Scientology and Freedom of Speech
Why is Scientology so Afraid of the Internet?
I want to admit up front that I am a critic of Scientology. I became one after much thought and study. I also want to make clear I don't hate any one member of Scientology. I do however have problems with the actions of Scientology.
Ever since Scientology was created by L Ron Hubbard, a 1950s science fiction writer, the organization has done everything it can to stop any type of criticism. Scientology has a policy to "always attack, never defend."
No so-called "church" has filed as many lawsuits to prevent people from reading its scriptures. That bears repeating here. Not only do they enforce church rules that prevent open internal discussion, but have sued non-Scientologists for distributing their copyrighted scriptures, and threatened to sue others for commenting on the writings.
This group claims to defend human and civil rights. Yet they spend millions of dollars of their "fixed donations" every year to stop those who would dare to speak out against their abusive policies and practices.
Protest against Scientology and you may find them outside your home passing out fliers saying you are a religious bigot. They will inform your neighbors that you may be a child molester. Your child may come home from school one day and tell you they were saying the same thing outside his or her school.
Scientology has spent over fifty years walking over critics and the press. They acted like no one and nothing could stop them. Then they took aim at the Internet.
And hit a brick wall.
It started out with Scientology scaring Internet providers into taking down critical web sites using a law meant to protect copyrights. Then it got nasty, when Scientology abused the law to raid the homes of Dennis Erlich, Arnie Lerma, and Bob Penny, confiscating their computers and other items while performing personal reconnaissance in every room.
They were wrong, but that didn't stop them; their litigious actions are based in a doctrine that says the purpose of the lawsuit is to harass, not to win. The idea is to beat their opponent down with excessive litigation, personal attacks, having a private investigator comb through their trash, etc.
However, Scientology doesn't know how to handle the Internet. The organization is constricted by rules made up by Hubbard that, according to doctrine, can never change. There was no Internet in the 1950s. While Hubbard wrote policies for everything from brushing your teeth to preparing baby formula, there are no writings on how to deal with the 'net.
Early attempts to control critical speech about Scientology included an effort to flood newsgroups with 'theta' or positive messages about Scientology in an effort to drown out any negativity. There were also floods of nonsense messages called "sporgeries" that were altered to look like they came from critical posters.
There was even an rmgroup command issued from a Scientology lawyer to attempt to completely remove the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology.
The result: Thousands of new web sites teaching millions of new people about the cult of Scientology. Videos that would have never been seen under Scientology rule are posted every day, and re-posted if they are removed.
Still, newsgroups, message boards, etc., are spammed with hundreds of off topic posts everyday in order to dilute and stifle conversation, and make it impossible for any real discussion to take place.
Websites like Associated Content allow members of Scientology and critics both to post their thoughts and views. Yet Scientology still tries even there to stop open discourse.
They spam Associated Content for the same reason and will mass click off any voice that is not pro- Scientology. I have been called "insane," "a criminal," and have even been accused of being paid by some unknown source to post critical viewpoints.
Yet critical voices are still finding ways to be heard anyway.
If Scientology would listen, I would ask a question: Why do you fear people so much? Do you have so little faith in your beliefs that you feel people who disagree with you must be stopped? Are you so afraid your fancy house of cards will crumble when the truth comes out?
Sue me if you feel you must. I have faith in my stand. Sue the next guy. Sue a thousand of us. Sue a million. There will always be someone ready to take our places. There are six billion people in the world, and Scientology is not exactly beloved, or even legal, in more than a few countries.
But I would really like to know, Scientology: What are you so afraid of? Nobody seems to be afraid of you anymore.
And it's a shame that no Scientologist would likely ever read beyond my first sentence here.
Published by Jerald
I am just me. View profile
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49 Comments
Post a CommentJerrald, in your article you ask "But I would like to know, Scientology, what are you afraid of". I can answer that. LRH once wrote 'Never try to stop thruth : this is the only thing that can go through a 16-inch armor plate!" (Réf. LRH's The Volunteer Minister Handbook)
(Suite of the previous message) the last I will mention but certainly not the least, is LRH's affirmation that "Stats motivation" is the lowest possible motivation and his uncessant insistance that you judge one by his or her stats, that "Ethics protection" is granted to those who have rising or high stats. This is 100% compatible with his definition of God as the 8th dynamics and of "The buck" as the 9th dynamics, ABOVE GOD! (Ref : the Scientology and Dianetics dictionary. This does not appear in the 8 dynamics definition, which is accessible to publics.) Interresting for a "religon"! You pretend, Michael, about answering Jerald's writings, that "We don't have time to do that you know?" 100% FALSE!!! I could see, in Montréal, that there is an office (not displayed as a Scientology office and unknown to anyone who is not "inside" the org) staffed with people who do ONLY that! So please : stop lying. The thruth is that you simply cannot present sustainable objections to Jeral
Hi Jerald. And bravo for your frankness and your courage! I would like to tell Michael that no, I am not paid to write what follows, and that "Oh man, yo're full of sh**t! is not a valid argument in my view. I have been a Scientologist and I affirm that ont of LRH's writing, saying that anyone who comes in ARC* with Scientology has been influenced by SPs. I have been disgusted of Scientology by Scientology itself. Policies like "The FO bank IC shoots first then asks questions later", like "The fair game law", like "We deliver what we promise" followed by denials of FSM points, by "Ethics protection" of stafs and FSMs who have good stats EVEN AFTER THEIR STATS WERE PROVEN FALSIFIED!, by new staff who had an open mind to critics that could better ethics in the org (Montréal's) and were sent to the "school" I mention in my comment on the other article on Scientology and came back robotised, etc etc etc. Another thing, the last I wlil mention but certainly not the least, is LRH
EVERYONE READ PLEASE; In the Did You Know; I wrote that scientology taped all sessions. I was mistaken. They take notes instead. They will still use this info against you if you leave and speak out against them. I try very hard to check my work and in this case I was wrong about this part and I am sorry.
Just to make it clear P, I get my sources from both sides then take the time to check them out. Everything I have writen about here is public record. Most from court records and public hearings. In other words, independent sources. And you just can't get much better than court records and rulings.
Hi there P, I'm glad you posted. You are not going to like this but most of what I wrote about you can find on xenu.net or xenutv.com.
The child molester stuff can be seen on video at the Clearwater Hearings. Which is public record. I also confirmed it by looking at the records myself. I never go by just what a site says.
As for them not wanting you to see the writings. A quick google search on scienotlogy lawsuits will back that one up. They want you to see only what they wish you to see. Anything else they sue and most times lose. Like with the story in Time. Belive me I am not quick to judge. I take my time and get the facts right. However if you would like to show me where I am wrong here I would love to see it.
Hi Jerald, I recently read an article you said was invalid because the facts that they cited "came from scientology". I would like to know where the facts in your article came from. Did you just go to every anti-scientology website and condense it for the article? Where are these "facts" comming from? Where is it documented that Scientologists will call you a child molester? And if they try and ban the reading of their scriptures, how come you can buy all those books at any bookstore around the world? Please be sure to cite your sources. I would like to know where your information comes from seeing as you're so quick to judge the quality of information found in others' articles.
The 48 hours show was great. There is more at the web site. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml also you should be able to see it soon on xenutv.com in a few days. Everyone should see this.
The way you respond tells the readers what they need to know here Micheal. When faced with the facts you chose to attack instead of talk. And yet again you can't show me one thing on the piece here that is untrue. But I do wish you peace.
Oh man, yo're full of sh**! Forget me!