Title: Co$ & Totalitarianism----Ideology 3b/4
Author: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 06:30:22 +0200 (CEST)

Ideology

"To in any way encroach upon the Church or distract one from moving up
the Bridge to Total Freedom is the ultimate crime."

-Religious Technology Center Information Letter111

As an ideology, Scientology is moving in a totalitarian direction.
Addressing the beliefs and practices that exist within Scientology
further serves to expose a movement which contains several key
elements of totalitarianism. In this final section, I will look at
some notable characteristics of Scientology and parallel them to
Hannah Arendt's theories on the nature of the totalitarian ideology. I
will focus
on the following themes within Scientology: world  domination,
anti-government and psychiatry conspiracies, momentum and constant
revision, the building of a state of terror, and Scientology's own
prison system- the Rehabilitation Force Project (RPF). While reading
this, it is important to keep in mind that all totalitarian movements
are predisposed to ideologies because they explain everything as the
mere example of a set of natural laws. Embracing such an ideology, the
movement is thus able to "thrive on this escape from reality into
fiction, from coincidence into consistency."112 It is only when this
fiction is indistinguishable from reality that totalitarianism can
survive.

A major feature of Scientology is the group's stated mission to "clear
the world."113 By "clearing the world," the movement wishes to make
every person on this planet not only a Scientologist, but reach a
state called "clear" in Scientology processing. The origins of "clear"
go back to L. Ron Hubbard and his enormous influence on the
construction and language of Scientology. "Clear" functions as both a
noun and a verb in Scientology lingo. To be a "clear" is to have
deleted the contents of the reactive mind by transferring the data
stored there into another mental compartment called the analytical
mind. The analytical mind supposedly functions at a higher awareness
level than the reactive mind. Therefore, "to clear" a person is for
them to realize that they no longer need their reactive mind, enabling
them to "confront and resolve buried trauma" through the filter of the
superior analytical mind114. This is one of the most important goals
in Scientology. It is a significant step on the Scientology "Bridge to
Total Freedom" that Hubbard laid out.115

The fact that Scientology aims at world domination in the form and
language of "clearing" is a major sign that the movement is indeed
totalitarian. As Arendt has noted, "The struggle for total domination
of the total population of the earth, the elimination of every
competing nontotalitarian reality, is inherent in totalitarian
regimes; if they do not pursue global power as their ultimate goal,
they are only too likely to lose whatever power they already have."116
Totalitarian movements do not think in terms of national borders.
Instead, the movements are distinctly borderless in their goals for
domination. The Sea Org is an excellent example of L. Ron Hubbard's
desire for Scientology to exist without the limitations of national
borders. Created by Hubbard as a means to escape government control,
the Sea Org is an elite group of Scientologists who sail around the
world on a gigantic boat wearing naval uniforms117. What is distinct
about the Sea Org is that it epitomizes Hubbard's ideological goals
for Scientology. Not subject to any national laws, the Sea Org was
Hubbard's fantasy of a planet where Scientology could roam and spread
without limits. According to Arendt, all totalitarian leaders consider
their
country of origin to be "only temporary headquarters of the
international movement on the road to world conquest."118 Scientology
is similarly international in the scope of its organization. In fact,
the movement is even inter-planetary in the desire to spread its
ideology: After they clear earth, Scientology plans to "clear the
universe."119

A revealing action taken by Scientology was the planned infiltration
of a country. The BULGRAVIA project (BULgaria, GReece, Albania,
YugoslaVIA) began in 1992 with initial plans to establish industries,
newspapers, transportation, and telecommunications systems in Albania
as the first step in establishing a Scientology state in the
Balkans.120 The idea was to form an area called Bulgravia, which would
be completely dominated by Scientology. Though it is difficult to
believe that Scientology could accomplish this, such actions conform
to totalitarianism's ultimate goal of world conquest. No matter how
distant this goal may appear, totalitarian movements "consider no
country as permanently foreign, but, on the contrary, every country as
their potential territory."122

