ThisFenceHurts
Patron with Honors
I firmly believe that David Miscavige is aware of what is discussed on the internet regarding Scientology. I also firmly believe that a person tends to incorporate everything he hears or sees one way or another, either consciously or unconsciously, into his viewpoint and future action. Well, I say that critic community (probably more accurately the ex-Scn community) has had an impact on his actions over the years. Whether that is a good or bad thing is dependent on your viewpoint. But don't think for a second that we can discuss Scn so passionately, logically, emotionally, in such volume and with such strong intention that we aren't at least partially responsible for the current actions of CoS. And don't think for a minute that DM can possibly operate in a vacuum...no one can. We have a better line into DM than most people in the CoS do.
1 - Many have said for years that there must be an SP in upper management in order for there to be so much trouble with Scn. Of course, many have come to the conclusion that DM is the SP, or that Ron was the original SP. DM has, in fact, apparently been looking for THE SP in management, by setting up the SP Hall and such. (Maybe he is trying desperately to figure out which one is THE BIG ONE a la Mayo, and so he keeps declaring people one by one until things get better, but without actually losing any of the top staff?)
2 - Many have said that Scns these days don't know the subject very well and that it might be due to altered tech. Well, DM has certainly done a version of attempting to handle that by way of re-releasing many items in their "Pure" form, such as the Basics, and the Congress lectures, Classics lectures, etc.
3 - Many have said that a lot of present day Scns don't know much about the early days of Scn, the line of develpment, the fundamentals of Scn. Well, DM has released the Congresses and the Basics and has pushed those pretty hard. IMHO, as stated in another post, this isn't an inherently bad idea. Studying the basic books and listening to the Congresses in chronological order is not a bad way to start going about handling said "stupidity" about Scn tech (again, whether that is even a valuable pursuit is up to the individual).
From what I have seen, the Basics and the Congresses are well-made, more user-friendly (no one can argue that the glossaries are much better than what had been available - and CDs and books on tape make it easier to study anywhere), and actually IMPROVED - for anyone who disagrees, have you actually looked at the new materials?
4 - We talk of rehabilitation, well, DM now has the orgs trying to clean up CF, contacting and trying to salvage lots of ARCX public, some declared SPs, etc. At least the line being given by the staff doing the reaching is usually some sort of salvage/rehab/cleanup message. Maybe it's just for more $$$, maybe it's really an attempt to salvage (maybe it's both? Who says there is only one answer to any given question?)
5 - Some say that the MEST of the orgs was pretty crappy at times (which it was quite often), and that they were disappointed (not everyone has this as an issue, just play along if you don't care about MEST) - well, DM has gotten some nice new buildings...anyone who has been in one of the Ideal Orgs, or some of the newer buildings at Flag can attest to the fact that, even if your taste doesn't run the way of Scns, these places certainly don't exude "crappy, broke, barely surviving cult" anymore.
As far as some of the other things that get complained about, such as OSA's fair game tactics, SO policy, etc...well, those things seem to pre-date DM, so he can't go back and cancel all that, can he? Without rejecting LRH outright? So the "basically good guy" then serfacs that he is "good" because he doesn't get rid of "Ron's policies". Scientology sure allows for a great many opportunities for fantastic serfacs or GPM-type scenarios...
OK, so maybe some of what I am saying sounds ridiculous, but the amount of times that I have seen someone mention something that they felt was out, or referred to a specific reference or tech quote that was then included in the VERY NEXT church promo piece that I saw is astounding.
I say DM is doing a good job - because there are a lot of beings who are far freer now that they have left CoS or Scn in general, and have learned what it means to be free and self-determined. And those who are still in are having their noses pushed in the Basics of Scientology - which, if understood, will probably help even more people see the differences between what is written and what is practiced and/or the insanity of the tech (depending on your viewpoint again). Didn't LRH even speak about a thetan diving into MEST, getting all gunked up, then pulling out to take a look at and evaluate his experiences? And IF Scientology really works, people continue to study it, learn it better, apply it more accurately, and some of this is due to their study of materials as released by DM, then good for him.
Does anyone here really feel that they are now less capable of taking care of themselves after the Scn experience, whether it be because they feel the tech helps, or because they feel that they now can surely spot a scam?
