We did a live stream Q&A show this week and I was happy to be joined by my wonderful wife, Melissa. We answered a lot of questions, mostly about Scientology stuff, through the chat and had a great time. Enjoy!

This week, it’s answers about cancel culture in the ex-Scientology community, Scientology amnesties, a discussion of A Course in Miracles and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) My question for you is about cancel culture, especially in the ex/anti-Scientology community. I’ve never been in Scientology myself, but I’ve been involved with extremist activist groups where we were Lucky Lukes of boycotting, cancelling people and groups faster than our shadows. Your brilliant interviews in the last few months on social justice warriors and activist groups have really been eye openers for me as to what I was involved with and how it shaped my way of thinking even years later. Thanks a lot for that! 

Anyway, I’ve noticed in some of the Scientology watchers groups that there are a lot of people who decide to ‘cancel’ or boycott Scientology actors, singers, etc. In a way, I do understand why – I wouldn’t want any of my money to end up in Scientology’s pocket. How effective is it, though? If the artist in question gets wind of the boycotting movement, wouldn’t it isolate them even more and reinforce their beliefs? And if the sole goal is to prevent more money getting into Scientology’s pockets, does it affect the Church in any way?

(2) Do Scientologists see a connection between the high demands for activity and the eventual amnesty initiatives when people get fatigued, lie, or systems break down? How do they explain the need for periodic amnesties?

(3) I have a friend who had been following and working for a group that is from the book A Course in Miracles. Originally I chalked it up to more of a “positive postulates” or The Secret kind of thing. Have you looked into this? Is it a destructive cult?

(4) Why is there such a heavy emphasis on taking Niacin (an important B vitamin) in Scientology? Certainly there are health benefits from Niacin but this is easily consumed through whole grains, fortified foods, fish, nuts and vegetables. Why not just put Scientologists on a healthy diet during their Purification Rundown? 

I also have another question regarding vitamin B12 deficiency amongst Sea Org members. Did you know of anyone who suffered from B12 deficiency? I imagine that during the rice and bean diets, or stints in the RPF, that B12 levels may have dropped amongst some Sea Org members. For those who don’t know already, B12 is consumed in animal foods or supplements and B12 deficiency can result in permanent nerve damage.

(5) While listening to your most recent Q&A, I realized that I have no idea if, in the Scientology belief system, Body Thetans are limited to human beings, or if animals also have them. In fact, what IS the role of animals, particularly pets, in Scientology?

(6) What were your favorite pastimes while a Sea Org member? Do people normally play cards or chess or checkers? Was gambling ever prevalent? 

(7) I know that some businesses use Hubbard’s WISE system, but do any businesses pay for individual employees to go up The Bridge or do Scientology courses?

(8) Let’s say you get up to OT VII and get rid of all your BTs.  Then you die, and you pick up a new body.  Do you then have to go through the OT procedures again to get rid of that body’s BTs as well?  Or do reborn OTs somehow repel BTs? Or is this yet another of the things that Hubbard never really explained?

This week, it’s answers about L. Ron Hubbard’s state of mind, the Q-Anon movement, whether Scientologists can be critical of chiropractors and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) Do you think that Hubbard knew about the damage and misery Scientology could/would cause and, if so, would he have cared?

(2) In your opinion, is the Qanon movement becoming a bona-fide cult? Someone who I was good friends with a while back chose to break off communications with me over my questioning some of the claims that have been made by those who consider themselves members. 

(3) Are there Scientologists who are suspicious of the chiropractors and other pseudomedicine people in the group? Is it considered appropriate to be skeptical of chiropractors within Scientology?

(4) I know that the Freewinds ship is the only place you can do OT 8. Is it docked while you’re on the ship or are you traveling somewhere? Is there any relevance to being on water? Also, wouldn’t the staff realize, “Hmm, there’s only like five people doing OT8 a year.”

