3 typical stages to leaving Scn

[Paul Adams]

Years later, I regret not giving him one final parting shot. I really wished I could have simply said, "You are in a cult. You don't know it yet, but you are in a cult." Leaving him with one simple statement like that would have been something that he would be able to remember and think about for years. I dunno know, but I like to think that it might have been a good thing to do, to give him something to think about. As it was, I don't think my agree to disagree approach did him any good. I lost contact with him and for all I know he is still in some form of Scientology or Hubbard worship. I hope not.

Around 1977 I had just read in some article -- maybe the John Birch magazine -- the characteristics of a cult. I remarked to a fellow SO member that I worked with, "Hey, we have all the characteristics of a cult!" I found it amusing and laughed. I don't recall the other guy's reaction. I didn't give it any deep thought at all after that "realization."

 

[Xenu Xenu Xenu]

Around 1977 I had just read in some article -- maybe the John Birch magazine -- the characteristics of a cult. I remarked to a fellow SO member that I worked with, "Hey, we have all the characteristics of a cult!" I found it amusing and laughed. I don't recall the other guy's reaction. I didn't give it any deep thought at all after that "realization."

Pretty much the same thing happened to me. It is funny how the signs were all there but meant absolutely nothing to me back then. Well, maybe not funny....

I also saw at times other Scientologists word clear the word, "cult", and not grok on it. Hubbard used to drone on and on about how you can't teach someone about tractors just from a book, about how you have to give them a real tractor to touch and play with and explore. Yet, here we were in a real cult, with real cult buildings, real cult policies, real cult leader worship, and a real cult leader -- and yet we couldn't connect the dictionary definition to our own real cult situation. So much for "study tech". So much for "mass vs significance".

In the end though, all of us know why we just couldn't figure it out at the time. It's that old black magic known as cognitive dissonance and the fact that successful cult leaders work very hard at making a better mouse trap with lots of shiny lights, sticky glue, locked doors, and endless labyrinths to prevent exits.

 

[Enthetan]

I tried to tell them what a scam it all was and he very calmly and reasonably told me that he thought it was more about the people running the organization, meaning Miscavage. Yup, the usual answer. I finished my coffee and said my goodbye to him.

A response would have been "And what does that tell you about the infallibility of the Tech used to screen out Suppressives? Here you have Miscavige, who you consider a bad egg. He worked literally under LRH's nose for years? And LRH did not notice anything wrong about him?"

I had a similar conversation, back in the 80's, with an OSA guy who was gushing about how the new Sec Checker tech was going to smoke out all the SP's. David Mayo had recently been declared. I turned to the guy and said "David Mayo worked directly under LRH for years. Are you telling me you will do a better job than LRH?"

 

[Someone Else]

For me, even though I basically got unglued in one fall swoop, before that, there were other things that had to prepare me for that to have had to work (I believe).

0. Witnessing gross out-tech and non-standard practices all over the place and nothing was ever done about it.
1. Seeing OT VIIIs act like unethical pieces of shit (and get away with it).
2. Realizing that the PTS/SP tech was probably bunk.
3. Got tired of vilifying gay people as being 1.1, because I knew they weren't.
4. Got tired of blaming myself/beating myself up for having normal and/or critical thoughts.
6. The "Golden Age of Tech" re-issuing all the books and making us pay for everything all over again (major doubts on DM).
5 (Finally-the one fall swoop thing) finding out Hubbard was a lying con artist and probably a sociopath/realizing I'd been duped.

 

[Voodoo]

1. Thinks management is the problem.

2. Doubts about "tech" (and sometimes Hubbard) appear.

3. Realizes that the good in Scientology consists mostly of good people & some common sense ideas, and realizes the bad in Scientology exploits the good people and ideas , which creates the abusive and amoral subject and organization of Scientology.

What do we do with someone at step 1? How tolerant should we be?

Veda, that is an excellent description of the progressive stages of leaving Scientology. I've witnessed it in others and myself, and believe it to be quite accurate.

In answer to your question, I believe it's better to extend copious amounts of tolerance (and understanding) to those who have at least planted their feet at Step 1 of the re-awakening process. To do otherwise is to create an instant ridge in the newly escaped person, who, as you correctly observe, still believes in Hubbard and the tech.

Forcing viewpoints that fundamentally conflict with such a person's current level of awareness, only further cements them into their long held beliefs in Scientology, and may alienate them from the broader ex-Scn community.

That actually happened to me when I first resigned from the church. When I was confronted with the hardened skepticism of non-believing exes, I was shocked and repulsed. I ran as far away as I could from such people, and it caused my progression out of the brainwashing to take years longer than it might have taken, otherwise.

I was literally terrified of the ex-Scn community for a very long time because of the harshness of their anti-Scn viewpoints.

Obviously, we must tell the truth as we see it, but it can be done with gentle and caring touch, which would encourage the newly escaped to actually reach for more information.

Great question. Thanks for asking it!