Post by sacerdotal on May 21, 2013 21:28:56 GMT -5
Pretend for a moment, that you were going to start a cult, and you wanted all of your believers to just listen to you and your ideas- what would you do to help keep everyone listening to you and no one else. Maybe the following:
(1) Demonize all outside voices as being dangerous or "not understanding" or "lacking revelation".
(2) Forbid or strongly discourage fraternizing with those who do not believe as you do.
In the following, the black italics are the words of a former, 3rd generation Scientologist
The words in blue italics are the words of me, a 3rd generation 2x2
Being a Wog (Scientology) or Being Worldly (2x2)?
we had been led to believe the outside world was filled with ignorant people whom we called Wogs, short for “Well and Orderly Gentlemen.” From what we were taught, WOGS were completely unenlightened; after we’d been trained in auditing and Scientology, it would be our job to “clear” them.
I had been led to believe that the outside world was filled with ignorant people who just lived for themselves. We called them "worldly people" which stood for anyone that didn't belong to the 2x2 fellowship. These people were considered to be completely unenlightened, it would be my job to be a "light" to them to bring them into gospel meetings where, if they had an honest heart, they could be saved by the workers.
Wogs liked to ask a lot of questions. We were led to believe that they would find our lifestyle alarming, so we had to be careful that, when speaking to them, we spoke in terms they could understand.
At the Ranch, we practiced our shore story, which was what we were supposed to tell Wogs if they asked us questions about what we were up to. The shore story originated when the Sea Org was on ships and members didn’t want their whereabouts known; they would tell a shore story. Rather than saying we were Cadets training to be in the Sea Org, our shore story was supposed to be we were going to a private school called the Castile Canyon Ranch School.
Worldly people did not understand the 2x2 lifestyle. Why we didn't watch TV, play sports, go to dances, weren't allowed to date girls other than those that belonged to our fellowship, why the women weren't allowed to wear makeup, or had to have their hair long, and only wear dresses or skirts. We had to learn to answer these questions in a way that these people could understand.
So, we practiced or "story". We didn't tell them the truth- that we thought that they were all going to burn in hell for not professing and that their preachers were miserable, thieving hirelings, so we told them simply that we didn't judge others, that we just focused on our own salvation.
My upbringing had succeeded in making me very apprehensive about Wogs, even Wogs as generous and well-intentioned as my great grandparents were.
My upbringing succeeded in making me very apprehensive about worldly people and very cynical towards other so-called Christians or denominations- even my own non-professing grandparents and relatives.
Discouraging the Asking of Questions from those Within
The whole process was designed to teach us policy by heart. Looking back, however, it was more about teaching us not to question, not to think for ourselves, and to accept without skepticism. We were young enough to sponge up everything we learned, and naive enough not to understand the trouble with trusting everything you’re taught.
It is better to obey than sacrifice was taught a lot. So was submission. Being a sheep, not a goat. And especially, to question our groups leaders- the workers- was akin to questioning God. From time to time, the workers would preach about those that God killed for murmurring against Moses and Aaron- and they reminded us of how serious a charge that murmurring was. The intent was obviously to scare everyone into even thinking about questioning the workers. So, questions about why we did certain things, especially the things that didn't line up with the scriptures, was strictly forbidden. Anyone that questioned was looked upon with suspicion by the workers and the other group members.
Make your followers feel special
“Many are called; few are chosen.” was a slogan that the Scientologists used a lot.
You are God's special, chosen people. Princes and princesses of the earth is what the 2x2s teach.
Punish The Non Conformists
Instead of RPF, Teddy had to endure being ostracized. He went from being the coolest guy at the Ranch to the pariah whom nobody spoke to. “I used to think he was so cool,” a friend told me one day, “but now I just think he’s a loser.” She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. In most people’s esteem, he had sunk to the lowest of the low.
(Note: Teddy's "crime" was kissing a girl- Teddy was a young teen.)
I remember when folks "lost out" of the 2x2s. We were usually told that it was because that they wanted their "own way", or that they were "not willing for the lowly way of Christ." The talk was always as if the person had died. I remember seeing some of these folks that had "lost out" on different occasions, and I always felt awkward around them, not being sure what to say as I felt so badly for them. I would try and be friendly, but the conversations were stiff and unnatural- I really wasn't happy to see them again, more annoyed and uncomfortable than anything. This- a person that used to be considered my brother or sister in Christ.
