PseudoScientology

Now THIS is what I call Girls of Scientology Gone Wild

Wow … is Jenna “hot” attractive or what. Sorry, I couldn’t resist! Er … back on topic. There’s a new nemesis in town for the Church of Scientology.

ESK … ExScientology Kids.

And wouldn’t you know, that among the “admins” is none other than Jenna Miscavige, niece of David Miscagive, leader of the Scilon Empire and world’s shortest reigning dictator. I’m excited about this new site and am looking forward to reading their stories.

YOU GO GIRLS!

Here is a snipped statement from the main page…

Who We Are: Ex-Scientology kids is designed, owned, and operated by three young women who grew up in Scientology, and later left the Church. We feel that growing up in the Scientology environment is a unique experience that’s almost impossible to comprehend unless you’ve lived it yourself. For what it’s worth, we offer non-judgemental support for those who are still in Scientology, discussion and debate for those who’ve already left, and a plethora of easy-to-understand references for the curious.

For the record, while the site admins make every effort to be non-judgemental, that doesn’t mean we’re unbiased. Most of the people that write for this site have had extremely negative experiences in Scientology. Some of us have lost our families due to Scientology’s Disconnection Policy, some of us have experienced physical abuse, and some of us were denied a proper education. However, we do welcome pro-Scientology email, comments and forum posts. There’s even a “no registration required” forum area where anyone may anonymously post questions, comments and advice.

Germany Will Continue to Watch Scientologists

The German government and the Church of Scientology have never been friends. Now a court has ruled that Scientologists are doing enough in Germany to warrant ongoing surveillance by the government, which fears an organized plan to undermine German rule of law.

[LET THE SPOOFING BEGIN] And David Miscavige’s flair for fancy uniforms didn’t earn any points when he showed up unannounced at the meeting which was to vote on continued survelliance of the Church of Scientology. Demanding to be heard at the proceedings, Miscavige pounded the final nail in his own coffin by offering what he thought was a typical greeting to German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. Following an hour long rant, Miscavige was politely asked to leave, and the Administrative Court concluded the meeting with this policy statement: “There are concrete indications that Scientology’s activities are to implement Scientology’s program in Germany and to expand more and more Scientology’s principles in government, economy and society.”

Hello class. We’re going to look at some research on the 1st Amendment and point out some things that perhaps you’ve forgotten, or slept through in U.S. Government 101 or Internet technology class. Take good notes — there WILL be a test. This is a study of the protections that exist with regard to free speech in the public forum, the right to protest and the government’s role in the restraint of expression. John Stuart Mill couldn’t have possibly forseen the Blogosphere, but he certainly understood the principles that protect its free expression.The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.
~John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859

Freedom of speech is the concept of being able to speak freely without censorship. The right to freedom of speech is guaranteed under international law through numerous human rights instruments, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, although implementation remains lacking in many countries. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes preferred, since the right is not confined to verbal speech but is understood to protect any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.
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GlossLip Reports

Germany, the front runner among European Union members to show increasing scrutiny towards the Church of Scientology, has hit Scientology with yet another blow.

City officials in Munich closed a kindergarten after discovering it was run by the Church of Scientology. The school had 18 children in attendance and were supervised by two Scientologist adults.

Germany has a hostile attitude towards Scientology, and considering its own sordid history with fascism and totalitarian ideology, it’s not hard to understand why. As anyone familiar with world history can attest, Germany allowed a dangerous organization to fester, entrench itself and ultimately take control of the government in what ultimately became the central cause of WWII and the mass genocide of Jews, and those deemed undesirable by Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Is it fair to compare the Church of Scientology to Hitler’s Nazi party? Probably not, but there are some striking similarities in how the organization is run and the manner in which its principles are spread.

It’s refreshing to hear that a government isn’t subject to the political correctness that is the order of the day in the United States. I support our republic and its individual freedoms with the most patriotic among us, but I will not hesitate to call down an organization which is actively involved in the violation of human rights on a grand scale.

Deutschland hat eine gute Sache. Vielen Dank für Ihr Beispiel.

Related

You can’t leave any “comments” on this particular article, but it may be worth an email in general with remarks on one of the most poorly “fact-checked” pieces of prose to ever be written (and from a state university no less!). If we could give a “Darwin Award” for journalistic excellence, this one would be in the running.

