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"Christened" at Saint Hill

hollybush

Patron
I was born into Scientology (late 1960s) and I have 2 or 3 tiny photos of my christening - it was held in the little chapel at Saint Hill (in one of the photos you can just make out a bust of LRH).

I was wondering if anyone else had this experience? Of course, I was too young to remember it!

I'd be even more interested if anyone could tell me anything about how a Scientology 'christening' was performed - what was involved?

Many thanks - hb x
 

kate8024

-deleted-
I'd be even more interested if anyone could tell me anything about how a Scientology 'christening' was performed - what was involved?

There seem to be two versions, the Recognition and Naming Service and the Informal Christening.
 

hollybush

Patron
Ooh - that's brilliant, kate8024 - thanks so much. It is very long, awkward to read, and really rather horrible! But reading it reminded me of my two Scn god-parents. One of them died of cancer in the 90s, the other, I think, now lives in the States - if he's still alive.

Thanks for finding that.
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
I was married in the Chapel at Saint Hill in 1970, I can't help you with a christening though.

The Chapel was small and very old, yet somehow beautiful - you could feel the weight of ages there. I seem to remember that services there were considered special, as it was at the time the pinnacle of scientology life. I would imagine you are one of few christened there. Though of course it had nothing to do with normal religious 'Christ'enings.
 
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Dave B.

Maximus Ultimus Mostimus
Sorry for this thread derail comment, but..

So even as soon as the late 1960's there were LRH busts? I wondered when goofball shit like that became "normal". Busts of LaFatty, the Hip Hip Hooray three cheers for LRH stuff, "Source" and other assorted nuttiness.




We now return to the previously scheduled thread...
 

hollybush

Patron
That bust is ingrained into my then-forming neural pathways. We saw it a lot as kids at St. Hill.

Also the signed (probably not by the man) black and white photos we got in reply to the letters we posted to him in a little wooden box. (My parents made me write letters to him! Can't remember what.)
 

hollybush

Patron
I wasn't too fond of it either - I'm amazed that I can still see the exact expression of the bust so clearly in my mind, as well as its finger-pressed texture.

A few months ago I was explaining a few things to my wife about being in Scn as a child and I said, out loud, the phrase "feel my finger". I hadn't said it, or heard it, probably for over 25 years. It was like an electric shock going through my brain - I hated it. I hated it than and I hate it now. The vision of that bust has a similar effect.
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Yes I have the same feeling!

I know you are not free to say much at the moment, judging by your posts anyway, but I do look forward to when you can.

It is one of my particular interests to research how scientology values from birth or childhood affect people and they mostly don't know about it, and to find the most potent subjects. For example one of my children read Jenna Hill's book and said "it answered questions I didn't know I had". I'd like to ferret out those questions to make it easier for recovery and healing for others.
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
I wasn't too fond of it either - I'm amazed that I can still see the exact expression of the bust so clearly in my mind, as well as its finger-pressed texture.

A few months ago I was explaining a few things to my wife about being in Scn as a child and I said, out loud, the phrase "feel my finger". I hadn't said it, or heard it, probably for over 25 years. It was like an electric shock going through my brain - I hated it. I hated it than and I hate it now. The vision of that bust has a similar effect.

That bust caught something of Hubbard very well. It must have been hell to do. It was scary but also I hated the even brown colouring, bronze can be so beautiful especially one that's been constantly fondled through love, his busts were always untouched out of fear. Now remembering the Hymn of Asia and ''am I Maitreya? Here's a beautiful statue of the Maitreya. I never heard anyone comment about how much they loved the LRH bust. I have seen busts, green with age with polished chins or noses gleaming like gold because of light touching by many worshipping hands caressing the statue. I have seen a light green statue of Caesar, naked but with his gentlemanly bits shining like the sun as passers by rub it and wish for sex.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASCjrqUhwls

Oh and I don't think the chapel has a long history, brick, lot's of window on one side concrete floor some nice wood bits I would think it was built in the sixties by Hubbard, or perhaps before, by the Maharajah of Jaipur (who owned it before Hubbard).
 

hollybush

Patron
Yes I have the same feeling!

