Scientology: It's Always Someone Else's Fault
In today's news, the Church of Scientology is headed for a legal showdown in Belgium, where a prosecutor is pushing for an indictment on charges of fraud and extortion, as reported by several news agencies.
The response of the Church is, unfortunately, exactly what I've come to expect. The Church says nothing about the charges but instead accuses the accuser, in this case claiming that the prosecutor has been "using the media, trying to damage the reputation of the Church of Scientology." It also claimed that the "prosecutor's recommendations suggested Scientology was guilty even before a court could hear the charges, making it 'difficult for the Church of Scientology to recover and properly defend (itself) before the court.'"
Well of course the prosecutor speaks as if the Church is guilty. That's his job. If he didn't think the church was guilty, he wouldn't be seeking an indictment.
I've tried finding the Church's side in similar accusations. Unfortunately, it's more of the same: accusers are malicious individuals, often disgruntled ex-members, who seek to harm the Church through lies and distortion. Time after time after time. How many times can anyone plausibly believe that?
I've dealt with a lot of ex-members of various religions, and they display a variety of emotions, everyone from wanting to just move on to something more meaningful to a quest for vengeance, enlightening the world about the shortfalls of the their previous faith. Rarely, however, are words like "fraud," "extortion," and "intimidation" used. Rarely is there any attempt or even hope that people in their former faith go to jail.
So apparently there's a large conspiracy of vindictive nutcases out there, all of which are bizarrely fixated on the Church of Scientology for reasons entirely removed from any present or former behavior of the Church. The Church is totally a victim in all of this. Always. Sure.
Sooner or later, someone is going to clean house. If the Church is unwilling to even address its critics and examine its own faults, the judicial branch will eventually do it for them. There's no reason that Scientology has to be marred by these continuing scandals. They could do something constructive about them, rather than just keep repeating paranoid rants.
Comments
Here’s a little story about Casey Hill, a Canadian Crown Attorney and his ‘relationship’ with scientology.
http://www.religio.de/atack/casey.html
If there is something positive about the organization of scientology, I haven’t seen it. Where is David Miscavige the head of this so-called church? I’d love to hear his official response to some of these criticisms.
Thank you, Catherine Byer. This is an excellent article and I appreciate your writing and posting it.
Hopefully all of the abuses within $cientology will soon be brought out into the light and this cult won’t be able to ruin any more people.
L. Ron Hubbard was careful to note that Scientology must not be perceived as a religion, up until the point that framing Scientology as church (in some countries)was deemed an expeditious means of furthering the totalitarian goals of the organization. No matter how it’s packaged, it’s a business. In the U.S., Scientology’s illegal and secret agreement with the IRS needs to brought into the light. Once it is, the organizations tax exempt status will surely be revoked and that business will again be required to compete with other businesses of it’s kind on a fair and even playing field.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Game_(Scientology)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Freakout
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_controversy
http://www.kesq.com/Global/category.asp?C=162474
KESQ tells it best. This reporter has no vested interest in either anonymous or $cientology. He tells both sides and nothing more. Ask yourself this, does your religion have their own version of the CIA? Does your religion suppress free speech, or is involved in EVERY aspect of your like or force you to pail 300 thousand to learn about a alien named xenu that you will be forced to worship?
…..i thought not. End the cult of $cientology now.
Here is a link to the alien you will be forced to worship if you join $cientology. (that’s only after they FORCE you to pay $360 thousand dollars to leanr your way up the “brige”)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu
You’ve made a very important point about Scientology. Hubbard instructed them to “ALWAYS ATTACK. NEVER DEFEND”
Were you aware that attacking critics isn’t merely policy for Scientologists, it is doctrine? Because Hubbard wrote it, it comprises part of their “scriptures” and therefore they cannot do otherwise than follow the rule – Always attack. Never defend.
Hubbard’s writings on Public Relations include many eye-popping statements (in the midst of long tracts of drivel).
For example, he defined “White PR” and “Black PR” essentially such that anyone attacking Scientology is engaging in Black PR (bad) and anyone supporting Scientology was engaging in White PR (good).
“The only safe ground is to idealize what is already true and when in engaged in Black PR to degrade what is already bad.”
And, later, “Black PR is essentially a fabric of lies.”
So, attacking Scientology is bad. It is safe ground to engage in Black PR by degrading what is already bad (critics of Scientology). That might include lying. But it’s okay, because if the purpose is to support Scientology, it’s actually white PR.
Got it? There are statements throughout to the effect that they must only deal in truth, so they can point to those statements in their defence. Internal inconsistency is common in Scientology.
The next step is to classify critics of Scientology as criminals.
It is a long-to-find and hard-learned fact that people who engage in Black Propaganda have big bursting crimes to hide… Real crimes like extortion, blackmail, embezzlement and mass murder are sitting in their closets. Believe that.”
There is another hard won truth.
ONLY COUNTER-ATTACK HANDLES (is effective). One has to fill the vacuum of the counter-propagandist’s evil deeds.
It is done by attacks… There is no other way out. Any other way is death.”
One of Hubbard’s PR rules is: “Use the knowledge of source to impede or destroy the source of Black Propaganda by non-criminal means.”
Nice church.
Someone has made a Scientology PR Pack available for us: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=54b73152ee071c3236df4e8dca141969129f6b471ceb34a4ce018c8114394287
Hi Catherine, Your points are exellent. We’ve been working hard the last few weeks to put together a website to help others connect the dots to what is really going on with and in Scientology. It’s http://www.scientology-cult.com. The feedback so far has been excellent. Take care and carry on the good work.
In Britain, for the most part these “cults” are seen with more than a little amusement and derision. It does, however, worry me that so many people are taken in by them and their false and, to be honest, laughable doctrines. I remember a couple of years ago a british journalist investigated the scientologists, and to be frank, I found their tactics to be more than a little alarming. For example, following the journalist, attempting to block his investigation, scare tactics to people being interviewed culminating in a edited video shown of a “church” leader being confronted by the journalist and derogatory comments, to say the least, being posted about the journalist.
If these are the tactics used in general the only thing I can feel for these people is massive contempt. A “religion” that tries to suppress critism of it’s doctrines is afraid of being found to be lacking. Scientology you have been found out!
Catherine,
I’m confused. Your article is great.
But your link to “in todays news” links to a 2007 article. Is there a current decision/case in Belgium?
Katie
Hm, good point, Katie. Since I wrote this a couple weeks ago, I’m not going to try pretending to remember the specifics. Clearly I goofed when sayind “in today’s news” and then linking to a two year old article!
In searching Google, I find that there *was* a development in this case right around the same time I wrote this post. You can read about the development here:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23461/scientology-prosecution-belgium
My best guess is that Google Alert grabbed me a very short (and possibly badly phrased) mention of this development, I searched the Internet for a more informative article on the matter, and then I mistakenly accepted an old article on the matter as a new one.
That was my bad. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.