Spring Break
Scientology hides it's true, greedy, virulent intentions
THE IRON SKEPTIC
Aaron Sakulich
Issue date: 7/8/05 Section: Sci-Tech
Despite the fact that I am about to write about Scientology, I can still say that I've never mentioned religion in this column.
I say this because Scientology is not a religion. It's just one big, creepy cult, a cult that takes all your money and, sometimes, kills you. It was founded by L. Ron Hubbard, a science-fiction author with an active imagination who created a science-fiction religion.
Let's look for a moment at this man, L. Ron Hubbard. In 1940 he sent a letter to the FBI trying to sell out a German man that lived nearby as a "fifth-column" Nazi. Later, he pestered the FBI about being hunted by communists, claimed that Richard Nixon sent armed thugs to his office to scream at his secretaries, and seems to have reported an incident during which burglars inserted a needled filled with electricity into his heart.
I'm not really sure what that means, but Hubbard seems to be implying they were trying to give him a heart attack. He was also once arrested for stealing checks.
But, surely, perhaps even such a nutcase like Hubbard could have started a decent group. Not so. Scientology is complex, but the basic structure seems to be something like this: everyone has problems. Some of these problems are just the problems of daily lives, while others come from past lives whose troubles still haunt us. The way to get rid of these troubles is to undergo "auditing" sessions with Scientologists. After a certain number of sessions, you've been cured of some of your troubles, and you get to move up the "tone scale." If you're near death, you're at the "chronic apathy" level of .05. You can move up through anger, grief, boredom, conservativism, all the way up to enthusiasm, at a tone-scale rating of 4.0. Most people, of course, are pretty low on the scale, and the only way to move up is through Scientologist training and auditing sessions.
So why does this sound so bad? Because these sessions aren't free. It's like a modern day Indulgence system: you pay out more and more money to Scientology, and you rise higher and higher in rank. But is the tone scale really that bad? Surely, it's just a tool to gauge a person's level of happiness? The words of L. Ron Hubbard himself say it most succinctly:
I say this because Scientology is not a religion. It's just one big, creepy cult, a cult that takes all your money and, sometimes, kills you. It was founded by L. Ron Hubbard, a science-fiction author with an active imagination who created a science-fiction religion.
Let's look for a moment at this man, L. Ron Hubbard. In 1940 he sent a letter to the FBI trying to sell out a German man that lived nearby as a "fifth-column" Nazi. Later, he pestered the FBI about being hunted by communists, claimed that Richard Nixon sent armed thugs to his office to scream at his secretaries, and seems to have reported an incident during which burglars inserted a needled filled with electricity into his heart.
I'm not really sure what that means, but Hubbard seems to be implying they were trying to give him a heart attack. He was also once arrested for stealing checks.
But, surely, perhaps even such a nutcase like Hubbard could have started a decent group. Not so. Scientology is complex, but the basic structure seems to be something like this: everyone has problems. Some of these problems are just the problems of daily lives, while others come from past lives whose troubles still haunt us. The way to get rid of these troubles is to undergo "auditing" sessions with Scientologists. After a certain number of sessions, you've been cured of some of your troubles, and you get to move up the "tone scale." If you're near death, you're at the "chronic apathy" level of .05. You can move up through anger, grief, boredom, conservativism, all the way up to enthusiasm, at a tone-scale rating of 4.0. Most people, of course, are pretty low on the scale, and the only way to move up is through Scientologist training and auditing sessions.
So why does this sound so bad? Because these sessions aren't free. It's like a modern day Indulgence system: you pay out more and more money to Scientology, and you rise higher and higher in rank. But is the tone scale really that bad? Surely, it's just a tool to gauge a person's level of happiness? The words of L. Ron Hubbard himself say it most succinctly:
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 20
mb887766
mb887766
posted 7/09/05 @ 3:42 AM EST
As a Scientologist for 37 years, I thought your article remarkable in its distortions and inaccuracies.
Fortunately you do not represent the true nature of Drexel, a superior center of learning. (Continued…)
mb887766
mb887766
posted 7/09/05 @ 8:59 AM EST
Some of the religious scholars referenced my earlier posting:
Bryan R. Wilson, Ph.D., Emeritus Fellow, Oxford University, England
Frank K. Flinn, Ph. (Continued…)
grid
grid
posted 7/09/05 @ 4:06 PM EST
One would think that, with the loved ones of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish families still trapped under twisted wreckage in the London underground, people who foment interreligious hatred would take a holiday. (Continued…)
mb887766
mb887766
posted 7/09/05 @ 5:01 PM EST
I knew Mr. Hubbard, his wife and four children. He was my senior supervisor on my first course in Dianetics.
I have heard and/or read the substance of Ophidia's reply in one form or another over a period of 37 years. (Continued…)
casadyp
casadyp
posted 7/11/05 @ 3:37 AM EST
Aaron,
I've disagreed with many of your op-eds in the past, but I have to say, this one was well-documented, thorough, and brutally honest. Nicely done, and thanks for having the balls to speak plainly about this dangerous cult. (Continued…)
aaronsakulich
aaronsakulich
posted 7/12/05 @ 10:07 AM EST
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aaronsakulich
aaronsakulich
posted 7/12/05 @ 10:07 AM EST
Friends,
There are some things I'd like to clear up having read some of the comments:
1- The article dead-line is for the sci-tech section is tuesday, which would have been 2 days before the london bombings. (Continued…)
mb887766
mb887766
posted 7/14/05 @ 12:11 AM EST
Have you read Hubbard's interview at:
http://www.ronthephilosopher.org/page38.htm
(A vertical borderline covers over some right-hand text. To resolve, place mouse cursor over top, right hand corner, hold down left button, and drag inward to reduce the window size. (Continued…)
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