This week it’s answers about Mark Bunker winning a seat on the Clearwater city council, how can we learn from the good parts of Scientology, how will COVID-19 affect religious and cultic thinking and a whole lot more. Enjoy!
(1) I just heard that Mark Bunker had won a seat on Clearwater city council. (For the benefit of relatively new Scientology watchers, Mark is a long-time Scientology critic, whose engagement with Scientology goes back at least 20 years.) How do you think this makes Scientology leadership feel, especially since both Aaron Smith-Levin and Mike Rinder were involved in Mark’s campaign?
(2) How can we learn and harness the parts of Scientology that seem to actually work? For example, recently I watched a video of yours in which a woman said that as a girl her panic attacks were immediately cured after just one session or in Ron Miscavige’s book, if I remember correctly, he said that David’s asthma was quickly cured with Dianetics. Also, how did you meet your wife? You guys are very cute together and I bet there’s a good story there.
(3) Now with the corona virus crisis and people not able to meet up, do you think Scientology (and other cults as well) will be able to keep their hold? How do you think they will they keep up the indoctrination? Do you think a lot of people will leave their cults because they will have time to think about what they are doing? Or do you think they will double down?
(4) There’s plenty to be critical of in Trump’s handling of this coronavirus situation (the downplaying, the sacrifice of the time advantage in responding) but these racism accusations just look like grasping at straws. It is odd that it apparently needs to be pointed out that Chinese is a nationality not an ethnicity, and anyone claiming one can be racist toward a nationality not an ethnicity clearly doesn’t understand either concept. There was a point where the accusation of being racist once had true weight but it has been thrown around so flippantly and incorrectly that it has diminished the significance that label was always supposed to carry, and this has been done by the very people who fancy themselves progressive. This is a microcosm of a phenomena that has been occurring throughout his presidency: there will be a laundry list of legitimate, deserved criticism to be made of the man yet instead the media and the Orange Man Bad crowd will latch onto something petty and ridiculous. A pandemic virus circumnavigates the globe to delayed downplayed response and we’re going to go after the man in a game of semantics for political points? If a virus originated in America, in a town with a known viral research site, and then the American government suppressed and/or jailed any and all whistleblowers til they recanted or died, all the while that government lied about the virus’ severity to the world, would anyone hesitate to call it an American virus or be branded a racist as a result? Why is American media seemingly carrying water for an authoritarian government currently running the largest ethnic imprisonment since Hitler? This is so transparent and disingenuous it’s almost funny.
(5) I’ve seen your videos where you explained about how promotions and stuff work in the Sea Org and here are my questions:
- Are you aware of any US military veterans that have served in the Sea Org? If so, do you recall ever hearing their thoughts or opinions on the sea org’s paramilitary aspect?
- Are you aware of any online resources for studying the uniforms, ribbons/medals/badges/etc of the Sea Org? (I’m interested in comparing/contrasting to the actual military and other paramilitary groups)
- How much formal training was there for Sea Org members in regards to the naval traditions? Did anyone teach recruits how to salute, how to iron a uniform, how to march, etc? Or was it all more informal and absorbed though social osmosis? (Did anyone actually CARE about those things being done right by people who’d been “in” for a while?)
- Isn’t it convenient that the uniforms of the galactic confederacy just happened to look so much like US Navy uniforms, instead of French, Russian, or Spanish navy uniforms?
(6) One observation I have from watching your videos and checking out related information is that often people join religious groups due to some very intense experiences. Something which changes the way they look at the world and at spirituality. I also understand that (at least some of these experiences) can be created by “normal” methods, meaning methods that are understood by psychology and there is no need to rely on spirituality to explain them.
For example, I am thinking about the “high” feeling Scientologists have doing the “TRs”. Another example is what Derren Brown demonstrated in his show “How to convert an atheist”. I think in both cases the receiver is convinced that something supernatural is happening, something that can not be explained by science. As a result, they are receptive to the explanation offered and become a “believer”.
Do you have any advice for where/how to experience such an enlightenment safely? Personally, I would love to experience this myself. I also think this should simply be part of public education. It should be part of the curriculum at schools. Kids should learn algebra, experience what it feels to sprint 100 meters and experience how their own mind works. It should be available in community colleges. Heck, I think it should be part of traveling funfairs!
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