Dressing Up Scientology’s Front Groups, or The Lipstick On The Pig
The following post was submitted to Glosslip by Number 6:
Lipstick On the Pig-Scientology’s Front Groups
The greatest trick the devil pulled off was convincing the world he didn’t exist. If the devil doesn’t exist, then no one will focus attention on him and his ugliness. And that seems to be par for the course for many cults and criminal organizations. The best PR for rotten organizations like the Church of Scientology is the set up of benevolent groups that offer services to help mankind. It’s the best way to sneak in and infiltrate all levels of society, and people should be alerted to this kind of subversive activity.
Appealing to the youth
The above video is a Public Service Announcement from the Youth For Human Rights International. Youth For Human Rights certainly seems like a good group at first glance. In an age where young people are more apathetic than ever, it’s encouraging to see youth stand up for human rights. The above PSA has a catchy beat and a very positive message, that’s a given. Why then am I including this video as an example of the devil’s age-old trick? Because this human rights group is a front group for the Church of Scientology. Its founder, Mary Shuttleworth, is a Scientologist and the organization is mostly staffed by Scientologists. Many people catch on to the fact that YHRI is a front group, but they don’t find out until it’s too late.
Many non-Scientologist youth join YHRI not knowing it is a front group for Scientology. Their good intentions to make the world a better place are misused by people who intend to push the “technology†of a raving lunatic into all levels of society. In fact, YHRI is set up to draw many young people into Scientology, which is what most Scientology front groups are designed to do.
Why the furor over Will Smith’s new private school?
Many people must be wondering why there is a lot of controversy over the New Village Academy, a school set up by actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett. The New Village Academy intends to employ a lot of educational approaches in this new type of school. But one stands out the most: the employment of Scientology Study Technology. That is the one thing that is controversial about Will Smith’s new school. Since this revelation came out in the media, Jacqueline Olivier, the principal of New Village Academy, and Will Smith have strongly insisted the new school is not a Scientology school. But why is Study Tech controversial?
Study tech is founded on 3 principles: Using visual images to teach concepts, breaking down complex concepts, and using the dictionaries to find the meanings for unfamiliar words. Seems reasonable enough, given that’s how children are taught in the first few grades of elementary school. But Study Tech is unavoidably tainted with Scientology related teachings, therefore raising questions about the separation of church and state. There have been numerous attempts to slip Study Tech into public schools as well, which is much worse than Will Smith’s private school employing Study Tech. Study Tech in itself is just a concept, not a front group. The relevant front group that pushes it in public schools is Applied Scholastics, which is a misnomer.
CCHR-An Industry of Fear and Paranoia
Another misnomer for a front group name is the Citizen’s Commission on Human Rights. The CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and non-Scientologist psychiatry critic Thomas Szasz, and since then it has been spreading lies and misinformation about psychiatry and psychology. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote of psychiatrists:
“Crimes of extortion, mayhem and murder are done daily by these men in the name of ‘practice’ and ‘treatment’. There is not one institutional psychiatrist alive who, by ordinary criminal law, could not be arraigned and convicted of extortion, mayhem and murder. Our files are full of evidence on them.â€
The CCHR formed a website called PsychCrime, which tracks down crimes committed by individual mental health professionals. Granted, crimes are committed by individual psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health professionals like any individual of any profession, but the CCHR takes their crimes and makes a mountain out of a mole hill. In 2005, the CCHR debuted its notorious Psychiatry-An Industry of Death museum exhibit, which blames psychiatry for everything from Hitler and the Holocaust to Kurt Cobain’s suicide.
The CCHR is one of the worst Scientology front groups because it uses lies and half-truths to instill paranoia not only into Scientologists, but also the general public. It is this paranoia that led to the death of Elli Perkins by her schizophrenic son Jeremy. It is also this paranoia that eventually killed Lisa McPherson, who died in the care of Scientologists who did not want her in a psychiatric ward. And the paranoia the CCHR propagates originates from a man who most experts feel was likely mentally ill himself. (Autopsy results show Hubbard had anti-psychotic drug, Visaril in his system at the time of his death.)
More focus needed
There are many other front groups that are not mentioned here, but a little search on Google will bring up a complete list of Scientology front groups, like Narconon (here’s a comprehensive list of front groups. So far the monthly Anonymous protests have dealt with the Church of Scientology’s tax-exempt status, the disconnection policy, the fair game policy, and the Church of Scientology’s elite Sea Organization. The upcoming July 12th deals with the subversive activities of OSA. Scientology’s front groups deserve lots of focus because they are the “secular†fronts of Scientology, meaning their ties with Scientology are not obvious. It is like Intelligent Design used as a deceptive name from Creationism. Each of Scientology’s front groups claims the groups have nothing to do with Scientology, and on paper, each Scientology front group is an independent entity. But more public scrutiny is needed because with these front groups, L. Ron Hubbard’s insane “tech†is fed to the public.
