Posted on 11/07/2021 4:23:52 AM PST by Scarlett156
A few days ago Scientology put out its usual press releases about how it was at the scene of yet another disaster with its yellow-shirted “Volunteer Ministers,” this time on the island of La Palma in the Canaries where a volcano began erupting on September 19.
As we’ve documented time and time again here, what’s actually going on is that Scientology dispatches its members for the primary reason of setting up PR photos like the one you see above.
This time, at least, a Spanish news website, El Español, is calling out Scientology for its vulturish opportunism in a substantial piece that is pretty harsh.
“This is how Scientology takes advantage of the misfortune of La Palma to attract faithful and funds,” reads the headline that was posted yesterday, and the piece includes a lengthy interview with a former Spanish Scientologist who was only identified as “Andrés.” He had spent ten years in the organization, and warned the website of what Scientology’s real aims are.
“They tend to go to disasters to record themselves on video and raise money at private events,” he laments. Andrés assures that he still has debts from his time within Scientology. “First they offer you cheap courses to, supposedly, improve your self-esteem. Little by little they make you spend more money and they urge you to dedicate all your time to working for them. Then they destroy your autonomy,” he recalls.
“They tell you they are saving you, they say they are saving the world, and the volcano is perfect for them,” Andrés continues. In addition to this, he assures that Scientology has been sending the self-appointed Volunteer Ministers for years to places that are in trouble. “They were in Argentina, in Haiti and, making history, even in the 9/11 attacks,” he says. In this way they would raise funds for their shell companies, which sometimes do not even appear to be linked to the organization.
Bingo. Recently, at the Daily Beast, we wrote about Bruce Hines, who recounted his experience at Ground Zero after 9/11, when it finally began to dawn on him that Scientology’s disaster opportunism was really just about public relations. It helped him to decide to make his nervy escape from the Sea Org.
Andrés told El Español that although he’s out of the church he continues to keep in touch with Scientologists who, he says, are anti-vaccination, and anti-maskers (something we’ve documented ourselves). In other words, while they’re pretending that they’re concerned with the general welfare by pitching in to remove ash or give first responders bottled water and pamphlets, they’re actually contributing to the lasting effects of another public health disaster, the pandemic.
El Español also talked to a psychologist who also had no illusions about how Scientology operates.
“They are looking for vulnerable people,” says Canarian psychologist Manuel Pérez. However, the expert maintains that many of the publications that have appeared on networks have been deleted due to the complaints of hundreds of users. “Many people from La Palma realized that it was Scientology and many of us know that it is a dangerous sect,” he says. “The problem is that many others do not realize it and can be captured,” he says.
Andrés, however, clarified that the VMs are not necessarily there for recruitment, but their primary role is to be filmed in slick videos that then get shown to the rest of the organization at its big events, and the point is to convince Scientology’s big donors to turn over millions in donations.
Hey, this Andrés really knows his stuff. That’s what we’ve been saying for years: The Ideal Org dog-and-pony show, the VMs, the scam of Narconon, the “Human Rights” campaigns — ultimately, all of this front group activity is about convincing the Dugganses and Cumminses and Bridgeforths that Scientology is a growing, positive influence in the world so they will fork over millions and millions more in donations.
But that’s not to say that Scientology is not constantly trying to recruit new people, Andrés pointed out.
“The most common method of recruitment is the sale of books at fairs and events,” says Andrés. The organization often sells Dianetics, a self-help manual written by the founder of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. “They ask for your phone number and call you to ask what you think of the book,” he says.
“It is also common to be stopped in the street to offer you a free personality test,” he continues. “It is the most common method of recruitment, they do a very long exam and the truth is that it tends to be quite right.” Andrés says that knowing your personality helps them perceive your weak points. “They offer you a free course and you feel that their therapy can change your life.” According to the ex-Scientologist, little by little these courses are increasing in cost and require you to dedicate more time to them. “It is a manipulation so that you live only for them,” he says.
After a brief recitation of Scientology’s early history, the article even quotes Andrés describing the church’s homophobia, its anti-psychiatry fervor, and the way it gathers damaging information about people and will use it against them if they leave. “They know you very well and when you want to leave they publish everything they know about you on their websites. That’s why most of us leave in silence,” he said.
Like we said, it’s a harsh and very substantial piece, and we salute Andrés and El Español for telling the truth about Scientology as it tries to take advantage of a disaster that has caused the evacuation of about 7,000 people.
