Regional Public Expert Committee for Assistance in Forming a Healthy, Socio-Psychological Climate
of the Public Relations Committee, Nizhny Novgorod Region Administration, Russia
The compiled text has been prepared by experts by order of the committee in connection with the public and social organizations of the lower municipal oblast administration, and is distributed to agencies of local administrations for mass information as an official document. This document may be freely cited, distributed and published.
L.R. Hubbard and the Creation of his Organizations
Chairman of the Committee: Vasiliy V. Sarvchev
Vice-Chairman of the Committee: Yevgeny N. Volkov, Ph.D
- http://www.people.nnov.ru/volkov/en/ (English)
The original Russian of these pages are from http://info.sandy.ru/socio/public/rpec/index.html (contains English link)Contents
- Appearance of Hubbardist organization in N. Novgorod
- Biography and character of L. Ron Hubbard (1911? - 1986) - [details here]
- Management Technology (MT) - [details here]
- Dianetics
- The Narconon Program
- The Church of Scientology
- Recommendations for standard of reigning government organs, organs of local self-government, and social organizations in relation to Scientology organizations
The purpose of distributing the compiled informational material is simple and obvious: to give the opportunity to all concerned to receive responsible decision by convention, and to receive the most complete information about L.R. Hubbard, his works and theories, and about the creation of his organizations.
In 1992, the general director of the machine tool construction factory "ZeFs," Skachka V.G., was introduced to the "Administrative Technology" of L. Ron Hubbard, and in the following year, 1993, he acquired, at company expense, a license from the Hubbard College organization in N. Novgorod. On February 18-19 in the Kremlevsk concert hall, a seminar and presentation by the college was arranged to which were invited many notable personalities of the city and of the oblast. In May 1993 in the city, instruction of Hubbard's administrative technology began in the college, which had the status of a non-government educational institution. Until just recently it camped out in the former kindergarten gratuitously (and actually free of charge) in the ZeFs factory. In the lower city, at almost at the same time, the "Dianetics" center began to operate; its mission, according to the organization's application, was to "render assistance to every lower municipality and to achieve mental health by applying the Dianetic technology developed by the American teacher and philosopher L. Ron HUBBARD."
In sending out various letters on various occasions, the "Dianetics" center defined itself as a "non-commercial, social organization," although the administration of its services was almost exclusively remunerative in character. In 1994 in the oblast administration, a representative of the Funds for children's and adolescents' safety from narcotics, Zobkov S.H. Tsel'yu, made an appeal that received support from the state structure for the idea of creating a rehabilitation center for drug addicts in accordance with the system of L. Ron Hubbard - "the founder of non-medicinal technology for drug addicted patients." In 1994 in the Moscow Hubbard Humanitarian Center, registration was applied for and received by the Church of Scientology to provide activity, specializing in Dianetics, in conducting work-on-probation abroad.
Dianetics Center employees in N. Novgorod make no secret of their plans to create this church from a temporary department in our city. Adoption of Scientology in Russia in the early 1990s was accompanied by cultivation of the political elite of the time. Hubbard's books were presented to 72 deputies of the Supreme Soviet and to Ruslan Khasbulatov [1]. Some of them, Sergei Stepashin among their number (he was then a member of the Committee for Security VS RF), gave positive responses to the book, which were subsequently spread by Hubbard's followers. The contemporary vice president, A. Rutskoy, introduced extensive quotations from the "Dianetics" book into his interview with "Literaturnoy Gazete." The presentation of this book in April 1993 was looked at in the Kremlevsk court of congress.
Scientology tries to create a maximally propitious image of its organization. Organizational advertisements have been aired repeatedly on Russian radio. In N. Novogorod, the visit of the chief of Scientology Russia, Birthe Heldt, received strong publicity on "Radio Rendezvous." On regional television there are only volunteer assistants from the overseas organizations (e.g., Ilya Lastov). Anna Lenskaya and Alevtina Gorelova published favorable articles over a period of several years in the "Birzha" newspaper, with good feedback on "Mister Hubbard A. Ilyunin" in the "Nizhegorodskaya Pravda." The "Dom" weekly magazine (Vlad Stepanov, editor), proved to be particularly generous in its advertisements, which were published directly from the employees of the Nizhni Novgorod Hubbardist organization. Because the adherents of all these organizations emphasize the distinguished role of L. Ron Hubbard in the whole, creative, new branch of science and social practice, and because his personality itself becomes an object of this peculiar cult, there will first be a short presentation of some details of his biography.