(5) Perhaps you’ve seen the recent news about Patreon and the lawsuit they recently lost involving removal of accounts not violating their ToS then attempting to alter their ToS to avoid the very lawsuit they just found themselves in. Cutting through the legalese, the result of this lawsuit seems to open Patreon up to having to pay the arbitration costs of any patrons of these unjustly removed persons that pursue a complaint. Some of these people were just intellectually honest creators who transgressed the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) religious beliefs Patreon espouses in their operational behavior (Owen Benjamin, Sargon) others were provocateurs who while I don’t agree with what they have to say I’d still fight to the death for their right to say it (Lauren Southern, Milo Yiannopoulis). 

With each arbitration costing somewhere around $10,000, one could see how easily Patreon could be bankrupted if even a small portion of these peoples’ fan bases decide to act. I am one of these people who could so, yet because of creators like you I find myself pausing (for now). In addition to admiring your life story, I find the content you make exceptional and the effort you input into these works is clear for all to see. I do not want to see you or any similarly driven creators lose a revenue source. Yet on the other hand, I find the operational ethos of Patreon to be dogmatic and mob-placating and the attitudes expressed by their corporate officers to have the air of “fuck you got mine”. I do not like that up until now they operated with seeming impunity when it came to removing creators they disagreed with and I would be more than willing to expend the effort to financially punish them if it meant they would be compelled to follow their own guidelines and operate in a manner consistent with the values they claim to possess. And yet this action if undertaken by enough people has the power not to alter the platform but destroy it. While watching the smugness fade from Jack Conte’s face as his own behavior brings about the ending of the company he helped build would bring me some satisfaction, that feeling would be tainted knowing it wouldn’t be just Jack losing something. Every one of the multitude of good creators on the platform would be forced to migrate elsewhere and while there are alternatives available, it’s observable fact that such migration has a cost in both lost revenue and diminished follower/subscriber count. I do not wish this to befall you yet nothing changes if nothing changes. 

What are your thoughts on this matter, the lawsuit, the potential ramifications and the potential ending of Patreon? How do I rectify my disdain for Patreon with my love of some of its creators, yourself most certainly included?

(6) Scientology warns that reading the Xenu story without proper authorization could cause pneumonia. Are there Scientologists who believe that all this Covid 19 mess is caused by the Xenu story being now public?

(7) Does the Sea Org/Freewinds cater at all to different diet lifestyles? I don’t mean simply like Vegetarian/Vegan but other things like Diabetes or Gluten/Lactose intolerance? The list goes on but I think you understand my point.

(8) Given the CoS’s documented “fair game” policy on enemies, how do you think Mark Bunker will be removed from the Downtown Clearwater Development Board?

This week it’s answers about the RPF, how to deal with the stress of people and everyday living, can Sea Org members be radicalized and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) I really enjoyed the thorough podcast you did on the RPF but I have a question that you didn’t cover. You said that many people don’t make it through and leave the Sea Org instead. How does that work? Is it like routing out or something else? Can they still be in Scientology?

(2) I’ve seen interviews where Mike Rinder referred to the RPF as a wonderful programme of something for people who are stressed at their job. Would he have known the full horrors of the RPF at that time and was just forced to tow the party line? And what is the general awareness of RPF conditions within the Scientology public? 

(3) I have a couple semi-related questions regarding underage Sea Org members. 1) When someone who is still within the compulsory school attendance age range joins the Sea Org, how does Scientology get around those pesky truancy laws? and 2) Would someone as young as 15 or so actually end up in the RPF for infractions deemed worthy of such a punishment? Is there a minimum age for that? What about The Hole? And did you ever know of someone being on the RPF at a very young age?  I’ve read that children are not seen as children in Scientology, so my guess is that the age of the individual would not come into consideration. I certainly hope I’m mistaken, but somehow I doubt it. Thanks!

(4) As someone who deals with all manner of toxic commentary, varying attitudes and just generally awful people, how do you let some steam off the valve? Or better yet, what is your recommendation for how to deal with the smoldering, contempt and anger that builds below the skin from dealing with this kind of thing? I too am working from home now, taking calls for a certain television/internet/wireless phone company and I suspect that we deal with similar struggles in our daily occupations (tech support these days ought to be considered a high risk occupation for stress related health problems!) 

