Lermanet Exposes the Con at
Religiousfreedomwatch.org
- Slightly above the Law
- The Suppressive Church
- Avoiding Responsibility gang-style
- Targeting People, Avoiding Principles
- the Scn-Arab-a.r.s. triangle
- Hypnosis
- A Nazi-Scientology comparison
- Blessings and Peace.
Slightly above the Law
As with any intelligence agency, Scientology's extra-legal activities
are directly linked to the criminal code of the country in which its
organizations operate. This connection is similar to the interest
rates on bank loans being linked to the nation's primary lending
rate. The banks' interest rates are just a little bit above the
primary rate, and Scientology's standards for suppressing criticism are just a little bit above the law.
The direction in which the Scientologists at religiousfreedomwatch.org (rfw) are pushing is made clear by
pro-Scientology posters who post links to rfw while simultaneously conveying the idea of resentment boiling right under the surface, how they have to struggle to control
themselves at the sight of rfw's information, etc., then providing a link to a name and a face.
The context in
which rfw information is presented is extremist by maligning critics in general for the real or imagined misdeeds of a few and also by instigating third parties to suggest borderline conduct to the public at large. The context is also false in that rfw pages yield no direct
evidence that pertinent misconduct exists in the overwhelming majority of cases
presented. Most relevant allegations of wrongdoing appear to be connected with little more than being seen in broad daylight near Scientology centers, or posting to the alt.religion.scientology news group.
Scientology's institutional anti-social agenda against critics is
consistent with its anti-medicine and anti-mental health
agenda. The difference is that rfw has progressed beyond
targeting inanimate objects and a field of expertise to promoting a philosophy of
personal fear. This methodology includes: invading privacy, spreading information calculated to be personally detrimental and
cultivating resentment against and between individuals.
Scientologists! There is no need to fear that Hubbard's
philosophy will invade privacy, spread harmful information and
cultivate resentment. It already has and will continue to do
so. Each time that fact is recognized in proper context represents an opportunity for another Scientology operation to be blown.
This paper is dedicated to the family and associates who through
determined kindness have helped rid the world of 1) the illness caused
by Scientology's anti-medicine propaganda, 2) the insanity caused by
Scientology's anti-psychiatry propaganda and 3) the extra-legal
activities Scientology inspires in its followers to gain affluence and
eradicate criticism.
The Suppressive Church
"It is my specific intention that by
the use of professional PR tactics any opposition be not only dulled
but permanently eradicated."
-- L. Ron Hubbard, Founder of the Church of Scientology, on
"dead-agenting" critics
Although Ron Hubbard outwardly proclaimed the worthy goal of the
eradication of crime, illness and insanity, his use of PR tactics were consistently more questionable than they were professional. Hubbard's uncontested internal
doctrinal goals are power, affluence and the eradication of
criticism. The tools his religiously applied philosophy,
Scientology, uses in bypassing accepted methods to attain these
goals are: public relations operations, covert operations and legal
operations. ReligiousFreedomWatch is one Internet site from which
operations are conducted against a very small percentage of the many
people who have helped uncover Hubbard's disreputable methods of attaining power and money.
Scientology's nervous system is its international intelligence agency. Its
techniques include several variations of hypnosis that Hubbard altered
slightly and adapted from Russian psychiatrists, from German
psychologists, and from American behavioralists and salesmen. Hubbard's
purpose was to justify his philosophy's existence by discrediting the sources of his ideas, whitewashing his
own questionable tactics of control, altering the public consciousness
to make people more receptive to his control tactics and staging
covert, overt and legal operations against those who criticize his
methods. In countries where Scientology does not propagate itself as religion, it is easily accepted as a clever American business management system.
Because Hubbard's doctrine advocates unrestricted expansion, one of the
first places Scientology's tactics of deception show up is in the area
of consumer protection.
Stuttgart, Germany, 1975: "The
Scientologists can make the claim of holding the first street
demonstration ever against consumer protection organizations.
