Critical Q&A #55

The weekly show where I answer your questions left for me in the comments section of my Q&A videos or sent by email to AskChrisShelton@gmail.com. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) I have been seeing some people out there believing in opinions of an “us verses them” kind of mentality, or just that “black and white” view of the world, those who start following cults and become bigots and aggressive exstremist activist where they were not beforehand. Why do so many people believe in stereotypes, have prejudices and agree with things in trust without seemingly giving any effort in critical thinking? Why would people stop thinking and stop using a higher moral ground … or at least how does that happen in the first place?

(2) I am also interested in anachronisms in the CoS. Due to LRH’s written specifications, Scientologists use newspaper to clean glass, send telexes, and use a mimeograph to make more than 10 photocopies of any document. I wonder if you have any interesting anecdotes of anachronisms in Scientology daily life? Also, I have often thought that the CoS presence on the internet is very muted; most of it is either church service and contact information, or else digital editions of their print magazines. I think they could enhance their interaction with the public with much slicker videos and multimedia and other attractants. Their Social Media presence is minimal at best, and the number of pro-Scientology websites are overwhelmed by the anti websites. Do you think that the CoS has not not really taken full advantage of the internet because LRH never envisioned it, so the Church is stuck in a print world?

(3) From watching and reading the internet, I’ve seen some really intelligent ex-Scientologists, like you and like Geir Isene. What I am more impressed about is the number of ex-Scientologists who are extremely self-aware, like Brian Culkin. I suppose this is a result of so much introspection done when auditing. I don’t know any Scientologists, so I would like to ask you: are current (believing) scientologists just as self aware? And how does this willingness to face personal flaws and issues not transfer over to facing institutional flaws and issues in the CoS?

(4) I’ve read most things L. Ron Hubbard and his early writings of Dianetics, but since it did fail just 3-4 years after he wrote it, no one really talks in detail about why it failed…what exactly happened in the first writing of Dianetics? Can you please detail why the first foray into Dianetics failed?

(5) I commend you for your exceptional effort explaining Scientology, I have found your videos invaluable and extremely informing. You mentioned that you where a shy teenager who needed a little help relating or communicating with the females in your peer group at the time. After you joined the staff at Scientology, and then later the Sea Org, were you able to pursue relationships with females with your newfound communication skills? It seems to me from your story that you learned how to manage shyness, only to be completely shut off from pursuing the very thing you had gone to Scientology to help you with.

(6) Hello Chris 🙂 I was wondering why LRH is so anti-gay even though he studied under Aleister Crowley who was known to be actively bisexual?

(7) Doesn’t the E-meter send electricity through the user? I know it’s not enough to cause pain, but it seems like it could cause a drug like response, leading to a false sense of euphoria, and helps the auditor manipulate the pre-clear.

(8) Do you agree that some of the proclamations from former executives e.g. Marty Rathburn and Tony Ortega about the imminent dissolution of the CO$ are a little far fetched? There appears to be plenty of money coming in from whales and dolphins to keep the organisation functioning for many years.