(5) You have described members of the Sea Org as the most “devout and fanatical” followers of Scientology and the Sea Org as a whole has been described by some as the “paramilitary wing” of the COS. How many of these “fanatics” do you think would carry out acts of violence against the general public if ordered to by David Miscavige? Do you think the Sea Org could potentially turn into a violent paramilitary terrorist force if the COS adopts a much more extremist or fundamentalist viewpoint after Miscavige’s death? 

(6) Is there any official explanation or popular consensus on what really counts as clearing the planet?  I get the impression that it is not necessary for every possible person on the planet Earth to be cleared in order for the “planet” to be cleared.  I understand  that, even in terms of the official position, the Co$ doesn’t really claim to prioritize clearing SPs or people without the money to pay for services.  So do these people have to be cleared as part of the endgame before the goal of “Clearing the Planet” is achieved?   Or would it be sufficient to achieve something more restricted, like an entire planet run by Clears, where all government, social services, and economic institutions are subordinate to Scientology?

This week, it’s answers about how Hubbard conducted research, pro-LGBT beliefs in Scientology, critical thinking in society and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) A lot has already been asked and commented about Scientology and homophobia, prompted by L. Ron Hubbard’s texts and so by this point it’s known that whenever Scientologists seem to vouch for the LGBT community, they’re only doing it for the PR. However, I have recently witnessed quite a few cases on social media, where various Scientologists would actively share or post things in favor of LGBT rights. And I don’t mean posts that reference the work of a Scientologist actor or something along those lines, but rather just choosing to share their seemingly personal opinions supporting LGBT. 

In the past, I’ve learned that in the rare cases where the CoS is asked where they stand in this matter, the official line would either be “everybody is equal in our eyes” or “we don’t take a stand in this matter, it’s irrelevant”. So then it seems that passively, yes, when a Scientologist is cornered with this issue, he/she would claim to be supportive, but what would you make of a Scientologist who actively chooses to express a supportive opinion?

Is it at all possible that in recent years there’s been a slight reform for the better with this issue? Or is it more cynical, along the lines of “ok guys, we have to attract positive attention, let’s send out some rainbow love”?  Alternatively, if the social media posts are a brave Scientologist’s individual action, is he/she bound to get in trouble for that?  

(2) How would Hubbard know what happened millions of years ago? How could any one person report on that? I don’t understand how he could say these preposterous things and people wouldn’t ask how he knows that.

(3) Do you think there’s evidence that people who are in a lower economic situation are better critical thinkers? People wrongly assume that someone’s economic/educational situation decides a person’s true intellect so do you think that people in these situations have to think critically because they have been in abusive situations (maybe in a job role) or have been conned or know actual scammers? Obviously scammers are rife through all levels of society and probably more prevalent in higher echelons.

(4) Do you see a connection between the volcano in the book Dianetics and OT 3?

(5) Why doesn’t Scientology buy their own island? That way they’d avoid taxes, government interference, etc. going back to their Sea Org roots. Why do they bother with Missions and Orgs and Sea Org bases anymore? Is it for the “convenience” of their adherents? They aren’t gaining or keeping many adherents by being in other countries. It seems Scientology and the rest of the world would be happier if Scientology bought their own island and did their own thing.

(6) What do Scientologists believe about fluoride? Do they believe in fluoridation conspiracy theories?

(7) Why do you think that the US appears to have more home-grown cults than the UK

(8) I was wondering, are there any songs that when you hear them, remind you of your experience with Scientology?

This week, it’s answers about PTS handlings in Scientology, why the internet is a dangerous place for Scientologists, some talk about COVID conspiracies and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) I was in two separate car accidents ten years apart, neither of which was my fault and which screwed up my shoulder. If I went into an org or mission, I know the likely result would be that I’d be labeled a Potential Trouble Source (PTS). But if I’m not a full-blown Scientologist yet, how would an auditor or staff try to determine who the Suppressive Person (SP) is that I must be connected to? Or would they go that far until I was well into courses and coughing up the big bucks?

