This week I go into some deep “technical” stuff about Scientology beliefs and practices, funny misunderstandings in the real world of cult terms, some discussion of individual vs group identity and a lot more. Enjoy!
(1) In a lecture to auditor trainees in the 1960s in England, Hubbard talked about two things: “out-rudiments” and “instant reads.” Around instant reads (on the e-meter) he also mentioned random, latent and prior reads. O, great brain! What are these types of readings and what are out-rudiments?
(2) In Scientology, the acronym DB stands for “degraded being.” In cop shows on TV, DB usually means “dead body”. In tech, DB is (or perhaps used to be) short for “database”. I wonder if there have been some funny or bizarre misunderstandings based on this acronym or some other one that means one thing in Scientology and something else in the real world.
(3) I’ve often heard you talk about the situation known as “pulling it in” whereby if something bad goes wrong in your life it’s your fault because you’ve done something to make it happen. Prior to being a Scientologist, when those things happened, what was that, then? Just dumb luck or misfortune? What makes it your fault when you’ve paid money to be a Scientologist? Seems to me it’s just the same thing as what happened prior to being a Scientologist but if not, please explain.
(4) If you watch videos produced by the CoS, you can plainly see people being audited in a communal room that appears to be filled with desks right next to each other. Given the fact that auditing requires answering very personal questions, where is the privacy and confidentiality?
(5) Can you please give me your opinion about the Episcopal Church. I went on Sundays as a kid and it was great. It was obvious our pastor was kind of gay. He had a nice family and we all loved them. Then a lady with her significant other at another church in California stirred things up, demanding to be recognized as being gay. The way I remember it, this split the church in two. Can you comment on this?
(6) In watching the event where David Miscavige announced the death of L. Ron Hubbard, Miscavige said that Hubbard had departed or abandoned his body “at 2000 hours Friday the 24th January AD 36.” What the heck was he talking about? In AD 36, most of the known world was ruled by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Am I missing something here?
(7) I consumed LSD one time. It had no effect on me. Possibly it was really old acid. Possibly it was just a dirty piece of paper that someone sketchy gave me. Regardless, does that make me ineligible for the Sea Org?
(8) If the Sea Org does not legally exist, how can Sea Org members be considered the “clergy” of Scientology by a court of law? If the Sea Org does not legally exist, how can the court honor “priest/penitent” privilege? I heard that the “penitent” party can waive their right to “priest/penitent” privilege so a “priest’s” testimony can be allowed in a court of law. Is this true? Can the “priest” still refuse to testify if the “penitent” waives their right?
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