From The Marketing Geniuses At The Church Of Scientology
Remember Kaja Ballo from Norway? I wonder if she saw this advertisement before her suicide? Better yet, I wonder if this is the message that prevails within the Church of Scientology. Nothing like making young girls cry to make you say “Wow, Scientology is a faith built on benevolence and goodwill.” Jeebus, we are going to have to move up to calf-bullets, because I don’t think the CoS has any feet left to shoot.
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Excellent reporting on ths CofS.
It will be quite exciting.
Comment by Peter — April 19, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
Remember Kaja Ballo.
My heart is broken.
Comment by marcab — April 19, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
That’s amazing. That’s so cold-hearted and cruel that even knowing what bastards the CoS have been in the past, I still have trouble believing they could do something so vile.
Comment by AF — April 19, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
Wait. This is a fake and everyone gets that, right?
Jesus, the church is crazy and retarded but get a freaking grip sheeple.
Comment by David M — April 19, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
Sickening cult is sickening.
Comment by Anonymous — April 19, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
No, this is quite real.
“Find their ruin” is the dictum given to auditors and dianetics salesmen (the church calls these guys “ministers”). Basically, you find whatever personality flaws someone has, then you do EVERYTHING you can to drive home that this will undermine the person’s life and destroy it irrevocably in the near future.
The only treatment/cure? Dianetics, Scientology, and tens of thousands of dollars of auditing!
They break people down and then try to rebuild them as scibots–people who live to “KSW” or Keep Scientology Working.
They don’t fix or rebuild lives. They just co-opt them for their own purposes.
Comment by Anonymous — April 19, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
Wow, this is really disgusting. If not already done, this picture should be shown to the law enforcement that is investigating the death.
Comment by Tilman — April 19, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
The hits just keep coming.
Comment by Kasey — April 19, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
Terryeo pageing Terryeo (or James Lightfield)…
Major cleanup needed on aisle 1…
Time for the OSA shill to do its work.
Comment by Centurian 10 — April 19, 2008 @ 3:28 pm
This marketing effort is direct-from-the-source evidence of the twisted thinking that Scientology inculcates in its members.
We all know there had to be some sort of formalized process for creation and approval of the above ad. Someone in marketing “brainstormed” that message, either alone or with others working in that capacity. They got it approved by someone else higher up, selected the stock photo, put this ad together or had it done. And then they put it out there to motivate FSM’s and other members to sell, sell, sell.
The sad part?
It probably worked on those warped, sick, twisted, insane salespeople. Who else but a brainwashed zombie could find this message anything but horrifying?
The recent suicide of a Norwegian girl who fell into the hands of Scientology under just such a marketing situation makes it all the sadder.
Who will stop these criminals? Who?
Comment by One Mother — April 19, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
Getting the tax free status ruling reversed to this evil, fascist, CULT should be job number one for everyone. This issue should be pushed to every local, state & national politician. For every cent they scam out of…law abiding Americans have to pay to make up for it. This sickens me. If “Change†is the buzz word for this year’s election, why not get this changed? Once they lose this and are finally exposed for what they really are, they will be on the run.
Their time is up.
Comment by Jack — April 19, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
Excerpt from Valley OT Committee Meeting Minutes of 5 June 2007:
“Bob Heifler gave a great win on doing complete dissem cycle with each person, really getting them ruined and handling each person with care, bringing them up the awareness characteristics and selling them DMSMH!”
Scientology is all about selling, because in the Church of Scientology, the object of worship is “Gross Income,” as simple at that.
Oh, and by the way, for those who says it’s fake, this is where the picture was taken (they removed it):
http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/080415_Bookathon_email/img/
See how in Scientology selling is more important than basic needs in disaster areas:
http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/dissemnews/tsunami/
http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/dissemnews/disaster/
http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/dissemnews/tsunami/
Oh, and beware, they won’t ask permission to get in our public institutions:
http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/dissempjt/
Comment by R Hill — April 19, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
This poster was located here
http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/080415_Bookathon_email/img/DN.GIRL.BPI%20lorez.jpg
but has mysteriously disappeared. Hmmm.
Comment by Ron Newman — April 19, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
Dawn, can you please upload the complete image to Imageshack or some other file hosting site so that it can be archived? Apparently you have the only publicly available copy right now.
Comment by Anonymous — April 19, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
On that site there was also a directory with named pictures in it. The pictures were given descriptive names relevant to the content.
