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Scientology Exposé from the St Petersburg Times

ddt said:
Here's a link to the actual article (part one).

Quickly skimming the article, it doesn't give much new info, or am I mistaken?
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I have not been keeping up with the Church of Scamology recently so there was some new info for me.

One piece of good news from the article:
Rathbun says the leader's mistreatment of staff has driven away managers and paralyzed those who stay. "It's becoming chaos because ... there's no form of organization. Nobody's respected because he's constantly denigrating and beating on people.''
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Maybe the organization will implode.
 
Four of the highest ranking Scientologists speaking out

St. Petersburg Times has an amazing news account from executives who were key figures in Scientology's powerful inner circle. They include Mike Rinder, Marty Rathbun, Tom De Vocht and Amy Scobee. I'm only posting a quick summary, but the lenthly article is worth reading the full thing. One even admits to destroying evidence surrounding Lisa McPherson's death.

Scientology: The Truth Rundown, Part 1 of 3 in a special report on the Church of Scientology
By Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin, Times Staff Writers
St. Petersburg Times
Posted: Jun 21, 2009 01:06 AM

The leader of the Church of Scientology strode into the room with a boom box and an announcement: Time for a game of musical chairs.

David Miscavige had kept more than 30 members of his church's executive staff cooped up for weeks in a small office building outside Los Angeles, not letting them leave except to grab a shower. They slept on the floor, their food carted in.
...
Now they provide an unprecedented look inside the upper reaches of the tightly controlled organization. They reveal:

• Physical violence permeated Scientology's international management team. Miscavige set the tone, routinely attacking his lieutenants. Rinder says the leader attacked him some 50 times.

Rathbun, Rinder and De Vocht admit that they, too, attacked their colleagues, to demonstrate loyalty to Miscavige and prove their mettle.

• Staffers are disciplined and controlled by a multi*layered system of "ecclesiastical justice.'' It includes publicly confessing sins and crimes to a group of peers, being ordered to jump into a pool fully clothed, facing embarrassing "security checks'' or, worse, being isolated as a "suppressive person.''

At the pinnacle of the hierarchy, Miscavige commands such power that managers follow his orders, however bizarre, with lemming-like obedience.

• Church staffers covered up how they botched the care of Lisa McPherson, a Scientologist who died after they held her 17 days in isolation at Clearwater's Fort Harrison Hotel.

Rathbun, who Miscavige put in charge of dealing with the fallout from the case, admits that he ordered the destruction of incriminating evidence. He and others also reveal that Miscavige made an embarrassing miscalculation on McPherson's Scientology counseling.

• With Miscavige calling the shots and Rathbun among those at his side, the church muscled the IRS into granting Scientology tax-exempt status. Offering fresh perspective on one of the church's crowning moments, Rathbun details an extraordinary campaign of public pressure backed by thousands of lawsuits.

• To prop up revenues, Miscavige has turned to long-time parishioners, urging them to buy material that the church markets as must-have, improved sacred scripture.

Church officials deny the accusations. Miscavige never hit a single church staffer, not once, they said.

On May 13, the Times asked to interview Miscavige, in person or by phone, and renewed the request repeatedly the past five weeks. Church officials said Miscavige's schedule would not permit an interview before July.

At 5:50 p.m. Saturday, Miscavige e-mailed the Times to protest the newspaper's decision to publish instead of waiting until he was available. His letter said he would produce information "annihilating the credibility'' of the defectors. Beloved by millions of Scientologists, church spokesmen say, Miscavige has guided the church through a quarter-century of growth.
...
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Full article: St. Petersburg Times
 
I have not posted enough to be allowed to post links here.

But in the article referred to, scroll down and click on Truth Rundown and you should see the full article.
It is only part one...more is coming.

And there is actual audio of Tommy Davis, spokesperson for scientology (and son of actor Anne Archer). The guy sounds nuts. Again, I can't link, but it on the St. Petersburg site. Just reading it won't give you the same feel.

There is also a written response from David Miscavige, leader of scientology.

Here at JREF, this may seem like same old same old.

But all the scientology critics blogs and websites are going nuts over this. They are saying this the biggest thing since Operation Snow White (google it) in the late 1970's when scientology was caught infiltrating the IRS and several members went to jail, including L Ron Hubbard's wife, Mary Sue Hubbard. The things mentioned in this article were known to critics, but is now being covered in a major newspaper, and 2 highest level ex-scientologists are speaking about it.

This may be something to watch. Although it may not affect your lives too much, I live in L.A., and scientology DOES affect things out this way.
 
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My personal opinion is that there needs to be a MAJOR federal criminal investigation here and major prosecutions. I would not be surprised in the slightest to find murder being one of the charges leveled.

I would also like to see security clearances for CS members revoked immediately.
 
I'm glad to see these ex-church members speaking out, and the St. Petersburg Times running the article, but I must say I'm a bit disappointed. As far as I can tell there's no criticism of the foundations of Hubbard/Dianetics/Scientology--only that Miscavige is effing it up. (Maybe they'll get to the foundations more in tomorrow's installment which addresses Lisa McPheson's death.)

Anyone see the Ted Koppel/Nightline TV interview with Miscavige? It was excellent, and I think the last time DM has done an interview--at least a video interview. There are a couple questions I'd love to see a church spokesperson answer:

1) What precisely does "control over MEST mean?" (OTs are said to have this; MEST being an acronym for matter/energy/space/time). Do OTs have super powers--yes or no? If yes, what exactly can they do?