Another basic tenet of totalitarianism is the belief that "the world
is divided into two hostile camps, one of which is the movement, and
that movement can and must fight the whole world." Scientology also
fulfills this description. Hubbard felt that Scientology was involved
in a grand scheme of good versus evil, and even initiated a secret
project to uncover the "Soldiers of Light" and the "Soldiers of
Darkness."123 While the Soldiers of Light are those people who are in
favor with the Church of Scientology, according to Hubbard, the
leaders among the Soldiers of Darkness are the government and the
entire psychiatric profession.124 Scientology's extremely
anti-government and anti-psychiatry stance is a fundamental concept of
the movement. Government and psychiatry are inextricably linked,
claimed Hubbard, who stated that "Psychiatry and psychology, spawned
by an insanely militaristic government, find avid support from
oppressive and domineering governments."125 Scientologists see a
global conspiracy taking place, whereby psychiatry and world
governments have combined to suppress Scientology. It is precisely
this belief in "one mysterious worldwide conspiracy"126 that all
totalitarian movements require in order to build the model of
domination about which they themselves fantasize. As Arendt noted in
the case of the Nazis, "The delusion of an already existing Jewish
world domination formed the basis for the illusion of future German
world domination."127

While the government is the evil empire, Scientology focuses on
psychiatrists as the most visible enemy of the movement. The choice to
target psychiatry was not a random one, for totalitarian movements
never pick their enemies arbitrarily.128 Part of the reason Hubbard
hated psychiatrists with such a passion was because they were the
first people to criticize the methods and claims of Dianetics. Hubbard
knew that the psychiatric profession would dismiss his ideas, so he
concocted an elaborate conspiracy whereby insane psychiatrists were
ruling the world, creating robot-like drones and generally harming and
injuring their patients.129 In addition to this, since many
psychiatrists saw Dianetics as an unfounded sham, they were instantly
labeled as "Suppressive Persons" or "SPs"- the ultimate condemnation
in Scientology.130 SPs are, of course, synonymous with
anti-Scientologists. Thus the one group that Hubbard knew would surely
criticize Dianetics was conveniently accused of a worldwide conspiracy
to warp people's minds and discredit the truth of Scientology.131
Scientology's battle against the evils of psychiatry also entails the
elimination of all psychiatrists. Hubbard's objective was to eliminate
every single psychiatrist by looking for crimes in their past.132
Suitably, criticizing Scientology was defined as the maximum crime.
Much like Hitler and Stalin before him, Hubbard's plans drew on how to
abolish his enemies through whatever means were available.

Totalitarianism, rather than representing the will to dominate others,
is about the destruction of alternate viewpoints and the
homogenization of thought as a continual process.131 This continual
movement, which simultaneously destroys and purifies, is the true
direction of totalitarianism. The momentum of totalitarian domination
aspires to be unlimited as it spreads around the globe, as
exemplified by Scientology's desire to "clear the planet." The
momentum also arises in the enemy status of psychiatry declared by
Scientology. Here, the organization functions as a "movement whose
advance constantly meets with new obstacles that have to be
eliminated."134 Another significant part of this motion involves the
constant changes and revisions in policy which characterize all
totalitarian movements. As Arendt states, "the perpetual-motion mania
of totalitarian movements can remain in power only so long as they
keep everything moving and set everything around them in motion."135

This need for constant motion also pertains to the rules, regulations,
and beliefs within the group. In the case of Scientology, both
theories and practices are repeatedly revised, illustrating the "swift
and surprising changes in policy for which totalitarianism has become
famous."136 L. Ron Hubbard was particularly fond of revising the
techniques for Dianetic therapy and later employed the same
actions in Scientology processing.137 Hubbard would make elaborate
designs concerning the proper way to proceed along the "Bridge to
Total Freedom," proclaiming the supreme accuracy of his theories, only
to change them later on. It was not unusual for a Scientologist, who
had spent years in the movement, to have to repeat processing levels
because Hubbard had found the techniques flawed and thus
had them re-designed.138 An obvious reason for the frequent revisions
was simply the fact that the methods did not work in the first place.
The miraculous cures promised by Hubbard were frequently proven false
by the members' own experiences, hence Hubbard's need to provide new
improved versions in order to keep Scientology afloat. However, the
frequent revisions also demonstrate the continual motion within the
framework of the group itself. In the higher "OT" levels of
Scientology, new "grades" appear every few years,
shrouded in secrecy.139 There is no real end to the movement. When a
Scientologist reaches one level, there is always another they must
pass. Knowledge is always one step further away; it is continually
kept in motion. As Arendt observed, "a political goal that would
constitute the end of the movement simply does not exist."140