Numerous banners were carried at this demonstration, which led through
downtown Stuttgart and ended on the Alten Poststrasse: "ABI [a consumer
protection agency] against Religious Freedom" could be seen upon them."
(from
Ingo
Heinemann )
The "Religious Freedom Watch" web pages, formerly the "hatewatch" pages
published by Freedom Magazine, the official publication of Scientology,
purport to expose religious extremists who are listed by name and
photograph.
Material on the site was originally from the Scientology Parishioners
League, which used to stalk critics of Scientology, picket their homes
and distribute negative information to neighbors. Today much of
that information has been webbed on religiousfreedomwatch, from where
it is forwarded to neighbors, family and work associates.
Avoiding
Responsibility gang-style
Responsibility for Scientology's actions has been split up, gang-style,
so that no one particular party is legally accountable for the "permanent
eradication" of opposition, cited in the opening quote.
Just as religiousfreedomwatch has overtly disconnected from its mother
organization, Freedom magazine, distributors of ReligiousFreedomWatch
information are painted as independent concerned citizens. The
product of the group composed of the Church of Scientology, Freedom
magazine, the religiousfreedomwatch site and information distributors
is sought after and made possible by all members of their combined
association. That some form of control is exercised over
information distributors is shown by the increased use of links to the
rfw site, as opposed to cutting and pasting slanderous or near
slanderous information with credit to the site.
The intelligence agency is responsible for providing the targets, the
people listed on the site.
The investigations branch, which has both public and covert information
collection offices, provides public, personal and confidential
information about the targets.
Hubbard's Scientology philosophy provides the method by which the
information on the targets may be presented.
The staff of religiousfreedomwatch loosely possess the following
characteristics, described by Ron Hubbard in his basic Manual of
Scientology Ethics:
1. RFW uses generalities,
2. RFW deals in bad news
3. RFW alters news for the worse, stopping good news
4. RFW, by virtue of being a Scientologists association, does not
respond to psychotherapy.
5. RFW is surrounded by people who make trouble for others.
6. RFW habitually selects the wrong target (i.e., it skips actual
criminals in favor of criminalizing critics.)
7. RFW cannot finish what it has started.
8. RFW has no responsibility.
9. RFW rages against constructive critical groups.
10. RFW approves only of actions destructive to critical groups.
11. RFW supports activities that destroy critical groups or persons in
the name of help.
12. RFW conceives that the idea that anyone owns anything is a pretense
made up to fool people.
Those familiar with Hubbard's teachings will recognize the above as
characteristics of a suppressive person. Note: it is the staff of
Religious Freedom Watch who qualify in Hubbard's test for
suppressiveness.
On the other hand, the data about the critics of Scientology contained
in religiousfreedomwatch is sorted and evaluated according to a
different sort of test, called a security check sheet. The
following questions come from this sort of form, this one for entry
into Scientology's Sea Organization.
In other words, the evaluation criteria being applied to critics of
Scientology are not meant to test for extremism or suppressive
behavior; they are constructed to test for Scientology's security.
Failing Scientology's security test does not mean the subject is
"extreme"; it means the subject is not eligible to be a member of
Hubbard's elite Sea Organization. Indeed, since Sea Org members
sign a contract for a BILLION years, failing to qualify for this
extremist organization is perhaps not so bad. Additionally, the
religious aspect is apparently a coincidental function of Scientology's
private security force.
Positive results from the following official "security check" questions
appear on ReligiousFreedomWatch pages:
5. Are you or have you been connected to any person not in good
standing with the Church of Scientology?
Example: RFW purports associations between its own targets, all or most
of which would not be in good standing with the Church of Scientology.
13. Are you intimately connected with persons (such as marital or
familial ties) of known antagonist to mental or spiritual treatment or
Scientology?
Example: RFW repeatedly notes family and marital contacts of its
targets.
14. Do you have a criminal record?
If yes, give full details.
Example: RFW cites criminal records of its targets in a general way
that paints its targets with the broadest brush possible, implying in some cases that any recorded misconduct is associated with being a critic of Scientology.
