Good posting. Would you put all ex-Scientologists in the Nazi category or only those who joined staff?
It's an analogy. Obviously the degree and sheer quanitity of "harm" differs greatly between Scientology and Nazi Germany (or a Muslim terrorist or Inquisitor). The similarity is in that they "believe" their goal, vision or mission to be "supreme" (above all other concerns, valid, lofty, worthwhile), and that all actions are excused or justified that lead to the real or imagined realization of those goals, visions or missions. The degree, severity and intensity of THAT differs for each Scientology participant.
It is a "gradient". Obviously those at the highest levels of the Sea Org, and who have stayed in for the longest, are most guilty of perpetrating the delusion. Granted some or many also bought into it too. Next would be the garden-variety Sea Org member. Then org staff. Then mission staff. Then the public Scientologist who is an FSM for the org, Flag, AOLA, or IAS.
An interesting aspect to this has to do with the "separating of powers" and "compartmentalization of activities" (like in the CIA). Sadly, many Scientology participants have NO IDEA what OSA does to harm innocent people, or are at all familiar with Hubbard's "Sea Org" issues or confidential management policies.
My point was about how the belief and "certainty" that "I am doing good" often enables people to harm others in the name of the "just cause". I saw a great movie awhile ago, called "
Forgiving the Franklins". It is a great drama about fanaticism, built around overzealous religious nutbag Christians in North Carolina. But, it has AMAZING similarities to Scientology, and it had me saying to myself, "that is JUST LIKE Scientology", over and over. Rent it and WATCH IT. It is hilarious, and REAL. It is exaggerated, but I was slapping my knee MANY times in laughter. It is a "dark comedy".
[video=youtube;6ttUAHYdqXo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ttUAHYdqXo[/video]
There was a line where one of the devout Christian women says something like, "sometimes one must do bad things in carrying out the Lord's work". It reminded so MUCH of Scientology.
What happens in Scientology, for ANY member, is that one first is attracted to the claims, promises, asserted goals, and "fluff" (nice stuff used to attract you). These are all of the nature of "ideals" or "wouldn't it be nice if the world was like this". People can and do easily AGREE with such ideas. Really, who can disagree with wanting to create a world without war, crime and insanity? But, some of the people eventually step outside the realm of thought (ideas, concepts, ideals) and actually compare these claims to REALITY. The people who FAIL to do THAT stay involved the longest.
Those who contribute the most and the longest are those who have failed to compare the
world of thought, as created by Hubbard in his entire paradigm of
ideas, with the world of REALITY. Both the reality that 1) Scientology does not and cannot produce the many results it claims that it can, and that 2) Scientology takes advantage of, manipulates, lies to, and "harms" many people in the name of "achieving its goals".
I don't put ANY Scientologist in a "nazi category". There are "similarities". I do put all Scientologists into that group of people who contribute to a belief system and organization that harms innocent people. Some do it more than others, as I described above, with those in the Sea Org being the worst offenders.
It is a matter of length of time involved and degree. For any person to stay involved for a VERY long period of time, as a reg, as a recruiter, in the Sea Org, as org staff, as an FSM, one MUST really either 1) believe the nonsense greatly, or 2) use the fact of the nonsense to make money, gain admiration, obtain power, etc. And, some stay because their families are in, or it would be too difficult to leave the Sea Org and start a life in the real world at age 40, etc.
There are many who simply "believe greatly", who NEVER have regged a penny, who have NEVER recruited a person, and who have NEVER yelled at another to "create an effect". But they "enable" the rest of it, whether they are aware of the details or not, by remaining mired in the shared delusion. I am not "judging them". I am simply describing what is going on.
I don't "blame" a tornado for tearing apart a home and killing a family. It is a "natural occurence". The same with people really. It is "natural" for people to trick others and for others to be tricked by lies, deceptions and "buying into some set of ideas and beliefs". I don't blame them. It just "is". And, just as with a tornado, it behooves you to pay attention and learn all about the nature of them,
and to stay FAR AWAY from them if you care about your health and well-being. The same with Scientology. ESMB is one place to "learn about" the
nature of outfits like Scientology.
More of the Franklins:
[video=youtube;Z8yq3QdWd2Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8yq3QdWd2Q[/video]