Hi FullOfEmpathy,
Like you I'm not an ex but I did learn about Scientology along a similar path. I initially brushed it aside as a wacky new religion - not for me but if it helps other people then so much the better. I gradually learnt about Xenu, and started brushing it off as a cult - sure the world would be a better place without it but it's not the worst thing ever and it's not my fight.
About a year before Anonymous started their protests I did learn about the darker side of Scientology by stumbling across random internet links and knew that given the chance then I would fight it, but not at the expense of my life via Fair Game. When Anonymous switched from DOS attacks to real life protests and various projects I hopped right on board. At the moment I'm exploring an avenue to get a Scientology centre shut down via Trading Standards.
I think the reason that I try so hard to shut it down and get people out is that I can see that I could have bought into it at certain points in my life. Whenever I see practising Scientologists I see myself in their faces. I made a good friend with an ex via the protests and when talking realised that he and I are very similar. When he got involved with Scientology he wanted to do good – wanted to change the world for the better as do I. Unfortunately Scientology corrupts these principles into something abhorrent and that's why I fight against it.
It is very interesting to hear a psychologists understanding of the story.
I've never held any stigma against the psychiatric profession and from what I can tell very few people my age do. The way I see it is that everybody needs someone to talk to in order to get things out in the open and understand how they feel. There's only so much that I could relate to if someone confided in me and I couldn't help them to understand themselves much. Psychologists fill an important role there and if medicinal assistance is needed (and yes I am against the current overprescribing of drugs when other options should be explored first) then there are Psychiatrists.
Every medical profession has it's skeletons in the closet – how's that trepanning working out for neurologists? Psychiatry & Psychology is no different to any other medical profession but it's just because it's relatively recently that it's started that it attracts any kind of suspicion. 1000 years from now ECT will look just as crude and ancient as trepanning but I'm sure then there'll be another medical profession that attracts flak instead.
Please keep posting and ignore the naysayers.
Like you I'm not an ex but I did learn about Scientology along a similar path. I initially brushed it aside as a wacky new religion - not for me but if it helps other people then so much the better. I gradually learnt about Xenu, and started brushing it off as a cult - sure the world would be a better place without it but it's not the worst thing ever and it's not my fight.
About a year before Anonymous started their protests I did learn about the darker side of Scientology by stumbling across random internet links and knew that given the chance then I would fight it, but not at the expense of my life via Fair Game. When Anonymous switched from DOS attacks to real life protests and various projects I hopped right on board. At the moment I'm exploring an avenue to get a Scientology centre shut down via Trading Standards.
I think the reason that I try so hard to shut it down and get people out is that I can see that I could have bought into it at certain points in my life. Whenever I see practising Scientologists I see myself in their faces. I made a good friend with an ex via the protests and when talking realised that he and I are very similar. When he got involved with Scientology he wanted to do good – wanted to change the world for the better as do I. Unfortunately Scientology corrupts these principles into something abhorrent and that's why I fight against it.
It is very interesting to hear a psychologists understanding of the story.
I've never held any stigma against the psychiatric profession and from what I can tell very few people my age do. The way I see it is that everybody needs someone to talk to in order to get things out in the open and understand how they feel. There's only so much that I could relate to if someone confided in me and I couldn't help them to understand themselves much. Psychologists fill an important role there and if medicinal assistance is needed (and yes I am against the current overprescribing of drugs when other options should be explored first) then there are Psychiatrists.
Every medical profession has it's skeletons in the closet – how's that trepanning working out for neurologists? Psychiatry & Psychology is no different to any other medical profession but it's just because it's relatively recently that it's started that it attracts any kind of suspicion. 1000 years from now ECT will look just as crude and ancient as trepanning but I'm sure then there'll be another medical profession that attracts flak instead.
Please keep posting and ignore the naysayers.