In mid-June, the St. Pete Times ran a three part special report on the inside workings of the upper levels of Scientology, and the community simply shrugged.
On Thursday, they came out with a follow up story. Please allow me to paraphrase:
We ran a three part special report on the inside workings of the upper levels of Scientology, and the community just shrugged.
I guess the Times expected all of us to head to downtown Clearwater with pitchforks and torches. Hell, they even gave us a blow-by-blow of other folks linking to the story, including blogs you’ve never heard of and quotes from anonymous commenters on those blogs.
To be sure, one part of the story is fairly interesting – new allegations in the events surrounding Lisa McPherson’s death.
But on the other hand, they are just that – allegations. About a nearly fifteen year old story. And not that I am defending Scientology, but these people they interviewed are not innocent victims, either. They all supposedly went along with the stupidity they are now claiming.
Either way, the story absolutely needed to be written and published. But it’s just a piece of the puzzle that is Scientology. I don’t think they can expect much to change because of it.
Carl
8 months ago
Someone needs to publicize this cult. If we chalked up allegations about the Nazis because they either happened too long ago or because the people making the allegations were Nazis themselves, we might all be living in a different society today.
Scientology perpetrates a financial, social, emotional and mental holocaust on its victims.
And that’s exactly what they are: victims. Their founder said “If you want to make a million dollars, start a religion”.
The real problem is that despite all it’s self generated publicity $cientology is just a fringe group with no real bearing on most people’s lives. Because that’s all they will ever be, who cares?
Well, everyone in the Bay area ought to care since we live adjacent to the spiritual headquarters of a group that is at best nuts and at worst completely evil. There’s a lot of history of devious operations: infiltrating the CIA/IRS/FBI, death threats, staggering amounts of lawsuits.
If nothing else, educate your children on how to recognize bologna when they see it and how to answer these people when they are approached in Ybor – directly across from Gameworks (which is no coincidence, by the way). Let them know that just because Travolta or Cruise believe in something doesn’t mean it’s right, OK or otherwise shouldn’t be investigated before jumping in with both feet.
This cult is dangerous. That’s the message.
robert
8 months ago
I’m sorry, but no matter what bad stuff these folks might have done, they cannot come close to the amount of terror, violence, ignorance and greed perpetrated by some older, bigger religions. Aren’t the worst atrocities these days committed in the name of some deity?
I agree with Carl that education is the best protection against the exploitation of vulnerable minds.
junebee
8 months ago
That follow-up article was nearly as long as the entire series. No wonder people just “shrugged”. Right now people are more worried about their jobs and financial future than about some whack-o cult over there in Clearwater.
Carl
8 months ago
Junebee,
In times like these many people turn to a religion to help find hope.
Scientology membership surges in just these circumstances. Except they suck the money out of the already poor and literally turn them in to brainwashed slaves.
Now is the time when people need to know what lies before them before they are given false hope and sucked in to this dangerous and debilitating cult.
Their methods have just enough truth to give you a ray of hope. Once you see that sliver, their other methods are hypnotic and suggestive.
We don’t need to be zealots but we need to let our loved ones know that there are other organizations that offer true hope, for free in most cases.
I think that was the point of the Times article. But really the people they interviwed – it was a major event. Those guys WERE scientology. They defined it. It would be like the Pope excommunicating himself and spilling the beans after. Its that huge.
Sadly its all true, too.
Robert I agree with you too. Crime in the name of religion is never right. However I do think most of those are transparently wrong, rather than hidden, denied and insidious. Scientology just sneaks up and snatches your soul before you even have the chance to figure it out.
Anyway, off my soap box!
Just let your loved ones know these people don’t truly care about them but you do!
junebee
8 months ago
I already knew about Scientology. When I first moved to FL I had a friend who narrowly escaped them. He nearly had to arrange his own kidnapping to do it. He told me some of the horror stories. I also followed the Lisa McPherson story. I definitely would do anything I could to dissuade any of my friends or family members from joining Scientology. That’s at the top of my list of religions my kids aren’t allowed to join as long as they’re minors.
Darl
8 months ago
Unfortunately I know about these freaks first hand. I made the ultimate mistake of taking their so called personality test. They have been hounding me ever since with phone calls. There was any where from five to ten calls a day for months. I finally put them on no ring and chalked it up as being one of my more stupid mistakes.
What they do is talk about ’self improvement’ which every one at some point or another feels like they could use. Unfortunately, to REALLY achieve it, you have to empty your bank account and pay for their books and courses. No money? No problem. They tell you you can work it off in the form of helping others in the religion. Either way, once you sign up you’re pretty much sol. I pray some day in my life time, that they will be exposed for what they are.
Darl
8 months ago
Unfortunately I know about these freaks first hand. I made the ultimate mistake of taking their so called personality test. They have been hounding me ever since with phone calls. There was any where from five to ten calls a day for months. I finally put them on no ring and chalked it up as being one of my more stupid mistakes.
What they do is talk about ’self improvement’ which every one at some point or another feels like they could use. Unfortunately, to REALLY achieve it, you have to empty your bank account and pay for their books and courses. No money? No problem. They tell you you can work it off in the form of helping others in the religion. Either way, once you sign up you’re pretty much sol. I pray some day in my life time, that they will be exposed for what they truly are.
Taylor
8 months ago
i drove through clearwater for the first time in a while this weekend and after reading the full article, an eerie feeling washed over me as i passed the fort harrison hotel and saw a man wandering the streets wearing a dianetics t-shirt. it is unsettling to think that such a massive, global organization holds its hub in the city next to me. miscavige is obviously evil but will never get caught with his pants down, always calling people flat-out liars and blowing up statistics and the number of members nationwide and worldwide, creating a buffer between he and anyone who could do some real damage to the church. obviously these ex-pats in the article had no effect, but i hope someone comes along that can finally uncover something that destroys scientology, because apparently allowing a young woman to die on their premises when she obviously needed more help than they could give her is just sick and should have made more than a mere ripple in the public eye. RIP Lisa McPherson
Anonymous
8 months ago
Some of the public didn’t shrug, they were just already familiar with Scientology and how it treats “suppressive persons” (perceived enemies) as “fair game” (able to be attacked by any means whatsoever), up to and including “auditing” with “process R2-45″ by using a pistol to murder them.