Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology From: Kim Baker Subject: MY STORY : PART 8 Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 09:34:09 +0000 After leaving staff, I was very difficult to live with. I took a break from Scientology, but could not settle into normal life. I was irritable and aggressive, felt empty and purposeless. The intesity was gone, and normal human life irritated and bored me. My ex was much nicer to me - he was pleased that I had stepped out of the "lime-light" - now HE could get some attention, and ironically, our marriage improved a while. But, I was restless. BEING "PUBLIC" AGAIN I missed the Org, and Scientology, and so I signed up for two more courses - the PTS/SP course and Level 2 Auditor Training. (Cost: R3000, and a further loan from the Bank). I went back onto course, and everything felt "right" again. The PTS/SP (Potential Trouble Source/ Suppressive Person) course deals with Suppression, and vulnerability to Suppression. It teaches the Scientologist how to "handle" any criticism of Scientology or Hubbard, and includes the policy on "How to handle Black PR" (Black propoganda is assumed to be any criticism of Scientology). This is a very, very interesting course, and VERY revealing as to how the cult responds to criticism. Of course, there are deeper levels, and I have seen these (won't say how or who) - deadly stuff, if used correctly. I started my Level 2 course, and was almost finished, when something happened that altered my life dramatically. THE END OF MY MARRIAGE: It was December 1993, when my ex was offered a job in Johannesburg. Much more money, and closer to a much bigger Org. He accepted it, and at the end of January, 1994, he left. Just like that. He told everyone up there (I only found this out fairly recently) that I hadn't gone with him, because I didn't love him anymore. In fact, I hadn't joined him, because I didn't have time to find a job up there, and I knew that he would NEVER support me financially while I was looking. I had all these debts, and I couldn't just stop working. So, I stayed on in Cape Town, but started to look for employment in Johannesburg - not knowing, at this stage, what he had told everyone. By June, 1994, I had negotiated a job, and he flew down to discuss the logistics of moving. It soon became apparent that he did not want me to join him. I later found out that if I did, it would ruin the new "image" he had built up for himself in the Scientology community - the image that people had seen through in Cape Town. After some predictable and protracted fights, we agreed to divorce. He didn't want to do it - didn't have time, he said, so I instituted proceedings, and the divorce went through, uncontested, in August 1994. He will NEVER be called to book for his actions within the Church of Scientology, by the way - their so-called "justice" system is flawed - because he makes (and gives them) a lot of money, they will never make him answer for any of this. So much for their "justice". DISCOVERING ALT.RELIGION.SCIENTOLOGY It was in August that I discovered a.r.s. I had been cyber-surfing for months before, and stumbled on it by accident. I was fascinated, amazed at how much people dared to say. I lurked for quite a while, and then "boldly" started posting a few articles - on racism, sexism - and a few minor disagreements that I had had. OSA Africa phoned me shortly after that, and read back some of my articles to me. I received quite a shock, I did not realise that they were aware of the board. OSA Africa, by the way, does not have a connection to the Internet, yet, so OSA International must have informed them. MY "HANDLING" Someone flew down from the Sea Org, in Johannesburg on a mission. Part of the mission was to "handle" me. C did an "ethics" handling on me. Something in me rebelled at the objection of the Church to my postings, and I posted my annoyance to the net. Remember, although I had posted a few critical articles, I had not, within myself, made a break from Scientology. My criticism stemmed from the contradictions - the racism isssue, many others, and the fact that my ex-husband had behaved in a way that I couldn't reconcile with him being "Clear." After I had posted my annoyance to the net, i.e had disobeyed their order to "shut up" they, sent in the heavies. Now I KNOW everyone wants to know about this part the most. I would ask everyone now, to please respect my right to privacy on this one - there is a very, very good reason that I don't post this - in that it enters the arena of legal action - I am not going to sue, but I would like to have it as a trump card if ever the harassment gets too much. Please respect this right, and accept that it may be my only defence against them if the need arises. It is sufficient to day that my "handling" was co- ercive in nature, and that it succeeded in "snapping" me back into the mind-set of a Scientologist. Which upset a great number of the a.r.s. community. More to follow in Part 9 Kim Baker