If the Church of Scientology’s influence is to be reduced to pussycat size, then the focus of a future protest should be its front groups.
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Great info that deserves to be repeated again and again. What other “religious” organization has as many front groups surreptitiously pushing its worldview on the unsuspecting? Get informed, and just say NO to Scientology.
Comment by Xenuphobe — July 9, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
On the subject of CCHR I would highly recommend 13heathens dissection of Psychiatry - An Industry of Death - addresses the video pretty much point by point and shows how they deliberately mislead the viewer throughout the whole thing.
Heres the URL for his Youtube playlist
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3CBFE85AE3E44645
Crap like this is why i started protesting in the first place
Peace
Comment by Anonymous — July 9, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Great piece on the cult, as usual.
Comment by Rachel — July 9, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Anonymous,
Thanks for the video. Will watch it when I get the time.
Comment by number 6 — July 9, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Great article, Number 6! and Dawn!
Comment by Rao — July 9, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
The other thing about Study Tech is that it dumbs down basic concepts to the point where even the slowest child will quickly outgrow the lesson plans, thus making it seem there are huge gains made from this style of teaching.
As well, the fact that these front groups try so hard to distance themselves from co$ should be a red flag in itself.
Comment by Joanie — July 9, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
Great article. It’s important for any parent to keep their children away from $ciento1ogy study “Tech.” Not only is it intended to indoctrinate children, but the tech will undoubtedly damage a child’s ability to think critically and form abstract thoughts.
Comment by Hero — July 9, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
Good points, Dawn, and we should add that most drug-related deaths are caused by smoking (1/4 of all deaths) and alcohol (1/2 of all fatal traffic accidents) and Co$ has nothing against these two drugs. But Prozac or Paxil, that’s evil.
Comment by Jim — July 9, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
Hero,
One thing I was struck by when reading Dave Touretzky’s article on Study tech: things have to have what LRH calls mass, meaning it has to be a tangible concept. You’re right, it doesn’t leave room for abstract thinking.
Comment by number 6 — July 9, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
YFHR staged a “free” concert here in Melbourne last year, in the city’s Federation Square. All the signs were there that it was a CoS recruiting scam for anyone willing to look:
*The performers were Scieno celebs like Kate and Phil Ceberano and Christine Anu.
*The listed contact on the posters was Emmanuel Foundas, president of the Melbourne Org.
*The “event sponsors” were other CoS fronts such as Drug-Free Ambassadors, Narconon and Applied Scholastics.
*When you went there, you got badgered by kids with clipboards eager to sign you up to a mailing list.
*The crew members all wore IAS jackets!
Yet the Melbourne press (who I alerted about it) did nothing. Figures.
Comment by Guero — July 9, 2008 @ 8:35 pm
Keep up the good work! Another place where the scilons are trying to make in roads is in the home schooling arena. One of their fronts called Heron Books sells text books marketed to home schoolers and most of them based on Hubbards B.S. “Study Tech” which is nothing but a primer for cult brain washing.
Comment by SgtAl — July 9, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
I think Dave Touretzky had an article somewhere where students who yawn using Study Tech are told they do so because they skipped a misunderstood word.
Comment by ph — July 10, 2008 @ 12:32 am
[...] Front Groups, or The Lipstick On The Pig Posted by Temple of Xenu under Uncategorized Dressing Up Scientology’s Front Groups, or The Lipstick On The Pig The following post was submitted to Glosslip by Number [...]
Pingback by Dressing Up Scientology’s Front Groups, or The Lipstick On The Pig « Temple of Xenu — July 10, 2008 @ 8:21 am
The same kinds of focus should also be aimed squarely at david mi$cavige. Alot of other things would be exposed by shining a light on that cockroach.
The rule of thumb is “cut off the head to kill a snake”.
That guy is a modern day hitler with Co$ groups like this acting like Hitler Youth. Truely scary
Comment by aNONeemouse — July 10, 2008 @ 9:13 am
Here is an overview of the extent of “Study Technology” *being* actually Scientology:
http://www.xenu-directory.net/documents/corporate/scnlink-studytech1.html
The same materials used by Will Smith’s “Study Technology” is also materials that qualify as religious contribution deductions for tax purpose for Scientologists…
Comment by rhill — July 10, 2008 @ 10:18 am
I despise that they wrap themselves in the cloak of everything good and then act so very, very bad. They’re the bullies that climbed the fence in the first place, the mob of kids is anonymous. Game over.
Comment by Artoo45 — July 10, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
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