Be sure to send your email …
ccsurecorder@gmail.com

Time for Scientology to be Treated like Any Other Religion

By Dan Ivers
Opinion Editor

You may have seen the posters around campus lately decrying the Church of Scientology. An organized group of hackers who call themselves “Anonymous” has declared war on the new and controversial religion after it tried to eliminate a video of Tom Cruise from the Internet. This attack has included campaigns at colleges to recruit young people looking to join their fight. (more…)

FROM GLOSSLIP.COM

Here’s an “anonymous” tip with some disturbing accounts from inside the Church of Scientology’s Flag Land Base Center in Clearwater, Florida. This is where the Fort Harrison Hotel is, and many overseas Scientologists come here to take training courses and to work. I saw some information that would indicate the children of Scientologists are being held without their passports, visas or any kind of supporting documentation which states their legal status to be in this country. These children are said to be forced into doing unpaid labor for the CoS centers in Florida and are being held captive while their parents are either shipped overseas or working at any of the various Scientology centers around the world.

It was said by Jim Elliot, a missionary to South America who lost his life, with 4 other men, while trying to reach the Auca indian tribe with the gospel in 1956, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” He wrote frequently in his private journals of his desire to be consumed by God. Jim Elliot never got the chance to work with the people his heart was burdened for. However, his wife Elisabeth and their young daughter, Valerie, returned several years later and ministered to the Aucas. Eventually, through their efforts, the language was translated and the gospel was shared and received by many among the tribe. Elisabeth dedicated much of her life to working among them. She loved the people who had murdered her husband and that was a testimony to the love God had for them as well. That kind of love only comes from a transformation in the heart which is generated by God Himself. (more…)

A report mentioned in the New York Times today presents some alarming statistics on religion in America. The article is based on a study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, one of seven projects carried on by the Pew Research Center. But there is every indication that religion still plays a vital role in the live of most Americans. Except, apparently, for Scientologists, whom are not even given an “honorable mention” in the Pew study. (see screen shot below).

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The Golden Age of Comic Books

The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought as lasting from the 1930s until late 1940s, during which comic books enjoyed a surge of popularity, the archetype of the superhero was created and defined, and many of the most famous superheroes debuted. The period saw the arrival of the comic book as a mainstream art form, and the defining of the medium’s artistic vocabulary and creative conventions by its first generation of writers, artists, and editors. Doubtless, L. Ron Hubbard was a reader of comic books during this time. This was also the period he began his own work of fiction, called Dianetics … which has been soundly rejected by recognized scientific and medical organizations to this day as Pseudoscience.

The fantastic claims of Hubbard have never achieved ANY general acceptance as a bona fide scientific theory … ZERO. The MEDLINE database ONLY records two independent scientific studies on Dianetics, both of these conducted in the 1950s by the New York University. Harvey Jay Fischer tested Dianetics therapy on the basis of three claims made by proponents and found that it did NOT effect any significant change in intellectual functioning, mathematical ability, or the degree of personality conflicts. Also, Jack Fox tested Hubbard’s thesis about the recall of engrams, with the assistance of the Dianetic Research Foundation, and could not substantiate it. Current practitioners of Dianetics typically believe that charges of pseudoscience are irrelevant, emphasizing that their own experience of the therapy’s “workability” is far more important to them than the imprimatur of official science. Hence, we present the next comic book metaphor. (more…)

Why the name “PseudoScientology?”

Simple … we believe, as does mainstream society, that Scientology is a “Pseudo” religion.

Pseudoreligion (or pseudotheology) is a generally pejorative term applied to a non-mainstream belief system or philosophy which is functionally similar to religious practices, typically having a founder, principal text, liturgy and faith-based beliefs.

Belief systems such as Theosophy, corporate Kabbalism and the Nation of Islam have all been referred to as pseudoreligions, as have humanism and various New Age religions, as well as political ideologies such as Nazism, Marxist Communism. Within the academic debate, ideologies that resemble religion are sometimes referred to as political religions.

While the more serious-minded participants in these groups may prefer to consider themselves part of a proper religion, or not part of a religion at all, the mainstream ascribes to them fringe status. Such groups as the Raëlian Church, Heaven’s Gate, or Scientology, when seen as dangerous, exploitive, secretive, or closed, have been classified as pseudoreligious cults. (more…)

No need to say anything … just watch, my friend!