Meanwhile, we might also add that it was in the city of Las Palmas, on Gran Canaria, about 250 kilometers east of the island of La Palma, that founder L. Ron Hubbard spent time in the 1960s working on the esoteric upper levels of Scientology, including the infamous OT 3 and its story of Xenu the genocidal galactic overlord. It was from Las Palmas that Hubbard sent his notorious “pinks and greys” letter to his wife, saying that he was drinking rum and popping pills while doing that work.
Lots of dental offices follow Scientology’s wing of “Dental Practice Management” programs. If you go to a dental office that has a poster of L. Ron Hubbard’s “tone scale” on the wall, RUN! They turn your dental office into a bunch of high pressure sales people.
Amen!!!!!!!!!
This is true. Also veterinarians and chiropractors. A DC I used to work for (who I believe is a scientologist) was my only customer when I had my own business who stiffed me out of payment. Some of my customers took months to pay but he was the only one who ever just blew us off. I had to send a collection agent after him. It took years to get part of the money I was owed.
You know how they got their tax-exempt “religion” designation, right? They stalked and harassed IRS department heads, blackmailed some, had others put in jail. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) IRS Department head: So, ok, fine: You’re a church now, guys! Please return my wife to me!
Wow, thank you for that. All this is great. The syndrome you’re describing in the first couple of paragraphs is what I think is called “controlled opposition.” (Am I right? Wrong?)
Science Freakland is one of my pet gripes for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I’ve been bilked out of money by more than one of them and I never found out that’s what they were until later. They never tell you! They play up to your fears, wishes, insecurities, whatever, and once they find a weak spot, they go for your money. Like a hooker, a Science Freak won’t stop until s/he gets it all! Conservatives are more likely to fall for it because they trust more easily - in particular, religious conservatives are preyed on by them. And of course, regardless of how conservative or religious you are, you’re always going to have something you don’t want to share with others, or talk about, or - a lot of the time - even think about. With help from their pals the IRS, they will find out whatever that thing you don’t want to talk about is and try to blackmail you into shoveling unearned dollars into their wallets and into “the church’s” bank account.
Of course, people who want to be in entertainment are always a Science Freak’s first choice of meat. I don’t like actors in general, but I don’t like seeing young people whose goals and ethics are still setting in get turned into babbling losers who will do/say anything for attention.
There’s so much Science Freak BS on g4b.ai, that’s one of the reasons I quit.
You would make martyrs out of them. I would rather they all start asking for their money back and filing lawsuits.
Andrés told El Español that although he’s out of the church he continues to keep in touch with Scientologists who, he says, are anti-vaccination, and anti-maskers (something we’ve documented ourselves). In other words, while they’re pretending that they’re concerned with the general welfare by pitching in to remove ash or give first responders bottled water and pamphlets, they’re actually contributing to the lasting effects of another public health disaster, the pandemic.
That's what the coroner said.
Do you know better?
That’s incorrect. I’ve known family members in AA, read the Blue Book, attended meetings of its spin/off Overeaters Anonymous. No affiliation with Scientology. None.
Chauvin was a terrible cop. A good cop would suppress the purp without killing him. It happens zillions of times a day without a death, or footage showing incompetence.
Chauvin brought shame to millions of good cops.
George Floyd brought shame to millions of good fentnyl addicts..
Not one person making a strong objection to Scientology on this thread has read ANYTHING actually published by them. They have read ABOUT Scientology but have not READ Scientology material, not one. What do we call that? Condemnation by hearsay which is a heartbeat away from a lynch mob. Letting others tell you what to think without accessing SOURCE MATERIAL is not only stupid, it is what Democrats do.
Ya didn’t click the link, didja?
Hail Xenu!
*shrug* La Palma is one of the volcanoes explicitly named in the OTIII materials...
Conservatives are more likely to fall for it because they trust more easily - in particular, religious conservatives are preyed on by them.
I dunno...I find conservatives to be more skeptical and less prone to authority bias than leftists. Dangle a report spouting some nonsense from a doctor or Ivy-educated numbnuts in front of a leftist, and they're all-in, while most of us recoil in horror after assessing the nonsense soberly.
But people ARE prone to confirmation bias, especially if they're 'marginalized.' And armed with that knowledge, predators will go after, say, religious conservatives who eschew modernity and the MSM.
I would hope that religious conservatives would be able to sniff out some slick operative from (as Frank Zappa would say) the L. Ron Hoover and the First Church of Appliantology. But if, say, their child has addition or they're distressed and Mr. Hoover et al promise a cure, I suspect many people will back up their personal Brinks Truck.
LOL good point.
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