So Scientology has recently been purchasing ad spots on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook. Scientology has always worked hard to recruit young people it seems like they’re investing in social media as well now. I know most people think Scientology is a joke but it’s a seriously dangerous cult which uses fear, extortion, violence, vandalism and various other unethical actions against those who oppose them both inside and outside the church. Here is key information on the abuses committed by Scientology:
•Scientology uses a form of pseudo-therapy called auditing which focuses largely on embarrassing and traumatic memories. Scientology collects the information you share and uses that information to threaten you if you oppose the church. They also charge huge amounts of money for auditing sessions (which is why they really are doing all this).
•They are extremely anti-psychology and psychiatry and pressure you against taking any antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication or any other drugs for mental health.
•They believe homosexuality can be “cured” and are blatantly homophobic. •Enemies of the church are labeled “suppressive persons” and it is forbidden to communicate with such people. This isn’t just to limit the negative press they receive but also is a manipulative tool. If you are in the cult and decide to leave or criticize the church you stand the risk of being completely cut off from your friends and family. “Suppressive Persons” are often also harassed, stalked, or threatened.
•If you’re new to Scientology and your family or friends are worried about you being in a cult you’re instructed to cut them out of your life, increasing your reliance on the support system (though there’s nothing supportive about it) the church give to you.
•Scientology’s doctrine includes the concept of “Fair Game”. This basically says that those who are judged a threat to the Church can be punished and harassed by any and all means possible.
•Because of this, they have no moral qualms about having their members lie in court which they use to defend themselves from lawsuits or charges that they’ve broken the law and also to help win lawsuits against their enemies. •They essentially spied on and stole information from the IRS and tried to frame the mayor of Clearwater Florida for a hit and run.
•Scientology filed 50 different lawsuits in one year against the Cult Awareness Network, an anti-cult organization. Using false testimony they won one of the suits and because the organization couldn’t pay the fine Scientology took the organizations name and logo so if you were calling to get out of Scientology you’d be unknowingly telling Scientology of your intentions. (For full transparency my mom was a member of the Cult Awareness Network before it was taken over and was sued individually by the Church of Scientology)
•Scientology has an official branch known as the Sea Org, a mixture between a paramilitary group and slavery, comprised of their most dedicated members including many children/teens who’ve been raised in Scientology. This is where some of the most rampant and terrifying abuse in Scientology occurs.
•Sea Org members often work over 100 hours a week for Scientology for around 2$ per hour.
•Sea Org member’s living conditions are terrible; they live in overcrowded communal rooms with up to 12 other people, are not given healthcare unless there is a free clinic in the area, often are forced to miss meals or sleep in order to successfully completed their work.
•Several former Sea Org members have accused the church of physical abuse. •Sea Org members may not have children and women who have become pregnant have reportedly been forced/coerced by their higher-ups to have abortions.
•Leaving Sea Org without permission automatically makes you a suppressive person, so young adults who’ve been raised in Scientology who want to leave are cut off from everyone they’ve ever known with no money or job and getting permission to leave can require 3 years of hard labor, social isolation, and group pressure.
I should write more on this later but
A lot of this is just … not true. I can’t speak to some specific things – I’ve never heard of the “framing the mayor” thing – but I’ve been a member of the church my whole life. I’ve been in the Sea Org. I’ve seen just about every aspect of the church in America and even in some other countries. And a lot of this is just false. I don’t know what else to say.
One thing it’s really important for me to address is the homophobia. Yes, some Scientologists are homophobic. That is fucked up and something I have gotten into endless hours-long (let’s face it, years-long) arguments about. Because it is literally against the scriptures of the church. It’s on the order of hypocritical Christians whose primary doctrine is “don’t judge” and “love your neighbor” yet are homophobic. If you’re homophobic, you’re not being a Scientologist. You are not following the scriptures. Period full stop.
Anyway. This is too long a thing for me to cover fully here. But I saw the post and wanted to mention it. I’m not trying to proselytize. And the whole Scientology network thing that’s just come out is in direct response to stuff like this being spread around. It’s been happening to me my whole life (I’ve been physically assaulted and spit on because I’m a Scientologist) so I’m just really hoping some more people start getting real information.
I don’t want to make this…a thing, so I’m just going to say something that I hope is impartial. I’ll admit that I don’t know much about Scientology, and my only experience with it was rather uncomfortable…but when you search up Scientology, so much of what you get are the horror stories of the people who have left. That kind of stuff is definitely going to color someone’s perceptions.
I’m reminded of that story that recently broke, about the Mormon gay man who divorced from his wife. His letter to the public was intensely long and heartfelt, and one of the things he said was that his doctrine and his religion were not necessarily bad…but the community was toxic. He could be gay, and live as a gay man, and love other gay men, and God would still love him. But the Mormon community would not accept that even if God would.
Sure, in many ways, Scientology may not be that different from any intense sect of any other religion. I recently had a friend tell me about their experiences with the inner circles of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They revealed some pretty horrific things that explained why they are completely and totally non-religious. And undoubtedly, there are some Jehovah’s Witnesses who don’t partake in the examples given to me, but according to said friend, they weren’t considered “good” members of the community.
In the spirit of that revelation, I have to say that it’s pretty telling that so much of what is talked about in relation to Scientology is from the mouths of people who consider themselves “escapees”. When there are entire websites dedicated to collecting the stories of these people, reconnecting them with family, and actively finding them therapy…you have to admit that there may be something wrong with your community even if you consider your doctrine to be sound.
If what is coming from the mouths of victims is not what you believe your community to be about, then you need to focus on fixing the community and support those victims instead of claiming that what is being recounted is not true.
That’s totally fair. I guess my views have in some cases been colored by personal experiences. Some of it’s going to be a little unpleasant so I’ll stick it below the cut.
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