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Patron Meritorious
This is an unofficial translation of a message written in French by Pierre Robillard, a former Executive Director of the Montreal org. The message was sent to over 200 Quebec Scientologists and was posted on July 28, 2013 on the scientologie-secte.org website. Robillard criticizes David Miscavige's ideal org program, with particular reference to Montreal, Quebec City, and Cambridge, Ontario.
Un message de Pierre Robillard à tous les scientologues canadiens
Un message de Pierre Robillard à tous les scientologues canadiens
A message from Pierre Robillard to all Canadian Scientologists
Posted on July 28, 2013 by voltaire2003
This message from Pierre Robillard is addressed to all French Canadian Scientologists.
*****
My name is Pierre Robillard and I've been a Scientologist since 1969. I was a staff member for nearly 25 years, mostly in Montreal, and I've held most of the key posts such as executive director, case supervisor, etc.
Because I was there at the beginning, I've always considered the Montreal org as one of my responsibilities. And I've always had (and still have) a high affinity for this org and all the people who are part of it.
I've been out of the traditional Church of Scientology since November 2012. I am an independent Scientologist.
The purpose of this letter is to communicate my disagreement vis-à-vis the way the present-day interpretation of the policy letter titled "The Ideal Org."
Nearly 6 years ago, Montreal parishioners bought a building and, since a month ago, a campaign to renovate the building in order to have an ideal org has been in full swing.
Anyone who carefully studies the policy letter will note that the main purpose of an ideal org is to make clears and competent auditors and to create new Scientologists. An ideal org is clean and attractive without being a royal palace. But the most important passage in this policy letter mentions that an ideal org WOULD BE BUILT STEP BY STEP BY SMOOTHING AND IMPROVING EACH OF THE ORG'S FUNCTIONS.
This was the operational practice in the 70s and 80s, and the birthday program to achieve Saint Hill size was essentially focused on obtaining an ideal org by applying policy, the reward being more clearing and more staff. The Montreal org experienced unparalleled prosperity in the early 80s. Radio ads on CKOI produced a minimum sale of 250 Dianetics books a week to new people. BOOK ONE groups (auditing using the methods prescribed in the DSMSH book) flourished. Auditing hours reached 450 hours a week. The Academy was full of people who were studying to become auditors and who completed their courses. Preclears completed the grades and attained the state of Clear at the Montreal org.
Today, all of this no longer exists. No auditors are being trained in Montreal. Or very few. As of November 2012, no auditors had been produced in Montreal since 1995. Those who completed auditing courses redid the courses with the Golden Age of Tech or studied at Flag or elsewhere. Lists of auditors were presented to me, but no auditor was produced in Montreal since 1995. I could elaborate, but that is not the purpose of this letter. There is a website called "Friends of LRH" which explains the difference between LRH tech and the tech after the death of LRH.
Here is how the policy letter "The Ideal Org" is being interpreted today. You buy and renovate a building with extremely precise specifications (location, size, architectural theme, etc.) and, bing, you have an Ideal Org! You forget the first step, which is to train staff members and to make clears and auditors. The ideal org is a building that is funded and renovated at great expense by the parishioners, and then it's up to you to figure out what to do.
In Toronto, they say that, once the building is completely renovated (in December 2012, 7 million dollars remained to be raised), one million Torontonians will flock to the ideal org every year and magically become Scientologists. In the movie "Field of Dreams," the hero played by actor Kevin Costner hears voices telling him: "Build it and they will come!" But a building by itself doesn't produce clears or auditors.
There is a concept in Scientology is called BE-DO-HAVE. To have or obtain something, you must be or have a certain identity and act accordingly. Obtaining a building as a priority is doing things in the wrong order. It's putting the cart before the horse. To obtain an ideal org, you must be a staff member or an active public, you must apply the policy letters, produce clears, produce auditors and new Scientologists and then perhaps, possibly, buy a larger building.
Moreover, a building is MEST. The reason we do Scientology, especially at the OT levels, is to reach higher levels of spirituality, not to become stifled in MEST. Anyone who says the opposite is not in the right religion.
Nowhere in the LRH HCO PL do we find any reference to the IAS, much less to the status of Patron, Humanitarian, or OT Ambassador. The PLs regarding memberships mention dues of $30 a year or $75 for a lifetime.
There are two policy letters concerning the purchase of a building. The January 18, 1965 HCO PL "Building Fund Account" states: "The weekly proportion of income owing to the Building Fund Account must be paid into that account weekly and may not be withheld from it for any reason. The purpose of this fund is to purchase a building, and no other solution is acceptable." [Translator's Note: The second sentence of this quotation could not be located in the actual policy letter found online.]
The PL "What Your Donations Buy" (payments for training and auditing) states: "Where does your donation go? The biggest part of your donation stays right in your area. It is used to make training and processing and data available to the next fellow first by keeping the church there and second by letting him know about it and third by making as sure as possible that the training and processing he gets is standard and effective."
IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN YOU PAY FOR YOUR BRIDGE, ALL FEES CONCERNING THE PURCHASE OF A BUILDING ARE INCLUDED. This is what LRH always wrote, and the Montreal org on Papineau Avenue and the Toronto org on Yonge Street were purchased in the late 70s by Sea Org Reserves.
What will happen in Montreal is what is presently happening in Toronto.
I mentioned earlier that, as of Christmas 2012, there remained 7.5 million dollars more to be raised. There is a recognition chart that displays the names of donors according to the amounts given. For example, the status of Humanitarian is higher than Benefactor or Team Canada. Carol Nolan, the project in charge, looks at what you have already paid, assesses your potential (savings, RRSPs, loan possibilities, inheritances, second mortgages, etc.), and decides on the amount you should pay. In other words, this is very far removed from pan-determinism and the initial goal: TO GO UP THE BRIDGE.
In Toronto, there have been 55 evening events for the Toronto ideal org in less than a year. Each event usually includes food, music, awards for those who contributed, a speech and, mainly, various games to raise money. A small 4-page glossy color flyer is sent every 3 weeks in Toronto and across Canada to inform people and encourage them to give more.
Who benefits from this fundraising? THE PERSONS WHO ARE WORKING TO TAKE YOUR MONEY.
In Montreal, it's Guy Peloquin and other reges/FSMs like Robert Aumais. The commissions for those who help raise funds vary from 1% to 10%. The rest goes straight into the reserves of the Sea Org or the IAS.
The worst part of all this is that it is impossible to obtain in writing the amounts of revenues and expenditures for the ideal org. In the United States, there are people who have invested up to 1 million dollars for a building and who wanted to know how the funds were being spent, but their questions went unanswered, and when they insisted on getting an answer, they were finally expelled from Scientology and declared suppressive. There are several websites that explain this phenomenon.
Now let's suppose that the building on Saint Catherine Street becomes the Montreal ideal org. Who will own it? Not the Montreal org. Not the parishioners who funded everything. As in the United States, unknown lawyers will take over. As everywhere else, the electrical and phone bills will be much higher — on top of having to pay a percentage each week to Landlord International to occupy the building.
But once again, will this be worthwhile? There are dozens of examples around the world that prove it is not worthwhile. One example is the Cambridge ideal org (the former Kitchener org). It had recruited more than 120 staff members in December 2012, but now there are only 65. Its income is less than $3,000 a week. It is presently applying the non-existence condition and hoping to achieve Saint Hill size in July 2014.
However, for Montrealers the answer is much easier to find. We are very close to Quebec City, which has had an ideal org for about 5 years.
Reread "The Ideal Org" PL and compare what is written with the Quebec City org's key statistics (not spurious stats but an org's real stats: paid completions, well done hours, student points, new Scientologists). Without any intention of insulting the Quebec City org, this is not what is happening. How many clears has the Quebec City org produced over the past 5 years? How many auditors? Has control of PR (public relations) improved? I doubt it. Narconon Trois-Rivières was shut down by social services.
Are staff members (there were more than a hundred 5 years ago) at the org full-time, going up the bridge, and not working outside (moonlighting)? I doubt it. All we hear about is the Basics courses. What I'm talk about is auditors and the training path mapped by LRH. All we presently hear about is the Golden Age of Tech 2 that will soon arrive and revolutionize everything. These are only words.
Various stratagems will be used to rebut my message. First, the Church of Scientology, through the Office of Special Affairs in Montreal (Jean Larivière) will send to everyone who has read my letter an assortment of documents that are supposed to refute my arguments. Here again, reread the PLs titled "The Ideal Org," "The Building Fund Account," and "What Your Donations Buy."
There does not exist any PL written by LRH that can justify the IAS or the current ideal org program.
I will also be attacked personally. They will say that I've been offlines for a long time, that I'm a rebel, that I'm an apostate (a fancy word to say that I renounced my religion). This is not true. I have not renounced the writings of LRH and I consider myself to be a Scientologist (compare the independent Scientology movements with the schism between Catholics and Protestants in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance). They will say I'm a squirrel. There is an old principle in Scientology which states that people who accuse you of evil actions are often people who themselves have committed the same kind of evil actions. If applying to the letter the policy letters mentioned in a previous paragraph is a squirrel action, then I would rather be a squirrel.
They will say that I'm influenced by a few troublemakers who are SPs. I know how to read and observe.
They will also say that I should have used Scientology's command lines to communicate my disagreement. But there are no longer any lines.
There are some OTs in Montreal who believe that all this is just minor or arbitrary details that will easily be resolved. I'm afraid I don't think so.
I worked 70,000 hours on staff and received a total of $70,000 in salary over 25 years (hourly rate: $1). This is of no importance if LRH's philosophy and tech remain intact.
I believe that a true Scientologist must work to keep Scientology working. I believe that a true Scientologist must look and not just listen. A Scientologist must not be afraid to put his life in danger.
I know that the biggest fear among Scientologists, and especially OTs, is losing their Future, their Eternity. I say that integrity is what is most important. An independent Scientologist said: "I did not lose my eternity. I regained it."
Thank you for reading my message.
Pierre Robillard
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