Scientology: what it is and why we fight it
Scientology was created by L Ron Hubbard, an American science fiction writer. In 1950 he published the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. In it, Hubbard claimed that problems facing human beings were the result of engrams, negative experiences stored in an area of the brain called the reactive mind. Through Dianetics techniques – in particular a form of counselling known as auditing – these engrams could be cleansed from the body, freeing the mind and leaving the person with the status of Clear.

At the time Hubbard’s theories were discredited and dismissed by most critics, on psychological, medical and scientific grounds. Undeterred, Hubbard continued his work, moving from Dianetics as a theory of the mind to Scientology as a religious philosophy. Critics have drawn much attention to this, due both to the fact that Scientology did not begin as a religion, and Hubbard’s oft-circulated quote that “if a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.”

We endorse the Demand For Investigation of The Church of Scientology Petition to The United States Department of Justice. If you want to participate, follow the link and add your voice to more the twelve thousand others who believe in justice! Help in exposing unethical and illegal activities perpetrated by the Church of Scientology. Simply to make things better for everyone, everywhere, justice must be done.

This struggle is directed against the toxic ideals and behavior of the corrupt, violent, and abusive leadership of the Church of Scientology, not against the lives of those who have become entangled with it.

As set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”. We honor the spirit of this declaration. But this protest is against the atrocities - not the beliefs - of the brainwashing cult known as the Church of Scientology. This organization was founded for purposes incompatible with a society holding dear a respect for human rights and the rule of law. These nefarious purposes can only be achieved through criminal enterprise, and remain objectives of the Church to this day. This despicable criminal organization which, through the indoctrination of its members, predation upon those in need, the dissemination of lies regarding its nature, by way of sadistic retaliatory practices against its critics and through its cynical abuse of civil liberties has forfeited any right it every had to exist. That rule of law, upon which they survived for years must be the instrument of their demise.

Convinced that the Sea Org needed a new look, David Miscavige commissioned Allegra Versace to create the trendy look that will now replace the cheesy maritime uniforms that have been the scourge of the organization since its founding by L. Ron Hubbard in 1968. Miscavige definitely has a much more fashionable appearance now, as the leader of a modern Galactic Confederacy rather than looking like a fishing boat captain.

The Church of Scientology consciously models itself on aspects of the Galactic Confederacy. The Sea Org’s insignia has a laurel wreath said by Hubbard to be based on the symbol of the “Loyal Officers”, an anti-Xenu faction within the Galactic Confederacy. Each of the leaves on the laurel wreath is said to represent one of the Galactic Confederacy’s stars. According to the Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary, “the Sea Org symbol, adopted and used as the symbol of a Galactic Confederacy far back in the history of this sector, derives much of its power and authority from that association.”

“Now we can take over the world in style!” said Miscavige, with an obvious reference to his delusion of world domination.

The documents were brought as exhibits attached to a declaration by Steven Fishman on 9 April 1993 as part of Church of Scientology International v. Fishman and Geertz. Along with Kendrick Moxon and Laurie Bartilson, Timothy Bowles was one of the lead attorneys for the Church of Scientology in the case.

Fishman told the court that he had committed crimes on behalf of the Church. He also attested that he was assigned to murder his psychologist, Dr. Uwe Geertz, and then commit suicide.

You’ll find them here.

The case file for Church of Scientology International v. Fishman and Geertz contains over 700 documents. This is the declaration filed by Steven Fishman on April 9, 1993 in which he included the OT (Operating Thetan) materials as exhibits. Links to a few other interesting affidavits are given at the end of the page.

The other notable case in connection with this was against Dutch writer Karin Spaink. The Church brought suit on copyright violation grounds for reproducing the source material, and claimed rewordings would reveal a trade secret. In 2003, Spaink won the case, with the court holding that her quotation of Scientology works was acceptable and expressing concern about Scientology’s attempts to prevent discussion of its doctrines. The Church appealed but dropped the case after a negative advice on the appeal from the Attorney-General to the court in March 2005. In December 2005 the court dismissed the appeal, making the previous ruling final. The Church has no further possibility for appeal due to them dropping the case. The ruling also reversed earlier decisions affecting hyperlinking.

And for good reason … click the pic to see what auditing now includes.

“The Church of Scientology can delete auctions from eBay with no supervision under the VeRO program, and has used this to delete all resale of the e-meters Scientologists use. This is to stop members from buying used units from ex-members instead of buying from the official (and very expensive) source. Given Scientology’s record of fraud and abuse, should eBay give them this level of trust? Will this set a precedent for other companies that want to stop the aftermarket resale of their products?”