I know you are not free to say much at the moment, judging by your posts anyway, but I do look forward to when you can.

It is one of my particular interests to research how scientology values from birth or childhood affect people and they mostly don't know about it, and to find the most potent subjects. For example one of my children read Jenna Hill's book and said "it answered questions I didn't know I had". I'd like to ferret out those questions to make it easier for recovery and healing for others.
It's really interesting what you say about Scientology values from childhood affecting people - it's partly what I think I'm trying to discover. And I just bought Jenna Hill's book on audiobook yesterday - so I'll look forward to listening to that soon.

I've just been reading some of your story on your blog - it's left me feeling somewhat emotional and full of admiration for you. Maybe you even knew my parents at St Hill in the 70s.

In some ways I'm bursting to tell my story, but I don't think I have enough information yet. Another aspect is that I'm a (semi-successful) author, I still live in East Grinstead and I'm worried about this past aspect of my life coming out and ruining things (it's ruined things before). And then there's my father ... I don't feel free yet to be fully open about things.

Guess I haven't sorted it all out yet! Being part of this forum and reading stories like yours is a huge help, though.
 

hollybush

Patron
That bust caught something of Hubbard very well. It must have been hell to do. It was scary but also I hated the even brown colouring, bronze can be so beautiful especially one that's been constantly fondled through love, his busts were always untouched out of fear.

Ha - what an excellent observation! :)
 

Dulloldfart

Squirrel Extraordinaire

Sidney18511

Patron with Honors
That bust is ingrained into my then-forming neural pathways. We saw it a lot as kids at St. Hill.

Also the signed (probably not by the man) black and white photos we got in reply to the letters we posted to him in a little wooden box. (My parents made me write letters to him! Can't remember what.)

Oh my Hollybush, something like THAT can cause an Engram, and cause you serious future problems.
if only there was someway to rid yourself of that!!

(I couldn't help myself....the lutz was too strong)
 

NonScio

Patron Meritorious
Well, since "Christened" has the word "Christ" as its origin, I hardly think the ceremony was the standard Christian rite...i.e. "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost", usually involving wetting with water to one degree or another.

We also use the term "Christen" for the ceremony of formally launching a ship...the breaking of an expensive bottle of wine over the bow
before the vessel slides into the water.

Perhaps the "Commodore" adapted the ship launching ritual to the cult ceremony. Maybe you were struck over the head with a
bottle of Chateau Briand, then thrown into a tub of water? At any rate, you "took a bath"...a foretaste of your future in the cult.
You were not "Christened"; you were "Scientologized" or "Cultated"...or whatever. A dark day of your past which is best left in the
past...it has no positive spiritual value watsoever.
 

Veda

Sponsor
-snip-

So even as soon as the late 1960's there were LRH busts? I wondered when goofball shit like that became "normal". Busts of LaFatty, the Hip Hip Hooray three cheers for LRH stuff, "Source" and other assorted nuttiness.

-snip-

LRHBust.jpg



There were Hubbard bronze busts by 1963. I'm not sure when they were introduced. Here's Hubbard instructing Scientologists on the consequences of improper disrespectful treatment of a Hubbard bronze bust:

Excerpt from HCOPL 27 December 1963.

"This final bit is added not out of any pride or conceit or bid for loyalty. It has been consistently observed by many observers that when a place seems to be critical of or in disagreement with Ron or cool toward his plans, the public falls rapidly away. No squirrel has ever survived. Treat a bust or a personal office of mine with disrespect and the public falls away. Apologize for my policies and the public stays off in droves. There's nothing of superstition about this. The public wants Scientology Ron's brand and they don't buy other brands. In thirteen years, every squirrel or disaffected or critical office has miserably failed. The 'we agree in most things with Ron but' sees the coat tails of the public, not their faces."