[1] Khasbulatov, Ruslan Imranovich, 1942-, Russian politician.
A Chechen from the Caucasus region, he was an academic economist in Moscow
before his election (1990) to the Russian Congress of People's Deputies and
parliament. A supporter of Boris Yeltsin, he served as his deputy (1990-91) and
was elected chairman (speaker) of the congress and parliament in 1991.
Increasingly critical of Yeltsin's economic program after 1991, he, along with
Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoi, led Russian legislators in their power
struggle with Yeltsin in Oct., 1993. He was imprisoned after parliament's
attempt to oust Yeltsin was crushed by the army, but was released (1994) in an
amnesty. He was then active in Chechen politics, advocating limited sovereignty
for Chechnya. In 1995 he considered running for the Chechen presidency but
withdrew, criticizing the timing and fairness of the vote.
--
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articlesnew/06933.html
With little potential for writing, yet he made his living as a writer, according to information from his adherents, it took over 800 people to edit and correct 6,000 of Hubbard's lectures (in the period from 1951 to 1954 alone, he wrote more than 20 books and gave more than 1,100 lectures). Because he did poorly from his first course on, L. Ron Hubbard was not able to obtain a higher education and was expelled from his university. Here is an opinion from "Izvestia" newspaper correspondents (No. 114, 1993): "They intended that we publish Hubbard's book even though millions of copies had already been printed; this, of course, was a complete farce. Thus we will very likely never learn a critical approach to WHAT and WHO drives us from the United States ... (We) praise to heaven people who hid the fact for five years that they were - in the literal sense - rescued from a public criminal case where they were charged with fraudulent appropriation of 200 million dollars."
Judge P. Breckenridge of the State of California Supreme Court, after studying the biography of L. Ron Hubbard in 1984, defined him in the capacity of a "pathological liar when talking about his history," and as one who only added to those many lies. The question of a doubtful character is completely valid in the formulation of questions about unethical propaganda in the channels of mass information. Besides that, the state structure and local organs of self-government without a doubt put their own reputation at serious risk when they engage in business relations with any branch of L. Ron Hubbard's organization.
In the mid-1950s, L. Ron Hubbard wrote two books, "Problems of Work" and "How to Live though an Executive, which established the ideological foundation of his approach to management. His approach was subsequently expounded upon at length in an eleven-tome set entitled the "Organization Executive Course." The technology of management control is sold as "know-how," i.e., only in the form of prepared training courses and consultation. Corresponding literature is made available during course periods in the auditorium; copying and photocopying of course materials are forbidden. Also not allowed is the partial utilization of elementary MT that is adapted to accommodate local idiosyncracies; independent inculcations by individuals do not receive official licenses from Hubbard colleges.
It has been asserted in advertising material that Hubbard's management technology is founded on experiential work analysis of nearly 30 thousand businesses. It remains unclear when the author of this technology found time to research experiential work on such a fantastic number of businesses, given that he never worked for a company in business himself, and there has never been any evidence that such an extent of research was carried out by him or his adherents. In the Hubbardists' Russian language advertising material, they announce that MT is used in three thousand businesses (sometimes in the same text they replace that number by 18 thousand - the lord's own hand!) Included in these world "giants" of industry are corporations like "Ford," "General Motors," "Coca-Cola," "Trust American Bank," "Chanel," Boeing," "AGFA," "Volvo" and others. In an English language publication on this topic directed at western readers, these companies are not mentioned. Instead it reports on small family companies or on the basics of personal capital companies. The majority of these firms do not produce anything, but are engaged in marketing research, consultation or designer work. There in the publication where it indicates the number of company workers, it ranges from 60 to 180 people. Companies with a small number of employees. Plenty of marketing and consultation companies in the charts, probably to explain that these companies are engaged in propaganda, the same as all the others in the Hubbard management system and none other.