15. Have you ever threatened to sue or embarrass or attack Scientology
or Scientologists or ever been a party to an attack or threat?
If yes, give full details.
Example: On RFW, as in Scientology, a lawsuit or possible lawsuit is
treated as an attack or a threat. Paradoxically, some of the
people who used to be on the site have successfully sued to have their
names removed.
22. Have any of your family or close friends expressed skepticism or
been critical of Scientology?
Give full details.
Example: RFW makes it a sore point to emphasize discord in the families
of their targets because this is where many people are vulnerable.
31. Are you related to or connected to intelligence agencies either by
past history or immediate familial connections?
If so, give full details.
Example: RFW notes several intelligence connections, real and alleged.
32. Are you in Scientology to obtain news stories or generally disrupt
the Organization?
If yes, give full details.
Example: RFW alleges infiltration in several cases on its site.
The following questions show the extent to which Scientology delves
into a person's private background. Specifics as to children are
included on the RFW site. Children would be relevant in that Sea
Organization would-be mothers have been forced to have abortions.
How a person makes money is on the security sheet, as Scientology wants
to know all sources of a person's income. RFW lists this sort of
information in a few cases. "2D" history is cult jargon for "sex"
history.
33. a. Are you
married/single/divorced/separated?
(Dates of marriage and divorce)
b. If currently, or ever married, full name of (ex-spouse?
e. What is your relationship to your spouse and/or ex/spouse?
f. If separated or divorced, any difficulties with your ex-spouse?
If so, give full details.
g. Is spouse or ex-spouse a Scientologist?
h. If divorced, list reasons for divorce(s) and any emotional feeling
you have about it.
i. Do you have any children?
If so, give details: Names, ages, sex, do they live with you or not.
(Put an X by the ones joining the organization with you.)
j. What is your relationship with your children?
k. If divorced or separated, do you pay child support?
Give specifics.
l. If divorced or separated, do you have any legal obligations or ties
to your children?
Give specifics.
40. Have you any marital or family difficulties?
If yes, give complete details.
41. With whom do you live?
42. Do you support yourself currently (food, rent, auditing,
processing, etc.)?
If no, who supports you and what is the arrangement for same?
42A. Do you receive income other than earned by the Church?
If yes, give details.
42B. If you have your own business outside the Church do you also have
other Church staff employed in it?
If yes, give full details.
43. Have any persons you are connected to expressed any opinion against
Dianetics or Scientology or do they have any objection to your working
in connection with it?
If yes, give full details.
44. Have you or any of your family members or close friends ever been
connected to a government agency?
If so, give full details.
45., How long have you been in Scientology?
10. Give a general 2D history for yourself, including your earliest
sexual experience of any kind, when you started dating, and the names
of all persons involved. Make a chronological list by month and year of
the names of all persons with whom you have had sexual relationships
and what you engaged in. Approximate the number of times you carried on
any kind of activity, and note any perversions you engaged in. Who?
What? How often? Be as complete as you can.
11. Note any instances of homosexual activity from earliest time up to
PT. Give who. What done? And how often?
12. List your interests and hobbies.
13. List all groups and organizations you have ever been associated
with; include time period, name of group, its location, what type of
group and what you did in it.
So the religiousfreedomwatch web site, which purports to serve a public
vigilante function against religious extremists, actually provides
information about critics of Scientology that would disqualify them
from joining Scientology's Sea Organization. Religiousfreedomwatch.org staff publicly disqualify critics in a manner intended to further misunderstanding by dramatizing the 12 characteristics of a Suppressive Person, as written
by L. Ron Hubbard.
It is not disputed that a few examples of anti religious extremism may
be present on the religiousfreedomwatch web site. This tactic is
also used by CCHR and Freedom magazine in including known criminals
like Mengele in its hate propaganda against legitimate psychiatry.
Targeting People,
Avoiding Principles
Judging from the number of links to rfw from the news group, one
purpose of religiousfreedomwatch is to neutralize anti-Scientology
material distributed on Usenet news group alt.religion.scientology
(a.r.s.).
