The weekly show where I answer viewer’s questions. This week, the questions I answer are:
(1) You mentioned that you were very disappointed and pissed about the OT material when you read about it on the internet. Do you think you would have reacted differently if you were still in the CoS and maybe bought into it like the rest of the stuff you “learned” all the years before? And another thing I’m curious about is, why did you not do the OT stuff during your time at CoS. It seems like it is not very common that people “study” OT.
(2) A Scientologist claimed that Dianetics had cured her mother-in-law’s arthritis in 1950. What is your response to claims that Scientology benefits some people who have “wins”?
(3) Chris, your videos are an excellent resource, particularly your fine-grained accounts of life on staff and in the Sea Org. My question is about the nature of relationships developed between devoted Scientologists, including public, staff and Sea Org members. On one hand, there is a culture of confidentiality and “snitching” that, it seems, severely inhibits honest communication between people, even longtime friends or married couples. On the other hand, there are aspects of Scientology that seem like they would tend to create close bonds: the long hours, separation from the culture at large (especially in the SO), belief in an all-important shared cause and the fight against powerful enemies. Do you have any thoughts (or examples) about the ways this apparently contradictory state of affairs plays out?
(4) Regarding Xenu’s place in Scientology: If you look at the narrative of Incident II, it becomes apparent that without Xenu there are no masses of body thetans wandering Earth to cause problems, and therefore no reason to do anything at all to clear them, which is the stated goal of auditing at OT III+, and even in the PC levels (you’re just not told about it). It seems without Xenu, his DC-8 space planes, his H-Bombs and super colossal 3D motion pictures there would be no reason for Scientology to exist in the first place. Why do Scientologists, if they answer at all, state that Xenu and space opera are very small parts of the practice? (Of course the obvious answer is, “they’re lying,” but I mean rationalizing the answer within the context of the practice.)
(5) Hi Chris! I was wondering if you have seen or heard of anyone leaving Scientology due to seeing the documentary Going Clear?
(6) I have helped other people run away from various situations including leaving other cults. I have found myself wondering lately if there is some sort of “Underground Railroad” set up for Scientologists. I know there is a frequent Clearwater protestor who holds a sign with a national hotline on it specifically for Sea Org members, and if I recall correctly it is linked to the FBI? So do you know about any sort of network like that, and if so, can you teach me the secret knock/password/mating dance one would need to do to indicate interest?
(7) Would you say Miscavige is trying for the smallest manageable number of members with the largest financial benefit? Even with an average Christian church a split becomes more likely the larger the congregation grows. The difference being that no one denomination has a copyright on the Bible. So even if nothing else changes L. Ron Hubbard’s writings will become public domain in 2056. Then any schmo can open up a COS branch.
(8) Did you have any interaction with David Miscavige? and if so , how did it go?
(9) Probably a really dumb question, but why bother expanding your spiritual horizons? What’s the point? Work to get a job that gives you fulfillment, try to get along with your fellow man, and enjoy yourself without hurting others. What else is there?
(10) My question is about the scientology consulting businesses that are out there scamming unsuspecting dentists and chiropractors. Many are so devoted to Scientology that their business are actually failing. I have had some exposure to this and it is alarming how many of them are so arrogant. They are all desparate to make money for the cause. The two male dentists that I met were very mean to their wives. Can you fill me in on why so many dentists and chiropractors get sucked in? Thanks!
(11) Hey Chris, I have a question for your next Q&A about Transgenders in Scientology. What would happen f.e. if a Transgender woman starts with Scientology without mentioning it before Auditing. Would they kick those people out of the church or would they try to “cure” them like they “do” with gay people. Thanks and cheers from Germany.
Thank you very much for your informative answers to my questions, Chris. Here are two more for your consideration:
1. When reading about the Sea Org, I’ve come across accounts of prominent members who “blew” and subsequently returned to the Sea Org (Marty Rathbun and Tommy Davis, for example). In your experience, how common is it for Sea Org members to “blow” at some point (or more than once) during their career? Did you do that, or did you have Sea Org colleagues who did so?