Regarding the government structure, MT mentions: local administrations of unnamed districts in the country of Columbia and unnamed ministries in Albania. The seminars for office workers in an agricultural company in Costa Rica were probably organized at the expense of the government. The selection is characteristic enough, and now Russia has joined the series with Colombia and Albania. Such as recently, the Perm management stated that it intended to introduce MT into all its structures. Training was given: Perm government Deputy Chief A Gur'ev, the administrative chief of one of the city districts B. Sedina and other government officials. The same course was taken by chiefs of local telecommunications companies. The mayor of the city V. Fil' undertook the rearrangement of the whole city in accordance with the Hubbardist system within the next six months.
According to the statements of L. Ron Hubbard's followers, the MT principles were originally conceived and interpreted by the author within the framework of the fundamentals of the Church of Scientology, only afterwards were they offered as a universal recipe for everything. This higher goal - recruiting new members into the Church of Scientology - is currently maintained within MT. The viewpoint is taken that the structure of any organization - factories, mayoral offices, churches and so forth - may be constructed in accordance with one, universal scheme. This basic position alone may encounter criticism from the side of people who have prior knowledge of administrative work.
Neither national or local peculiarities, nor specific articles of management, exist for Hubbardists. No less cause for doubt is the method of evaluating the effectiveness of the work of managerial personnel: by the method of statistics. Specifically, according to Hubbard, the consequence of increasing staff management in an organization is that the work will become more effective. When a former secretary of one of the Moscow district committees, and subsequent president of "Moven Inc." (Moscow Ventilator Factory) A. Mironov, enthusiastically adopted MT in his factory, he made the number of the management in the factory equal with the number of workers in production; he figured that this was a "splendid indicator" (interview with Kommersante, " 1995, No. 10). Such an approach to staff is contraindicative for our organs of government management and local self-governments, because it is ideological and it substantiates an unrestrained inflation of staff.
Incidentally, in their Nizhni Novgorod Hubbard College, for every ten students who are simultaneously studying in the study hall, there are almost twice that number of college personnel. In course instruction, supervisors introduce the skill of writing denunciations (either on their own number or upon themselves, in the form of a confession of one's own "sins.") This is to expose the "anti-social personality" in the group and it has the purpose of saving themselves from these people. Regarding the latter, these are virtually everyone who does not support Hubbard's teachings as such. In law courts in the USA not infrequently claims from company employees are dismissed, the sole complaint of which consists of refusing to attend lectures by Scientologists, to applaud portraits of L. R. Hubbard or to read his works. Hubbard himself wrote, "Scientology gives complete freedom, but it has to carry the establishment of total control and authority to achieve total discipline."
The atmosphere of collective transition in MT is a long way from idyllic. Dismissal for not desiring to read the creations of an overseas science fiction writer, deprivation of their bonuses, refusal of incremental wage increases - the customary practices in these corporations are the same as those of the denunciation system. It is significant that when the mayor of Perm bluntly asked, "Do you have informants appearing for you?" - B. Fil' likewise asked in response, "Why should they appear? They are there." Concerning the atmosphere in the organization it is possible to judge just by the fact that president MOVEN, Inc., A. Mironov, was murdered in his office at work on 25 January 1995. The motive for the murder was never brought to light, however several partners of Mr. Mironov in business made a connection in this murder between the management reforms in the factory and the adoption of Hubbard's MT. In any case, immediately after the murder, the acting company president, who had been hired to train people in MT, was discharged "due to reduction in force," and the utilization of Hubbard technology was discontinued.
Expenses of the company on the adoption of MT totaled nearly 800 million rubles, but indirect losses due to run-off of qualified personnel and loss of profitable contracts and investors totaled two billion rubles.
The question might be asked of how, in N. Novgorod, we came to have an atmosphere in collectives where not only are Hubbard college seniors working, but they already have several hundred people? Fortunately, on the whole we have not had one company convert to MT, not one corporation. The Hubbardists organize by accumulating dossiers on their students, they maintain contact with them, using maximal "impingement" with different structures of production and sales in the region. Taking stock of the Russian atmosphere of credulity toward trans-Atlantic commodities, and the lack of high quality education for management, it may be easy to forecast success for these commercial corporations, as it is, every simpleton, for advice received , whether it be primitive and self-evident or dubious and controversial, leaves not less than 500 dollars poorer (price of the five basic courses.)
