Past Regrets
In an attempt to better understand
Bill Ryan's behavior and motives, which still leave me feeling puzzled and uncertain, I have been pursuing
a line of investigation I had previously criticized: his involvement with Ron's Orgs.
I originally joined the chorus of those who thought doing so was irrelevant to the question of Serpo and an unnecessary ad hominem digression.
Now I know I was wrong to discourage research into this connection, and I apologize to those I criticized for doing so.
Since Bill's decision to fall silent at such a crucial moment for Serpo left me with so many questions, I decided to try to find out more about him
and have revisited some of what he's posted about himself.
Some of my concerns can be found in a post here:
Bill's
Org
However, that is literally only the tip of the iceberg.
Why Bill's Religion Matters
Despite my own run-ins with Scientology while working at an ISP during the '90s, I really knew little about it.
My interest in Scientology then revolved around the problems my company (and industry) faced in trying to deal with the technological aspects of rafts
of lawsuits against ourselves and some of our customers while the Church of Scientology was in a particularly litigious period of its sordid
history.
Having spent some time last night looking deeper into Scientology, Ron's Orgs and how that may all affect Bill's attitudes toward Serpo, I now see
what
Shawnna and others were trying to warn us about:
it matters.
How heavy into Ron's Orgs is Bill Ryan?
Apparently,
according to this, he became a member in 1987 and as
recently as last month was actively involved in at least one new UK chapter. In fact, I can't be sure, but based on what that link contains, I
suspect his recent travels in Switzerland may be related to Ron's Org activities.
So why should it matter if Bill is into
Dianetics and
Scientology?*
Because Scientology teaches that
alien spirits are the cause of our problems in this life.
A Test Of Faith
If Bill embraces this doctrine, as he appears to do, then this belief stands in direct opposition to his objectivity as a “messenger” regarding
extraterrestrial life.
Another way to look at this would be relying on Pat Robertson to be objective about the second coming of Jesus. It doesn't mean he can't be neutral,
but it sure makes it a lot more unlikely.
Again, to those against whom I originally sided with Bill on this matter: I'm sorry.
I was wrong.
This was and
is relevant to understanding Bill's motives, and his evasiveness about his beliefs seems to be only one suspicious pattern among
many.
Based on what I know now about what Bill apparently knows, I am now satisfied that Bill has indeed been deliberately deceptive toward us in
downplaying this, if nothing else.
Expecting us to make a leap of faith as Bill has makes more sense when we realize that he was always already there.
*NOTE: Dianetics and Scientology are at the heart of Ron's Orgs. They represent an organizational schism from the Church of Scientology, but practice
the same religion, analogous to Catholics and Protestants. Seen in this light,
Bill's quibbling regarding the importance of these beliefs and their
impact on his objectivity appear dishonest, and disappointing.