It’s our special Christmas edition, which basically means I’m answering your questions while wearing my Star Wars Xmas sweater. This week, it’s answers about how cult members act in real-world jobs, Scientology ads on my videos, status levels in the church and my ideas about militant veganism. Enjoy!
(1) Is it normal for co workers who are also members of groups like Scientology or Jehovah’s Witnesses to think they are better than you or have a big persecution complex? I’ve dealt with co-workers from both groups. A few have been fired for various reasons out of my control. One I saw outside of work and they tried to blame me for being let go. Another one actually sent a letter to me through the company blaming me for their firings and calling me a racist, bigoted Nazi.
(2) Last night I watched the latest Q&A on YouTube and it was preceded by an ad from Scientology. I got distracted watching the episode, so I decided to watch it for the second time, and the same Scientology ad came before it. What do you think is going on? And, more importantly, how do you feel about it?
(3) I’ve been learning about cults for the last two years (Scientology and the Aftermath being what started everything). After watching your AMAZING interviews with Sarah Landry, but also the Wild Wild Country and Holy Hell documentaries on Netflix, I noticed something. In the Nithyananda, Rahneeshpuram and Buddha Field cults, everyone had a new name attributed to them by the leader to disconnect them from their “previous lives.” Without necessarily giving new names to people, does Scientology have a practice that would serve the same purpose, aka creating a new identity to the parishoners?
(4) I’d be interested in your discussion of Model Session (the standard pattern of communication that Hubbard devised to provide predictability for the PC, auditor and Case Supervisor and to perform standard checks that ensure auditing sessions start with the PC ready to be audited).
In my limited experience as an auditor, I found reads and floating needles difficult to recognize and I found myself relying more on PC indicators (how the person looks). It was like the PC and the auditor would conspire to get through the session with credible worksheets and an after-session exam report. I found this both as an auditor and as the PC but I can’t speak for Examiners. Now, in retrospect, I am ashamed to admit such a breach of integrity. Do you think such collusion was commonplace?
(5) Have you ever talked about militant veganism online? Have you heard of the documentary “What The Health” on Netflix? I ask because at one point I was ‘converted’ to veganism because vegan doctors such as Michael Greger, John MacDougall and T. Colin Campbell were preaching online the dangers of meat consumption, and made many promises of weight loss and improved health by cutting out all animal products. I posted my story on Abbey Sharp’s video on What The Health, but just to give an overview, I adopted a healthy vegan diet and within two months my digestive health deteriorated, I lost muscle mass and I nearly passed out at the grocery store. My doctor told me that everyone is different and that while some people do well without animal protein, others cannot. I eventually regained my health after introducing meat back into my diet, but the recovery was very slow.
I started watching your videos which have helped me think critically about diet and health in general. I hadn’t posted much in public about my brush with veganism until What The Health came out, and it angered me that the filmmakers were using graphic and grotesque imagery to illustrate their claims about the supposed dangers of meat consumption. Moreover they claim that doctors profit from the ill health of a public that consumes meat. I suppose my question to you is: would the actions of the filmmakers and plant based doctors amount to coercive persuasion and thought reform, in your opinion? Furthermore, what advice would you give to anyone who is thinking of radically changing their diet?
(6) I know Hubbard hated Christianity but what would he have to say about Islam? I am curious if LRH’s hatred of organized religion would also apply to Islam.
(7) Will Smith and his wife Jada have long been accused of being Scientologists but, despite donating tons of money to Scientology-related causes, have always denied the claim and say something like, “We respect Scientology teachings but we are not Scientologists.” However, in a recent YouTube video celebrating his son Jadens’s 21st birthday, Will Smith said people were trying to “invalidate his experience”, a phrase used only by Scientologists. Despite the use of this weird Scientologese, the Smith’s official line still is “We respect Scientology but we respect all faiths. We are not Scientologists. BLAH BLAH BLAH.” Do you think the decision to publicly deny their affiliation to Scientology is the Smith’s choice because they know their Church’s brand is certifiably toxic or a decision from the Church because they know that celebrities having Scientology-related public outbursts (like Tom Cruise had in the 2000s) would hurt their already ruined brand even more? Or do you think, perhaps, the Smith’s aren’t affiliated with the Church of Scientology but may be Independent Scientologists or Scientology-inspired NOI members?
(8) I get that people who get to OT3 are totally brainwashed so they accept the crap. But this is the very beginning of the course. Be honest, how many people just told you to go fuck yourself and left? 🙂
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