No matter what was considered ethical or what Scientology would consider right, friends came first. Ostracizing friends was not something I could bring myself to do.
TS, this is for your, buddy. No matter what was considered ethical or what the 2x2s and workers would consider right, friends come first. Ostracizing friends is not something that I can bring myself to do. And shame on the workers for leading a vicious gossip campaign against you and the many other kind souls like you!
I was so happy to see that Valeska worked there. We gave each other a huge hug and caught up. She told me she was no longer allowed to be in CMO, because her mom was speaking out against Scientology, which made her unqualified for the organization.
When Cherie's mom was asking the workers some hard (for them to answer truthfully) questions back around 1989, I remember a elder sister worker telling a family that we were visiting that she wasn't going to be surprised if other ones stopped professing in Cherie's family. I was a young worker, and protested cautiously at the sister worker's "logic" of "smearing" other family members because of the actions (really, just questions) of another. The sister worker replied, "Blood is thicker than water."
In response to these violations, the Church had started embarrassing people who were “out-ethics” at muster. The idea was to “put a head on a pike,” as LRH wrote in one of his ethics policies, so that it would discourage others from being out ethics as well.
The workers and friends use whisper campaigns/gossip to embarrass people who ask questions or make examples of them in other ways. A professing lady died in a horrible automobile accident when I was a kid. She was one of those professing ladies that would wear makeup. She was killed on the way to work. She ran into the back of a logging truck- a log went through the windshield and into her head. My mom told me that she thought that it was because God was punishing the lady for wearing makeup.
Keep Scientology Working
I tried to protest, but she shushed me and proceeded to read me a quote from LRH’s policy titled “Keeping Scientology Working.” “When somebody enrolls, consider he or she has joined up for the duration of the universe— never permit an ‘open-minded’ approach. If they’re going to quit let them quit fast. If they’re enrolled, they’re aboard, and if they’re aboard, they’re here on the same terms as the rest of us— win or die in the attempt. . . . We’d rather have you dead than incapable. . . . The whole agonized future of this planet, every man, woman and child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depends on what you do here and now with and in Scientology . . .” As dramatic as this sounds now, at that moment, I really believed that the future of the planet rested on my twelve-year-shoulders. Much as I wanted to protest, there was no arguing with her words. Begrudgingly I accepted, and my fate was sealed. I was not going home to see Mom. I was stuck here.
When I was in the work, and I began to discover that it wasn't a healthy lifestyle for me. . . literally. . . my nerves had failed, I was on Zoloft and Xanax. . . I felt trapped. . . I began to cut myself lightly in an effort to release the pressure that was building up inside me. I had committed to the ministry for a lifetime. To God, or so I thought. I felt that the best course for me was to die in the work. I was really hoping that that would happen so I could leave "with honor." But thankfully, I took the cowards way out (or so I thought at the time) and told the overseer that I thought that the time had come for me to go home. In disgrace. I felt like, that at the age of 21, that I had let the Lord down and that my life was a failure.
No Correspondence of Anti-Scientology Sentiment Allowed
One of my duties was to give the mail that had been sent from relatives of people in the CMO to Olivia and Julia, who served as the screeners. In CMO, they had passed around a slip that we were required to sign, allowing our mail to be opened and inspected. Every piece of mail had to be read before it was distributed. If there was any sign of anti-Scientology sentiment, the letter was not passed on.
I had written the overseers of Alabama and Tennessee letters of concern about how they were treating my family poorly and malaciously. One overseer wrote back a scathing letter telling me that it was all in my head and that I really needed to add a spare room to my house for the workers to use when they visited. I live in a 5 bedroom house with 3 full baths- and we have a separate 2 story cedar playhouse (cabin) out back that can be used as a room- that has a desk, chair, and a light but I guess that wasn't enough for the modern workers- I needed a room like that had been set aside for Elijah. (I even have two wireless routers so that a wifi signal can be gained from anywhere in the house and to the house outside.) The other overseer, simply called me back, and said he didn't know anything about anything- he always refused to answer correspondence with anything in writing- he would always call- so as not to leave any evidence of his statements behind.
I also had to fill in the names of all my relatives and how they felt about Scientology, and if I had ever been connected to someone who was critical of the church.
The workers are on record as not accepting money left to them by a saint- even though it was the saint's expressed will, since there was someone in the family that is known to be a critic of the fellowship- and they didn't want evidence of them accepting a check from the estate.
.... more to come in another thread ....