Scientology abuses eBay’s VeRO program to practice religious, price discrimination

By the time Bill (not his real name) left the Church of Scientology a few years ago, he had amassed quite a collection of Scientology material—mostly books, tapes, e-meters. But ex-members of Scientology (especially staff members) find themselves in a difficult spot in this regard when they leave Scientology: their books, tapes, and e-meters are only valued by Scientologists, who, quite inconveniently, are strongly discouraged (read: disallowed) from communicating with ex-members—as any ex-Scientologist will tell you.

Not surprisingly, he turned to eBay, where a Scientologist buyer can remain blissfully unaware that his seller is a declared suppressive person. But every time he attempts to sell his e-meter on eBay, the listing is removed within hours by the Church of Scientology, which claims that the listing violates their intellectual property rights. See screenshots of the auctions while they were up here [update; personal info redacted] and here, and respective “Invalid Item” eBay pages here and here. And it’s not just Bill—I’ve watched numerous e-meter listings from other sellers removed before they even receive a bid.

If you’re uninitiated to eBay, you’d probably think that for each of these removals, the Church of Scientology informs eBay of the violation of its rights, eBay considers the merits of their argument, and then only then does eBay yank the listing. But that’s not what happens at all. Instead, eBay effectively deputizes Scientology, which logs into eBay and removes the listings itself…

This is not a new development—it’s been going on for nearly 8 years, as this Slashdot story shows. But it’s high time eBay did something about it.

More at RealityBasedCommunity.net 

‘I Have a Dream’ Becomes Obama’s ‘I Have a Con’

The traditional media, cable talking heads, and quite a few large progressive blogs have regurgitated the Obama story like a pack of nomads wandering in the political desert in search of sustenance; people bankrupt of political or factual integrity looking for the answer and refusing to see what was in front of their faces all along. The question is whether the journalists who bought into the Obama hype, along with the cable talking heads who propped his campaign up, and the Obama blogs who didn’t care one whit about the facts or his record but were only interested in spreading their Hillary hatred, have got so much invested they won’t have the honesty, the integrity, and the moral courage to back peddle on their craven cave in before it’s not only too late for them, but too late for the Democratic party.

Barack Obama isn’t an original. He’s the first 21st century L. Ron Hubbard of politics, Elmer Gantry, name your huckster.

“I have a dream” just became “I have a con.”

Taylor Marsh blog.

Regardless of Ms. Marsh’s critique of the supporters of Obama, it is interesting that she invokes the name of L. Ron Hubbard, by comparison, as a huckster. Too bad L. Ron isn’t available for rebuttal … my, wouldn’t that be fun!

Family feud in Tom’s church
New York Post’s PAGE SIX.COM

(Scary photo of David Miscavige)

SCIENTOLOGISTS are at war with a member of their own family — the outspoken niece of the church’s powerful leader, David Miscavige. Jenna Hill Miscavige, 24, the daughter of David’s older brother Ron, recently came out in support of Andrew Morton’s “Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography,” and slammed the star for “supporting a religion that tears apart families, both in the media and monetarily.” Since then, Jenna claims she’s been subjected to harassment. “The church has contacted several of my friends, telling them that I am smearing the church and I am going to be declared a suppressive person and asking my friends if they would disconnect from me and, in at least one case, insisting that they do,” Jenna, who lives in San Diego, tells investigative journalist Philip Recchia. “At least eight friends have removed themselves from my MySpace page,” she said, and blames the church for it.

MORE.

But wait … the best part is in the comments… (more…)

Special Alert to Governments regarding a Dangerous situation involving Tom Cruise’s Scientology Cult and the Disappearance of a Senior Scientology Executive

Mike Rinder the #2 person in Scientology (after the Tom Cruise and David Miscavige pair) has fled his post and is hiding or has disappeared. Mike Rinder was the last head of Scientology’s infamous intelligence agency called the Office of Special Affairs (OSA.) (In budget and scope the Scientology’s OSA rivals that of intelligence agencies operations of many small countries.)

Mike Rinder now is in grave personal danger because Scientology’s leaders cannot let him debrief to any government intelligence agency what he knows. Mike Rinder has all the information to put David Miscavige the current leader of Scientology as well as many other key Scientology executives and Scientology attorneys in jail.

Mike Rinder needs to get himself and his family into a government witness protection program immediately. It is now simply too dangerous for Rinder to be on his own unprotected another day.