It is remarkable that Hubbardists do not consider it necessary for this advice to be presented in the form of systematic lectures or seminars, or to offer it to their students to read during their breaks at work. Finally, there is still time to explain how the system works. A person ("raw meat" in the terminology of the system creator) arrives, pays a hundred dollars in cash, sits in an auditorium, gets a book, reads a chapter, they check him out according to a check sheet on how well the essence of the chapter was assimilated, and then the cycle is repeated. The basic lesson for the college personnel is: sweep in new students, send out advertisements, make contacts.
The core of the Hubbardists' worldview is "Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health." The first circumstance that should be taken into consideration is that Dianetics is considered to be a science only by the members of the Hubbardist organizations. It is not recognized in a serious scientific environment.
Many people get confused by the fact that Dianetics is taught in educational institutions from the West (principally the USA). Courses are offered from a variety of western universities and colleges startling in their diversity, like the US courses and seminars on white and black magic taught in approximately seventy universities. However this does not at all mean that the serious scientific world of the West considers witchcraft to be science. According to court statements that cite Scientology magazines in the USA, Dianetics is supported principally in little-known, non-prestigious educational establishments.
Some native specialists give positive reviews to L. R. Hubbard's "Dianetics" book, and copies of their reports are spread by the Hubbardists around the entire country. In particular, in our oblast, they circulate three reviews: Surgutski University assistant professors A. Bogdanov and A. Shevchuka, and deputy chief doctor of Surgutski psychoneurology clinic O. Gil'burda. Without putting the qualification of these specialists from remote Surguta into doubt, why did the authors' reviews not have more information from large centers of native studies? The answer is rather simple: the majority of the "mental health experts" (i.e., psychiatrists or psychologists) have a stoic dislike for the theoretical basis and the practices of the "Dianetics" centers. The Hubbardists themselves attribute this fact to the connection of those fields of science to the ideology of Nazism, and they assert that it is exactly the activity of the psychologists and psychiatrists which paved the way for mass extermination of people in the world wars.
The procedure used in the Dianetics centers undoubtedly contains elements of suggestion; commands are naturally followed by a person when given in that number, including the command that he will not be subject to suggestion (similar to that like Kashpirovski in session, anticipating that he would not be hypnotized); for him the arrangement comes about easily by means of certain code words, he closes his eyes and according to command "positions himself" in the past. At the end of the session he "returns" to the present, they give coded commands to cancel the hypnosis, and finally they restore full awareness by counting to five and snapping fingers. All this is not regarded by supporters of Dianetics as hypnosis, but to an unbiased observer, the procedure looks exactly like a hypnotic session. The actual procedure extends over many sessions and is rather expensive.
Once more, a reminder that experts in psychology and psychiatry on the whole do not accept Hubbard's explanation of the nature of the psychic confusion and psychological problems of people, nor do they accept that the practices rendered in the Dianetics center are of assistance to clients. In our society, we are extremely vulnerable to psychological manipulation at the individual level, since we do not have the proper culture. As a result, almost nobody realizes the basic fact that the psychology theory itself exerts enormous influence on people's behavior. If, in society, there is great faith in the force of hypnosis, then suggestibility will be great; if people act like a computer, they begin to turn into a robot. If a person is psychologically ill, then Dianetic processing may worsen his illness and give him a socially reprehensible character. It does not pay to forget, either, that auditing may be carried out by an audacious "expert" after only a couple of weeks of instruction. In the West, after nearly forty years of existence, Dianetics has yet to produce a significant study, either in political or social science. Several of the well-known movie stars that are members of the Dianetics organization have achieved success and fame by mingling with Dianetics.
