Scientology and the Rise of ‘Anonymous’.

So what the hell is Scientology? what the hell is S.P. and P.T.S? Who is Xenu and why did he blow up aliens in volcanoes? It's all a bit mad this Scientology mallarky...

For the past couple of years, I’ve been curious about how Scientology works merly as an observer, however anytime I tried to look into the fundamentals of their beliefs, all I came across on the internet were introductory videos on how great their founding leader, L. Ron Hubbord was and how Scientology can improve your life by reading an introductory guide to ‘Dianetics’ A self claimed sort of modern guide to mental health…That is until recently, when I happened to stumble across a video that opened my eyes to a source of valid information on how ludicrous this religion is.

This then led me to a group known as ‘Anonymous’. A group with no leaders, members or fees, a group that is standing up against Scientology as a whole organisation rather than the beliefs of their individuals, a group that stands up to it’s ‘dictatorship’ style tactics. They claim that they refuse to reveal their identities, wearing Guy Fawkes masks similar to the one in the film ‘V for Vendetta’ when protesting against the church. Their symbol is a black suit with a question mark hovering over the headless body, like in the image seen above...

Through a slow exhale of breath, I am compelled to write a hub on what I have researched and viewed online, as a kind of innocent observer, telling the kind of story in the same manner as a 5 year old explaining Catholicism or any other known orgnaised religion, such as how a man and a woman met in the garden and a talking snake told them to eat the apple. Another way of putting it is how you would explain Scientology to a five year old. By no means is it an attack against individuals who follow and believe in Scientology, like in any organised or un-organised religion, it can make people extremely happy, content or in some cases... miserable. It is more a humorously written article about how some aspects of the religion (or cult, or whatever..) had me in knots of laughter and fits of tears upon reading how their operation works, and hearing statements from ex-followers, such as ‘Californication’ star, Jason Beghe, a former Scientologist and now whistle blower, who was the main reason on how I came upon this source of information…so here it goes…

Once upon a time, a man called Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, L. Ron Hubbard, or L.R.H. to his followers, was honourably discharged from the Navy and began a successful career writing science fiction stories about aliens from space. In the year 1950 he wrote the book ‘Dianetics – The Modern Science of Mental Health’, after spending a considerable amount of time reading about famous psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, during a period of his life when he felt his life was out of balance. The book was about how a person could feel better if they got rid of any bad energy in their lives by using a process called ‘auditing’, by letting go to fellow believers about what scares them and their fears, which he said helped people get rid of any negative experiences in their lives on what was the beginning step to ‘A Bridge of Total Freedom.’ Hence…Scientology was born…

Ok…sounds pretty nice and straight forward so far, so what does it involve?

When you join, after paying a ridiculous amount of money to begin the process, you are led into a room where you must place your hands on two tin cups, attached to wires that connect to a blue box similar to the proton packs seen in the ‘Ghostbusters’ films. The box has a needle that supposedly reads your negative energy because your skin is in contact with these tin cups that can read the electrons in your body. When the process is finished you become ‘Clear’, meaning you are wiped of any negative energy or bad memories in your life…and in some cases your past lives?? And then, with plenty of…lets say…persuasion from the church, you pay another ridiculous amount of money to become an O.T. (Operating Thetan)

Eh…right…ok…so what’s a Thetan?

Pay attention now because this is where it gets a bit ridiculous…so…when you are ‘cleared’ you begin 8 levels of intense O.T. Auditing, each level bringing you ever closer to your true goal of happiness of a level 8 Operating Thetan. A Thetan is a soul that is said to be essentially immortal. When audited on each level, the process removes all negative influences and psychic powers, making you eh…immortal…

?????????

When you reach level 3 you are told some esoteric literature, how an alien overlord named Xenu was the ruler of a Galactic Confederacy, 75 million years ago, that held 76 planets, including Teegeeack, which is now known as Earth. He had a problem with over population on his planets and devised a plan by summoning billions of his citizens saying it was time for their income tax inspection, only to kidnap them by paralysing them all with booze and glycol. So he brought his big spacecraft down to earth that held billions of his minions, placed his fellow aliens in pods and stacked them in volcanoes around the globe, and then he used hydrogen bombs to blow the volcanoes up. The aliens physical bodies disintegrated but their souls or ‘Thetans’ stayed behind, and formed ‘clusters’, waiting to attach themselves to humans and therefore make them tarnished…

I’ve had to stop there for a second; the mental image of the story caused me to erupt in a fit of laughter…but that's the gist of the story, and the gist of Scientology...

So what do Scientologists believe in?

They believe that Scientology helps them become better, happier, clear minded people with full immortal souls.

They believe in helping mankind become a stronger and better race to the point that everybody lives in a peaceful unison.

They believe in helping their fellow man to the point where their help comes before anything in their own personal lives.

They believe that certain people in the population of the world are known as S.P.’s (suppressive person) who impede the progress of Scientologists in their path to self inner glory. Jason Beghe stated in an interview a few years back about his time as a Scientologist that his fellow followers believed that David Duchovny, his best friend and star of such shows as ‘The X Files’ and ‘Californication’, was an S.P… an amusing thought about one of the coolest actors in Hollywood today.

A person who is someway connected to an S.P. is a P.T.S. a Potentially troubled source, meaning that if they come in contact with an S.P. and are affected by them, they must ‘clear’ and audit themselves all over again. A P.T.S. might have to start his/her progress over simply by tripping on a pavement and spraining their ankle, meaning that his/her fellow worshipers could also fall to the same fate, a thought that makes me .L.M.A.O until I am K.T.F.O.