2) In Dianetics, Hubbard claimed Dianetics was scientific, and could cure various ailments. True, or was he wrong? If it's scientific, where is the research and independent replication, etc (ie, the evidence)?

3) The vitamin treatment strangely didn't cure Jeremy Perkins of his schizophrenia, and tragically he murdered his mother, who was a longtime Scientologist. Since the church is very much against all forms of psychiatry, how should someone like Jeremy be treated? What is the effective treatment that doesn't involve pharmaceuticals or other psychicatric treatment?
 
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BenBurch said:
I would also like to see security clearances for CS members revoked immediately.
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It makes sense on a certain level, but the government making employment decisions based on religion is both illegal and a terrible precedent to set.
 
Another thing--I thought there was a thread on this, but I can't find it--does the C of S get a tax break that no other religion gets, or no?
A trial is to begin here on Wednesday morning to determine whether a Jewish couple can deduct the cost of religious education for their five children, a tax benefit they say the federal government has granted to members of just one religion, the Church of Scientology.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/b...p=2&sq=sklar scientology deduction tax&st=cse
 
Cavemonster said:
It makes sense on a certain level, but the government making employment decisions based on religion is both illegal and a terrible precedent to set.
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I have read that there is documentation that they have used their security clearances to funnel information to the CS.

So, its not about the religion. Its about selling out your country for the religion.
 

I am sorry in advance that I can't post links (new poster), but you all know how to google.
No need to answer your questions, as you obviously know what you are talking about and want to get others here looking into them on their own *hint hint*

But as far as your first point, yes it is disappointing. But many people, especially in so long, really believe what Hubbard said. Where ex-scientologists go to continue on with the "teachings" of Hubbard without the control of the cult is called the "Freezone" as a generic term. Mark "Marty" Rathbun (one of the high ups in this article) has his own place where exes go who still believe in the "tech".

Hard to get away from it. Mark may even want to replace David Miscavige should he be removed. Who can say. But this will get more interesting.
 
Part 2 is up on tampabay dot com.

Sorry, can't post links yet.
 
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jimtron said:
I'm glad to see these ex-church members speaking out, and the St. Petersburg Times running the article, but I must say I'm a bit disappointed. As far as I can tell there's no criticism of the foundations of Hubbard/Dianetics/Scientology--only that Miscavige is effing it up. (Maybe they'll get to the foundations more in tomorrow's installment which addresses Lisa McPheson's death.)

Anyone see the Ted Koppel/Nightline TV interview with Miscavige? It was excellent, and I think the last time DM has done an interview--at least a video interview. There are a couple questions I'd love to see a church spokesperson answer:

1) What precisely does "control over MEST mean?" (OTs are said to have this; MEST being an acronym for matter/energy/space/time). Do OTs have super powers--yes or no? If yes, what exactly can they do?

2) In Dianetics, Hubbard claimed Dianetics was scientific, and could cure various ailments. True, or was he wrong? If it's scientific, where is the research and independent replication, etc (ie, the evidence)?

3) The vitamin treatment strangely didn't cure Jeremy Perkins of his schizophrenia, and tragically he murdered his mother, who was a longtime Scientologist. Since the church is very much against all forms of psychiatry, how should someone like Jeremy be treated? What is the effective treatment that doesn't involve pharmaceuticals or other psychicatric treatment?
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I think I managed to chase our tame Scientology apologist, fredcarr, from the Forum by asking him to find us just one Clear with any one of the abilities described in Dianetics, the Ravings of a Lunatic, each time he showed up. I guess he became real enturbulated and is now under going extended re-education sessions while connected to an ohm meter. :D
 
In the Koppel interview I mentioned earlier, he asked Miscavige if Clears get colds (Hubbard claimed they don't). After trying to dodge the question, finally he admitted they do. This is the kind of point I wish the media would bring up more often to church spokespeople: let's see the evidence that Clears and OTs have special powers. The church charges enormous amounts of money to go up the bridge--shouldn't they be obligated to prove the scientific (not spiritual) claims made?
 
Part 2 is swell, but like my complaint about part 1, it seems to criticize not the foundations of Scientology, but the management or implementation of it:

Their feelings were justified, Rathbun said. “The whole thing was done wrong. I can’t tell you what a technical crime this was’’ in terms of Scientology methods.
The caretakers had given McPherson an “introspection rundown,’’ a procedure created by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The goal is to isolate and calm a psychotic person enough to be audited. She is to be kept in a silent environment with no one around to “re-stimulate” mental images that might upset her.
Yet church staffers came and went from McPherson’s room, as did guards using walkie-talkies, Rathbun said. One staffer cried in a corner. Others held McPherson down while trying to medicate and feed her.
Instead of calming, McPherson grew agitated and self-destructive during her 17-day stay.
Rathbun said he has participated in several introspection rundowns, and none lasted more than a day or two.
He said it was obvious to him that McPherson was the victim of “out-tech,” a term for Scientology malpractice.
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Rathburn appears to be saying not that the Introspection Rundown is malarky that Hubbard pulled out of his arse, but that the Scientology techniques weren't done properly. It seems to me the main issue is that they were trying to treat a psychotic person with dangerous, ineffective approaches. In my view, this is one of the biggest dangers of the church--if a Scientologist is seriously mentally ill, they won't get any effective treatment (like Jeremy Perkins).
 
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