In this short clip from my review of the Going Clear movie, I talk briefly about why intelligence is not a factor in how and why people join destructive cults like Scientology. Enjoy!
This clip was excerpted from the video “My History in Scientology,” first published on May 8, 2015.
Hi Chris, love this video and agree with all the points you have made. Just wanted to add my observation/opinion that, infact, you need to be pretty smart to juggle and make sense of all the lies and deceptions we learn to accept in a cultic environment, therefore I think the smarter folk are more likely to stay in longer and be more dedicated that others who may struggle to make sense of everything but are easily controlled, without needing to win other their willingness.
Chris, thanks for expressing this. I can tell you that Scientology targets smart people in its marketing efforts. I should know, as I was in charge of their marketing. Most Scientologists have at least some college education. They are doctors, scientists, successful business people, talented artists, etc. You have to have some intelligence to learn all of Scientology’s complex theories and nomenclature. Its very complexity makes intelligent people think it’s “deep.” The magician Harry Houdini famously said that smart people were easier to fool than stupid people. Their intelligence works against them, trying to make sense of everything.