“Scientology is a religion based upon the research, writings and recorded lectures of its founder L. Ron Hubbard, which collectively constitute the scriptures of the religion. A Scientologist is one who recognizes the writings and recorded spoken words of L. Ron Hubbard as providing the fundamental keys to an understanding of his or her existence.”
“Scientology is a very exact faith and a fundamental doctrine of the religion is that its religious services must be orthodox. This doctrine holds that spiritual salvation can be attained if and only if the path to salvation outlined in the scriptures religious technology is followed without deviation. This path starts with the applied religious philosophy expounded in Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health which Mr Hubbard wrote in 1950.”
Both of these statements are from The Church of Scientology Attached Statement to the IRS, Form 1023. They are important because they clearly define what is considered “scripture”.
Scripture that must be practiced without deviation, without question.
Hubbard’s collection is held so sacrosanct that an entire top secret base, CST, exists solely for the eternal preservation of all his works. Etched on golden disks and stored in argon gas filled vaults by a select few who must pass the most rigorous of testing before they are permitted to cross through the gates.
Scientology notes in Form 1023 that the foundation upon which the entire religion rests is Book One: Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
Hubbard’s Dianetics “scripture” includes this passage: “The first axiom is of interest to the auditor in his work because with it he can clearly establish whether or not he is confronting a rational reaction. The seven-year-old girl who shudders because a man kisses her is not computing; she is reacting to an engram since at seven she should see nothing wrong in a kiss, not even a passionate one. There must have been an earlier experience, possibly prenatal, which made men or kissing very bad.”
Auditing is the process whereby one delves deeply into some triggering past event, reliving it over and over until one no longer reacts emotionally. This is repression and it is not a healthy way to deal with traumatic memories.
From Hubbard’s example one extrapolates that the auditor’s job then, is to bring the 7 year old little girl to a place where she no longer reacts to having a grown man passionately kiss her.
Her initial shudder of revulsion was a normal, reasonable reaction to being molested. It was both a physical and emotional response to an uncomfortable, inappropriate situation. A way to recognize the need for boundaries to protect herself.
She should see nothing wrong in a kiss, even a passionate one.
Here, buried in Scientology’s “scripture” are the seeds of abuse, proof of a mindset that is unequivocally injurious to children and adolescents being raised within the cult.
Thus there is a compelling, though admittedly circumstantial, argument for classifying Scientology auditing of (and by) minors as child abuse.
For years former members have described traumatic childhood sexual abuse while in Scientology. Miriam Francis, Saina Kamula and Serge Gill are only a few of the abused, their heartbreaking revelations stemming from Scientology’s toxic, twisted doctrine.
Scientology, of course, denies every claim leveled against them.
Denial does not create reality, however much Tom Cruise may insist otherwise.
Nor does it counter years of credible first person testimony of neglect and abuse that covers the most sinister violation of each conceivable human condition.
Every insidious form of emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, spiritual, financial and social destruction pervades the very fabric of Scientology.
Destruction that is not relegated to the cult’s past, but because of its strict demand of unstinting, immutable obedience to Hubbard “scripture” continues today unchecked.
Scientology abuses.
It cannot do anything else because L. Ron Hubbard demanded it to be so.
Of greatest concern are the children trapped within this never ending nightmare. Their own parents willing participants, sacrificing them on the altar of Hubbard’s hate fueled mental illness and David Miscavige’s insatiable greed.
Taught from birth to believe they deserve anything bad that happens to them. Children in Scientology are shamed into silence, blamed for accident, illness or worse. Told that they are responsible, they “pulled in” the negative event because they committed crimes in a past life.
These innocent, most vulnerable of victims have no voice, no oversight and no protection. Kept hidden from, and ignorant of, the laws designed to protect and safeguard, many minors in Scientology are destined for a life of grievous mental illness and despair.
L. Ron Hubbard declared toddlers “Suppressive”.
Aboard the Apollo he insisted that children were in reality adults in small bodies, a belief still held today by Scientologists. Hubbard cruelly punished the youngest under his demented control, imprisoning them in the ship’s chain locker where they sobbed in filthy darkness for parents who never came.
Scientology has a documented history of child abuse that no amount of denial can sweep away. Given this track record it is unreasonable and irresponsible to believe that minors are treated any less cruelly today.
In the face of growing exposure by former members one thing is certain; like any bully COS has only worked to find new, more creative ways to hide their actions.
Including using the shield of religion.
It is beyond time to stop pretending that Scientology has a First Amendment right to treat their members as tools. Raising children in toxic, dangerous disregard guaranteed to damage their mental and emotional health in perpetuity is not the way to spiritual freedom.
