The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left in the comments section of my Q&A videos or sent by email at AskChrisShelton@gmail.com. This week, the questions I take up are:
(1) Back when LRH was sailing about on the Apollo, what were the big established land bases? Please talk about some exciting and interesting missions.
(2) What do you think of the Wikileaks documents on Scientology? I’ve read some of the OT materials and they seem legit (and Hubbardian) however as a never-in I want to know if are they good sources in your eyes?
AND
For your next video – What was your reaction on first reading the OT-III materials?
(3) What’s the single most difficult adjustment to the ‘real world’ you’ve had to make since leaving the cult?
(4) Most Scientology-watchers focus on how few Scientologists there actually are, but shouldn’t we be talking about the dwindling staff numbers instead? For the past few years, the L.A. org has been staffed exclusively by Sea Org members. The Ideal Org in Atlanta was practically begging people to join staff in the weeks leading up to COB’s arrival with his giant ribbon-cutting scissors. And the hand-outs at recent Scientology events inevitably ask attendees “When can you join staff?” and “When can you join the Sea Org?”
In previous videos, you said that most local churches have “at most” 200 to 300 parishioners, with maybe 100 actually “active,” but you also said that a fully-staffed Org needs 100-plus staff members. Where are these staff going to come from? Will the L.A. org be the model? As more and more Ideal Orgs open, will more and more Sea Org members be shipped from Flag and Southern California to work in Buffalo, Cincinnati, or that stadium in Twin Cities? Are there enough Sea Org members to go around, or will there be more recruiting drives in Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America? (“Fancy uniform, fifty dollars a week … sign me up, new American friend.”) Thanks and keep up the good fight.
(5) Hi Chris. I wanted to let you know that it is difficult to navigate through your channel to find, Q & A’s for an example, were you have answered a previous question. You often will say that you don’t want to repeat your answers. I understand however how am I, or we, to find the answer? Thank you.
(6) From my reading, I understand that prior to the Miscavige takeover, Scientology had missions, which were, in business-speak, independently owned franchise outlets. Some of them had been financially successful, which was one motive for Miscavige to cut out mission holders (that’s what they were called, right?) by, again in business-speak, converting franchises into corporate-owned outlets. In that, Miscavige was aided by a Scientology outfit called the International Finance Police. Who were these people, what did they do, and what happened to them after the takeover? Does this outfit still exist, was it dissolved, or did they go the way of the Guardian’s Office, morphing into something bearing a different name but serving essentially the same purpose?
(7) My question is about Flag. If a person was in the Bay area, Flag seems like it would be a potentially interesting tourist attraction even for someone with a limited knowledge of Scientology. However I have read reports about surveillance including cameras that will capture license plates and people being followed. In your opinion, is it safe for a wog to go down there and spend a few hours looking around?
(8) Why do you not identify as an agnostic atheist and only an agnostic? Everyone is an atheist or theist given the definition of the words–you either remain unconvinced there is a god (atheist) or think the burden of proof for the existence of god has been met by your standards (theist). You can be unsure if a god exists while also not being convinced that one exists (the null hypothesis). I think that most people don’t understand that gnosticism speaks to what you can know while theism speaks to what you believe and are not mutually exclusive given the definition of the words.
(9) How does Scientology view L Ron Hubbard’s sci-fi novels? Are they avoided as fictitious stories that would blur the lines between the “truth” about Xenu and Intergalactic empires or are they praised as seminal works? (I personally have only read only one LRH short story and found it utterly dreadful).
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Hi Chris—
I have heard you and others explain the role of Case Supervisors and how they oversee the auditors’ sessions to make sure there are no errors made and everything is done ‘On Source’, using standard tech, etc. I have also heard there are what are called ‘Field Auditors’, who offer services on their own, separate from the church (though except for some special cases, are supposed to charge the same rates so as not to undercut them). If they audit parishioners, is there no Case Supervisor who checks in after each session, or is everything completely in the hands of the Field Auditor? Is this a common practice and how does the church feel about it in general?
I appreciate any thoughts you have on this–