I tend to ramble. I haven't posted much to this board. My points have probably been debated elsewhere ad nauseum. I'm obviously certainly not (yet?) in the "tech-is-crap" camp. And the statements above are not necessarily the dominant viewpoint that I have regarding the items mentioned. But comments are welcome, and the opportunity to communicate is appreciated
1 - Many have said for years that there must be an SP in upper management in order for there to be so much trouble with Scn. Of course, many have come to the conclusion that DM is the SP, or that Ron was the original SP. DM has, in fact, apparently been looking for THE SP in management, by setting up the SP Hall and such. (Maybe he is trying desperately to figure out which one is THE BIG ONE a la Mayo, and so he keeps declaring people one by one until things get better, but without actually losing any of the top staff?)
2 - Many have said that Scns these days don't know the subject very well and that it might be due to altered tech. Well, DM has certainly done a version of attempting to handle that by way of re-releasing many items in their "Pure" form, such as the Basics, and the Congress lectures, Classics lectures, etc.
3 - Many have said that a lot of present day Scns don't know much about the early days of Scn, the line of develpment, the fundamentals of Scn. Well, DM has released the Congresses and the Basics and has pushed those pretty hard. IMHO, as stated in another post, this isn't an inherently bad idea. Studying the basic books and listening to the Congresses in chronological order is not a bad way to start going about handling said "stupidity" about Scn tech (again, whether that is even a valuable pursuit is up to the individual).
From what I have seen, the Basics and the Congresses are well-made, more user-friendly (no one can argue that the glossaries are much better than what had been available - and CDs and books on tape make it easier to study anywhere), and actually IMPROVED - for anyone who disagrees, have you actually looked at the new materials?
4 - We talk of rehabilitation, well, DM now has the orgs trying to clean up CF, contacting and trying to salvage lots of ARCX public, some declared SPs, etc. At least the line being given by the staff doing the reaching is usually some sort of salvage/rehab/cleanup message. Maybe it's just for more $$$, maybe it's really an attempt to salvage (maybe it's both? Who says there is only one answer to any given question?)
5 - Some say that the MEST of the orgs was pretty crappy at times (which it was quite often), and that they were disappointed (not everyone has this as an issue, just play along if you don't care about MEST) - well, DM has gotten some nice new buildings...anyone who has been in one of the Ideal Orgs, or some of the newer buildings at Flag can attest to the fact that, even if your taste doesn't run the way of Scns, these places certainly don't exude "crappy, broke, barely surviving cult" anymore.
As far as some of the other things that get complained about, such as OSA's fair game tactics, SO policy, etc...well, those things seem to pre-date DM, so he can't go back and cancel all that, can he? Without rejecting LRH outright? So the "basically good guy" then serfacs that he is "good" because he doesn't get rid of "Ron's policies". Scientology sure allows for a great many opportunities for fantastic serfacs or GPM-type scenarios...
OK, so maybe some of what I am saying sounds ridiculous, but the amount of times that I have seen someone mention something that they felt was out, or referred to a specific reference or tech quote that was then included in the VERY NEXT church promo piece that I saw is astounding.
I say DM is doing a good job - because there are a lot of beings who are far freer now that they have left CoS or Scn in general, and have learned what it means to be free and self-determined. And those who are still in are having their noses pushed in the Basics of Scientology - which, if understood, will probably help even more people see the differences between what is written and what is practiced and/or the insanity of the tech (depending on your viewpoint again). Didn't LRH even speak about a thetan diving into MEST, getting all gunked up, then pulling out to take a look at and evaluate his experiences? And IF Scientology really works, people continue to study it, learn it better, apply it more accurately, and some of this is due to their study of materials as released by DM, then good for him.
Does anyone here really feel that they are now less capable of taking care of themselves after the Scn experience, whether it be because they feel the tech helps, or because they feel that they now can surely spot a scam?
I tend to ramble. I haven't posted much to this board. My points have probably been debated elsewhere ad nauseum. I'm obviously certainly not (yet?) in the "tech-is-crap" camp. And the statements above are not necessarily the dominant viewpoint that I have regarding the items mentioned. But comments are welcome, and the opportunity to communicate is appreciated