Voltaire's Child
Fool on the Hill
Most of the people here used to be in CofS. The demographic here is mainly exes- including myself. I've been watching people leave who were extremely devoted to CofS and to Scn. I've seen and heard of OTVIIs leave, newbies leave, former staff, former OSA types, former senior management (!)-- just all sorts of people who really had a lot invested emotionally, financially and even spiritually get angry and leave.
I think most people leave because of the mistreatment and abuses. We know about those- there have been many posts naming those things and even books that the cult couldn't stop. I have spoken with those who thought that the abuses pretty much started under DM. However, the majority think that it started under Hubbard and they've posted specifics. From what I can ascertain, he was capricious and unfair even as early as the early fifties. It just got worse as time went on, though I do think DM is even worse and seems to be escalating his insanity. But it was already a bad situation even before he took over.
I think most people leave because of the crap the cult pulls. Families destroyed, insane and hideous pressure on staff members and poor working and living conditions, coerced abortions, regging people out of their last dimes, recruiters going after minors and also trying to blackmail their parents and families of young adults into joining the SO- those are some examples.
But how many people left because they saw that the tech was either not benefitting them at all or only to a very limited extent- certainly not what was advertised? I'm really wondering. For years I've been saying "Well, you can only push people so far" whenever I see another person leave. Hell, I left for that reason. I've been expelled twice- the first time for wanting to leave staff where I was pressured, sexually abused and lied to; the second ( a year after I walked away) for posting to alt.religion.scientology. There're a lot of pissed off ex members and I don't ever recall hearing one thing that struck me as petty or wrong headed in anyone's reasons for having left. Ever. But is there a contingent of people who either didn't get a chance to experience much, if any, abusive behavior, or who didn't think it was a big deal but who looked at Dianetic and Scn tech and said "Ok. They blew it. This doesn't do anything (or" this makes me feel worse") and I'm out of here." as either their sole or main reason for leaving.
I'm really wondering.
I think most people leave because of the mistreatment and abuses. We know about those- there have been many posts naming those things and even books that the cult couldn't stop. I have spoken with those who thought that the abuses pretty much started under DM. However, the majority think that it started under Hubbard and they've posted specifics. From what I can ascertain, he was capricious and unfair even as early as the early fifties. It just got worse as time went on, though I do think DM is even worse and seems to be escalating his insanity. But it was already a bad situation even before he took over.
I think most people leave because of the crap the cult pulls. Families destroyed, insane and hideous pressure on staff members and poor working and living conditions, coerced abortions, regging people out of their last dimes, recruiters going after minors and also trying to blackmail their parents and families of young adults into joining the SO- those are some examples.
But how many people left because they saw that the tech was either not benefitting them at all or only to a very limited extent- certainly not what was advertised? I'm really wondering. For years I've been saying "Well, you can only push people so far" whenever I see another person leave. Hell, I left for that reason. I've been expelled twice- the first time for wanting to leave staff where I was pressured, sexually abused and lied to; the second ( a year after I walked away) for posting to alt.religion.scientology. There're a lot of pissed off ex members and I don't ever recall hearing one thing that struck me as petty or wrong headed in anyone's reasons for having left. Ever. But is there a contingent of people who either didn't get a chance to experience much, if any, abusive behavior, or who didn't think it was a big deal but who looked at Dianetic and Scn tech and said "Ok. They blew it. This doesn't do anything (or" this makes me feel worse") and I'm out of here." as either their sole or main reason for leaving.
I'm really wondering.