating" when I experienced a strange feeling of being disconnected from everything around me, and felt blissfully apart from it all. The bliss was short-lived. Feelings of terror soon emerged as I began to deal with my predicament. I had been exiled from Scientology and would probably be declared "SP" (Suppressive Person), a death sentence not just for this short lifetime, but for trillions of years to come. It was a scary thought. For the first few weeks, I couldn't go anywhere by myself. I felt too fragile. Even walking around the block by myself became a major challenge. The sudden and unexpected rejection by the cult had caused a complete loss of psychic cohesion that would take months to rebuild. I was, to be blunt, a "basket case."
Scientology has a lot of nerve to claim that it cures PTSD. Do not fall for their PR campaigns.
If you have a story to tell, please share it. Thanks for dropping by today. I hope you come back soon.
I decided to look into the lives and teachings of some abusive cult leaders and see if there was a pattern and to see if David Miscavige, and of course L. Ron Hubbard fit into these parameters. I found that there has been a lot of work in this area, and indeed, there are many traits that almost all abusive cult leaders have in common. These studies have included the likes of Jim Jones (Jonestown Guyana), David Karesh (Branch Davidians), Stewart Traill (The Church of Bible Understanding), Charles Manson, Shoko Asahara (Aum Shinrikyo), Joseph Di Mambro (The Order of the Solar Temple aka Ordre du Temple Solaire), Marshall Heff Applewhit (Heaven’s Gate), Bhagwan Rajneesh (Rajneesh Movement), and Warren Jeffs (polygamist leader). According to psychologist and ex-F.B.I agent Joe Navarro
"What stands out about these individuals is that they were or are all pathologically narcissistic. They all have or had an over-abundant belief that they were special, that they and they alone had the answers to problems, and that they had to be revered. They demanded perfect loyalty from followers, they overvalued themselves and devalued those around them, they were intolerant of criticism, and above all they did not like being questioned or challenged. And yet, in spite of these less than charming traits, they had no trouble attracting those who were willing to overlook these features."
Let's take an amalgamation of these leaders and see what traits they have in common:
Here are the typical traits of the pathological cult leader you should watch for and which shout caution, get away, run, or avoid if possible:
He has a grandiose idea of who he is and what he can achieve.
Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, or brilliance.
Demands blind unquestioned obedience.
Requires excessive admiration from followers and outsiders.
Has a sense of entitlement - expecting to be treated special at all times.
Is exploitative of others by asking for their money or that of relatives putting others at financial risk.
Is arrogant and haughty in his behavior or attitude.
Has an exaggerated sense of power (entitlement) that allows him to bend rules and break laws.
Takes sexual advantage of members of his sect or cult.
Sex is a requirement with adults and sub adults as part of a ritual or rite.
Is hypersensitive to how he is seen or perceived by others.
Publicly devalues others as being inferior, incapable, or not worthy.
Makes members confess their sins or faults publicly subjecting them to ridicule or humiliation while revealing exploitable weaknesses of the penitent.
Has ignored the needs of others, including: biological, physical, emotional, and financial needs.
Is frequently boastful of accomplishments.
Needs to be the center of attention and does things to distract others to insure that he or she is being noticed by arriving late, using exotic clothing, over dramatic speech, or by making theatrical entrances.
Has insisted in always having the best of anything (house, car, jewelry, clothes) even when others are relegated to lesser facilities, amenities, or clothing.
Doesn’t seem to listen well to needs of others, communication is usually one-way in the form of dictates.
Haughtiness, grandiosity, and the need to be controlling is part of his personality.
Behaves as though people are objects to be used, manipulated or exploited for personal gain.
When criticized he tends to lash out not just with anger but with rage.
Anyone who criticizes or questions him is called an “enemy.”
Refers to non-members or non-believers in him as “the enemy.”
Acts imperious at times, not wishing to know what others think or desire.
Believes himself to be omnipotent.
Has “magical” answers or solutions to problems.
Is superficially charming.
Habitually puts down others as inferior and only he is superior.
Has a certain coldness or aloofness about him that makes others worry about who this person really is and or whether they really know him.
Is deeply offended when there are perceived signs of boredom, being ignored or of being slighted.
Treats others with contempt and arrogance.
Is constantly assessing for those who are a threat or those who revere him.
The word “I” dominates his conversations. He is oblivious to how often he references himself.
Hates to be embarrassed or fail publicly - when he does he acts out with rage.
Doesn’t seem to feel guilty for anything he has done wrong nor does he apologize for his actions.
Believes he possesses the answers and solutions to world problems.
Believes himself to be a deity or a chosen representative of a deity.
Rigid, unbending, or insensitive describes how this person thinks.
Tries to control others in what they do, read, view, or think.
Has isolated members of his sect from contact with family or outside world.
Monitors and or restricts contact with family or outsiders.
Works the least but demands the most.
Has stated that he is “destined for greatness” or that he will be “martyred.”
Seems to be highly dependent of tribute and adoration and will often fish for compliments.
Uses enforcers or sycophants to insure compliance from members or believers.
Sees self as “unstoppable” perhaps has even said so.
Conceals background or family which would disclose how plain or ordinary he is.
Doesn’t think there is anything wrong with himself – in fact sees himself as perfection or “blessed.”
Has taken away the freedom to leave, to travel, to pursue life, and liberty of followers.
Has isolated the group physically (moved to a remote area) so as to not be observed.
When a cult or organizational leader has a preponderance of these traits then we can anticipate that at some point those who associate with him will likely suffer physically, emotionally, psychologically, or financially. If these traits sound familiar to leaders, groups, sects, or organizations known to you then expect those who associate with them to live in despair and to suffer even if they don’t know it, yet.
Two writers on the subject used the label "Trust Bandit" to describe the psychopathic personality.Trust Bandit is indeed an apt description of this thief of our hearts, souls, minds, bodies, and pocketbooks. Since a significant percentage of current and former cult members have been in more than one cultic group or relationship, learning to recognize the personality style of the Trust Bandit can be a useful antidote to further abuse.
The Profile of a Psychopath
In reading the profile, bear in mind the three characteristics that Robert Lifton sees as common to a cultic situation:
1. A charismatic leader who...increasingly becomes the object of worship
2. A series of processes that can be associated with "coercive persuasion" or "thought reform"
3. The tendency toward manipulation from above...with exploitation--economic, sexual, or other--of often genuine seekers who bring idealism from below.
Steve Hassan (former cult member turned psychologist) says, "It's shocking to me that so many people today have not even heard of Jonestown". But Hassan observes the lasting psychological effects every day in his work with former cult victims, and he says cults are growing more powerful and more cunning in their deceit--often by using psychological research findings--while the public remains largely unaware of them.
If cults are going to abuse lessons from social psychology, psychologists must study how they are doing this, Cialdini says. More attention to researching and working with cult victims is needed, Hassan adds. For example, psychologists need specific training to work with former cult members, who often suffer from dissociative or panic disorders, he explains.
"There are lots of individuals who are suffering," Hassan says, "and they need our help."
Referring back to Hubbard and Miscavige, I think you can see that they share too many of the above traits to be ignored and that indeed, people who have loved ones in the "church" of Scientology should have grave concerns for the well-being of those loved ones.
Thanks for dropping by. I will be interested in your views. If you have the time, please see the video below to look into some of the mind of L. Ron Hubbard.