One of them was named “http://www.lrh-books.com/mailings/080415_Bookathon_email/img/Colored_MG_0559.jpg”
The content? A black man sitting by an emeter.
Scientology: Perpetuating 1950s racial beliefs into the 21st century!
Comment by Anonymous — April 19, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
Got your back, anon.
http://forums.enturbulation.org/attachments/15-breaking-news/scientologist-doing-bookathon-19th-and20th-april/526d1208384088t/dn.girl.bpi-lorez.jpg
Comment by Anonymous — April 19, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
Anon, that image is the thumbnail, but that’s good enough. With that link I found the original. Thanks x 9000.
Comment by Anonymous — April 19, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
Hmmm, shop Kaja’s photo in there to replace the current girl, change the text at the bottom to a brief summary of Kaja’s story, swap the image of the book to an image of the original cover story, and they’ve designed a flier for us.
How nice of them.
Comment by liz — April 19, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
Looks like someone has already played with that idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtuQME-oB3s&feature=related
Comment by liz — April 19, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
Wow. Must be the same marketing genius who thought getting Mark Bunker removed from Youtube would be a good idea.
History making expansion my ass.
The cult is in ruins and it’s only going to get worse.
RIP Kaja.
Comment by Rachel — April 19, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
Hey scilons, guess what?
Assaulting peaceful protesters will get you your very own web page!
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Annette_Refstrup
Comment by liz — April 19, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
David M –
What reason do you have for thinking it’s a fake? Any? Obviously you have some reason, but unless you’re under the mistaken impression that the pictured girl is supposed to be Kaja Ballo, I can’t see why; everything about it is consistent with the Church of Scientology’s beliefs and practices. It’s only to an outside observer that its callousness shows.
Here, let’s read the text:
“She laughed when I asked her to take a stress test.
She cried when I found her ruin.”
A person’s “ruin”, in bluntest terms, is their vulnerable point. Whatever the person feels worst about — that’s their ruin. Scientology recruiters are taught to try and dig out what a person’s ruin is, and then promise them that Scientology can help them with it, no matter what it is.
Note that this poster is already acknowledging what Scientologists would surely deny: that their free “stress tests” are given for ulterior motives. A legitimate “stress test” measures stress, period, and has no purpose and no business trying to find someone’s “ruin”.
Of course, Scientologists don’t believe that the e-meter which they use to give these “stress tests” is only capable of measuring stress. They believe that the e-meter has the ability to probe the thoughts in a person’s subconscious mind — making it very sleazy that they would misrepresent to people that they are only measuring stress. It would be as if you got an X-ray machine capable of looking inside people’s tissues, and tricked people into letting you get that invasive look at their insides by telling them you could give them a “free weight measurement”. It doesn’t matter that the e-meter doesn’t really have the power Scientologists ascribe to it — the fact is that they believe they are digging into people’s most private pains under the pretense of these “stress tests”.
This poster not only portrays it as a natural and expected end result that a supposed “stress test” would lead to “finding someone’s ruin”, but portrays it as a good thing when this “stress test” brings someone who was laughing to a state of tears. Now it’s true that not all laughter represents real happiness, and that tears are not always something bad — but are these people taking responsibility for the tears?
“Sell Dianetics books.
Give people something to smile about … freedom!”
An admission that selling Scientology books and services is the true purpose of the “stress test”. So in Scientology’s view, it’s okay to a) trick someone into letting you invade their privacy by pretending you’re just going to give them a “stress test”, b) reduce them to tears by digging up and bringing out their vulnerable point, c) and exploit that as a selling opportunity for Dianetics books, d) because Dianetics books are just that good.
No, Dave. I see things here that are evidence of disgusting, cynical exploitation — but nothing that leads me to believe it’s a fake.
