Goldman Sachs is sponsoring a Scientology-based jail ‘re-education’ program

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Smart people can, and obviously do, do very stupid and moronic things. Intelligence isn't an immunity to stupid.

Once upon a time in the year 2010, I was eating dinner at my (then) favorite Italian restaurant called The Laughing Kat in Ybor City. I had a lovely penne alla vodka with prosciutto and I was sipping on some Pinot Noir. After topping off my buzz I exited the The Laughing Kat and began chatting it up with some acquaintances that were passing me by.

In my peripheral I could see to my left there were two young people, a male and a female, in white button downs and black slacks. Jehovah's Witnesses (I thought)? They waited until I had departed the company of my friends and was now walking back toward 7th Ave by myself, then they approached me.

Female: Hey! Would you like to take a free personality test?

Me: Meh, I'm not a fan of Scientology.

Her and her associate had this quizzical look on their faces of surprise and amusement, like 'oh you know of us?'

Female: Well what do you know about Scientology?

At this point I had to make a choice, either brush them off and keep walking like I would any other vagrant that didn't have a clever sign OR I could see just how deep in the rabbit hole they are.

Me: I know that L Ron Hubbard was a disciple of Aleister Crowley and that he was also personal friends with Anton LaVey (founder of the church of Satan).

Male: We aren't sure where you heard that but we can assure you there is nothing Satanic about Scientology.

Me: You know I had a very good friend who was a member of the church for 20+ years and when he left he was viciously harassed, stalked, and threatened. He is no longer allowed to speak to his wife & children since he has been declared a suppressive person.

Female: What was his name?

Me (in my buzzed stupor): Oh I'm not falling for that one! Haha...

Female: Well would you like to give us the opportunity to share our faith with you from our perspective?

Me: Not if it involves giving you any money.

Male: No you can come with us to our building across the street and we will give you a free tour.

Me: Sure, why not.

So I walk with them into the Scientology center in Ybor City, Tampa.



Immediately they asked me to put my name down on the sign-in sheet. I signed a fake name, of course. She began by walking me through their lavishly decorated facility that used to be a historic cigar factory. She showed me study rooms, media rooms, sleeping quarters, laundry, etc. As if I was going to rent a room there? We walked down the end of a hall and into a small theater where she said our tour was going to officially begin.

She put a DVD on and it was projected onto a large screen about 15 feet away from my recliner. Still buzzed, I sat and watched their propaganda film. It started with a somewhat famous but not so well known actor named Michael Fairman. He introduces this propaganda piece by telling a story about where he first met LRH.

He started by saying that as a wee lad in his early 20s he worked at a shipyard in NYC I think. One day he was unloading cargo and slipped and fell on the wrong side of a crowbar, the crowbar somehow pierced his flesh and penetrated his calf. He was incapacitated and taken to the hospital where doctors reluctantly informed him that his wound had succumbed to a gangrenous infection and that it was very likely that he would lose his leg.

A day later as he was still in his hospital bed, writhing in pain and trying to rationalize what his life would be like without a leg, when in came a visitor. This man was no doctor but was dressed like a salesmen, in a nice suit with a tie and cap. This man he says, was L Ron Hubbard.

Hubbard handed him a copy of Dianetics and explained to him that the mainstream medical profession has an invested interest in keeping people incapacitated. He told Mr. Fairman that there were alternative methods of treatment and that he could probably save his leg.

According to Fairman, after Hubbard explained his theories of MEST and the idea of Thetans, he proceeded to do a sort of laying of the hands spiritual healing where he placed his hands on the wounded leg and began 'channeling' mental energy through to eradicate the infection.

And according to Fairman, several days later his doctors announced that his infection had receded and that he would no longer need amputation.

In exchange for his leg, Fairman offered Hubbard his services and was henceforth a member of Scientology.

The video goes on to show reenacted scenes of Hubbard giving lectures in the 50s, with actual audio from Hubbard but the actor that played Hubbard never showed his face to the camera (creepy).

She asked me what I thought of the film. To which I replied "I don't think 15 minutes is enough time to give a comprehensive back story on the history of LRH & Scientology. In fact (I continued) it would be naive of me to believe that I could get a clear picture of your organization from only a 15 minute film reel."

Female: Well we aren't finished yet. Are you familiar with auditing?

Me: I've never been audited but I know the basic concept. By the way are you aware that all of your auditing sessions are recorded? Are you aware that by divulging all of your personal thoughts and secrets you are giving power to an institution that will use your own words and experiences against you should you decide to leave?"

She brushed off that question and proceeded to explain to me how the e-meter works.

I interjected: Actually, you may not know this but the e-meter is an overly sophisticated lie detector. It's basically a polygraph with a bunch of bells and whistles, a psuedoscientific knock-off of a biofeedback device.

