I know, I know. Probably the last thing anybody needs is yet another blog about Scientology. But look where I am! Here’s a picture of me in front of my shop. (Pay no attention to that sign in the window for now– I’ll tell you about that later.)
And at the bottom of the page is a picture showing where my shop is in relation to Scientology’s big blue Complex in Los Angeles (can you see the red arrow pointing to the shop?) It’d be a shame to let that ringside seat at the Scientology circus go to waste.
Besides that, I was deep into Scientology for over forty years and studied under “the old man” himself (L. Ron Hubbard), so I’m all too familiar with the thought processes of the typical Scientologist. Now that I’m back in the real world, it feels almost like being bilingual. They actually do have their own language — kind of. Some words have been made up. Others have had their definitions altered.
Actually, the fact that there are so many people publishing things about Scientology now is another reason I thought I should start this blog. I want to organize the data in such a way that lots of people can take it all in without going into information overload. I think it’s important stuff to know — not that I’m going to be dead serious about it or anything. Quite the contrary. Heh.
My waking up from the Scientology trance was a long, gradual process, similar to the gradual process they use to suck you in. But I’ve only become aware of that in retrospect, after a lot of time has gone by. The last time I was in an org for services was in 2003. But I was too scared to even look for Scientology on the internet until 2006. Until then, I thought I was the only one having this weird experience.
And posting anything was absolutely out of the question, until Anonymous appeared on the scene and confirmed for me that people in the real world thought Scientology was creepy, and that people in Scientology were living in a bubble. That’s when I finally did start posting — at ESMB (Ex Scientologist Message Board). You can read my “story” there.
I now know that there is a very broad spectrum of where a person can be regarding Scientology — from true believer forever (which is where I was) to rabid antagonist (which I can also accept) and all points in between. All viewpoints are valid, based on a person’s experience. I also know that it is possible to move from one point to another on the spectrum. It happens all the time, thank goodness.
So I believe there’s hope for even the most deeply involved. One thing I’ve found though is that such a person can’t be convinced from any outside source. They have to figure it out for themselves. Nobody could have told me any of the things I eventually discovered, so you won’t find me adopting a “preachy” tone here. It wouldn’t have worked on me, so I don’t think it would work on others. As much as one would like to “save” someone from Scientology, I don’t think it can be done. They have to “save” themselves.
But I do think there are things anyone can do to help, or to influence the process. Providing good information is one of them. I believe people do want to help. So when I think of other ways, I’ll present them here.
Well, that’s all I can think of right now. If I think of anything else, you’ll be the first second to know. And if you have any specific questions (or if you just want to say something), just let me know in the Comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer.