Comment by AF — April 19, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Yes the stress test is meant to “find someone’s ruin” but they don’t come out and tell you that, do they? I really don’t know. I can see how some people (myself included) may doubt that this is actually a CoS marketing poster. It may be real and inteneded for scientologists only. Perhaps this was created for the sole purpose of spamming scientologists’ mail box day after day with hi-gloss literature in an attempt to entice them to go to Flag or do the L’s. It also kind of looks like a sarcastic photoshop created for the purpose of lampooning the ridiculous outrageous scientology organization. I really don’t know. If it is indeed real and created for the purpose of sparking interest in the “free stress test” then all I can say is The Church of Scientology is really loosing touch with reality! MMMUUUUWWWWWWWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Comment by JM Boucher — April 19, 2008 @ 7:40 pm
To JM Boucher: It’s real, it was found on their server. It is intended for Scientologists, to promote their book-selling campaigns. Because it’s for internal circulation, it has even more meaningful: the cynical views of Scientologist toward non-Scientologists. Scientologists refer to non-Scientologists as “raw meat” with “buttons” which must be found and pressed in order to “ruin” them, then come the prize: a successful sale.
Comment by R Hill — April 19, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
yeah, RHill, I know all about it. But non-scientologists are called “wogs” and potential students are called “raw meat”.
Comment by JM Boucher — April 19, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
I have another one for you Dawn. This is not a joke, it is an actual (and very recent) internal scientology email. Here’s the link:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7492/comic1eo8.jpg
I have the original cult link which was used in the leaked email. If you need it to verify source then let me know.
Comment by Sponge — April 19, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
JM Boucher @ 22 –
I thought it was obvious that it was produced for internal consumption. If it was aimed at “raw meat” they wouldn’t just say “Call your local Org or Mission today”, since the prospective recruit might not know what an Org or Mission is or where to find one. Neither would they be asking people to join “a book-selling team” as their first contact with Scientology: they want the newcomers to be buying books, to put cash in the coffers and raise the stats.
The cult doesn’t want to settle, though, for the sales that would come from the very low number of people who would seek out Dianetics entirely on their own. They need Scientologists who are willing to “hard-sell” the books through pretexts such as ‘free’ “stress tests”, and this looks like material intended for recruiting Scientologists into such projects.
Comment by AF — April 19, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
Scientology is disgusting. The stress test is a sales tool to find or create a “ruin” that Scientology can help one with. You have a problem we can help you, didn’t know you had one, we found one for you, welcome to the cult! They need to be stopped. It is repulsive.
Comment by patty — April 19, 2008 @ 8:48 pm
This really is a disgusting ad/campaign. I found it on OCMB and I’d heard it existed. I will have to find the thread where it came from.
Also, on a personal note, if anyone ever notices (like I just did when I checked in here after being away much of the day and noticed I misspelled a word in the title) I have made a typo or a spelling error, I would deeply appreciate letting me know.
Blogcritics.org (the site who owns Glosslip) have full time editors, sadly I do not and I am always pressed for time and often miss stuff. I feel bad when I’ve discovered I screwed something up because it detracts from my message – so if you notice it, please, I implore you to let me know. I will only thank you for the help – I know my weak points.
Not to say that it’s anyone’s job but mine. Just putting it out there I would always appreciate any help from extra eyes.
Thank you in advance
Comment by D — April 19, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
L Ron Hubbard called this “beautiful sadness,”
Or, as Dolly said, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”
The whole “you gotta get worse before you get better” kind of thing.
Comment by Peter — April 19, 2008 @ 9:46 pm
Just to elucidate the meaning of ’sales’ in Scientology, they have, or possibly had, a book entitled “Big League Sales Techniques”.
One must wonder why a tax-exempt organization calling itself a “church” has a need for promulgating a book called “Big League Sales Techniques”?
Of course, Scientology is inherently a marketing and sales company. The fact of their tax exemption is beside the point that their entire purpose on Earth is to make money, lots of money, so much money that the adherent becomes insolvent. This is the entire concept of Scientology: a bogus self-help system that is designed to extract the maximum amount of money from each adherent.
When the Scientology adherent is insolvent, Scientology holds out the option of a Staff or Sea Org position. Scientology is a scam, complete from first contact with a potential adherent, to offering a pathway then the adherent is financially insolvent. When the adherent is too old and too tired and too physically unable to get money, more money, for the cult, they are kicked out onto the street, “offloaded”, without any recourse, no retirement, no social security, no medical insurance, no pension, nothing at all.
As David Miscavige has stated: “Lisa McPherson died, people die.” Hubbard stated “we would rather have you dead than unable”.
Q
Comment by Quaoar — April 19, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
This is how scientology works. I was once one of them, selling those books, bringing in new people to get their personality test or pinch / stress test. I could easily ‘find a ruin’ but in those days, I would also ‘body route’ them into the orgs’ the public divisions and leave it up to the ‘trained staff’ to find the ruin.