(2) The Church of Scientology instructs its followers not to go on the internet and not to believe anything you read there as it’s all false. Yet they publish websites attacking their critics on the very medium they tell their own is full of lies. The ex-SCN community are brutally vilified by what is clearly one-sided allegations that are dubious at best and downright lies at worst. I’ve seen your badge of honour Chris and you even get to appear in other “apostates” websites as being one of their accolades, well done you! Clearly you and the other ex-Scientologists are landing hits as otherwise they wouldn’t bother trying to discredit you all. How can they reconcile this blatant hypocrisy?

(3) In my locality, adherence to mitigation guidelines such as mask wearing and social distancing seems to be less in lower income areas. As a fan of psychology, sociology and a critical thinker I was wondering if you have any insight as to why this is occurring. 

(4) There are some pamphlets put out by the newsstands near metro stations in DC by Scientology advertising Dianetics. The format is like a very small newspaper. The graphic design is very nice but the contents are full of the usual Scientology vagueness and hyperbolic testimonials. What kind of program runs the distribution of such pamphlets?

(5) What do you think about dealing with people who believe conspiracy theories? For example, a recent study showed more than 40% of Republicans believe that Bill Gates plans to use the COVID vaccine to inject microchips into people. There’s tons of other conspiracy theories lately, of course, and I feel like it might be wise to deal with these people in a similar way to people who are in a cult – be respectful, try to understand where they’re coming from, and slowly try to poke holes in their beliefs. I’ve just been frustrated lately by people who are ostensibly somewhat smart but have also totally bought into all the crazy conspiracy theories out there. Any thoughts?

(6) Do you think Hubbard was jealous of the “Star Wars” success? Perhaps he thought “my stories are far better than that! Hollywood should look into my novels!”

(7) What are the titles of the books behind you?

(8) What is the easiest OT level to do? Timewise, difficulty level, financially etc.?

This week, it’s answers about when cults do good things, media platform censorship, Sea Org postings and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) The Mormon church leadership  has been using their powers of persuasion, so to speak, to get more members to wear masks and decrease non-compliance. From an ethical or moral standpoint, is it any better or any different when leadership in a high control group uses their leverage for beneficial purposes such as increased mask wearing amongst members? 

(2) In a video I saw recently, Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling talked about how a large number of letters and postcards criticized the episode where Lassie gave birth to puppies, saying they were sexualizing a family show. Serling thought the letter complaints were fake due to many having identical handwriting and postmarks but the company decided to avoid further episodes on the issue.

Why did that happen? Do you think it is plausible that the opinions of the far fringe is interpreted as the opinion of the masses due to availability bias? Due to the fear that such a dramatic reaction would only be the tip of the reactions from a body averse to open complaint?

Does the previous business urge to be blandly agreeable to a general audience change now that companies are seeking specific market niches with rival social groups?

(3) Having watched a number of your videos it’s clear that for any task the Church can have there is a Sea Org posting for it. What are the most desirable Sea Org postings – those which people compete the hardest for? Likewise not including being the Chairman of the RTC what is the closest thing to a comfortable and stress free post? Conversely outside of the RPF what are the least desirable postings? Finally what is the strangest Sea Org posting?

(4) Do Scientologists think they will develop psychic powers by following LRH’s teachings? What do they think of outsiders (non-Scientologists) who claim to be psychic? Anything else you could add to this topic? Thanks for doing your show!

(5) Perhaps you’ve seen the recent podcast wherein former recording artist Nick Cannon went on a rant that wouldn’t have been too out of place on the front page of the Daily Stormer. Perhaps you’ve also seen how actor Terry Cruz was lambasted for a tweet calling for unity. Are you worried about the seeming establishment of an ideological orthodoxy around ethnicity/race and a litany of other subjects? Does the attempt at Orwellian redefinition of terms regarding the concept of racism concern you? Prominent societal figures sign a letter condemning cancel culture and are in turn targeted for cancellation. The only moderate voice at the NYT resigns citing an ideologically hostile environment as the primary reason. Do all of these occurrences and their implications on practically all discourse not terrify you? How can we find beneficial solutions if a massive chunk of America is gaslit into having the tough conversations, then societally ruined for any dissenting opinion? 

(6) There’s a black and white photo of L Ron Hubbard with what I’m guessing is a tomato plant connected to some electrical device? What the heck is he doing and when was this?