It does not matter how much Scientology hush money David Miscavige may have already given to Mike Rinder to “buy” his silence. (This amount could be as much as $50 Million because of what Rinder knows.) David Miscavige will without a doubt turn on Mike Rinder to neutralize him and any threat he could ever present because David Miscavige has been hand trained by Scientology’s paranoid and fanatical founder L Ron Hubbard.

Because that is how he has been trained by Hubbard, Miscavige WILL eliminate any possible future threat. He will never be able to trust in Mike Rinder’s paid silence or rest knowing that Mike Rinder at any time can put he and the other top Scientology executives and lawyers in jail by simply turning states evidence.

What exactly does Rinder know? He was the head of Scientology super secret OSA for decades. What doesn’t he know?

MORE.

Have you seen this man … does anyone out there know more about this? If he wants, Rinder can come to my place … I’ve got an apartment downstairs, plenty of food, security, change of clothes, disguises — everything! Contact me Mike — I’m here for you. I’m willing to provide safe haven for you, so contact me as soon as possible.

Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, offers an opinion.

A leap beyond faith
LA Times Opinion

People are suspicious of Scientology because of its cult-like secrecy, its overly aggressive response to and legal attacks against critics, and especially the hypocrisy of comporting itself as a faux religion in a society willing to reward corporate success but not religious greed. (more…)

Arnie Lerma has posted a message on the Operation Clambake forum indicating that Shawn Lonsdale, a critic of scientology who produced a series of videos on Scientology for public access television in Clearwater, has been found dead in his room, an apparent suicide. For those of you who watched the John Sweeney Panorama documentary, “Scientology and Me,” Shawn was the guy who was being interviewed by John Sweeney when Tommy Davis drove up and walked over with a dossier on Shawn indicating that he was a “sex criminal” (to use Davis’s words).

Articles on Lonsdale …

Scientology’s scourge
In Lonsdale, the Church of Scientology has encountered a confusing and difficult nemesis. Unlike most ardent Scientology critics, Lonsdale was never a member. And unlike other critics, Lonsdale has proved difficult to squash.

Same guy who was smeared by Scilon front group
Shawn Lonsdale of Clearwater got into a fight with someone claiming to be a Scientologist while he was filming on a street corner across from the church on July 8. After looking at Lonsdale’s videotape, police arrested the Scientologist, Michael Fitzgerald, on battery charges.

Now, posters with a mugshot of Lonsdale are popping up in store windows near the church warning people that he’s dangerous and has been arrested for sex crimes.

More news as it comes in below…

GlossLip.com

St. Petersburg Times

Tampa Tribune

The Wise Old Owl says …
“Surely they were thinking of Scientology!”

It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak.
– Eric Hoffer: American writer & philosopher (1902 - 1983)

STRESS ERASER
The Short Bridge to Total Freedom

Let’s face it … auditing can really take its toll on you. Especially at the higher OT levels. And if you’re facing a round of Sec Checks, wow … you’re gonna break out in a cold sweat! I mean, stress is a common phenomenon in modern life — that’s the reason you got into Scientology in the first place! You already know that your mind plays a pivotal role in your physiological parameters, that is, the heart, blood pressure, and muscle tension. But until now, the only options available for relief were through those very expensive auditing sessions. Well, for all you budget conscious Scientologists out there, we’ve got GREAT NEWS!

In this golden age of technology there are many devices that L. Ron Hubbard did not have at his disposal in the early years of Scientology, and one of those devices now available is a state-of-the-art medical technology breakthrough to relieve your stress. Stress Eraser is a medical device that reverses Ergotropic Tuning, the harmful process that causes your nerves to respond faster and more strongly to stress, and thus making you more vulnerable to the dramatic effects of those nasty engrams.

Simply put, you can just kiss all that stress goodbye with the Scientologist’s dream gadget … the StressEraser. At only $299, plus S&H, this product will literally change your life … perhaps to the point where you could even choose other religious options — or even start your own StressEraser seeker group. It’s all up to you! Order now, operators are standing by.

Also, there are many other different ways to overcome stress: for many stress balls can be handy and helpful. And for others, full-size punching bags have proven to be an effective stress relieving device. These devices combined with Magnetic Therapy have also proven to be a dynamic combination, providing maximum relief from psychosomatic illnesses plus a variety of known medical maladies.

Don’t underestimate the effects of stress on your overall health. Do something about it while you can.