In distributing personal information about critics and, in some
instances, their families, the Scientologists are themselves being
extremist. How would the Scientologists react if the
non-Scientology media started publishing their names and pictures,
along with a negatively presented background and criminal check,
including assessment of family and business associates? The
answer is obvious in Germany, where calling someone a Scientologist is
punishable as libel.
So by targeting people, as opposed to discussing differences for the
purpose of dialogue and resolution, the "Religious Freedom Watch" web
pages stringently follow one of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's
most often repeated principles. The principle of "Never defend.
Always Attack" is rather than defend Hubbard's technocracy, just
attack the people who question it.
By targeting people, not principles, and by wholesale condemnation of
individuals, instead of spotting and resolving disagreement,
Scientology's actions help perpetuate the deviancy, crime and insanity
it purports to rid the world of.
If you are a member of a religion that is persecuted, then perhaps you
can sympathize with the Scientologists. To the degree that
Scientology is a beneficent religion, your sympathy may be merited.
However, if your religion has a "Deck of Cards" type list of enemies,
that could be an indication your religion is a militant-aggressive
extremist group. This is how German authorities classify
Scientology. However, the enemy list by itself is not the
problem. An enemy list is only a visible indication of secret, or
covert, operations.
Scientology can, depending on the situation, be a religion, a cult, an
instructional system, an administrative and management system,
alternative medicine, a rehabilitation system or a philosophy, but the
factor common to all of these is Scientology's Anti-Social Personality
Doctrine. (In 1938 the majority of inmates at Buchenwald
concentration camp were classified as "anti-social". More on the
Nazi origins of Hubbard's doctrine below.) It is this doctrine on
which Scientology bases covert activity to suppress those brave enough
to disagree with Ron Hubbard.
the Scn-Arab-a.r.s.
triangle
An Example of how Scientology uses the "third party law" for suppression
Within their area of PR control, Scientologists covertly and
systematically create and exploit differences and aggression to their
own end.
In Arabic-language media, for instance, Scientologists have presented
themselves to Muslims as similarly persecuted religionists. The
"South Park" television program, it is noted in one Arabic-language
article, ridiculed both Islam and Scientology in different episodes. On that basis
Islamists and Scientologists can agree on the unworthiness of South
Park. Several other Arabic-language articles state that both
Islam and Scientology are persecuted in Germany. On that basis
Islamists and Scientologists can agree on the stubbornness of
Germans. By defining common enemies, Scientology can create a
circumstance by which the Arab world is more receptive to further
overtures. For instance, Scientology is described in several
Arabic-language articles as a "Christian-like" religion. (Look at the cross. It's Christian-like.)
At the other end of the bottom of the triangle, one of the new
additions to a.r.s is an Arabic-language porn spammer. Add to
that another recent addition who specifically mocked elements of the
Arab culture. In all likelihood, critics have previously made
statements unsympathetic to the Muslim world with regard to certain European cartoons, for instance. All the Scientologists have to
do on top of that is stir the cauldron and chant the right spell.
The Scientology name for this process of instigation is the "Third Party Law".
There are several things Scientology can gain from this at least
partially orchestrated triangle. If an anti-Scientology critic
listed on the Religious Freedom Watch web site, either bona fide or
bogus, goes for the anti-Muslim bait, the Scientologists could not only
score a point on critics being against religion, but have less
anti-Scientology criticism to worry about.
If the Scientologists can really attain that goal, it would be hard to
think of them merely as crazy cultists.
Because certain anti-Scientologist critics have eagerly taken
Scientology's bait to help Scientology attack world-famous fellow
critics in the past, Muslims who have much less awareness of
Scientology are not to be faulted for being innocent participants of
this con.
Hypnosis
One technique for conning people is contained in the elements of
hypnosis. By turning people's attention inward, then making
suggestions, a hypnotist may attain the desired effect in a percentage
of cases. On religiousfreedomwatch the subjects are made
introspective in a setting that strongly suggests anti-Scientology
extremism. Thus Scientology helps to create the very thing the
web site authors portend to warn the public about. When an operation like this is blown, the "Church" routinely decries its own process as "Black
Dianetics" or the "illegal" practice of Scientology.
