Finally Watched The Scientology "Going Clear" Documentary
I got around to watching the documentary Going Clear that is on Netflix about Scientology. It is centred around the church and a few people who left, many with Scientology for ten to thirty years.
Anyone who hasn't seen this documentary, it is a really interesting look at this secretive tax scam of a cult. It also explains how Scientology obtained its religious status and therefore was able to amass a treasure trove of assets and money.
One thing they explained was how the church keeps people in, controls them and silences them if they ever attempt to speak out against the church. From the outside it's easy to look in and say, I could never fall for such an obvious scam. But the methods they use to emotionally manipulate people are intense and a form of emotional and psychological torture.
They do these sessions called auditing sessions where they make members recall memories from childhood, hard times in their life, times they felt shame and things they've done wrong. They film these sessions with video and audio, they also take detailed and extensive notes which are filed away.
When someone goes against the church, they use this information as blackmail material. And threaten to discredit its members or reveal secretive pieces of information most people might not know about.
This is how it is believed they keep members like Tom Cruise and John Travolta in. Reportedly Travolta may have tried to leave at one stage and they prepared a dossier on him and allegedly it had some things in there that would be bad for publicity.
In the case of Cruise, it touches upon some creepy things including the church making him a girlfriend and possible wife, as well as spying on Nicole Kidman and driving them apart because apparently one of the reasons the church didn't like her was because her dad was an accomplished psychiatrist in Australia.
All of this coupled with the fact that it's creator was known as a science fiction author, it paints the picture of a man with financial problems who was good at writing, starting a religion and ultimately going so crazy that he started to believe his own lies.
What makes this more than a documentary filled with hearsay is the fact many of the people speaking out in the documentary were involved for a long time. A couple of the ex members interviewed were with the church for 30+ years.
It's an eye opening look at a cult that masquerades as a church and has had many sexual harassment and assault allegations thrown at it.
Image source Pixabay.
I worked for a few months in Scientology organisation. I could not digest their ideas so I left the job. They selected me for an important post after taking my IQ and aptitude test. I think the art of learning is a very useful and effective technique of them. Also, 'be there' drill is very significant there. However, auditing seemed to me a waste of time and as you see it can be used for blackmailing a person.
Narconon does the same thing. They asked my parents about my doctor prescribed medication then attacked the medication, then they attacked them. Next they pose the solution:
The study of Scientology
You should check out the Panorama documentary Scientology and Me (2007), about a BBC reporter who sets out to find out why it was becoming more mainstream, interviewing people like Juliette Lewis, but keeps getting shut down, bullied, harassed, and followed until he snaps.
Narconon which is owned by Scientology taught me how to make other people snap and also how to not snap or so they claim.
I am more likely to act out after that miserable experience.
If you think Scientology is scary, read about Narconon. I know because I escaped.