I am a bit concerned with the change in direction that ESMB has taken recently.
If you had to characterise this board in any way I would suggest it could be called a "support" or "recovery" board.
With the arrival of several "Anons" the focus has changed somewhat into an "activist" board.
There are many things about the arrival of Anonymous onto the critical scene that I'm delighted with. I think they breathe new life into our "cause" and have invigorated a lot of critics. However ESMB was not created to be an activist board. It is a peaceful place where people come to tell their stories, meet other exes, reunite with old friends and heal from a cult experience.
I can't expect the newer Anonymous arrivals to understand what it's like to try to extricate one's self from cult indoctrination. Only a person exiting Scientology can completely understand. It's a slow, painful process at times. We try to care for each other because quite frankly, if we don't, who the hell will?
I understand that Anonymous targeted the ex Scientologist community for support in their crusade and I can understand why. We have a common "enemy" if you will. But our methods are very different. Many of us have been fighting Scientology for longer than some Anonymous members have been alive and understand that the only way to win against Scientology is through legal and peaceful measures. Violence, vandalism and terrorism are not supported by the critical community, and the advocacy of those measures will not be tolerated on this message board.
I know that we have many members of Anonymous on this board and the majority of them are well behaved and well meaning. Unfortunately there are some who haven't heard our message or have decided to ignore it.
I have had to take some action today because of the advocacy of potentially violent and/or illegal actions against the CoS being discussed on this board. I don't know how to make it any clearer to you other than to say that it is just not acceptable.
To those Anons who are posting on ESMB and understand what this board is for and are willing and able to respect the nature of the board, I welcome you and hope you continue to learn about Scientology and how it is best tackled. To other Anons who wish to use ESMB as some sort of recruitment ground for illegal activities, or as a soap box advocating illegal activities, you are not welcome. You have a multitude of other boards & forums to which you can post.
I have not been able to keep up recently with all the posting that has occurred. I'm asking each and every one of you to report any post that promotes violence or illegal activities or that simply puts ESMB in danger.
I'm also changing the registration process for ESMB. There will no longer be an automatic process in which anyone can join. I created ESMB primarily for ex Scientologists and while there is room for people who have never been in, I never wanted the balance to be tipped that way. I will be making a post regarding this once the form is completed and tested.
I've also appointed two moderators to the board. They are and will remain unknown to everyone except myself. I ask that you respect their decisions and take up any objections with them first privately and only if it is unable to be resolved should you then involve me.
I know I sound all "serious" regarding this. That's because I am. I need to protect all the members of the board (including myself) and to try to ensure the survival of the board itself. OSA would love nothing more than to get this board closed down and IP addresses handed over by court order. Please be aware that an animal is often at its most dangerous when wounded and the CoS is hurting pretty bad right now.
If you had to characterise this board in any way I would suggest it could be called a "support" or "recovery" board.
With the arrival of several "Anons" the focus has changed somewhat into an "activist" board.
There are many things about the arrival of Anonymous onto the critical scene that I'm delighted with. I think they breathe new life into our "cause" and have invigorated a lot of critics. However ESMB was not created to be an activist board. It is a peaceful place where people come to tell their stories, meet other exes, reunite with old friends and heal from a cult experience.
I can't expect the newer Anonymous arrivals to understand what it's like to try to extricate one's self from cult indoctrination. Only a person exiting Scientology can completely understand. It's a slow, painful process at times. We try to care for each other because quite frankly, if we don't, who the hell will?
I understand that Anonymous targeted the ex Scientologist community for support in their crusade and I can understand why. We have a common "enemy" if you will. But our methods are very different. Many of us have been fighting Scientology for longer than some Anonymous members have been alive and understand that the only way to win against Scientology is through legal and peaceful measures. Violence, vandalism and terrorism are not supported by the critical community, and the advocacy of those measures will not be tolerated on this message board.
I know that we have many members of Anonymous on this board and the majority of them are well behaved and well meaning. Unfortunately there are some who haven't heard our message or have decided to ignore it.
I have had to take some action today because of the advocacy of potentially violent and/or illegal actions against the CoS being discussed on this board. I don't know how to make it any clearer to you other than to say that it is just not acceptable.
To those Anons who are posting on ESMB and understand what this board is for and are willing and able to respect the nature of the board, I welcome you and hope you continue to learn about Scientology and how it is best tackled. To other Anons who wish to use ESMB as some sort of recruitment ground for illegal activities, or as a soap box advocating illegal activities, you are not welcome. You have a multitude of other boards & forums to which you can post.
I have not been able to keep up recently with all the posting that has occurred. I'm asking each and every one of you to report any post that promotes violence or illegal activities or that simply puts ESMB in danger.
I'm also changing the registration process for ESMB. There will no longer be an automatic process in which anyone can join. I created ESMB primarily for ex Scientologists and while there is room for people who have never been in, I never wanted the balance to be tipped that way. I will be making a post regarding this once the form is completed and tested.
I've also appointed two moderators to the board. They are and will remain unknown to everyone except myself. I ask that you respect their decisions and take up any objections with them first privately and only if it is unable to be resolved should you then involve me.
I know I sound all "serious" regarding this. That's because I am. I need to protect all the members of the board (including myself) and to try to ensure the survival of the board itself. OSA would love nothing more than to get this board closed down and IP addresses handed over by court order. Please be aware that an animal is often at its most dangerous when wounded and the CoS is hurting pretty bad right now.