The following pertains to the era and environment in which L. Ron
Hubbard was collecting his original material for Scientology. In
it Dr. George Estabrooks is cited as saying one in every five people are highly
suggestible to hypnotism. This ratio corresponds to Hubbard's
Anti-Social Personality Doctrine that says 20% of the population is
anti-social, and born out by the percentage of people listed on the
Religious Freedom Watch web site who have read the material on other
critics and used it to attack their fellow critics.
(Literary indication of an association: Hubbard used a similar-sounding
name, Esterbrook, as a pseudonym subsequent to the appearances of
Estabrooks' book on Hypnotism.)
Post from alt.religion.scientology
posted by "Feisty" on
Tue, 15 May 2007 21:18:56 GMT
Subject: Estabrooks hypnosis recognition in CIA foia from 1952
http://www.foia.ucia.gov/search.asp?refinedText=F-2001-01749&x=3&y=2&...
Title: MEMO TO CHIEF, CONTACT DIVISION FROM (DELETED) RE USING
HYPNOTISM BEING USED T
Abstract: Pages:0002
Pub Date: 3/4/1952
Release Date:7/29/2004
Keywords: MKULTRA|ARTICHOKE|BLUEBIRD
Case Number:F-2001-01749
Copyright:0
Release Decision: RIPPUB
Classification: UMEMO TO CHIEF, CONTACT DIVISION FROM (DELETED) RE
USING HYPNOTISM BEING USED
1. A book published in xx by xx, Inc, entitled "xx" on page xx contains
the following:
"Today every xxx military doctor and xxx nurse is trained in hypnotism.
The xxx have used hypnotism to an amazing extent in healing amnesia
cases. Their psychologists use it for traumatic cases. Hypnosis has
indeed become the xxx paramount weapon in the treatment of war
neuroses."
Will you please advise whether Dr. Yeager has any interest in our
finding what facts, if any the authors have to support the statements
contained in the above quotation?
2. This book on pages xx and xx also contains the following statements
which may be of interest to xx as well as OSI:
"xxx" a successful author of books on xx and the xx went one step
further. He has declared:
"I can hypnotize a man - without his knowledge or consent - into
committing treason against the United States," If I can do it, so
could psychologists of other nations in the events of another war.'
(snip)
The above statement is written by Dr. George Estabrooks
Which may in fact, be from the same 1943 book (partially) webbed here:
http://www.lermanet.com/exit/hubbard-the-hypnotist7.htm
"Soon after World War II had started, xx called to xx. He was asked by
intelligence officers about the possibility that xx I xx and xx secret
services might be planning to use hypnotism to obtain information."
=====
Estabrooks has also quoted:
"one in every five of the human race are highly suggestible, at least
half are suggestible to a very considerable degree." And he warned,
"...mere figures do not tell the story. That one fifth has a power far
beyond its numbers; for this type of man, acting under direct
suggestion, is no mere average person. He is a fanatic, with all that
fanaticism may imply for good or evil."
L Ron Hubbard redefines "good and bad" in his lecture on Brainwashing:"
I hate to tell ya this, since good and bad are apparently merely
adjectives, and considerations we have often said, then why is it that
a man will go towards good but not toward bad? I don't know. I don't
know that. In order to change a person you have to make him better.
The 12 hour of the (?) Congress
Given by L Ron Hubbard on the 2nd of September. 1956
Title: Brainwashing
(c) 1956 by L Ron Hubbard
This recording has been re-recorded by HCO Tape Department
St Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex, England
and
"Isn't Dianetics a kind of hypnotism ? Absolutely not. Anyone in doubt
as to how hypnotism works need only consult the authoritative books on
the subject by Estabrooks."
===
Estabrooks explained how individuals so controlled would have no
conscious aversion to Americans and would continue to behave as good
citizens. Subconsciously, however, they would be saboteurs and agents
of the enemy.
