Some of the comments on the VV blog have expressed disappointment that it appear that Marty will rank higher on the list of 25 people crippling Scientology than (various people and groups already listed).
I understand that disappointment. It continues to fuel Marty's god complex. There is an alternative, however...
What if Rathbun doesn't feature in the list at all?
I'm not sure that Marty deserves a place in it. It's a list of people who are crippling Scientology. Poor old Rathbun isn't trying to cripple Scientology; fool that he is, he's trying to make it work, and 'save' it. He would tell you that the 'real' Scientology is happening at his Texas shack.
It's not a list of people bringing the Church of Scientology to an end, but Scientology as a whole. I think Marty(r) has unwittingly done a lot to show how creepy, cultish and imbecilic Scientology can make people... but he'll probably still be worshiping Hubbard long after everyone else has wised up, and stopped. KSW!
Time will tell. I'm betting on LRH for the number two slot (appropriate, if you think about it) and David Mismanage at number one. Possible honorable mention for embarrassingly enthusiastic has-been celebrities... but there are more than enough 'SPs' who still deserve a place.
Marty IS having an effect on the version of the Scientology that has historically caused all of the trouble - the
CHURCH of Scientology. As I see it, independents cannot and will not EVER cause anywhere near the abuse and harm that the organized Church excels at. If the Church were closed tomorrow, I doubt very much that ANY independents would EVER put together a "new" centrally-controlled version of Scientology that would be anywhere remotely close to the current RTC abomination. Time will tell. I could be wrong.
While the pattern for the abuse does certainly exist in Hubbard's exact subject materials, the simply truth is that outside of the official organization, many or most people simply choose to NOT apply directives like enforced disconnection, fair game, hard sell, ruin-finding, constant command intention push, severe KSW lunacy, etc. While SOME of these may appear in some form, the difference between how they occur outside of the CHURCH is FAR different than the institutionlized madness that exists in the CHURCH.
Marty IS trying to cripple
Miscavige's Church of Scientology. It doesn't matter what Marty thinks, that he is trying to "help Scientology", because he is deluded. What he doesn't know WILL hurt him. What he doesn't realize is that the harms and faults he points out and brings to the attention of the media are actually faults and flaws with the very nature of Scientology itself (meaning that the problems occur because they exist as instructions in LRH writings and lectures). While he might see it differently, many others will not.
Step ONE is destroying the RTC Church of Scientology. If and when THAT happens, one can reevaluate the newly existing "Scientology situation and problem". I doubt it will be anything to loose any sleep over, and that anyone other than obsessive/compulsove types will think about much. Personally, if the C of S shut down tomorrow, I doubt I would be on ESMB much. As I see it, the RTC C of S is a mountain compared to a molehill that would be "independent Scientology without any C of S". The magnitude of difference betwen the two is tremendous.
It is similar to what happened wit Christianity. The SAME Bible and basic beliefs that fueled the torture and murder of the Spanish Inquisition also fuel modern wishy-washy Protestant religions. While the "pattern" for the abuses DID exist in the "subject of Christianity", as long as one INTERPRETS and chooses to PICK & CHOOSE how and what to apply, well, the actual "versions" differ tremendously. Without the CONTROL of the central Catholic Church, things were and remain different. Also, the Catholic Church CHANGED due to societal pressures. The same may happen with Scientology. If the RTC Church is presented with "changing its tune FOR REAL", or "be shut down", they might choose option two. Maybe not, because Hubbard's system, when taken as a WHOLE, isn't subject to much "altering".
I think Marty is on the list where he deserves to be. He IS harming the Church of Scientology, and THAT is a good thing. Though I suspect that his actions will have unintended consequences (from his viewpoint) that will be WORSE overall for "Scientology" as a whole.