Scientology quotes from the following EXCELLENT source:
Hill, Jenna Miscavige; Pulitzer, Lisa (2013-02-05). Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape. William Morrow. Kindle Edition.
(1) Demonize all outside voices as being dangerous or "not understanding" or "lacking revelation".
(2) Forbid or strongly discourage fraternizing with those who do not believe as you do.
In the following, the black italics are the words of a former, 3rd generation Scientologist
The words in blue italics are the words of me, a 3rd generation 2x2
Being a Wog (Scientology) or Being Worldly (2x2)?
we had been led to believe the outside world was filled with ignorant people whom we called Wogs, short for “Well and Orderly Gentlemen.” From what we were taught, WOGS were completely unenlightened; after we’d been trained in auditing and Scientology, it would be our job to “clear” them.
I had been led to believe that the outside world was filled with ignorant people who just lived for themselves. We called them "worldly people" which stood for anyone that didn't belong to the 2x2 fellowship. These people were considered to be completely unenlightened, it would be my job to be a "light" to them to bring them into gospel meetings where, if they had an honest heart, they could be saved by the workers.
Wogs liked to ask a lot of questions. We were led to believe that they would find our lifestyle alarming, so we had to be careful that, when speaking to them, we spoke in terms they could understand.
At the Ranch, we practiced our shore story, which was what we were supposed to tell Wogs if they asked us questions about what we were up to. The shore story originated when the Sea Org was on ships and members didn’t want their whereabouts known; they would tell a shore story. Rather than saying we were Cadets training to be in the Sea Org, our shore story was supposed to be we were going to a private school called the Castile Canyon Ranch School.
Worldly people did not understand the 2x2 lifestyle. Why we didn't watch TV, play sports, go to dances, weren't allowed to date girls other than those that belonged to our fellowship, why the women weren't allowed to wear makeup, or had to have their hair long, and only wear dresses or skirts. We had to learn to answer these questions in a way that these people could understand.
So, we practiced or "story". We didn't tell them the truth- that we thought that they were all going to burn in hell for not professing and that their preachers were miserable, thieving hirelings, so we told them simply that we didn't judge others, that we just focused on our own salvation.
My upbringing had succeeded in making me very apprehensive about Wogs, even Wogs as generous and well-intentioned as my great grandparents were.
My upbringing succeeded in making me very apprehensive about worldly people and very cynical towards other so-called Christians or denominations- even my own non-professing grandparents and relatives.
Discouraging the Asking of Questions from those Within
The whole process was designed to teach us policy by heart. Looking back, however, it was more about teaching us not to question, not to think for ourselves, and to accept without skepticism. We were young enough to sponge up everything we learned, and naive enough not to understand the trouble with trusting everything you’re taught.
It is better to obey than sacrifice was taught a lot. So was submission. Being a sheep, not a goat. And especially, to question our groups leaders- the workers- was akin to questioning God. From time to time, the workers would preach about those that God killed for murmurring against Moses and Aaron- and they reminded us of how serious a charge that murmurring was. The intent was obviously to scare everyone into even thinking about questioning the workers. So, questions about why we did certain things, especially the things that didn't line up with the scriptures, was strictly forbidden. Anyone that questioned was looked upon with suspicion by the workers and the other group members.
Make your followers feel special
“Many are called; few are chosen.” was a slogan that the Scientologists used a lot.
You are God's special, chosen people. Princes and princesses of the earth is what the 2x2s teach.
Punish The Non Conformists
Instead of RPF, Teddy had to endure being ostracized. He went from being the coolest guy at the Ranch to the pariah whom nobody spoke to. “I used to think he was so cool,” a friend told me one day, “but now I just think he’s a loser.” She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. In most people’s esteem, he had sunk to the lowest of the low.
(Note: Teddy's "crime" was kissing a girl- Teddy was a young teen.)
I remember when folks "lost out" of the 2x2s. We were usually told that it was because that they wanted their "own way", or that they were "not willing for the lowly way of Christ." The talk was always as if the person had died. I remember seeing some of these folks that had "lost out" on different occasions, and I always felt awkward around them, not being sure what to say as I felt so badly for them. I would try and be friendly, but the conversations were stiff and unnatural- I really wasn't happy to see them again, more annoyed and uncomfortable than anything. This- a person that used to be considered my brother or sister in Christ.
No matter what was considered ethical or what Scientology would consider right, friends came first. Ostracizing friends was not something I could bring myself to do.