Back then, CoS was happy if you just got the person in the door so they could do the dirty work. I actually thought I was helping people and from a scientologist perspective, that is what you’ll find. Sadly, help can be a hindrince, a betrayal, a lie. That is what Scientology is.
As I’ve stated before, I am very sorry to all the many people I sold Dianetics books to and brought into Scientology.
Comment by Mary McConnell — April 19, 2008 @ 10:20 pm
“L Ron Hubbard called this “beautiful sadness,â€
Or, as Dolly said, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.â€
The whole “you gotta get worse before you get better†kind of thing.”
If I’ve developed a rapport with a therapist who has earned my trust, I’ll feel comfortable with going into deep areas that may make me feel temporarily worse, with faith that that same therapist will act responsibly and help me get out into the light again.
Would I ever knowingly give the opportunity to put me in that state to some stranger off the street who claims they’re just offering a free “stress test”? Like HELL. And it goes without saying that anyone who lies to me to try and get that opportunity is someone who should never get that opportunity.
Comment by AF — April 20, 2008 @ 12:20 am
Get rid of this scam disguised in a pseudo-religion.
Comment by roger gonnet — April 20, 2008 @ 2:37 am
Stupid reporting, dumb assumption, impossible connection to legally make. But of course Glosslip’s effort is not a legal effort, but an effort to demean by rumor and implication. While Anonymous’ $$$ would be THRILLED to cause a Church reaction.
Comment by Terryeo — April 20, 2008 @ 2:44 am
why wont you just wake up ?
seriously
it s a cult
be free
Comment by NEWanonymous — April 20, 2008 @ 3:05 am
Now I get it. Anonymous is a coalition made up of all walks of life: Hackers, taggers. bigots, atheists, psychiatrists and amateur gossipers trying to justify their existence. I see that they are now being taken seriously by other hackers, taggers, bigots, atheists and amateur gossipers. Perhaps I should include the psychiatrists but I just can’t see how they can actually take themselves seriously. If all the money that the psychiatrists and psycho pharmas make from the government were put behind Anonymous or any other effort to take down Scientology they would fail even though the psych industry has many times more money at their disposal than the Church of Scientology. Of course if the psychs could get enough psychotropics into everybody so that Scientology wouldn’t work on them anymore that would pretty much stop Scientology but of course it would pretty much stop everything else as well.
Does anybody think Anonymous might even rise above those gossip mags which still have anything to do with them. Seriously their arguments are banal showing no comprehension and would be rightly prosecuted for libel if they weren’t done with pure anonymosity but the problem is Anonymous doesn’t even have an unconflicted purpose never mind any agreement on how it should be done. On the other hand the Church of Scientology has been weathering persecution and far worse ever since its inception.
Comment by An observer — April 20, 2008 @ 5:06 am
Both Narconon and Scientology use the OCA (Oxford Capacity Analysis), also know as “The Personality Test” to recruit people in to the cult.
I was trained on administering and evaluating the OCA’s when I was staff at Narconon
Connecticut. My first job at Narconon CT was to administer and evaluate the personality
attempt as part of the “reg cycle” or the “attempted recruitment” or the “sales job”.
Per a 1960 Scientology policy letter Hubbard states:
“ The essence of testing procedure is (a) to get the person to do a test and (b) get him or her to come in to have it evaluated. From this follows his or her buying processing and training as sold to the person by PrR [Promotion & Registration] at the same time
as the evaluation is done.â€
As a test evaluator I was instructed “cave the person in” meaning I was to introvert him and make him feel really bad about himself.
The OCA has 10 traits that are graded from -100 to + 100
see: Blank OCA diagram, 1950s
The test evaluator would take up each trait that had a
minus score and would pretty much ignore anything that was on the plus side.
As a test evaluator I was required to memorize the scripted response to each minus trait. For example:
For Trait G– Responsible/Irresponsible, the memorized pre scripted response is:
“ You are completely irresponsible. You accuse others of having ruled your life and made it what it is but this is actually your own fault as you at no time have really accepted your share of responsibility. Your frequently feel sorry for yourself and feel that life has victimized you. Scientology would help you with that.
If a person had a minus score for Trait H– Correct Estimation/Critical, the evaluator would say:
“ You are an extremely critical person. You lash out verbally or mentally at those about you and the environment, making you a person almost impossible to be around. You may consider that you are being constructively critical or realistic. However,
you are being basically malicious and mean. Because you see little good in people or life your opinions are of little value. Scientology can help you with this.”