These beliefs can probably make a clearer picture of the following video of the famous Tom Cruise interview in which he discusses Scientology and K.S.W (Keeping Scientology Working) when he references matters such as helping your fellow man and the talk of meeting an S.P. This interview was for when he recieved a medal at a Scientologists awards ceremony and became famous on youtube, The Church of Scientology threatened websites to take it off with severe legal action, only to create the anti-establishment known as 'Anonymous', who got irked about the Scientologists way of dealing with their own bad publicity, and caused them to uncover the dirty secrets of Scientology.

I came across the anti-Scientology organisation known as ‘Anonymous’ when I watched a detailed interview of Jason Beghe and his humble recollection of his years as a Scientologist, his detailed account of what is involved and his feelings of loss when he found out the religion was all just a ‘farce’, after dedicating most of his adult life and thousands upon thousands of dollars to Scientology. I came to know of his work through watching ‘Californication’, where he plays the cool character Richard Bates, a writer who struggles with alcoholism and performs his ‘Mangina’ trick when intoxicated; (I never thought I’d use the word ‘Mangina’ when writing an article about Scientology)

When I went to look up more of his work, I found interviews and lectures he gave about his former life as a Scientologist and the dangers involved, and especially in one particular video of him giving a lecture in Hamburg in 2008, when something caught my attention.

It was the symbol of a black suit that kept flashing off and on in the top left hand corner of the screen, which caused me to say to myself, “What the hell is that?” my curiosity only intensified when I happened to glace with my eagle eyes a kid wearing a Guy Fawkes mask in the crowd, when the camera panned to observe the clapping audience. So I investigated further.

Without any main website because of their fears of infiltration, I came across an Irish Anonymous website, that gives away little except details of protests outside the Scientology church in Dublin every month, which then led me to a page on what they set out to achieve, a list which includes the following:

They protest against the church of Scientology’s illegal activates, fraudulent activities and human rights violations.

They protest against a statement written by L Ron Hubbard stating that critics “May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.”

They were masks to protect themselves against the fair game policy, believing that Scientologists have an ugly record of harassing critics, unearthing ugly truths about them, and bullying them at their home and place of work until they back off. They believe the Scientologists motto of ‘Never defend, always attack’ is enough to have them masked.

They also highlight the dangers of Scientology, along with former members who shout their plight, including a process known as disconnection, where they are forced to lose contact with their families, and their loose way of creating a profit through their questionable charitable tax exemption, a law that has not passed in some countries but has in others, they also claim on their website (a website that constantly changes) that Scientology has performed the following misdeeds such as:

• Human rights violations including suspicious deaths, torture, coerced abortions, the deliberate separation of families, and human trafficking
• Free speech violations
• Fraudulent activities including questionable tax exemptions and charitable status in various countries including the U.S., unsafe drug rehabilitation practices, irregular business practices, and bogus educational and charitable organizations designed to infiltrate schools and recruit young people.
• Illegal actions such as harassment, slander, libel, extortion, and vexatious lawsuits–condoned and encouraged when directed toward those who challenge or defy Scientology practices.

It is quite easy to form allegations against a church like Scientology, that honestly perform bizarre rituals, however the evidence is staggering when researched on the number of stories and statements given by former followers on the amount of brain washing, fraud, violence and harassment that happens within the organisation.

What is most admirable about Anonymous is their process of gaining a following without revealing any identification about who they are, there are means of following anonymously, without having organisations track them down…Anonymous are merely a voice without any leader, funds, membership, even organisation, more of a voice that calls out for people to stand up and take action in their own way, to follow the black wave of the group.

According to Scientology press releases, internal leaks and Scientologist comments it appears that they think Anonymous are: A group of bored teenager cyber-terrorist Communist Nazi religiously bigoted Marcarbian mercenary psychiatrists who are funded by the German government, the Catholic Church and the pharmaceutical industry.

I just have to stop for another fit of laughter…what a statement to make…really…

Without trying to cause too much of a wave of anarchy I myself have came up with the following points...kind of a train of thought on concluding this hub:

• The process of become a Scientologist is hilarious and disturbing all at the same time.
• Their views on how Psycologists were the reason behind every human disaster, most notably the holocaust, is a disturbing false allegation that sends shivers down the spine, especially when they have a detailed museum tour in Florida with models and pictures. One reporter on B.B.C's panorama, felt like he was being brain washed when he took the tour.
• Again, whatever about an individuals beliefs, this is more an article about the Religion/Cult as a whole, every Religion/Cult has absurd and shameful histories, but Scientology really takes the cake.
• I have this mental image of a black sedan with blacked out windows pulling up outside my house, and black suits clambering out with camcorders and a detailed file of a profile of my life, of all the things I have ever done, racing to bang on the door and to scare me off...hahaha...
• 'Scientologists vs. Anonymous' would be an awesome concept for an action movie. Guy Fawkes characters with pistols against Scientologists in black suits and shades who all look eerily like Tom Cruise, sporting sub-machine guns.
• Anonymous is a pretty cool idea, that could grow and be a positive influence on society.
• I'm sick of typing the word 'Scientologist'
• I really don't have any religious beliefs, so hence the reason the article is a sort of observers view with dashes of spite.
• I wouldn't recommend joining...Scientology...you lose thousands of dollars and lose track on what matters most in your life, people who love you without having to be involved in a religion...cult...whatever...that was invented by a man who was a fraud and made up stories about aliens...