Foundations
A lot of work has gone into exposing the dangers and abuse of Scientology, but I think there is an alternative way to look at Scientology. Scientology’s pattern of behavior can only be described as dominating. Often the methods of Scientology cause ordinary people to ask why, but when you look at their actions from the framing of an Intelligence Organization, it makes sense. Through aggression, Scientology has learned to control narratives and suppress those who seek to damage their power.
Scientology sees itself as building a new cultural paradigm and any criticism threatens the very basis of the organization.
I want to emphasize this piece is partial. Scientology has undoubtedly destroyed the lives of thousands of people. Scientology’s methods to assert power over its members include breaking up families, controlling financial means, and even documented disappearances. (Current leader David Miscavige’s wife was not publicly seen for over a decade).
Another example of Scientology’s control over their members is the prison camp known as ‘The Hole,’ which serves to “reeducate members.” To learn more about ‘The Hole’, look up Headley v. Chruch of Scientology. ‘The Hole’ is one factor that got Scientology hit with human trafficking allegations. Why has this facility not been shut down? Is it just slander? Nope, religious organizations get special treatment, victims not coming forward, and the slow-moving justice system
On the individual level, the majority of Scientologist are harmless. Yet, the cult of personality around their leadership allows for grossly illegal and unethical activities. To counter these accusations, Scientology has used decades of subversive acts to attempt to control the narrative about their cult.
Look at the narrative about their members. Everyone knows that they focus heavily on cultivating the rich and famous. Scientology is widely known to be a religion of the famous in Hollywood. Yet most cities have offices that cater to the average person, which makes up the bulk of their membership, but for public relations purposes, these people are never shown to the public. The forward-facing members are always the wealthy ones, and L. Ron Hubbard (The Original Founder) did this to attract other upper-class people.
Subversion
Subversion is “tending or intending to subvert or overthrow, destroy, or undermine an established or existing system, especially a legally constituted government or a set of beliefs.”
Scientology is a subversive organization whose institutional goal is to do anything necessary to protect and enrich its brand. New York Times detailed a court case involving L Ron Hubbard in 1984. The trial revealed that “leaders systematically used the most intimate personal facts confided by members in private counseling sessions to blackmail and intimidate them” (Robert Lindsey, 1984).
You might be wondering, “yeah scientology is fucked but how does this make them like an IC organization?”
As Scientology uses private information to control its members, Intelligence operatives do something similar. There is a courting process. They attempt to get a small piece of information from their target. Once achieved, they can use this as blackmail to get more extensive and secretive information. Scientology is more about financially extorting its members, but the act is essentially the same. Use the information given to squeeze more form the target.
Don’t believe me? Here is a video where a former CIA agent Mike Baker describes the methods I outlined above.
Scientology Stalks Their Prey
Not only has Scientology been accused of blackmailing its own members, but a famous incident involving the stalking of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker in response to their episode where they explain South Park. Mark Rathburn, a former high-ranking Scientologist, leaked memos about the wrongdoings of the cult, which gave insight into the organized stalking activities that happened to Stone and Parker.
First, Scientology wanted “To find a direct line into Stone and Parker. Some of their friends have been identified. One is Matthew Prager, who has been a friend since 1991”- 16 April 2006 Report by Commanding Officer Office of Special Affairs
The document provided by Rathbun shows the extreme lengths that Scientology undertook:
“There are some strings that will be pulled on the PRC (Public Records Check) on Stone. Otherwise, the special collections (covert information gathering such as trash collection, purchased phone records, hacked airline reservations, purchased bank records) will be debugged in order to get some viable strings that can be pulled”- 16 April 2006 Report by Commanding Officer Office of Special Affairs
As hilarious as it might be to think Scientology sent some people to dig through the trash of adult cartoon creators over an episode, it showed how far they were willing to go. It is actually terrifying to think of gaining power over these men; Scientology went as far as to stalk them. Not only is this organized stalking, but it’s also a petty attempt to act like an Intelligence Service and imitate two men. Searching the trash is a two-fold act; not only is it evident that someone dug through your trash, creating a sense of anxiety, but also blackmail against the creators of South Park.
For contextual reasons, here is a link to the episode in question. People pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in Scientology to learn this information. Feel Lucky you get see it for free. https://youtu.be/BU2EUfinwHo
Scientology’s Very Public Hate Orgies
I’m 100 percent kink shaming Scientology. It’s strange how they publish hate fueled fanfic of their critics.
The way Scientology goes after former members is well documented. Their affiliate news organization FreedomMag has a list of “discredited sources” where they slander former members with personally directed attacks.
Though I provided a photo of some examples, please explore at your own leisure.
https://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/white-papers/documentary-sources.html
The Scientology newsroom website states, “The reason they so rabidly oppose Scientology is because it is doing so much to help society. Those who are upset that people are improving are few in number compared to the millions who have embraced Scientology and applaud its effort to build a better world” (Scientology NewsRoom). They associate being critical of them as opposing progress. From their organization’s viewpoint, it makes sense to engage in unethical activities because they fundamentally see themselves as the driver of progress, which is an oddly similar viewpoint of any political faction responsible for mass murder.
