The show where I answer viewer’s questions left in the comments section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at AskChrisShelton@gmail.com. This week, the questions I answer are:
(1) Hi Chris! I have never found the word “love” in anything I have read or watched about Scientology except in personal stories of disconnection. It’s clear by its behavior that the Church doesn’t value love, and as both Hubbard and Miscavige showed all the symptoms of antisocial personality disorder neither of them ever felt love. Does Scientology ever mention love at all?
(2) Hi Chis! Loving the new book!! You’re output just keeps getting better and better! My question is about word clearing in Scientology. I’ve heard many former members describe word clearing for misunderstood words in ways that almost sounds like obsessive compulsive behavior. And I noticed many ex-members still seem to obsess over getting the right definition and splitting hairs over which definition to use even after they have been long gone from the fold. Was word clearing and constant dictionary lookups a habit you had to break when you first got out? Or was leaving that behavior behind easy to shake off?
(3) Chris I have to ask this and I would really appreciate it if you addressed this question in a video. What attracted me most about Scientology is the ability of creating perception. It’s a perception that does not reflect reality at all. It’s a thought that I’ve always had nagging at me since childhood. What I mean by this is life as we know it regarding religions, countries, civilizations, etc. past and present can all be a lie. It may not but at the same it may be. I think you will understand what I am getting at here. Please use your critical thinking to expand upon this and address. I thank you kindly.
(4) Is the mess better in Clearwater or Hemet? Please elaborate on the menu that is provided for staff. Since there is clearly no money in a staff member’s budget for groceries, are they hostages of nutrition at all? I have seen reed-thin Scientologists with black rings around their eyes, also in videos I have seen some paunchy, disheveled fat-bastards too.
(5) Hi Chris! Quick “flash” question: I’m currently reading your book (cheers!) and at your suggestion in Chapter 5, I referenced the 1959 HCO Manual of Justice. While I was familiar with Hubbard’s use of the term “squirrels”, I had never run across the term “wildcat”. He describes the proper handling of both “wildcat people” and “wildcat magazines”. Based on the context I can only assume it’s a derogatory term, but can you please clarify? I certainly wouldn’t want to have a misunderstood word, haha. Thanks as always, and congratulations on what is so far a really great and informative book!
(6) Can you please tell me if Scientology ever talks about philosophy and philosophers? What do Scientologists think about freewill, subjectivity and things like that? Thanks always for all your time in answering so many questions.
(7) I’m curious about the immeasurable amount of acronyms in Scientology. Do you think their purpose is to add to the concept of Scientology being, as what L. Ron Hubbard would say, a “mystery sandwich”? On that note, as a former member of the Sea Org, have you witnessed any members advancing to the OT levels?
(8) I was wondering if it’s well known that Scientology forbids medicine. My question is does that include vaccines?
(9) Hi Chris, I have a question about the Sea Org and private property. If someone owns a house and a car before they join do they have to sell that or give it to the church?
(10) In your last Q&A video you describe some of the pressure to get results that is placed on the local orgs and that consequences are at times severe for not cutting the mustard. This open ended scenario seems to me to be the perfect breeding ground for falsifying numbers and bogus reports being produced by the local orgs on a wholesale basis. In your experience did you see or know of any trumped up numbers, falsified documents, obfuscation, and such like being conducted at the local levels of Scientology? How about at the mid level management?
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How are Sea Org members dealing with all that stress? They are overworked, malnourished, constantly in some kind of emergency, and all while being yelled at. That is extreme mental state and I think that body and mind would have to start cracking up at some point. If someone admits it publicly, I guess auditing is scheduled to find the cause of stress, but I’m having this image of sea org members as : or totally beaten down individuals, or as unhinged broken people hiding behind manic smiles. Since you came out of it and are still sane (at least publicly ☺), how did you deal with the daily stress and how are others doing it while in Sea Org?