TS, this is for your, buddy. No matter what was considered ethical or what the 2x2s and workers would consider right, friends come first. Ostracizing friends is not something that I can bring myself to do. And shame on the workers for leading a vicious gossip campaign against you and the many other kind souls like you!
I was so happy to see that Valeska worked there. We gave each other a huge hug and caught up. She told me she was no longer allowed to be in CMO, because her mom was speaking out against Scientology, which made her unqualified for the organization.
When Cherie's mom was asking the workers some hard (for them to answer truthfully) questions back around 1989, I remember a elder sister worker telling a family that we were visiting that she wasn't going to be surprised if other ones stopped professing in Cherie's family. I was a young worker, and protested cautiously at the sister worker's "logic" of "smearing" other family members because of the actions (really, just questions) of another. The sister worker replied, "Blood is thicker than water."
In response to these violations, the Church had started embarrassing people who were “out-ethics” at muster. The idea was to “put a head on a pike,” as LRH wrote in one of his ethics policies, so that it would discourage others from being out ethics as well.
The workers and friends use whisper campaigns/gossip to embarrass people who ask questions or make examples of them in other ways. A professing lady died in a horrible automobile accident when I was a kid. She was one of those professing ladies that would wear makeup. She was killed on the way to work. She ran into the back of a logging truck- a log went through the windshield and into her head. My mom told me that she thought that it was because God was punishing the lady for wearing makeup.
Keep Scientology Working
I tried to protest, but she shushed me and proceeded to read me a quote from LRH’s policy titled “Keeping Scientology Working.” “When somebody enrolls, consider he or she has joined up for the duration of the universe— never permit an ‘open-minded’ approach. If they’re going to quit let them quit fast. If they’re enrolled, they’re aboard, and if they’re aboard, they’re here on the same terms as the rest of us— win or die in the attempt. . . . We’d rather have you dead than incapable. . . . The whole agonized future of this planet, every man, woman and child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depends on what you do here and now with and in Scientology . . .” As dramatic as this sounds now, at that moment, I really believed that the future of the planet rested on my twelve-year-shoulders. Much as I wanted to protest, there was no arguing with her words. Begrudgingly I accepted, and my fate was sealed. I was not going home to see Mom. I was stuck here.
When I was in the work, and I began to discover that it wasn't a healthy lifestyle for me. . . literally. . . my nerves had failed, I was on Zoloft and Xanax. . . I felt trapped. . . I began to cut myself lightly in an effort to release the pressure that was building up inside me. I had committed to the ministry for a lifetime. To God, or so I thought. I felt that the best course for me was to die in the work. I was really hoping that that would happen so I could leave "with honor." But thankfully, I took the cowards way out (or so I thought at the time) and told the overseer that I thought that the time had come for me to go home. In disgrace. I felt like, that at the age of 21, that I had let the Lord down and that my life was a failure.
No Correspondence of Anti-Scientology Sentiment Allowed
One of my duties was to give the mail that had been sent from relatives of people in the CMO to Olivia and Julia, who served as the screeners. In CMO, they had passed around a slip that we were required to sign, allowing our mail to be opened and inspected. Every piece of mail had to be read before it was distributed. If there was any sign of anti-Scientology sentiment, the letter was not passed on.
I had written the overseers of Alabama and Tennessee letters of concern about how they were treating my family poorly and malaciously. One overseer wrote back a scathing letter telling me that it was all in my head and that I really needed to add a spare room to my house for the workers to use when they visited. I live in a 5 bedroom house with 3 full baths- and we have a separate 2 story cedar playhouse (cabin) out back that can be used as a room- that has a desk, chair, and a light but I guess that wasn't enough for the modern workers- I needed a room like that had been set aside for Elijah. (I even have two wireless routers so that a wifi signal can be gained from anywhere in the house and to the house outside.) The other overseer, simply called me back, and said he didn't know anything about anything- he always refused to answer correspondence with anything in writing- he would always call- so as not to leave any evidence of his statements behind.
I also had to fill in the names of all my relatives and how they felt about Scientology, and if I had ever been connected to someone who was critical of the church.
The workers are on record as not accepting money left to them by a saint- even though it was the saint's expressed will, since there was someone in the family that is known to be a critic of the fellowship- and they didn't want evidence of them accepting a check from the estate.
.... more to come in another thread ....
Scientology quotes from the following EXCELLENT source:
Hill, Jenna Miscavige; Pulitzer, Lisa (2013-02-05). Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape. William Morrow. Kindle Edition.