Even though Scientology states that they believe “that all people are endowed with the inalienable rights as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as ratified by the United Nations in 1948” (Scientology NewRoom). For context, they have been accused of slavery and human trafficking. (SeaOrg members are paid cents on the dollar for a billion years of service to their Church).
Office of Special Affairs: Scientologies own Intelligence Service.
The leaked internal documents from a former high ranking member, Frank Oliver’s time in Scientology’s OSA are fascinating. There is no rhythm to these documents. Instead, a broad set of training guidelines indicates their seriousness regarding their activities. The documents could easily be read as a CIA document, outlining espionage tactics and how to “deal with the enemy”- (Church of Scientology Office of Special Affairs and Frank Oliver Documents)
Prime example, there is a section on “standard intelligence procedures.”
Scientology details that “projects will be studied for legal liabilities but never stopped by the legal section”; however, a crafty addition of doublespeak was added for confusion. The author further writes that “no act which will make an investigator liable to criminal prosecution will be ordered.”
At one moment, Scientology states that their legal department will not impede illegal projects but never put an individual in a position to commit a crime. However, this is clearly a lie designed to distract from the truth that Scientologist has been engaging in highly unethical behaviors, including felonies. Hence operation Snow White ended with “The 11 defendants ordered to serve five years in federal prison” (Welkos and Sappel)
It also lists people and groups they deem to be hostile. These pages do drag on. (photos included)
These documents also include 21 pages of members who were “expelled.”
Based on Scientology’s behavior, it is more like members who had left. Throughout my research, I found no favorable words for any former member.
With Scientology, understanding their willingness to make false accusations against members who left and became critical of the church is crucial. For example, Scientology used Rathbun’s arrest as an example of his mental instability; they don’t tell you that after repeated stalking and harassment, Rathbun confronted Scientologist on his own property, and they called the police stating that they were assaulted. Rathbun was released within hours.
For context, Rathbun still practices a form of Scientology, and to the Scientologists, people like Rathbun are known as “Squirrels.” Scientology is behind “Squirrel Busters Productions,” which set its sights on former members of Scientology. SBP also went after the South Park creators and numerous other former Anti-Scientologists, so their claims of independence are false.
SBP uses stalking and harassment to spread Scientology’s power over individuals who come out against the church. (Please sick them on me, it will make a great story to get gang stalked by a cult)
The Hole of Scientology
Attempting to conclude any story with Scientology is hard. Too many questions about the why and minimal answers. Here is my attempt.
It is easy to write them off, but you’d be missing an important point. As a society, we allow our notions of religious liberty to cover for organizations like Scientology.
The tactics which Scientology uses are oddly similar to the Central Intelligence Agency. The list of CIA front organizations is massive. A notable front Scientology operates is a string of rehab clinics that have drawn criticism as being a front for human tracking and slave labor. Professor of Psychology Albert Stephen A. Kent details, “Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) put coerced participants through regimes of harsh physical punishment, forced self-confessions, social isolation, hard labor, and intense doctrinal study, all as part of leadership-designed efforts to regain members’ ideological commitment” (Kent).
I want to emphasize that Scientology uses an extensive network of people to gang stalk to intimidate and put fear into those who are anti-Scientology. They use this tactic as a form of control over their victims. The interestingly named Freedom Magazine spreads obscene rumors to subvert the narrative against their Church. Scientology often relies on front organizations to spread not only their message but abuse.
I take the hard stance that no religious organization should receive the tax exemption. Yet, some churches actually provide for their communities. Scientology adds little value to the community except for fear and suffering, a tip-off to intent. One that is self-serving and is set up to benefit those at the top of the organization. Scientology is a stain on “Freedom of Religion.” Scientology is not a valid religious belief. It’s a 1950s SciFi story from serial plagiarist, liar, and human rights abuser L. Ron Hubbard.
Next Steps:
My piece on Scientology using the same tactics as intelligence services is an extreme example of how far cults will go to cement fear and sow abuse. My follow-up piece will be a multi-part series looking at a similar religious, financial scheme in Columbus, Ohio. Xenos (aka Dwell Community Church). My goal is to show that what makes a cult does not need to be extreme cases of abuse and that there is a spectrum of behavior. A group does not need to get Jones Towned to be a victim of cult abuse.
In two weeks time, “The X-Files, Xenos Built on a Foundation of Lies” will be out.
Sources
Robert Lindsey, “Scientology Chief Got Millions, Ex-Aides Say”, New York Times. 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/11/us/scientology-chief-got-millions-ex-aides-say.html
16 April 2006 Report by Commanding Officer Office of Special Affairs–https://markrathbun.blog/2011/10/23/corporate-scientology-targets-south-park/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter/
Scientology NewsRoom-https://www.scientologynews.org/faq/frequently-asked-questions-introduction.html
Church of Scientology Office of Special Affairs and Frank Oliver Documents-https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology_Office_of_Special_Affairs_and_Frank_Oliver
Robert Welkos and Joel Sappel, “Burglaries and Lies Paved a Path to Prison”, LA Times. 1990. https://www.latimes.com/local/la-scientologysidec062490-story.html
Dr. Stephen Kent. https://skent.ualberta.ca/contributions/scientology/brainwashing-in-scientologys-rehabilitation-project-force-rpf/.
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