The Narconon program was all a creation of this universal author, but an organization of that name, according to information from the Hubbardists, appeared in 1966 in an Arizona jail. The main idea of the program is "purification." The patient is absolutely required to participate in a physical program which includes prolonged visits in the sauna and keeping a special diet "that allows the organism to be purified of poisonous substances and to rid oneself of drugs which accumulate in fatty tissue" (cited from an advertising booklet). The Salvaging Children and Adolescents from Drugs Fund disseminates the program in Russia. The president of the fund, V. Ivanov, at one time defended a dissertation, as a teaching degree candidate of medical science, on the theme of "Cycloidal Toximania." In April 1989 in the USSR, the All-Union Society to Protect Children and Adolescents from Alcoholism and Drug Addiction was created, and the leading partner in the operation was V. Ivanov. At the end of 1993, he had appeared in the press in the capacity of "chairman of the Society for the Protection of Children and Adolescents from Drugs" (interview in "LG-Dos'e"). He explained that other systems' fight against drugs was ineffective because of the attraction of collaborators in the militia (police) by the drug business (in Russia), and by their conversion by psychiatry as an instrument in the market of psychotropic preparations (in the West). Hubbard's Narconon followers organized trips to Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and the USA for V. Ivanov, where he visited drug rehabilitation centers. Once it is taken into consideration that the reason V. Ivanov left the MVD was their refusal to send him "in exchange" for training to the USA, that explains the extent of his involvement in the propagandistic methods of Narconon.
According to assertions by V. Ivanov, the Narconon method not only cures people of their drug addiction, it instills them with moral values and even plots a course to help calculate the formula of success in an organization that performs any productive activity, which even includes the lives of individuals. It seems this is exactly the principal point made by the Hubbardists of the program - it turns people into followers of the doctrine. While there is no mention about the allegations of the general attraction of the MVD for the drug business and psychiatry in the system of criminal sales of psychotropic preparations, we notice that although Narconon's methods are characterized by the authors as non-medicinal, their treatment of drug addiction not only uses undue influence on human beings, it also makes of - through the recommendations and works of L. R. Hubbard, who did not have a medical education - vitamins in high concentrations and prolonged session in the sauna. In other words, the methods of the American writer may have signs that it is illegal medical practice. By the way, they sell their vitamins at a price that does not correspond to their real value, and they categorically forbid acquiring the vitamin mixture "on the side" - the companies hold a monopoly, the same as the other realms of this operation!
The status of a non-medical center for the Narconon division was attained as a result of a serious conflict with western scientific medical groups; that which is done by the Hubbardists in their rehabilitation centers is in a section which is completely separate from modern science. The discourse does not proceed about the right to name non-medical institutions, but about the responsibilities of avoiding conflict with the law, about how to indicate that the group does not represent a modern medical institution (decision by the American tax agency in 1967 about revoking the Hubbardist organizations' tax-exempt status of a scientific medical institution, decision of a US federal court in 1971 about the fraudulent character of Hubbard's medical claims and about the treatment with the assistance of an e-meter not being considered as science.) It is also mentioned, with regret, that "Narconon Russia" has gained support from Inkombank and Unikombank.
The height of social activity for the science fiction writer was the invention of his own religion and the creation of his own church. Even the word "Scientology" itself was coined by L.R. Hubbard, who combined one Latin word with one Greek word: "scio" meaning "to be acquainted with" or "to know," and "logos" meaning "word," "concept," "judgment," or "study." In this way, Scientology may be defined as the "science of knowing," or, as the Scientologists say it, "knowing how to know." To make an observation of how serious the writer himself, along with his followers, took the vocabulary and neologistic concepts of L. R. Hubbard: Scientology, Dianetics, Scientology Cross, Scientologist, E-meter, Flag (name of an internal organization at the core of the empire), and OT ("Operating Thetan") are the "trade and service marks and belong to RTC (Religious Technology Center) and they are used with its permission." The Church of Scientology also conducts basic services, such as sermons at church gatherings (as it says in the text!), baptisms, weddings and funerals" (cited from the booklet, "What is Scientology?")
According to the Hubbardists' own information, the first church of Scientology made its appearance in 1954 in Los Angeles. From that time on people tended to call it (in the words of the Scientologists) the "Mother Church" - the Church of Scientology International. "It has the responsibility for ecclesiastical guidance for the rest of the Scientology churches around the world; they are all organized as hierarchical structures, but not independently, like the Catholics are" (cited from the above-mentioned booklet). In the church structure, they have the "Office of Special Affairs," the "Flag Service Organization," and the "Sea Organization" (also called "Sea Org"). The Office of Special Affairs (OSA), according to Scientologist assertions, is responsible for decisions in church legal matters. It also prepares information for government organizations, provides information for the mass media, and "other religious organizations having interests similar to those of the Scientology Church." OSA also manages permanent campaigns against those organizations and structures which affect the church's interests; this fight comes under Flag security personnel and human rights. The Office operates rather energetically and the Church litigates with a large number of organizations and individual persons all over the world nearly continuously; it does that to create public opinion around its litigation, against government and organizations they use accusations of human rights violations, against individuals they use accusations of immoral behavior and mercenariness, against a church they prepare terroristic operations with accusations of psychological abnormalities, drug use, etc.
