Contrasting Religions and Cults

As anyone who has even glanced at my CP page will notice, I have been doing a great deal of research into the Church of Scientology. Recently, I started seeing some aspects of my own religious life differently. This is not to say that at any time I thought to myself that what I was going through at the moment was brainwashing or anything else of the sort; it is part of my nature to look at the world through multiple perspectives and it is not uncommon for one of these persectives to be critical of my own beliefs. I always have doubts, but I am never consumed by them.

A couple days ago, I sat down and decided to deal with these natural but no less troublesome thoughts. I asked myself if the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is in any way dismissable. The answer was no. I asked myself if it is dismissable that the Bible has been consistently proven coreect. The answer was no. I asked myself if the historical evidence of God (Emperor Constantine, Joan d' Arc, etc...) was in any way dismissable. The answer was no. I asked myself if Einstein's belief that the universe must have an intelligent Creator was trustworthy. The answer was yes.

I was now sure that my faith in God had not been shaken, despite the skeptical voice that arose every time I witnessed a form of worship. Later, I went over the methods of brainwashing employed by the Church of $cientology, slowly counting off every aspect of the cult. When I finished I was astonished that so many people can attribute the many qualities of a cult to normal religions. I remembered those individuals who have suggested that a world full of atheists would be world without evil. I recalled also, a line from the Ender's Shadow series in which Grant told Peter Wiggin that the International Fleet had not trusted him until Achilles came along and showed them all what a real tryant looks like. Allow me now to demonstrate what a real threat to humanity and liberty looks like.

A real cult requires, first and foremost, the brainwashing of its members. Songs of worship, the words of a skilled pastor, even confessions are not brainwashing. All of these things may influence the thoughts and emotions of the participants but the same can be said of any advertisement, documentary, or speech. Brainwashing requires that all other influences are removed during the process, which takes days at the very least. The subject must be kept in a controlled environment while someone works their way into the mind of the subject. The subject must be made to participate to some extent and must be put down emotionally.

If this still sounds like the practices of a normal church, mosque, or synagogue, consider the exact procedure used in Scientology. The traditional method of brainwashing in the Co$ is called "auditing." During auditing, the auditor will ask the subject about their troubles, their emotions, their thoughts, and their life in general. The subject will be asked to describe a certain event several times as the auditors drills away at their mental defenses. The auditor will ask as many personal questions as they see fit and there will be no interruption. The auditor is in complete control of the session and it will not end until the auditor decides it is time.

Any Scientologist will tell you that they are free to say anything in an auditing session but the truth is that they must discuss and answer questions in a way that favors the Scientologist perspective. This is not a written policy or rule, but the consequences of answering questions in a skeptical way are part of Scientology's policies. A scientologist who shows signs of skepticism will be sent to Ethics, where they will be brainwashed even further and placed under the complete control of the Co$. Of course there is also the psychological pressure of knowing how you are expected to behave and how you are expected to feel. The end result is that even someone on the verge of escape must enter into the Scientology mindset.

Scientology also has what are called "sec checks" in which the Scientologist (who has shown signs of being more aware of what is actually going on) is asked a series of questions. As during other auditing sessions, the subject will be hooked up to a device called an "e-metr" which reads their emotions and determines if they are lying. Somewhat less like a normal auditing session, the subject will be asked an endless series of yes or no questions designed to dig up any past crimes and see whether or not the subject is turning against the cult. I once tried to take a sec check that had been posted on enturbulation.org. I tried to answer all the questions with jokes and smart-alleck comments but by the time I gave up on it, I felt like someone was using my brain to make scrambled eggs.

In a real church, the churchgoer will generally not be targetted by the staff members unless they choose to go to them for help. In a real church, the minister or fellow believer does not assume a role of unquestionable authority, with the participant assuming the role of a lowly commoner deserving of any ridicule or punishment. In a real church, there is no controlled environment.

In Scientology, all services require payments, including those that are required to attain salvation. All "holy texts" are copyrighted, allowing the Co$ to control how much a Scientologist knows about what they are told they believe. Scientologists have specific courses that must be taken, which include how they are to deal with critics and concerned citizens.

How many real churches will charge a single cent for their services? How many churches have specific policies on how they are to act, leaving no room for debate or dissension? How many real churches can be truthfully accused of being threats to society?