Only a movement that is constantly kept in motion can achieve
totalitarianism's greatest wish: namely, the permanent domination of
each individual in every sphere of life.141 According to Arendt, the
ideological "axiomatic" laws that all totalitarian groups claim to
represent are movements of themselves.142 When Scientologists talk
about Hubbard's "science of mental health," the theories are viewed as
a sweeping movement executing the laws of History and Nature. As
Hubbard remarked, "The man who avoids the Bridge to Total Freedom will
be eventually be swept along and tumble into nothingness. Not only
does he gain nothing but he inhibits progress."143 Because the
ideological movement aims to be completely unopposed in its motion, a
degree of terror is inevitably entailed. Terror is experienced when
there is no where else to turn and the most unimaginable nightmare has
become reality. This type of terror can only become total when it
becomes independent of all opposition. In other words, only when there
is nobody to stand in its way can totalitarianism achieve the total
homogenization it desires. In this manner, "terror is the essence of
totalitarian domination."144

Scientology's "Ethics" system is one particularly telling way that
this sort of terror arises in the movement. Devised by Hubbard in the
mid 1960's effectively as a form of social control, "ethics
technology" emphasizes the cult's totalitarian nature. Under the rules
of "Ethics," anyone thought to be disloyal, slacking, or breaking the
rules of Scientology, was reported to an "ethics officer" and assigned
a "condition" according to the gravity of the offense.145 Various
penalties were attached to each condition. In a "condition of
liability" for example, the offender was required to wear a dirty grey
rag around his or her left arm.146 The worst that could happen was to
be declared an "SP" (suppressive person), which was tantamount to
excommunication from the church. SPs were defined by Hubbard as "fair
game" to be pursued, sued and harassed at every possible
opportunity.147 The penalties described under the Fair Game order are
as follows: "May be deprived of property or injured by any means by
any Scientologists. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed."148
Scientologists who associate with an SP are labeled "Potential Trouble
Sources" and forbidden further auditing or training.149 Members are,
in effect, ordered to cease communication with anyone considered
unfriendly to the Church of Scientology. This produces an effect,
which Arendt noted, occurs in all totalitarian movements: "Mutual
suspicion, therefore, permeates all social relationships."150 This
all-pervasive atmosphere of distrust exists even inside the group
itself, as members are continually encouraged to be on guard for
"dangerous thoughts."151 Such dangerous thoughts were also measured by
the E-Meter, so even thinking a negative thought about Hubbard or
Scientology could show up during auditing.152

Hubbard insisted that his Ethics system should be applied to
non-Scientologists as well.153 As Arendt observed, "The category of
the suspect thus embraces under totalitarian conditions the total
population; every thought that deviates from the officially prescribed
and constantly changing line is already suspect."154 Simply because of
their capacity to think, human beings are suspects by definition under
totalitarianism, for the ability to change one's mind is a ever
present threat to homogenization and compliance.155 Ethics was more
than a set of laws made by Hubbard. They were absolute rules in
accordance with the movement's ideological goals, designed to apply to
every individual, so that disobedience was not an option. Such a
punishment system eerily corresponds to Hitler's dictum that "The
total state must not know the difference between law and ethics."156

Penalties for lower conditions in Scientology's Ethics hierarchy were
harshest for those in the Sea Org- punishments included sleep
deprivation and the assignment of physical labor.157 The worst of
Ethics was perhaps Hubbard's initiation of the chain-locker punishment
in 1968, during the Commodore's reign on the Sea Org.158 A
chain-locker is a dark hole where anchor chains are stored. A tiny
manhole gives access to the cold, wet and unlit lockers below the
bowels of the ship. When a crew member was in a low enough Ethics
condition, he or she would be put in a chain-locker for up to two
weeks, kept awake and fed by a suspended food bucket.159 The
"overboarding" practice also occurred under the Ethics system, in
which case an unlucky Scientologist was ordered to be thrown off the
deck of the boat.160