The Flag Service Organization is located in Clearwater, Florida. It presents itself, according to court documents, as a center that trains the highest church personnel. The name goes back historically to the years when Hubbard was infatuated with themes of the sea. Back then he created a fleet and put a flagship in charge of it, "Apollo," aboard which this organization was originally located. Flagship, through frequent use, was simply shortened to "Flag." At some stage, the above-named organization was replicated as the Flag Service Organization. It settled down on board a large ship, "Free Winds," and is engaged in training Scientologists at their own highest level of initiation. There they receive the highest course of auditing, "New OT8" (it is known that they already have an OT9 course, but when or where it will be given has not yet been determined.) Although the contents of the highest courses are covered with a veil of secrecy, it is still known from the western press that in the course of OT8, Scientologists assimilate the idea that L. R. Hubbard is god. In addition, the Scientologists say, the ship carries certain "professional courses for Scientologists." The greatest publicity the Sea Org obtained was a publicity that was rather scandalous. According to statements made by the Hubbardists, it presents itself as a "fraternal organization that exists inside the legal structure of the church. In it they work as committed Scientology employees, having decided to devote their lives to its development and dissemination." The Sea Organization accommodates its members in various Scientology organizations, where they work among the other members of the Hubbardist associations. The Sea Org was established in 1967 and, according to the official version, it served to help the founder of Scientology in "researching early civilization." The second goal, even in its official, guarded pronouncement, seems more plausible - the realization "of guidance by the churches all over the world along with the goal of expansion and dissemination of Scientology." It's the Sea Org workers that sign the famous contract by which they are obligated to work in the organization for the next billion years. The structural leadership of Scientology underwent a change, so that when as a result of court proceedings in 1983, church leaders in the USA were sent to prison, eleven people in all, including the wife of L.R. Hubbard, and the founder himself ended up in hiding; today the leader is David Miscavige, who redeemed the matter for 80 million dollars, accompanied by some reform. He demonstrably dissolved the "Guardian Office" - the repressive organization inside the church, for whose members Hubbard prepared special advantages under the title of the "Art of War." Miscavige brought its "B1" under control - Scientology's reconnaissance group, formerly led by Hubbard's wife. It was that organization that stole documents from the lawyers' offices who had been conducting the case against Scientology; it also initiated propaganda campaigns against welfare organizations, press organs and government structures. That was also when the Religious Technology Center was established as the primary holder of the copyrights to all Hubbard's works.
Outside of the regular staff, who work as bureaucrats in offices, the Church of Scientology has clergymen. They are required to complete a preliminary course, a Scientology course, and a course on religious services. As it seems to us, the criteria for development in the Dianetics center as a church organization is an introduction to Scientology auditing, since the only people who audit are ministers, or people who have taken the course on religious services. Such a church of Scientology was registered in Moscow on January 25, 1994, but at the end of 1994, the Moscow Dianetics Center stated, concerning the introduction of Scientology auditing in 1995, that that organization would finally combine with the structure of the church. It is significant that in the section on Hubbard's Management Technology (MT), Perm mayor V. Fil' (a big advocate of Hubbardism) recently stated that the registration in March 1995 of the Dianetics center in this city did not have the slightest relationship to the achievements of MT in his administration. We can only be amazed, it was a remarkable coincidence, wasn't it, in the Spring of 1995 there were only 16 "Dianetics" centers in the country, the Hubbard Colleges numbered two less than that, and they still managed to find Perm on the map. Maybe we can try to predict yet another random event this year, the most random of all three: this year's event will be the appearance of the Church of Scientology in Perm.
