[VIDEO] I’m an Ex-Scientologist

Hi. I’m Chris Shelton. I’m a writer, blogger and video producer. I grew up in the Church of Scientology and worked for the organization for 25 years.

People call Scientology a cult. And they’re right. It is a cult.

But the last people who are ever going to realize that, are the Scientologists.

Their faith is such a shallow and fragile thing, they can’t stand for anyone to challenge or question anything about it. They just fall to pieces when you do. I’ve tried reaching out to some Scientologists I used to know but they’d rather keep their heads in the sand than even acknowledge that I exist. It makes me sad because I miss them.

How has my life been different since I left? Oh man, there are so many things I could say.

But I guess the best way to put it, is that my life has been a lot less…crazy. For instance,

I no longer believe that L. Ron Hubbard and David Miscavige are somehow blessed with divine infallibility and are really smarter than everyone else.

I no longer believe that if the leaders of the nations of Earth would just listen to Scientology, that the Scientologists would set everything straight with the world.

I no longer fear the consequences of asking too many questions about things in Scientology that don’t make any sense, like why so much money is being raised to buy great big church buildings which stand empty.

I will no longer have to undergo hard labor or rigorous “ethics programs” because I’m asking too many questions or because I’m not working hard enough or because I’ve demonstrated a lack of faith.

I no longer have to listen to anyone telling me how I should think or act or speak, or how to raise my kids or whether I can even get married and have kids.

I no longer fear the Internet or have to screen out anti-Scientology data in order to protect my immortal soul for all of eternity.

I no longer believe that I am in a unique position to save all the other ignorant human beings on the planet because of the special knowledge and status I have as a Scientologist.

I no longer feel that the end justifies the means, nor that anything I do for Scientology is right just because it’s for Scientology.

I no longer feel guilty or shameful for not giving all of my money and time to Scientology.

I no longer feel like Scientology is more important than my family, my friends or pretty much anything else in my life, nor do I have to worry anymore about non-Scientologist friends or relationships.

I no longer support the idea that Scientology needs lots and lots and lots of money to get things done and that it will never really have enough money to accomplish its goals.

I no longer believe that it comes down to us Scientologists versus the rest of the delusional humanoids on this planet, nor do I have to wonder anymore why people can’t see how great Scientology obviously is.

I no longer live in fear of leaving the Church of Scientology because of what they might do to me, my family, my job or my life.

I no longer believe that my life is enhanced by my obedience to other men’s ideas of how I should live my life.

All of those things are what make Scientology a cult.

Once you have someone in and you can convince them that they are in a special and unique place where they are superior and different from everybody else, then it’s easy to hold on to them. Because they will convince themselves that anything wrong with the group is just a temporary phase and that everything is going to work out great in the end.

Cults like Scientology preach that knowledge is dangerous and that you should purposefully keep your head in the sand.

They create a mindset in their members that everyone who is not a Scientologist doesn’t know what they are talking about and shouldn’t be listened to. And that’s just not right.

The day I woke up and saw that I needed to get out of Scientology was the day that I realized I was telling more lies than I was telling truth. I was having to put on a happy face and justify things going on around me that just didn’t make any sense that or that I just knew weren’t true. And I didn’t want to live that life anymore. I mean, who wants to go around telling lies and half-truths all the time just to make things look good? Not me. So I decided to get out.

Coming out of that situation, my head was wrapped around a pole and it took me months to figure things out. The thing that really turned it around was learning critical thinking skills.

The most important thing is to not be afraid of knowledge.

No one person or group has all the answers to everything. What you have to do is go out there and get the answers for yourself. Free access to information and taking advantage of that access is the key to life. It unlocks everything.

My life is so much better now that Scientology is not a part of it.

Now that I’m out, I will never, ever go back.

I’m Chris Shelton

I’m a writer.

I’m a blogger.

I’m a video producer.

I’m a rational human being

and I’m an ex-Scientologist.