In Hubbard Policy Letter of 28 October 1960, “New Testing Promotion Section”, Hubbard states:
“ Remarks that “Scientology can improve this or that
characteristic” or “auditing can remedy that” or “Processing can change this” or “Training can stabilize that” should be used repeatedly during the evaluation for the sake of impingement.
A clever evaluator can surmise such things as domestic grief, trouble with possessions, etc much more easily than a fortune teller.
Test evaluation is modern, scientific fortune telling. It deals with past, present and future. A low profile, low IQ future is of course a dreary one, profitless, unless changed. We can erase the fate of the past and alter utterly anyone’s future.
So it does not matter how hard one leans on the person.â€
Scientologists are brainwashed into believing that only Scientology can truly help a person and free them from the “reactive mind”. So in the Scientology mindset, it’s a good thing to cave people in when reading the test results as this is the best way to “enlighten” them about the wonders of Scientology.
They don’t see it as the hard sell, high pressure tactics of a cult.
Per Hubbard Policy Letter of 15 February 1961, “Evaluation Script” Hubbard explained:
“ The idea is to impinge on the person. The more resistive or argumentative he is, the more the points should be slammed home. Look him straight in the eye and let him know, ‘That is the way it is.’
Proceed with evaluation on the low points, column by column. Make a decisive statement about each. If the subject agrees — says, ‘That’s right’, or ‘That describes me all right’, or similar — leave it immediately. You have impinged. If he argues
or protests, don’t insist. You simply are not talking on his reality level. Re-phrase your statement until it is real to him. Stop as soon as you get through. As soon as you get an impingement, look subject in the face and say, with intention, ‘Scientology can help you with that’ or ‘That can be changed
with Scientology’, or some similar positive statement.”
When the evaluation is completed, the evaluator is told to push the test toward the individual and then lean back or withdraw from the person and to be silent. Per Hubbard, if the evaluator has done his job correctly, the person should ask, what he should do next. At that time, the new recruit is routed (sent) to see the Scientology Reg or Registrar and
is signed up for Scientology services.
I evaluated many of these tests when I held the job of recruiting people into the cult via it’s front group drug program Narconon.
If I can be of any help to the investigation of this young girls death please contact me at ppieniadz@gmail.com. I am willing to talk to
both the media and any investigative unit by phone or email.
Patty Pieniadz
Comment by Patty Pienaidz — April 20, 2008 @ 6:35 am
To Patty. Thank you for your comments. Not sure Mr. Terryeo and an observer will appreciate it though, ;o) It’s always refreshing to hear from ex scienos that have made it out and have first hand knowledge of the inner workings.
“As a test evaluator I was instructed “cave the person in†meaning I was to introvert him and make him feel really bad about himself.” This seems to be a common technique with the CoS plants as well. I see now that they seem to want to “cave in” Gloss Lips by demeaning Dawn’s contribution to the discussions. Sad really. To be so “programmed” to attack and never defend. To be so “programmed” to KSW irregardless of the walls crumbling around you. David Miscavige will probably flee with the money and leave his minions to take the fall. Has anyone seen Davey’s wife lately?
Comment by Mitsu Too — April 20, 2008 @ 7:28 am
HEAR YE, HEAR YE, I will vote for President anybody that is committed to dismantling the criminal “Church” of $cientology.
Platform, anyone?
KDW – Keep Dismantling Working
.
.
Comment by gg — April 20, 2008 @ 10:01 am
@9. Hey ‘ya Centurian 10, how’s it going over at Wikinfo? Myshortnews ? Dramatica?
Comment by Terryeo — April 20, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
i was there when we found it ON SCIENTOLOGY SERVERS.
Not a fake.
Comment by Guy Falkes — April 20, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
Hey Terryeo are you in a 12 hour cycle or something? Seems you always post every 12 hours. If patterns hold through “an observer” should be along within 3 hours of your post. BTW anyone see bgodley around? He’s been awfully quiet. Hope he wasn’t RPF’d.