Female: The e-meter is our patented technology that measures your Thetan levels. It helps us determine the appropriate route for treatment.

Me: What if I don't need treatment?

Female: Nobody is perfect! Everybody can benefit from this technology.

She handed me the receiver, a cylindrical metal rod protruding from the device connected by a cable. Immediately upon handling the object, the meter began to flicker. It was pressure sensitive! If I let me hand go numb the meter wouldn't move, if I flexed the meter would jump. This is hardly scientific, I thought. The only people dumb enough to believe that this device can accurately measure your emotional responses are people who have no background in basic Science.

Female: Now just try and relax and I am going to ask you some questions, try not to think about your responses and just answer the questions as the thoughts come to you in the moment.

Now think about that for a second, they don't want me to think about my responses. They just want me to respond with the first things that pop in my head. It didn't take long for me to realize that their auditing technology was a way to exploit people's lack of mindfulness. Mindful Meditation is an ancient technique that involves engaging your prefrontal cortex in a concentrated effort to observe your thought patterns, without making any emotional responses. The technique is taught to people in order to strengthen their concentration and to settle into their middle way of their mind.

The details escape me at the moment, as I cannot recall just what questions she asked me. I remember they were really basic, the kinds of things that show up on their personality tests (conveniently littered all along 7th Ave).

I'll continue this story in another post...

She asked me things like:

Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower? Are you the type of person to stand up for the oppressed? Have you ever committed any crimes? Do you believe that there is more to life than what you have been taught in schools?

All of which were yes or no questions. And all of which I lied.

After our sessions she plotted my results into a computer and printed my analysis on a sheet of paper and handed it to me.

Female: So it looks like you're a a pretty decent and honest person, but deep down you have some serious emotional issues. Perhaps you are having problems with your love life?

Me: You know it's really interesting that you would say that because I lied my way through your entire exam.

Female: Impossible, the meter would have indicated this.

Me: No it's quite possible, you see I was BORN clear. Don't believe me?

Female: How is it that you are so familiar with our concepts and beliefs?

Me: I already told you, I've known many who have fallen victim to your organization. You are not the first person to waste their time and effort trying to persuade me. In fact I've turned debunking your technology into a sort of hobby.

Female: Nobody is born clear. Not even our great leader.

Me: Your great leader also preaches about living a clean, drug free, monogamous lifestyle while he had admittedly been taking a combination of valium & speed pills on a daily basis and despite having published several books on healthy relationships has he himself been divorced three times.

Female: Where did you hear this?

Me: From a source other than the Church. If you were doing a biography on somebody say for example you had to do a biography on Hitler for a school report, would you base your entire presentation on data obtained from Mein Kompf or would you branch out and try to gather data from other sides of the fence?

Female: I don't poison myself with any data from any source that hasn't been independently endorsed by the church.

Me: Of course not sweetie, why would you? Tell you what. I'll take this analysis and look it over and I want YOU to look up Aleister Crowley in your free time.

Female: Why would I do that?

Me: Well you should be aware that when LRH was alive he gave a recommended reading list to church members that included the Master Therion, by Crowley.

In December 1953, Hubbard recorded a series of audio lectures in which he connects Crowleyite magical rituals and the practice of Scientology.[23] Hubbard explains the use of Tarot,[24] and discusses "the magic cults" of the 8th-12th centuries. He recommends The Master Therion as "the only modern work that has anything to do with them". He describes the book's author, Aleister Crowley, as "my very good friend," though there is some question about his intent in this remark because Hubbard never met Crowley personally.[25] Hubbard also explains that Crowley "signs himself "The Beast"; "The Mark of the Beast, 666."" [26]

en.wikipedia.org...

At this point the look on her face was disturbing. She seemed shocked, but noticeably trying to contain herself.

Me: LRH made a bet with Anton LaVey after Crowley died. They made a bet to see who would be the first to make a million dollars off of their new religion.

By now I was on my way out. She didn't ask me to leave (because technically she can't) but she seemed somewhat relieved that I was leaving.

On my way out I said: Don't forget to look up Crowley!

I saw her whispering something to the desk clerk, who then grabbed the sign in sheet to scan it for my name. I signed my name Timothy Leary (not my real name). They didn't seem to notice.

Occasionally thereafter I would see her and her companion on the streets in Ybor. They were desperate to avoid eye contact with me. Clearly I was now a suppressive person to them.

So that's my story. I've got tons more but only so much time, so... There you go.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Thanks for posting your experience.

I'm in the UK. Scientlolgy is mostly shunned here and isn't recognised as a religion. I have had 1 run in with them and it involved them knocking on my door.

I asked them which religion they were touting. They guy said Scientology. I told him it's not a religion here and he started to get irate saying that the government is trying to suppress the truth.