For many of these child victims there is no one ritual in Scientology more detrimentally fraught with the potential for emotional and psychological peril than auditing.
This series of articles will attempt to outline why auditing is not a religious ritual and why auditing qualifies under the legal definition of sexual abuse and Obscenity.
Part 2: The Realities of Auditing; Religious Ritual or Ground Zero for Abuse?
Confront And Shatter 
The other example that comes to my mind is the messengers on the ship during hubbard’s voyages. These were children dressed up in extremely age-inappropriate, highly sexualized outfits for “uniforms.” Given hubbard’s views on children and sexual activity with them I shudder to think what motivated him to institute this practice.
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Were you there? Or just repeating lines from an earlier ‘expose’ written by someone else who was never on the Apollo. Take a look at the photos of the crew on the ship around 1968 to 1974 and you will see no sexualised children. Remember the ship was sailing around hot North Africa and many people used to wear skimpy clothing for the heat. There simply is no proof that Hubbard was into pedophilia. Remember there are nutty people still trying to spread untruths as well as good honest ex-staff and parishioners who were there when LRH was around and they tell it how it actually was. I was there at Saint Hill Castle and in 1973 all the teenagers were wearing hot pants and short skirts. I saw no abuse. Denise Miscavige was the most sought after young lady at age 17 and one of the nicest people I knew. I dated her sister Lori for a while totally innocently as we were just sweethearts. Most people were ethical and law-abiding as in any community.
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As you know, I was there and wrote about my close to 8 years living as a teenager on the RSM/Apollo in the “Commodore’s Messenger” series. I worked directly for Hubbard starting at the age of 12. Children being put in the chain locker, including under the directions of Hubbard, is covered in my book as is several instances of sexual abuse by a few crew members towards children and a lot of mental abuse. A Non-Scientology friend, after reading my book, once said to me “you were abused”, to which I denied. I just didn’t see it as abuse when I grew up in it. But, after he made that statement, it got me thinking and by really confronting the way I was raised on the Apollo – I must admit – it was abuse and I would NEVER allow my own children to be raised that way – I had no parents. As I watched my children grow up, I would look at them while thinking back to myself at their age and think “what were my parents thinking”.
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Sorry, Janis, I think our com lines got tangled up here. My post was supposed to be to Stefani H. (I got the impression that she was only repeating tabloid headlines). I have separately spoken to you on another post or email. I was not countering your testimony. No offence intended. It was not all sweetness and light in the Sea Org. I do still think we were all an experimental test group. Luckily I was too young at under 18 to be involved in any crazy stuff. I think that Mike and Virginia’s researches are very accurate. I came to many of the same conclusions by myself through archive films and documentaries. One thing that seems apparent is that the CIA have taken over the Co$ and are now running psychotronics on some people at the Super Power Facility using subliminal programmes… just as the old implanters used to do. So it seems. 🙂
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“This doctrine holds that spiritual salvation can be attained if and only if the path to salvation outlined in the scriptures religious technology is followed without deviation.”
If there were any doubt as to the fraudulent nature of this “religion” this particular claim advanced to the IRS should put it to rest once and for all. Scientology does NOT have a concept of “salvation.” It talks a lot about “securing your eternity”–always in exchange for “donations”, naturally–but as best as I can tell even devout scientologists have no idea what that even means. Unlike members of legitimate religions (or even some pretty unsavory ones) who will be able to explain what they consider salvation to be and how to attain it.
It also talks about a utopia of a “cleared planet.” If that is required, “salvation” will appear achievable only to the most deluded of bubble dwellers as that requires a planet dominated by the iron fist of the cult’s authoritarian regime.
At one point, “salvation” may have meant “going clear.” Seventy years after the release of dianutics, there has yet to be even a single demonstrable “clear.”
That was before hubbard discovered that there is far more money to be made and power to be wielded by moving the goal posts significantly. Perhaps, “salvation” is attained by working your way to OT 15. Alas, there are no OT levels available past 8. And just like the miracle drug is always promised to kick in AFTER the medicine show will have left town under the cover of night, hubbard made sure NOT to deliver on these OT levels before “dropping his body.” Which means that scientology is unable to deliver, by its own definitions, “salvation.”
What’s more, scientology is doing its level best to withhold “salvation” instead of offering it. They will neither tell you what it is, nor what is hindering you from achieving it, even what your problem is to begin with. Those who are allegedly further along, must not share the specifics of their “spiritual progress” (other than infomercial style generalities of how they’re now allegedly better off). The only thing you know is that you have to pay extortionate “donations” and hope for some results on your journey to who knows where. This process is further delayed by incessant shakedowns for buildings, IAS and never ceasing “emergencies” that will delay your progress even further.