This was several years after the introduction of Security Checking, which included the question, "Have you ever had any unkind thoughts about L. Ron Hubbard?" In a lecture from 1961, Hubbard explained that the reason for the question, and any others like it, was that if a person has overts and withholds against the source of Scientology, the person will not get gains.


Hi Hollybush :),

I don't know whether you've seen any of these items, so here they are. Each concerns Scientology during the late 1960s, and/or St. Hill.


William Burroughs was involved with Scientology in the 1960s, and wrote about his experiences, including about his time at St. Hill in 1968.

His 1972 book, 'Naked Scientology', is somewhat rambling, but also provides a look at St.Hill around the time you note. Most of what became 'Naked Scientology' was derived from an article by Burroughs in the 'Los Angeles Free Press' of March 1970. His insights, for the time, are pretty remarkable, and he's not entirely negative about the subject, although he definitely does not recommend it.


Burroughs begins, writing in early 1970:

In view of the fact that my articles and statements on Scientology may have influenced young people to associate with the so called Church of Scientology, I feel an obligation to make my present views on the subject quite clear.


Naked Scientology: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/Naked Scientology.pdf


A few excerpts re. Sec Checking:


I remember some old biddy dragging me into a broom closet... and asking me on the e-meter, "Do you have any unkind thoughts about L. Ron Hubbard? ... That reads. What do you consider that means?"

"He's so beautiful he dazzles me. I can't help resenting it sometimes."

In the words of Celine - "All this time I felt my self respect slipping away and finally completely gone. As it were, officially removed..."

Like an anthropologist who has, after unspeakable indignities, penetrated a savage tribe, I was determined to hang on and get the big medicine...

...I was ordered for a Joberg
[Security Check] because I rockslammed [a type of 'read' on the e-meter] on a question, "What would have to happen before Scientology worked on everybody?" (I couldn't confront it.) The [1961] Joberg http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/isd/isd-5i.htm ...is published for the first time in Inside Scientology http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/isd/isd.htm [1972]...



_________​


The below BBC program about Scientology at St. Hill was made in 1967:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhsRe-szfSk&feature=uploademailC1lI


The program, 'The Shrinking World of L. Ron Hubbard', followed in 1968:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_w-YWwC1lI
 

Gib

Crusader
LRHBust.jpg



There were Hubbard bronze busts by 1963. I'm not sure when they were introduced. Here's Hubbard instructing Scientologists on the consequences of improper disrespectful treatment of a Hubbard bronze bust:

Excerpt from HCOPL 27 December 1963.

"This final bit is added not out of any pride or conceit or bid for loyalty. It has been consistently observed by many observers that when a place seems to be critical of or in disagreement with Ron or cool toward his plans, the public falls rapidly away. No squirrel has ever survived. Treat a bust or a personal office of mine with disrespect and the public falls away. Apologize for my policies and the public stays off in droves. There's nothing of superstition about this. The public wants Scientology Ron's brand and they don't buy other brands. In thirteen years, every squirrel or disaffected or critical office has miserably failed. The 'we agree in most things with Ron but' sees the coat tails of the public, not their faces."

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

Yah right, what a lying PR sack of shit. More generalities. Somehow I don't think Ronny went out and surveyed the public.

You, Mr. Public, do you stay away if you don't see a bust of me in the joint? :laugh::laugh:

It's just self promotion PR to to sell the person reading this crap. It's no different than all his claims in dianutics.
 

Operating DB

Truman Show Dropout
"This final bit is added not out of any pride or conceit or bid for loyalty. It has been consistently observed by many observers that when a place seems to be critical of or in disagreement with Ron or cool toward his plans, the public falls rapidly away. No squirrel has ever survived. Treat a bust or a personal office of mine with disrespect and the public falls away. Apologize for my policies and the public stays off in droves. There's nothing of superstition about this. The public wants Scientology Ron's brand and they don't buy other brands. In thirteen years, every squirrel or disaffected or critical office has miserably failed. The 'we agree in most things with Ron but' sees the coat tails of the public, not their faces."

I nearly hurled when I read that.

Just another example of Ron being all full of himself.
 
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