While such punishments are certainly cruel, they also demonstrate the
state of terror which was being built within Scientology.
Scientologists were accustomed to following Hubbard's auditing
techniques and did not question the reasoning behind another set of
commands, such as those in Ethics. Instead, they simply answered or
carried them out. Many spent their time trying to stay out of trouble,
hoping they wouldn't be the next to receive a punishment.161 What
resulted was a situation where members could not imagine doing
anything other then obey Hubbard's rules. In their minds, there was
nowhere else to turn except towards the one all-encompassing ideology
they knew. They had lost the capacity to oppose the movement, even
when it had clearly become a nightmarish version of reality. This is
precisely the goal of totalitarianism. The creation a fictitious world
where everything is possible is a central assumption of all
totalitarian movements. Consequently, "every crime the rulers can
conceive of must be punished, regardless of whether or not it has been
committed."162

In 1973, Hubbard replaced the chain-locker and overboarding
punishments in favor of new, profoundly effective means of domination-
the Rehabilitation Force Project, or RPF.163 Convinced that his orders
were not being carried out with sufficient diligence, Hubbard
established the RPF as a disciplinary unit for anyone who failed to
comply with orders, made mistakes, or fell short of their production
quotas.164 While on the Sea Org, Hubbard became convinced that there
were evil people on board with hidden evil intentions.165 The RPF was
designed for such people, or as Hubbard termed them: "degraded beings"
and "psychotics."166 Used as a daily threat, the RPF had, at one
point, almost one-third of Sea Org members assigned to it.167 RPF
members were segregated, having their own space away from the rest of
the crew. Discipline was harsh and bizarre, while members were
expected to adhere to a rigid schedule of physical labor.168

The RPF is still in use in Scientology organizations throughout the
world. Those assigned to RPF can only speak when spoken to, eat table
scraps, and sleep shorter hours than other Scientology staff.169 RPF
members are meant to comply immediately and unquestioningly with any
order. They work a full day, doing physical labor, and are expected to
spend five hours confessing their "overts" and revealing their "Evil
Purposes."170 The RPF is, in effect, a Scientology penal colony.

The fact that both Ethics and the RPF originated on the Sea Org is not
a coincidence. The Sea Org was Hubbard's fantasy of a world of his own
creation, which could sail limitlessly without the constraints of
national or governmental borders. Scientology's horrific punishment
systems only serve to verify totalitarianism's fundamental belief that
in a fictitious world, everything is possible.171 One cannot help but
be reminded of the Nazi concentration camps when hearing about
incarceration in the RPF. Physically, there are unavoidable
similarities between the two camps. Undesirables are separated from
the rest of society, under the pretense of an movement that "functions
according to the principle that whoever is not included is excluded,
whoever is not with me is against me."172 Conditions are disgusting
and prisoners are trained to comply with all orders. The incarcerated
are targeted as enemies of a movement whose purifying motion must
continue in order to prove its ideology. Of course, a critical
difference is that the Nazis systematically killed their prisoners.
The RPF does not lead to death, as it did for so many in Nazi camps.
Therefore, the forced labor camps of Scientology differ is this
crucial respect. In addition, the RPF is not designed for those
psychiatrists and government agents said to be conspiring against
Scientology, but for the members of the movement itself. This too,
however, is the tendency of  totalitarianism, which always turns
against even those in the movement, for nobody is safe when everyone
must be on guard.173

According to Arendt, the Nazi concentration camps were an example of
totalitarianism in power and served as "special laboratories to carry
through its experiment in total domination."174 In this manner, she
identifies the camps as the "true central institution of totalitarian
organizational power."175 I would argue that Scientology's RPF is
similarly the result of a movement that is headed in a totalitarian
direction, but which has not yet become a regime. Nonetheless, there
are major indications that the group contains distinctly totalitarian
elements. A punishment system such as the RPF is not only horrifying
in the fact that it exists; it is also based on an ideology of terror.
To organize the entire texture of life according to such an ideology
can only be carried out under a totalitarian regime.176 That is what
Scientology is striving for- to create a world where the line between
reality and fiction is erased and the capacity to distinguish truth
from falsehood is abolished.177 While the ideology of terror is indeed
powerful, it is critical to realize that the dream of totalitarianism
is never complete. As long as there are people to stand in the way of
its movement, the non-totalitarian world will continue to exist.

Copyright (c) 1999 Laura Kay Fuller


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