This week it’s answers about Scientology celebrities joining the Sea Org, Miscavige’s pedanticism, Scientology conspiracy theories and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) What would happen if a Scientology celebrity all of the sudden decided they wanted to join the Sea Org?

(2) I’ve seen a number of recordings online, some secretly done, of various Scientology get-togethers where Miscavidge does his thing on an elaborately themed stage area. His phraseology is cleverly put together to obfuscate, with twists and turns to the effect that he speaks an awful lot but actually says very little. That is a very clever skill. I wonder who is the real brains behind it and the author of his speeches. However my question is about the audience. How come they fall for the same stuff every year? If you thought last year was brilliant, well next year we go global! He said that last time, it’s the same message as last year! 

(3) Can you elaborate on some Scientology conspiracy theories? Internal ones like the IRS takeover and external such as Hubbard’s bankers?

(4) What’s your take on the Alt-Right movement? Would you say it’s mutating into cultist like behaviour? On that note, what’s your take on Stefan Molyneux? 

(5) The references to David Miscavige changing and editing parts of Scientology brought to mind something I read in a blog about LRH tapes being edited to take out names on non-politically-correct statements. Is this true? I remember more than a few references to Mary Sue, usually as Suzy as well as a reference to Quentin in one of the Study Tapes. Nibs was named in a lot of the tapes from the 50s.

(6) Would it be fair to say that the Church of Scientology was more “spiritually focused” under LRH or is this just naive nostalgia?

This week, it’s Hubbard’s actual dogma about people who are LGBT, what would you do with a preclear who won’t stop lying, why Scientology orgs are in crappy areas and a lot more. Enjoy!

(1) I have a question concerning the LGBTQ community and Scientology. It seems like Scientology pretends to love us but the tone scale says differently. Celebrities such as Kirstie Alley, Elisabeth Moss and Laura Prepon have denied that being LGBTQ is wrong in Scientology. Is it possible that, being VIP Scientologists, they are sheltered from the truth or are they straight-up lying?

(2) Given that Scientology keeps records of all your sessions, what happens if the PC is a pathological liar and is making up new material in each auditing session that doesn’t match up with what they’ve said before? How would they move you forward if it all seemed to be random information?

(3) There is a Scientology Org in Vancouver. What confuses me is Scientology wants to attract well-off people, and their location is in the WORST downtown location possible – lots of homelessness, drugs, prostitution – it’s all around sketchy! I have never seen anyone on the sidewalk trying to attract people into it, they have no pamphlets or flyers on display outside, and they have virtually no presence other than the building signage. Why would the COS persist in maintaining an org in such an undesirable location? They’re certainly not trying to recruit any of the “locals”. Note that I am not disparaging the homeless by any means.

(4) I was listening to a recent Sensibly Speaking Podcast with Jon Atack, and the discussion of prisons being for punishment not rehabilitation made me think of the RPF, which is obviously not a re-education camp but actually punishment for Sea Org members. What other punishment mechanisms are available in Scientology to inflict upon staff and public Scientologists?

(5) Learning how the cult operates and its beliefs help to understand the state of mind the people in it are in. Is there a chance of an overthrow of the current leadership? Or the chance that a former paying member is attempting to start a revival of the old Scientology, a new branch of Scientology so to speak, bigger and more effective than the Freezone groups?

(6) Hi Chris,  I wanted to know what Scientology is doing now if someone has to go to the hospital? You have said that there’s a buddy that needs to go with them.  If hospitals are only allowing patients in and no visitors or friends allowed in to wait with them, what happens?

(7) Do you think Scientology is still Declaring people to be an SP (suppressive person) and do they still provide a goldenrod certificate when they do? What about the number of SPs surpassing the number of members or has it already? And how do you think the print shop is doing? 

(8) Flash answer: Do you ever listen to Stephen Colbert’s news monologues? They usually make me laugh, and I was wondering if you got a laugh out of them too?

In this week’s live stream Critical Q&A, we tackled a number of questions about Scientology and current events including the separation of church and state, what happens to Scientology after Miscavige is gone, advice for talking to people of wildly different political persuasions and a lot more. Enjoy!