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Hello to all you ex-Scientologists

P

Painter

Guest
I am a new member here, though I have been lurking around for awhile. I've never been a Scientologist, fortunately for me.... However I have always taken a keen interest in Scientology ever since I first knew of it, round about the early 70's. When I read DMSMH it seduced me at first, and then it scared the bejesus out of me.

First off, I want to congratulate y'all for breaking free of that particular spell, because obviously it wasn't easy. Secondly I want to thank everybody I've been reading here as a lurker, because I find the level of discourse to be generally very high, not to mention endlessly amusing.

I take Scientology very seriously. I don't think it is "just another crazy cult" but rather a kind of prototype for socio-political mind control systems in general. Though Scientology itself is probably in irreversible decline, and thankfully so, it came uncomfortably close to realizing Hubbard's diabolically ingenious scheme.

The various discussions here, in addition to exposing Scientological fallacies and thus helping to dismantle the cult, also provide valuable personal insights into the nature and purpose of spirituality in the contemporary world. This from people who have been burned, and burned bad, by one of the most skillful and dangerous frauds ever to have been perpetrated.

ESMB is a priceless resource. Perhaps I can add a little, here and there.
 
P

Painter

Guest
Gidday to yerself Sir.

Though it happens to be night here.
 

AngeloV

Gold Meritorious Patron
Welcome, painter. Glad to hear that you never joined the church.

NM was my home for 18 years or so. Don't get hit by any tumble weeds! :D
 
P

Painter

Guest
Thanks for the welcome

One is always a bit trepidacious entering a new pond. I'm not even sure I have anything of value to add - but since I've been eavesdropping for so long, I figured it's only proper to introduce myself.
 

AngeloV

Gold Meritorious Patron
Not having been in scientology but having read some of the literature could make your viewpoint and opinions valuable to others.

Plus, there are many off-topic threads you can reply to if you want to throw you hat into those rings.
 
P

Painter

Guest
I am living

in the village of Tecolotito, which is halfway between Santa Rosa and Las Vegas. What part of the state were you in?
 

johnAnchovie

Still raging
Painter

You have a refeshingly perspicous grasp of what this cult is and of the effects it has on those of us who were unlucky enough to be seduced by the promise of enlightment and freedom from our murky and damaged childhoods. While the cult is in decline, and I am sure that between the flawed and fundamentally damaged personality cults of Martyology and miscavageology the Scientology brand will be torn to pieces. On that day, there will be great rejoycing and sweet music. Please go forth into the world and preach to the ignorant and foolish that what you have discovered. :coolwink:
 

SchwimmelPuckel

Genuine Meatball
Hi, Painter! :)

Could you elaborate on what it was that 'scared the bejesus outta you' in Dianetics?

I too was 'seduced' by that book.. And something did indeed scare me about it.. It was a host of things really. At first I thought: WTF? - Do grown up people really believe this!? - Then, as I was further 'seduced', it scared me that the 'engrams & implants' might be real, which meant that I was a nutcase without control of my own mental faculties. An 'abberee' as Hubbard expressed it.

:unsure:
 

Kookaburra

Gold Meritorious Patron
Hi and welcome to the board, Painter.

:welcome2:

Are you anywhere near Trementina? It's also in a remote area of New Mexico. It's a big Scientology secret that everybody knows about.

I agree that Scientology is an insidious mind control system. Pretty yucky. Pretty interesting experience to get all the way in and back out again. Sometimes when I was in, I would wonder if the promises and the consequences were real, and what I would do if they weren't, and what would I do if I got out and they were for real. I decided to stay and find out. In the end, I did leave before I found out for sure, but afterwards did find out for sure that it was bunk. That is the real reason that Scn stops the free flow of information, and won't let those still in talk to exes.

Hope you enjoy your stay here.
 
P

Painter

Guest
Yeah AngeloV, that's what I thought.

I know an awful lot about Scientology, for somebody who's never joined it. I guess because it scared me so bad, (I hardly ever get scared of anything) I started to research it, The more I read, the freakier it got.

I had nightmares and weird dreams for years, just from reading that one goddamn book.
 
P

Painter

Guest
Hello Kookaburra

I'm about 30 miles west of Trementina, but I've been there. It is beautiful country and very wild. You'd have to drive like, for an hour just to buy a beer.
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
Painter it's a bloody good job you never joined the cult properly or those bad dreams of yours would have strong enough to stop the planet from turning!
 
P

Painter

Guest
And yes Kookaburra

the whole Scientology thing is about twisting perceptions of reality, so you don't know anymore if there even IS such a thing as reality, in any absolute sense.

That's what makes it so scary to me. I think they might be right. Studying Scientology convinced me that a large part of what we consider to be real is in fact merely a convenient agreement.

But there's a very big glitch in there somewhere.
 
P

Painter

Guest
Yes indeed, that's the way it seemed to me at the time. That the whole planet was somehow intimately involved with my dreams. I still feel that way now and then. I think I might have ingested too much psylocybin to ever be perfectly normal again.
 

Kookaburra

Gold Meritorious Patron
the whole Scientology thing is about twisting perceptions of reality, so you don't know anymore if there even IS such a thing as reality, in any absolute sense.

That's what makes it so scary to me. I think they might be right. Studying Scientology convinced me that a large part of what we consider to be real is in fact merely a convenient agreement.

But there's a very big glitch in there somewhere.

That "convenient agreement" allows Scientology to operate in its own world, to get its members to reject "wog" laws and values as inferior, then to get member agreement to enforce its own rules and conditions. Those rules and conditions are quite abusive and intrusive, are actually human rights violations and cause damage to the individuals they are applied to. I don't think that agreement is there by accident.

You're having a very late night for New Mexico. It's almost bedtime in Australia.
 

La La Lou Lou

Crusader
Don't worry, normal's overrated anyway.

Hubbard's views on reality were borrowed from Hinduism anyway, don't give the guy too much credit.
 

nozeno

Gold Meritorious Patron
I am a new member here, though I have been lurking around for awhile. I've never been a Scientologist, fortunately for me.... However I have always taken a keen interest in Scientology ever since I first knew of it, round about the early 70's. When I read DMSMH it seduced me at first, and then it scared the bejesus out of me.

First off, I want to congratulate y'all for breaking free of that particular spell, because obviously it wasn't easy. Secondly I want to thank everybody I've been reading here as a lurker, because I find the level of discourse to be generally very high, not to mention endlessly amusing.

I take Scientology very seriously. I don't think it is "just another crazy cult" but rather a kind of prototype for socio-political mind control systems in general. Though Scientology itself is probably in irreversible decline, and thankfully so, it came uncomfortably close to realizing Hubbard's diabolically ingenious scheme.

The various discussions here, in addition to exposing Scientological fallacies and thus helping to dismantle the cult, also provide valuable personal insights into the nature and purpose of spirituality in the contemporary world. This from people who have been burned, and burned bad, by one of the most skillful and dangerous frauds ever to have been perpetrated.

ESMB is a priceless resource. Perhaps I can add a little, here and there.

Stand up straight. No lying on your side in here.
 
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