Estabrooks, chairman of the Department of Psychology at Colgate
University, was called to Washington by the War Department shortly
after Pearl Harbor... At that time, only a handful of men knew of the
government's experiments with hypnosis for the purpose of controlling
minds in the interest of "national security..." "Two hundred trained
foreign operators, working in the United States," Estabrooks told the
military leaders, "could develop a uniquely dangerous army of
hypnotically controlled Sixth Columnists."
A Nazi-Scientology
comparison
Because persecution of the "anti-social personality" is documented in
the Nazi concentration camps, and because of the brownshirted quality
of Scientology's CCHR, or Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a
comparison may be made between Hitler's Sturmabteilung or Brownshirts and
the CCHR and between the anti-social personality as persecuted by both
the Nazis and by the Scientologists.
Hubbard recognized early on that too many similarities for comfort were being drawn
between his Scientology and the National Socialist Workers Party of
1930s Germany. He defended his organization against this
comparison by a socio-psychological technique called
"positioning." Hubbard had used this technique previously when he was accused of
brainwashing his adherents. In response to these allegations, he launched a Public Relations campaign
that said Scientology didn't cause brainwashing, it cured
it. That explanation solved the problem for the public
mind. To this day, Scientologists and possibly others advocate
Hubbard's mind altering techniques as a cure for brainwashing.
When people began comparing him with Hitler, Hubbard expanded on
his past public relations success. By saying that the Scientologists
were similar to the Jews persecuted by Hitler, Hubbard both painted his
critics as Nazis and Scientology as a persecuted religion. So the
comparison of Scientologists in Germany to the Jews in Nazi Germany did
not arise because Scientologists were persecuted to any extent in that
country, but to preempt the inevitable comparison of Hubbard's doctrine
with Hitler's. The Scientologists officially arrived in Germany in 1972, but were already protesting alleged religious persecution in 1975 in response to reports of their deceptive business practices.
From Michael Burleigh's "The Third Reich, a new history" (2001 Pan
Books):
"... the police received fresh arrest
quotas, but now for the 'anti-social' -- that is, individuals who may
not have committed any specific offence but whose behavior was deemed
unacceptable by the leaders of the 'national community'. By
November 1938, only a third of inmates at Buchenwald, a concentration
camp near Weimar, were political prisoners: the majority consisted of
the 'anti-social'."
Religious Freedom Watch also has quotas of a sort. The reason the
number of critics listed on the site is so low is that Hubbard preached
that there are only a few dozen people in the world who are causing
Scientology not to work. Having the names of hundreds or
thousands of critics on the site would cast doubt on Hubbard's words.
Is it valid to compare the religion branch of Scientology to the
Nazis? The Nazis also had a religion branch, the "German
Christians". According to the Nazis, "Religion is the foundation
of ethics and morality," (cited by Burleigh from Shelley Baranowski,
"The Sanctity of Rural Life" German History (1991)9, p. 21.)
The comparison goes beyond doctrine. The person who bears legal
responsibility for the Religious Freedom Watch web site is associated
with Scientology's CCHR. This is a group that has been compared
to Nazi Brownshirts, known in German as the SA or "Sturmabteilung. Scientology
and Nazi Brownshirts maintain discipline in their respective groups by
doing the dirty work. CCHR performs the campaigns that are too
unchurchly for the "Church" of Scientology, such as propagating
Hubbard's doctrines that non-Scientology medicines are making people
sick, and that psychiatrists are making people crazy. It is a
natural progression for the Scientology "Brownshirts" to tell the
public that the critics who can best prove that Scientology is a con
game are not to be believed.
Blessings and Peace.
In this sense, Scientology is to be thanked for pointing the public in the right direction, as long as the public is savvy enough to realize
that a few of those listed on the Scientology Religious Freedom Watch
site will tend to muddy the waters more than
others.
Nonetheless may their families and associates and the families and
associates of religiousfreedomwatch.org staff recognize and nourish in
them goodness, so that they may one day behave in a similar manner.