The source of the church's financial prosperity are the fees for services donated by the parishioners. Prices of the courses are high enough to ruin people, even in the USA. They start out at $250 for the introductory "communication course" (the customer learns to sit quietly in the class and not show emotions) and progress to the OT5-7 courses, where the customer has to pay $25,600 for several months of "exorcising evil spirits" - body thetans - which have been accumulating in you for millions of years. All payments to the church are considered to be donations and are not subject to taxation. In 1993, a 40 year battle with the US revenue service ended for the church. Before then, the perceived, evident commercial character of the Scientologists' activity prevented them from getting the tax-exempt status of a religious organization. Their lawsuits came to an end with the church's victory, and, additionally, it was allowed to keep in pocket another $300 million. At the present time, a series of public organizations in the USA are carrying on the fight to have that decision overturned.
We are unsure of the prices in the Moscow church, but in January 1995, the Moscow Dianetics Center offered services at prices ranging from 7,000 rubles for "group auditing," where the customers tended to each on a mutual basis, to 40,000 rubles for a "tone scale" seminar. Characteristically, in the former case, they don't offer it to you for 7, but for 25 thousand rubles for four sessions. In case the fee is not paid in advance, it goes up on the day of the transaction. In our examples above, for instance, the increased rates ranged from 9,000 to 50,000 rubles. It's no accident that "Time" magazine called Scientology the "cult of greed."
Any person has a right to any creed or conviction, therefore we deliberately analyze Scientology, not from the perspective of belief, but from the perspective of its structure and its financial basis as a church. Strictly speaking, we are indifferent to what Scientologists believe. With this in mind, we resolve the questions of our fellow citizens, who themselves may follow any sort of belief, as they consider the possibility of using the methods of L. R. Hubbard. The principle of dual citizenship is followed consistently by Scientologists: "Membership in the Church of Scientology dos not mean that any necessity exists to renounce one's own church, synagogue, temple or mosque." There's a little bit more to this, before you make up your mind, wait to hear the analogous position from the Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Lutherans, Catholics and others that Scientology is not such a universal religion, especially when the clear-cut words of L. R. Hubbard are taken into account, "Scientology - this is the religion of all religions."
L. R. Hubbard was a supporter of the idea of having a great number of gods and of transmigration of souls. He maintained that there were "gods above other gods and gods above the gods universe." The idea of transmigration of souls in the aspect of teachings about "thetans" - individual spirit beings, supposedly alive for 300 million years. Approximately 75 million years ago, there was a confederation of 90 planets ruled by a certain Xenu. He exiled to earth groups of thetans to be attached to human beings, who lost their self-awareness as spiritual beings and were rendered subject to the world of material illusion. Scientology's goal is to bring out the true "thetanic" identity of every one of us. The goal of the many stages of auditing is achieving the state of "clear," and then the state of "operating thetan." "Operating," as understood by Scientologists, means "to be at cause over matter, energy, space and time." Achievement of such a god-like state is achieved by receiving secret information "on a gradient," i.e., a little at a time corresponding to attaining the steps of initiation.
1. The constitutional principle of freedom of conscience guarantees the right of all individuals to have their own religious beliefs. There is no doubt that this principle also applies to the adherents of L.R. Hubbard.
2. Equality of people regardless of their attitude towards religion does not mean the government supports all beliefs or movements:
2.1 Government agencies are not required to render material or moral support to movements and organizations whose beliefs contradict social morals and ethical standards of the majority of the Russian population;
2.2 Especially when dealing with those organizations whose models and methods of recruiting new members have signs of fraud or of psychological manipulation;
2.3 The responsibility of government agencies is to warn the public about the negative facts surrounding the activities of religious organizations and their non-religious affiliates, both in our country and in other countries;
3. The Media for Mass Information (SMI), regardless of its legal status, bears a responsibility to society to demonstrate objectivity and trustworthiness in distributing information;
3.1 SMI employees need to realize that thoughtless allocation of resources to propagate their dogma and pet ideas may have a tendency to ruin people's lives in ways ranging from the tears of a mother to a threat to public safety.
3.2 The discussion is not so much about legal or administrative responsibility, because in the majority of the cases, demonstrable ties between public and social excesses were deliberately calculated to miscarry, as it is about civil service positions with respect to professionalism.
4. Proceeding from the above, we are paying attention to potential, social threats from organizations created by Hubbard, and we recommend that decisions about them be made taking into account experiences from around the world.