Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology From: dennis.l.erlich@support.com Subject: Your signature as bmp Date: Fri, 14 Apr 95 08:45:51 -0700 ao579@yfn.ysu.edu (Diane Richardson) asks: >Dennis, would you mind answering some questions I have about >your life as a Scientologist[tm]? Not at all, Diane. Some sensible dialogue would be refreshing. Who knows, it could even catch on. >If you feel these questions >intrude on your personal life in any way, just tell me to butt >out. Thank you, but the scienos already know all about me. They have the contents of 15 years of confessional folders, my personnel and ethics folders, the potential testimony of the tens of thousands of people who "knew" me. The now (since the raid) have the entire contents of my hard drive. Why shouldn't you know? >But your experience in the organization could give me >and others a better understanding of how a normal, intelligent >person can be sucked into this cult and kept there for years. I wasn't exactly normal and I wouldn't call myself very bright for falling for the scam. But, for what it's worth in warning others away, I get your point. >How were you introduced to Scientology[tm]? Did you walk in >off the street for a free personality test? Or did you seek >out the "church" of your own accord? Did you have friends >who were already members when you joined? I was introduced to the cult in fall 1967. I was a newlywed 21 year old with a 3 month old child, Bethy. We were renting a tiny guest-house and not getting along too well. My wife took a "vacation" from the marriage to go back to her mother in Arkansas. Maybe she'd come back, maybe not. I was alone. I went to visit some freinds I knew who lived in Sierra Madre Canyon. One of them, Doug Tharlson, Zane might recall. Doug had a scieno Grade Chart on the wall and was raving about how you just climb the ladder and attain spiritual enlightenment. He'd heard a lecture. I'd never seen him so animated. I decided to check out a lecture. I visited the LA Org, where it used to be, on 9th street, downtown. I'd never been to that neighborhood before. The people were all friendly and positive. They said they had tek to fix any and all of life's little problems and give me total freedom, or my money back. I was impressed with their certainty and interest in me. Steve Shaw was the Director of Public events, to whom I was directed for answeres to my very pointed questions. He had been trained on the basic principle of recruitment Hubbard taught: Convince the person that there are things he doesn't know, shame him into admitting he wants to find out, tell him this course/auditing answers his questions, ask him if he will be paying with cash or check. I was virtually broke, but the rap was so convincing, and Steve was such a friendly bloke, I thought I best give it a try, my life being what it was (wasn't, really). I remember what I said to him: "If scientology is what you say it is, I should be taking out your trash and doing anything else I can to help. But if it isn't, if it is a fraud, I should do everything in my power to destroy it. It would be the cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind ... promising them spiritual freedom and not delivering." I bought a book. New slant on life. The bait in the bait and switch. I called my wife, excitedly, and told her to come back ... now that I discovered scn, we'd be able to fix our marriage and be happy. >Did you fall for the spiel hook, line and sinker or did it >take awhile for you to put away any doubts about them? I >guess what I'm getting at here is whether they caught you at >a time when you were vulnerable--in search of a belief >system--or if the CoS teachings made sense to you from the >start. Well, actually, both ... plus one more factor. As I have (and many others) pointed out before, the first thing they tell you is that it doesn't *need* to make sense to you. (ie suspend your critical thinking) You just have to try the principles and see if they work for you. The tek being a kind of socio-mental jujitsu, specifically designed for controlling people, of course you immediately see results in your life. You become more confident "knowing you know". >How long was it before you began "working" for the CoS rather >than just being a member? Did you join the Sea Org right >off the bat or did you sign one of those contracts to work >for an org in exchange for services first? After my wife and I did the Comm Course (which then sold for $15) and we had gotten used to driving to downtown LA each night, and I found that I really wanted to be an auditor, and without a great deal of money, which I didn't have, the only way to attain this was to go on staff. I started evenings and weekends; Foundation Org, they called it. After a 3 month probation on post, I nagged them into allowing me to go into tek training to become an auditor. Late 1968. I trained to class 4 and was posted to ARC Break Auditor, in the Qualifications Division. I was supposd to retrieve upset students and other marks who were not continuing their "bridge", call them in or go and see them, find out what was upsetting them and fix it. My stat was number of people put back "on lines". My meteoric rise in the ogranization had thus begun. >I have lot more questions to ask you if you don't mind >answering them. It's difficult for me, a natural-born >sceptic, to fathom how a rational, intelligent human being >can get so thoroughly pulled into this cult. I'd like to >try to understand how it can happen. Hope this gives you a clue. >Thanks. > >Diane Richardson >ao579@yfn.ysu.edu BYW (that's bytheway to the newbys just tuning in), Diane, I really enjoy your wit, thoroughly researched comments and humor. Ars is certainly a more intersting and enlightening "place" since you arrived. You absolutely took Milne apart. Keep it up. +---------------------------------------+ Rev. Dennis L Erlich * * the inFormer * * that person (tm)