Well, after I wiped away the tears from laughing, I asked him if he ever heard of AC. He hadn't. I did the same as you and told him to look him and his ideas up. I got told I was a liar and I just wanted to pervert his mind.

After about 5 minutes of him leaving there's another knock at my door. This time it was a female. She said the same thing about Scientology and me perverting the truth. I just closed the door.

Now, I've had JWs at my door who want me to read pamphlets. I've had lectures on the street about how I should convert to Christianity to save my soul. NOBODY, and I mean nobody, was as rude, ignorant and self defensive as those scientologists.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

So people who end up in prison are morally inferior... where have we heard this argument before? I would explain but its better in the original German form. Nazi ideology when translated loses something.

S&F thanks for thread, nice presentation of the article. Unfortunate how the very powerful occult is used and abused by groups such as these.

a reply to: TerryDon79

I had another experience prior to that one that is worth sharing.

I was walking through Centro Ybor from 8th Ave and as I was walking along the side of the Cantina bar I saw a young man in his 20s with a stoic look on his face walking the same direction as me but on the other side of the bar.

When I came up to 7th Ave from the left side of the bar, the gentlemen came up from the right. We met in the middle on 7th and he approached me and asked:

Do you know how to get to (some fancy restaurant that I knew was on the other side of town)?

Me: Ugh, yea but it's no where near here.

Him: Oh well, ok. Hey do you want to take a free personality test? (his face expressionless)

Me: LOL you're a Scientologist?

Him: Yea. How'd you know?

Me: I'm familiar with your 'personality' tests.

Him: Have you ever taken one?

Me: Are you familiar with Aleister Crowley?

Him: Sounds familiar, who is he?

Me: He was a famous Occultist from the end of the 19th Century.

Him: So why is he important?

Me: Because LRH claimed to be a personal friend of Crowley's (though they had never met). Were you aware that LRH founded the church of Scientology on December 1st 1947, the same day that Crowley died?

Him: No I wasn't...

Me: You really ought to look into that a bit deeper.

At this point his eyes were popping out of his head. He never expected to get schooled by a stranger on the street. I walked away feeling like I had done some good for this young man.

And to think, he really thought that bait & switch tactic would work... Sadly it probably has worked on others.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

It sounds like you have had more than a little experience dealing with these people and this cult.

so they can brain wash people in jail?

do trolls just go after Every thing?

If you've got 2 hours to spare and you want to hear a lengthy tale about Scientology's 'donations' policies from an ex-parishoner at the celebrity center, here you go:

a reply to: Aristotelian1

So your argument is that I don't have an argument.

originally posted by: ColdWisdom
a reply to: TerryDon79


Me: Because LRH claimed to be a personal friend of Crowley's (though they had never met). Were you aware that LRH founded the church of Scientology on December 1st 1947, the same day that Crowley died?

Him: No I wasn't...

Me: You really ought to look into that a bit deeper.

At this point his eyes were popping out of his head. He never expected to get schooled by a stranger on the street. I walked away feeling like I had done some good for this young man.

And to think, he really thought that bait & switch tactic would work... Sadly it probably has worked on others.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

I'm not sure what I like about your story more, your savant like photographic memory or that Scientology was founded in 1947.

Google says 1953 was when it was actually created. Dianetics wasn't even published until 1950.

originally posted by: SpecialSauce
a reply to: ColdWisdom

I'm not sure what I like about your story more, your savant like photographic memory or that Scientology was founded in 1947.

Google says 1953 was when it was actually created. Dianetics wasn't even published until 1950.

Which has what do do with what he said?

a reply to: TerryDon79

He's a trolling liar. So are you.

Scientology was conceived years before Dianetics was published. This has been confirmed by LRH's children.

originally posted by: SpecialSauce
a reply to: TerryDon79

He's a trolling liar.

Ok mr scientologist. Care to prove it? Or is this going to be another one of your claims that can't be backed up?

a reply to: TerryDon79

en.m.wikipedia.org...
Proof

a reply to: SpecialSauce

I counter with this:

www.wanttoknow.info...

1946

Psychiatrist Lewis J. Fielding joins the Veteran's Administration (VA) in Los Angeles as staff psychiatrist and instructor in clinical psychiatry. When Fielding joins the VA, and intermittently over the next several years, Dianetics and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard is living in and around L.A., doing Dianetic research. He has opened an office in Hollywood, California, and is delivering Dianetic processing to people. When there, he is associated with the Los Angeles Veteran's Administration.

Too easy...

originally posted by: SpecialSauce
a reply to: TerryDon79

en.m.wikipedia.org...
Proof

How does that link prove that we were lying?

a reply to: TerryDon79

I think he's fixated on the date of Dec 1 1947. Although, I'm impressed that he actually read that post.