Not even in the sea org is “spiritual progress” a priority. Imagine a “church” with a “clergy” that is being kept in ignorance of doctrine let alone the specifics of “salvation”.
The same holds true for the pursuit of the utopia, a “cleared planet.” It’s as if the “church” is doing its best to thwart its own goal. While most religions proselytize salvation and a plan for its achievement and welcome newcomers wherever they can find them, this “church” conducts elaborate “security” measures to keep the public, which they hold in contempt, as far away as possible. The most the public can hope for is to be invited to take a hoaky test, be advised that they’re hopelessly screwed up (“ruin”) and that whatever ails them, “we have the tech” to turn it all around but won’t tell you the why or how of it. Not until, the prospect has signed their rights away and made significant payments. Even then they will learn little else than that they will have to take “services.” To what end? Who knows?
I find the idea that this “church” dares to even use the term “salvation” inexpressively disgusting and offensive. It’s an insult to any church (or civic organization) that is seeking to contribute to the common good (as they understand it). Most of all, I am outraged that the IRS who is usually quick to complicate the lives of (more or less) honest citizens apparently felt no need to ask some probing questions and review the practices of this organization more carefully before giving them extensive financial advantages and a shield from accountability, lawfulness and transparency!
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I want to give this comment 5 stars! It is THE BEST argument against Scientology being a religion I’ve seen! As far as I can tell “Salvation” is a hamster wheel of eternal lifetimes of donations to Scientology. The Thetan drops body after body, lives life after life, now and forever, Amen. There IS no salvation in Scientology. Only the Hell of living over and over and over…..
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Thank you, Stefani! Much appreciated.
BTW, this is highly apropos to what I commented yesterday. It also bespeaks your comment that scientology boils down to a hamster wheel of lifetimes of servitude paying for the same courses again, resuming your tenure in the sea org and accomplishing nothing in the process(es). (The saying comes to mind that insanity is doing the same thing over again expecting different results this time.)
Today, Mike Rinder wrote in his blog entry:
“I never much understood the concept of securing or guaranteeing your eternity as the fundamental concept is that you are an IMMORTAL spiritual being. Immortal means living forever. Forever is eternity.”
Rinder spent 52 years in scientology, 25 of these in a top position. In addition, he’s had the last 14 years to contemplate hubbardian “eternity” from an outsider’s perspective. In or out, he clearly still doesn’t comprehend the promise that forms the apparent reason for joining this “religion” and re-arranging your whole life around it in the first place. And this is coming from one who had earned the position to be among the handful of highest placed scientologists.
On a positive note, Rinder needn’t despair. Judging from his multitude of self-contradictions, hubbard didn’t understand his own “works” any better than anyone else did.
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“Judging from his multitude of self-contradictions, hubbard didn’t understand his own ‘works’ any better than anyone else did.” This is because rather than being based upon anything valid, his crap is an amalgamation of misunderstood plagiarism and fiction fueled by mental illness and rage. One needs a true belief in spirituality in order to found a religion. Greed and rage doesn’t fit that bill.
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I am being fair and honest when I say that there were many hundreds of people who attested CLEAR and were indeed no longer restimulated by engrams or old mental hang-ups. I attested Clear at age 16 and had some student NOTS auditing. After doing the INT/EXT I attested to THETA CLEAR at Saint Hill under a OT/NOTS Auditor. I have been “exterior” for 45 years. I have no engrams or locks. One does have annoyances caused by life, but I am not a prisoner within MEST. I am at my own Cause. So it might be said that scientology only assists those who were able in the first place. Dianetics was very useful for people to recover from the experiences and traumas of WW2. I knew several who were very able to do super-human things like creating by intention or bi-location and knowingness. It possible to read the universe like an encyclopaedia. MEST is no longer a barrier except where people obsessively keep it persisting as a human barrier. 50,000 attested Clears can’t be all wrong. OT comes naturally to a being as Native State thing. Everything is interconnected and we are not separated really. We are all ONE.
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Care to respond to the other passage, you know, the whole important 1 that LRH wrote himself…that little doozy cited by the lovely Ms. Hutchinson above (I also verified it with 6 different sources) “The first axiom is of interest to the auditor in his work because with it he can clearly establish whether or not he is confronting a rational reaction. The seven-year-old girl who shudders because a man kisses her is not computing; she is reacting to an engram since at seven she should see nothing wrong in a kiss, not even a passionate one. There must have been an earlier experience, possibly prenatal, which made men or kissing very bad.”
I think that’s the much more concerning issue here than actual skirt length…as lovely as your red herring logical fallacy is.
Also, do me a huge favor love, and google “The Duke of Chug” It’s a fun bathroom read.
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