Sea Org: Scientology's Private Army

"...Therefore, I commit myself to the Sea Organization for the next billion years." These words appear on a contract that must be signed by anyone who joins the Sea Org, the infamous private army started by L. Ron Hubbard in order to help protect the interests of the CoS. The Sea Org is the common Scientologist's version of the Guardian's Office, which made earned the attention of the FBI after being caught carrying out Operation Snow White (if you are not familiar with this, I have written an article on the matter).

For members of Sea Org, training begins on cruise ships conveniently creating an aqueous barrier between the new recruits and anyone with both the authority and the desire to stop any mistreatment of them. In the Sea Org, rules are strict and punishments are harsh. Order, cleanliness, and discipline are valued highly and a lack of these qualities may result in even the most decorated member being assigned janitorial duties. Emphasis on discipline is a wonderful way to prepare soldiers for combat so that they have a good chance of coming out of any situation alive. It is an even better way to mentally enslave cult members.

So sinister is the Sea Org that it managed to earn an entire chapter in Paulette Cooper's book, "The Scam of Scientology", which is freely available to the public at clambake.org. In this chapter, Cooper wrote that Greece ordered some Sea Org ships to leave, saying only that they were "undesirable." According to Cooper, children as young as eight had been seen being forced to "walk the plank." Because no criminal charges were filed, I can only assume that someone was on hand to ensure that these children did not drown, however, the cruelty and inhumanity of any group that commits such atrocities still stands.

Even more disturbing, Cooper writes of a letter sent from a girl who joined Sea Org to her boyfriend. In the letter, the girl--Linda Hicks--confessed that she wished Oscar--her boyfriend--had forced her to stay. She claimed that she had been hypnotized while on the ship (this is not the only time that the CoS has been accused of employing hypnosis) and had been forced to marry another Scientologist. The letter was printed in the News of the World and soon Linda's father, accompanied by a reporter, came before the Sea Org and demanded to see his daughter. The Sea Org refused and told the media that the marriage had been completely consensual and that Linda had left the ship and fled, fearing that her father would send her to psychiatrists who would administer shock therapy.

Of course, some people are born into the Sea Org. On xenutv.com, there is an interview of Zoe Woodcraft, who joined the Sea Org at the age of two. In the interview, Zoe describes a ranch in which she was raised. The place had a deplorably low standard of living--at one point, Zoe and some other girls were hidden so that a health inspector would not discover that they had more children at the ranch than the law allowed--and very few adults were present. The same disciplinary principles were applied at the ranch as were employed on the Sea Org ships. Living quarters were expected to be spotless and devoid of personality, children were expected to take on all the responsibilities of an adult, and the children could only sea their parents for a few hours a week.

So what do Sea Org members actually do once they have passed their training? Sea Org acts as the CoS's private army and does everything from taking out the trash--just watch Shawn Lonsdale's videos--to murdering suppressive persons, or "SP's." In one order from L. Ron Hubbard, it was stated that any Sea Org members that came into contact with any of a number of suppressive persons he had listed earlier in the order were to use "auditing process R2-45." To explain the "process", Steward Lamont, a journalist who specializes in religion, said that "in plain language, it means that someone can be released from their body by shooting them with a colt '45." Zoe also told a journalist working for XenuTV that she had been charged with watching over people who were suspected of wanting to leave the CoS and restraining them if they did try to get away.

Once again, I must remind the reader of why all this is done. Upon even the most mild scrutiny, it is undeniable that the whole point of Scientology is to make money. Why else would Hubbard declare that he had the key to salvation and then charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for it? Why else would Scientology attempt to silence anyone who raised their voice against them? Why else would the CoS sweep the deaths of most of their members under the rug without even the most pathetic excuse for a ceremony? Why else would the Sea Org even exist?