Since Hubbard founded Scientology over 44 years ago, there have been approximately
50,000 individuals who have been certified as "Clear", and more than half of those are
no longer active in Scientology.
In article <691rhd$nt2$1@news.net-quest.com>, J.M. Ivler <ivler@net-quest.com>
>wrote:
>
>Not me. My wife. She has heard nothing about this until the 60 minutes
>episode. Then this tonite.
>
>After the segment went to commercial she turned to me and asked me a few
>questions.
>
>- Honey, that guy they interviewed, was he high up in the Church?
>* Yep. It was sort of like listening to a Biship in your faith.
>- The guy never answered a single question he was asked, he ranted and
> raved about psychologists, but the question was about getting that dying
> girl medical help. Is he nuts?
>* I don't know. I'm not qualified to make that medical opinion.
>- Seriously, this wasn't some sort of sick joke, was it?
>* Nope. that appears to be the real person.
>- First the stuff from the space opera, now this fruitcake, is anyone
> really involved with this nonsense?
>* Yep. According to the Church over 8 million people.
>- You're kidding, right?
>* Nope.
>- 8 million people follow this 'leader'?
>* That's what they claim.
>- Are they all nuts?
>* Honey, I can't make that statement. I would like to state that I have
> the opinion that the 8 million number is bogus and that the number of
> people involved is far less. In addition, you aren't told the space opera
> story as a fact until you have dumped a great deal of money into it, so I
> would say that less than 20% of all active Church of Scientology members
> are aware of this part of the belief system. In total, if you had 50,000
> active members, which I feel is about right, than less than 10,000 are in
> on the space opera.
>- but most know about the nut case that was on TV?
>* yep, in fact the stuff he read at the begining of the interview is right
> from the magazine that they just published this week...
I have to comment on your and your wife's observations.
You are correct that the 8 million number of members is bogus. Heber
is lying, and he knows it. The cult (and its propaganda mouthpiece
Heber) only states that Scientology has 8 million members in an
attempt to portray Scientology as an acceptable new "religious"
movement. The lie is repeated in order to pretend that Scientology
is an expanding and credible organization.
Your figures about the real number of Scientologists are pretty
accurate. Since Hubbard founded Scientology over 44 years ago,
there have been approximately 50,000 individuals who have been
certified as "Clear", and more than half of those are no longer
active in Scientology. I am one of the "Clears" no longer active.
In case anyone wonders where I got these figures, I will tell
you... The last position I held during my years in Scientology's
Sea Organization was Computer I/C and Address Officer. I was in
charge of maintaining Scientology's mailing list for one of its
so-called "advanced organizations". The figures are from Scientology
itself. This is how I know the "8 million" membership number to
be a lie.
Previous to holding the Computer I/C position, I held the post of
Financial Planning Chairman and Treasury Secretary for the same
Sea Org "advanced organization". From that position, I was
responsible for ensuring funds were allocated for Scientology's
weekly and monthly bulk mail promotional pieces. One of the cult's
main promo pieces is The Auditor Magazine. It is supposed to be a
monthly publication, according to Hubbard's policies in the OEC
Volume II (exact reference available from me upon demand). At
no time during my eight years in the "advanced organization" did
The Auditor Magazine get sent to more than 250,000 individuals.
Out of the entire mailing list of 250,000 individuals, approximately
180,000 of those had simply bought a book (usually Dianetics) or
had done an introductory (also called a "basic") course in Scientology.
Approximately 45,000 individuals had completed a major course and/or
"auditing" level. The rest of the names (25,000) consisted of
individuals whose current address was unknown, or who had died,
been declared "SP" (suppressive person), legal threats, "PTS"
(potential trouble source), or who had asked to be removed from
the mailing list.
Since he has been living the cultie life for close to 30 years,
Heber has no idea how nuts he looks to those outside of his cult
(and even to some Scientologists in good standing).
Thanks to many good people like Robert Vaughn Young, reporters
are now hip to the fact that Scientologists are _expert_ at
the art of "Q&Aing" (Scienospeak for failing to answer questions),
and many reporters know to simply repeat their questions until
an answer is given or the cultie makes a fool of himself/herself
by failing to answer the question.
Watch other top Scienoculties like Laura Vaughn, Eliott Abelson,
David Miscavige, Warren McShane and Norman Starkey avoid giving
answers to direct questions. Of course, they do this because
Scientology executives who have contact with the media and
attorneys are extensively drilled in avoidance and diversionary
techniques. The trouble is, the world is wising up to Hubbard's
mandated policies towards people who ask embarassing questions!
When one considers that fewer than ten thousand people have
studied the "advanced teachings" (covering body thetans, Xenu
and other science fiction crap), and even fewer accept Hubbard's
sci-fi cosmology after studying it, one will realize that ten
thousand deluded souls out of a planet populated by roughly six
billion people is a VERY insignificant percentage! Do the math;
10,000 divided by 6,000,000,000 equals a ratio of 1 in 60,000,
or .0000016!
Is it any wonder that Heber (one of the 10,000) was appointed
as a spokesman for the cult?
Just putting it all in perspective...
Warrior <warrior@electrotex.com>
read http://www.xenu.net
and
http://www.entheta.net/entheta/1stpersn/warrior/
and
http://berlin.snafu.de/~tilman