Scientology Cruise Ship as Prison

[celestial]

Just found another article about a woman who claims to have been detained against her will by the COS. When I learned about this phenomenon in that thread a month or so ago, I was so shocked I found it hard to believe. I'm convinced it's true now, though.

 

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninsca ... ewinds.php

[Alecto]

She's not the first, sadly.

[supernova8610]

What's sad is that this doesn't surprise me in the least. :(

[tankgirl]

Having dealt with several Scientologists myself nothing surprises me at all. We caught quite a few glimpses into the crazy, including forced with losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, people forced to stay at other complexes for very extended periods of times, even when one person developed cancer.

Scientologists are the brand of fundie crazy I know the most first or second hand about.

I swear I can spell, really.

[Soldier of the One]

I just don't get the appeal. Why on earth do people join Scientology in the first place, even before all the crazy unfolds?

[tankgirl]

To belong like most religions. Also I find a lot of scientific or even those people who are interested in maths and sciences, can be drawn in because they allow them to love these things, unlike some religions that condone science. It is a weird and slippery slope. I didn't know the people I knew pre-Scientology, but watched one of their kids a friend of mine wrestle with his beliefs and scientology. I think the best thing that happened to that family, is they are too "poor" to move up into the serious crazy. For that you had to go to the other family we knew, who had the bank roll, and probably met Tom Cruise, they were getting up that ladder of sheer bat shit nuts. Seriously the more money you have the crazier this crap gets, for those without the bank roll, it can be an easy religion to follow, which can also get others sucked in.

[mirele]

To belong like most religions. Also I find a lot of scientific or even those people who are interested in maths and sciences, can be drawn in because they allow them to love these things, unlike some religions that condone science. It is a weird and slippery slope. I didn't know the people I knew pre-Scientology, but watched one of their kids a friend of mine wrestle with his beliefs and scientology. I think the best thing that happened to that family, is they are too "poor" to move up into the serious crazy. For that you had to go to the other family we knew, who had the bank roll, and probably met Tom Cruise, they were getting up that ladder of sheer bat shit nuts. Seriously the more money you have the crazier this crap gets, for those without the bank roll, it can be an easy religion to follow, which can also get others sucked in.

It's not as easy anymore, because Scientology, unlike other religions, doesn't just want your ten percent. First you have to pay for everything. There is no free in Scientology, that would be "out-exchange" (which is bad). So all the courses, all the auditing, etc., cost money. A LOT of money.

In addition to shaking you down for the courses, Scientology has all these different projects you need to give money to. It's called regging. Oh, the Super Power building needs to be completed. Basic Books sets need to be given to libraries and friends. The International Association of Scientologists (IAS) needs your money to fight off the ebil suppressive persons (like ME!). And the church is "expanding everywhere" (which is utter and complete bullshit), and that requires purchasing and renovating buildings for new Ideal Orgs, also called "Idle Orgs" due to the lack of people in them. Thing is, the regging has gotten so bad that even when you go in for services, you know, stuff you've paid for already, you're being hit up for donations by your auditor and so on and so forth. People are bailing official Scientology for greener (cheaper) pastures as a result.

The St. Petersburg Times has been working on a long series of stories since 2009, and just two weeks ago did several stories on Scientology fundraising: http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/ The articles and videos are well worth watching, except if you're a preacher. It might give you bad ideas on how to shake down your members.

Also, Marty Rathbun is a former high-ranking Scientologist who still believes in the "tech." He is a significant annoyance to Scientology and his blog can make for some interesting reading. Here's a post about raising money for the Orange County (California) Idle Org: http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/1 ... the-story/ (it follows up on one of the interviews in the SP Times articles). And here's a post about the "Basics Books" scam: http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/1 ... k-con-dox/ Marty's blog and the comments can be extremely jargon-laden (after 15+ years still some stuff sails over my head) but the general level of outrage should be apparent.

[tankgirl]

Oh trust me, we saw the money grubbing, with the more well off family, the other seemed less involved with the church, lived farther from one of the big buildings, got involved in the 80's, had only minor current involvement, but we still know money was going out, and your right, it is nothing close to 10%. The other family was hard to compare, because one of the kids was active in some high up stuff, they constantly gave, money flowed into the churches hands regularly. We did see some desperation with them as the one got very ill, the Church wanted more and more, it was hurting their business badly, his sickness and the hemorrhaging of money to the church almost closed shop. I think the expectation was the church saw $$$$$$$ with the one family and steady $$ with the other. I am sure they pushed, but never so far as to break the "poorer" less envolved family. The other they almost snapped in half, and we believe could have been tied to things going really bad for one, including his death, from a illness, treated first by the church instead of a real Doctor.

I am not trying to be to vague on purpose, but since this involves a old company my husband worked for, I tend to be a let careful, cause I know they could possibly cause issues for him.

[SamuraiKatz]

Tried to read some of Marty Rathbun's blog. All the jargon and weirdness made it about as appealing as The Book of Mormon...My brain is confused and hurting...

[Soldier of the One]

The money-grubbing and the weirdness of it all makes me understand the appeal of the Church of Scientology even less! What benefits do its adherents claim? It just seems so... 'out there' and clearly profit oriented.

[Brainsample]

What a club to be a part of -- the cult exit community. I will likely never cease to be amazed at how similar the mind job is, whether you are a Scientologist or a survivor of an aberrant Christian group.

I had just exited my "Bible-based cult" in Maryland in the late '90s, and I walked around like a lost child, just brokenhearted and empty. I worked at a hospice home health agency at the time, and we were pretty small and everyone knew one another fairly well. Our director asked me what was going on with me, and I flat out told him because I guess I lacked the energy to come up with something else to say. I'd just realized that the church that I thought was a church for a good three years, anyway, turned out to be a cult. I was devastated.

He looked me square in the eye and said. "I used to live in Clearwater." At that point, I only had a rough idea of what went on in Scientology, but it was more about the doctrine than about their behavior. We had a very interesting discussion, and it was one of those terrifying healing moments because he really, really understood what I was going through and was so affirming and compassionate (and he was perfectly appropriate about it, too). He and his wife had several friends that were culled into the group while they lived there and had other friends that struggled against the built in system in that city.

I understood by then that all cults, whether Christian or not, operated by way of the same dynamics. The unwritten rules are all the same, whether you are a Gothardite, a Botkin devotee or a Moonie. He was the first person that I spoke with that had a perspective concerning a group that was not a funky Christian one, and it was one of those defining moments for me.

I'm so glad that this woman and her husband were able to get off the Scientology boat and away from the mess. I'm encouraged by her courage to stand up to these crazy people and their 5 million year contracts or whatever they are. I hope she keeps on shouting about matters for as long as she can and as long as people will listen.

[baristachica]

My dad was into Scientology before I was born. My mom got into it a little bit because she had a crush on him, but she said it scared her. I guess she knew it was weird. Anyway, he was about to head off to California with a friend for one of their "projects" before his dad helped him get hired at GM. I'm not sure of the details of the situation or how my dad got out entirely, but I don't doubt the stuff that comes out about Scientology one bit.

All in all it's pretty weird, and I can't remember why my dad was into it in the first place. I think what appealed to him was the supposed "intelligence" required to go up the ranks? Argh...it's been a while since I've talked to him about it. He is STILL affected by it though.

[Knight of Ni]

Charles Manson at one time decided to study Scientology. After some studying he decided that it was too crazy. :shock: You would think that would tell people something.