2. What have you observed of Sea Org members as they get older, and become ill or just less capable of keeping pace with the demands of the cult? What becomes of them?
Is this an auditing session with an anonymous auditor?
I hope not! Chris, I trust that you feel free to ignore any questions that seem intrusive or uninteresting.
What is the thinking behind my endless eternity depends on what I do here and now in scientology
Hi Chris! Loving the videos, and they’re still making my housework time pass more easily and quickly.
Here’s a question, which may be rather silly but I’m genuinely curious. I’ve heard that in the upper levels of Scientology there’s a belief that one becomes almost “superhuman,” and that at the lower levels things like even taking a Tylenol for a headache are discouraged on the grounds that it’s “just treating a symptom.”
What happens when you get sick in Scientology? Like if you have a cold or flu, or a stomach bug. Are you allowed to “call out sick” if you’re in the Sea Org or otherwise work for the church? If you get bronchitis or something, can you take antibiotics? Or is that viewed as a symptom of your inner problems, and you’re expected to pretend everything is fine, lest you be considered weak somehow?
Scientology’s website(s) claim that members are allowed to use prescribed medicine (for physical ailments) and visit the doctor, but I suspect this is another lie.
Thanks, and again, really enjoying the videos, and very glad you got out.
I just discovered your videos and think they’re extremely informative. Here’s my issue: I have close relatives who have been in Scientology for more than 30 years, high up on the bridge (at OT levels 5 through 7 according to the published lists) and I have spent most of that time waiting for them to figure out that it’s all a crock. Still waiting. My question is whether you think I should engage them. We hardly ever talk about Scientology any more although over the years we’ve have many conversations, often acrimonious. I’ve read “Converting the Converted” and that has some good points. Do you have any more specific advice about talking to long-time Scientologists? Won’t I just be messing with their case, which will require additional sec checking? I would be grateful for any assistance, advice or reference to additional materials.
Thanks Don. The best and most immediate advice I can give is to read Steve Hassan’s Combatting Cult Mind Control as this gives a very thorough layout of what your relatives are actually involved in and how deeply they are down the rabbit hole. As OTs they have had to accept some things as true which are the most ridiculous ideas you can imagine and their world view is quite different from yours and mine. So if you want to engage them about Scientology, be prepared before you bring it up. Also gauge whether it’s something you want to lose them over, because if it doesn’t go well, it’s quite possible they would be forced to disconnect from you. That doesn’t happen right away but it is a danger. Know before you go.
Thanks, Chris. I appreciate the quick response. I read Combating Cult Mind Control many years ago and while it helped me understand cults, I wasn’t able to effectively apply it to my relatives. Possibly a function of intellectual shortcomings on my part. Your point about disconnection is well taken. Do you think that simply discussing or arguing about Scientology with them could lead to disconnection? I was always under the impression that more was required, such as publicly working against the church.
The policy in Scientology is called “Handle or Disconnect”. If any Scientologist is confronted by a friend, co-worker, associate or family member in a hostile or antagonistic fashion about Scientology, or if it is questioned as though there is something wrong with it, the Scientologist is supposed to handle them, i.e. deal with their argument in such a way as to get them to stop arguing or insisting that something is wrong with Scientology. This could involve showing them Scientology materials or saying “Hey, it’s my life and I’ll live it the way I want. You don’t see me bugging you about your religion, do you?” and similar things. They are basically trying to get you to stop talking to them about it and put a sunny face on the whole thing. They don’t want to deal with rational arguments against Scientology. I think that is because deep down they know that it falls apart at the merest whiff of critical thinking. So their solution is to be sort of sunshine and rainbows about it and hope that the person who is concerned for their well being will just stop bringing it up or go mind their own business. If that doesn’t work after a few times, then the Scientologist is going to have to make a decision about disconnecting. That’s how it works.