Comment by Mitsu Too — April 20, 2008 @ 5:13 pm
#36 is copying and pasteing this same poo all over the place. He must keep a log of how many posts he makes. Jeez Terryo and ‘an observer’ are either of you married? Please don’t tell me you have kids. Because all you do is troll all day long and I bet you the wife and kids are getting pretty angry with you on the computer all the time fighting with people about scientology. Your so PRODUCTIVE. 1.1
Do yourself a favor, go hang out with your family. Go to the park. If you are ordered here, then don’t you secretly wish they would assign you a different post? I know you do!
P.S
Where have our little sci tie entertainers been the last few days? What do you think about Jason Beghe going public about the cult?
Comment by Anonymous — April 20, 2008 @ 7:50 pm
I stand corrected and wish to retract my first comment in this thread where I jumped on people for thinking this was authentic.
In reading this advertisement a dozen times, I just couldn’t bring myself to possibly believe it was real. The smiling stock art, the horrid title, and the unbelievable descriptive text all were too horrid to be real. I am no apologist for the church but I just couldn’t fathom that they had ever created something so blatantly awful as a promotion piece. I was convinced it was a clever photoshop from SA forums, and clever it would have been. The truth is even more horrid that this was behind the campaign.
Inconceivable
Comment by David M — April 21, 2008 @ 11:53 am
David M, welcome to the rabbit hole that is the “Church of Scientology”–just when you think they couldn’t go any lower, they find new and innovative ways to keep digging.
I know many of us fell into this by uncovering the first tidbits…then following them deeper…and deeper…and we’re still finding out more crap about the organization that provokes disgust, outrage, or just general “WTF” reactions. At this point, a lot of us wouldn’t put them past killing kittens.
Oh wait, they (probably) have. RIP Mudkips.
Comment by Anonymous — April 21, 2008 @ 12:23 pm
[...] From The Marketing Genuises At The Church Of Scientology Glosslip – Cleveland,OH,USA Better yet, I wonder if this is the message that prevails within the Church of Scientology. Nothing like making young girls cry to make you say “Wow, … Scientology Kid Battle: Nicole Kidman vs. Tom Cruise? National Ledger – Apache Junction,AZ,USA Scientology Kid Battle: Nicole Kidman vs. Tom Cruise? (Image: Wenn) Now there may be a bit of a struggle between the two married couples as a report from … Actor: Scientology Is ‘Brainwashing’ FOXNews – USA He’s come clean about his 14 years in Scientology, the religious sect that Tom Cruise reveres. He says the purpose of Scientology is to create a … [...]
Pingback by Scientology-Sucks » Co$ News Bites — April 21, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
I spent several years doing some Scientology off and on and bailed out in early 1981. There were still a lot of nice, sincere people at the local org level back in the 1970s.
My impression is that the whole organization went more psychotic as Hubbard’s mental condition deteriorated. He came up with the Xenu/body thetan fantasy in 1967 while recovering from a serious motorcycle accident and taking painkillers by the handful. Then in the mid-1970s, he set up the Show White operation to infiltrate and spy on government agencies around the world.
At this point, Belgium is prosecuting Scientology as a criminal organization in an attempt to ban it entirely, and after recent events I don’t think France and Germany will be far behind.
Comment by Eldon — April 21, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
The first “pope” of Scientology is its current leader supposedly chosen by the late Ron Hubbard after having built his church.
I wonder how many further “popes” Scientology will have thru how further it can travel.
How many more divisions within itself will continue to occur?
It can be interesting to look at the roads travelled by all religions seeing their divisions.
Comment by Moneen — April 21, 2008 @ 1:42 pm
The REALLY funny part is, Miscavige wasn’t the favored successor. A man-and-wife team were the anointed followers, but miscavige–after managing to keep the core of scientology together after Snow White’s fallout–orchestrated a strong-arm campaign to alter the line of succession. Obviously, he prevailed.
The pair’s last name was Broeker or something similar. They got unceremoniously booted, though the wife crawled back.
This is just the verifiable bits of the Hubbard succession struggle. The rumors are far more….colorful, but the truth is only known to a handful of people still alive–none of whom are likely to talk.
Comment by Anonymous — April 21, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
Does YOUR religion needs internet ads to sell it’s scripture?
Comment by david — April 21, 2008 @ 9:40 pm
David–even more succinct, “Does YOUR religion sell its scripture?”
Although perhaps to be fair we should tack on “for huge profit” since strictly speaking most/all religions cover printing costs with their book sales (and that’s it).
Comment by Anonymous — April 22, 2008 @ 2:35 pm