The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) Perhaps some of the most damning evidence against the CoS being a legitimate religion are their own promotional videos which, to most anyone outside the cult, are completely over-the-top and outrageous in their general tone and claims, often with a vagueness mainly seen in infomercials and other advertisements which promise miracle cures to your problems/ailments. 

Do you know how these “commercials” (for example, the “Golden Age of Tech Phase II” video on YouTube) are produced? How do they recruit people to make these testimonials? Are these people TRULY this excited over Scientology and the “tech?” I would also assume the aforementioned video is mainly produced for church consumption, not the general public, in order to rally the troops and open their wallets up a bit. 

But I guess what I’m really trying to drive at is this – who in their right mind oversees the production of these videos? Watching them is like the equivalent to snorting a line of amphetamines. Who’s idea was it to set the tone for these videos, indeed most of their video production? Isn’t there anyone in production who thinks to themselves, “maybe we don’t need to push it to 11 this time?” Needless to say these are highly produced videos and I know that every design decision is deliberate. 

(2) Just saw your podcast where you talked about the possibility that L. Ron Hubbard suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy. Could this explain his paranoia related to his actions against Paulette Cooper? In reading Tony Ortega’s book I really get the idea that Hubbard was obsessed with shutting up Paulette or was it just that he could not cower her into silence no matter what he had done? No one else has suffered as much as Paulette yet come out so much stronger.

(3) I have seen the updates regarding the lawsuits against the Church of Scientology and I am curious what steps The Aftermath Foundation or others may take after the case is won and church is damaged, as I hear that DM is missing. How does Scientology explain that one away?

(4) Please check out this cover story from the most recent issue of US Weekly. How do you think Scientology will handle this piece? For the viewers who don’t know, US Weekly is sold at the checkout stand at most grocery stores and this story is on the cover of the most recent issue.  The cover prominently accuses Scientology of stalking women who have accused a Hollywood actor of rape in unambiguous terms. The headline also asks, “Will this be the end of Scientology?” It seems to me that Scientology can no longer control the flood of bad press coming from mainstream and tabloid press. Is this a fair assessment? Do you think Scientology will sue US Weekly? Do you think the Mad Midget (Miscavige) is aware of this US Weekly deal? Do you think that OSA is now trying to make life hell for the US Weekly staff now that this article has run?

(5) I’m a never-in but a long-time Scn watcher. I’ve heard about IQ tests being administered in the Sea Org. Since Scn can supposedly raise IQ, do SO members have to prove that their IQ has improved to qualify for certain posts? Could you talk in general about how IQ tests are used and administered inside the SO? Thanks!  

(6) Are you a fan of any Nintendo games like Super Mario World or Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga?

(7) Are the private investigators that Scientology hires as part of the fair gaming practice normally Scientologists themselves?  If not do they only use certain companies?

(8) Who is Laurisse Henley Smith and is it true she is David Miscavige’s mistress? And if so, is it true that he dumped Shelly for her, as she was too working class for him, now that he thinks he is some global leader in high society?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Critical Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) I myself have had a cultic experience and there is a book I read on recovery and it mentions about a thing called “floating” which is where there will be times in which you’re just staring into space, if you will, and you start reminiscing on the good times in the cult, think about missing it and want to go back. My question is have you experienced this and ever thought to go back despite the bad stuff due to missing family and friends etc?

(2) I watched and read a lot of stories from ex-Scientology members. Almost all, to the best of my recollection, escaped Scientology because of mismanagement.  In your opinion, if management was not the issue, do you believe Scientology’s member count would be close to, let’s say Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormon numbers? Or you believe the degree of nonsense would eventually result in members leaving the same way that they are leaving now?

(3) I am curious about karate dojos that turn into destructive cult-like situations. Ever since I first heard you mention this I have been very interested in the how and why. Before your show, I had never even considered the possibility or likelihood that this does or could happen. I also have never been a member of a dojo of any kind so the atmosphere and culture of such is relatively unknown to me (aside from what I have seen in movies, which we all know are sometimes inaccurate depictions, whatever the subject). I have done a little research on it but I would love to hear you discuss this.

(4) I wanted to ask if you hold any respect for any Scientologists’ POV. From what I’ve learned, Scientologists are so indoctrinated in a particular way of thinking that they cannot possibly think for themselves. This especially includes politics and their apparent support of Trump. I have also figured out that certain prominent Scientologists, such as Kirstie Alley, are pro life, based on her Twitter feed. This leads me to believe that she has absolutely no knowledge of the Sea Org pressuring women to have abortions. Is this another example of Scientology manipulating their followers? What do you think?

(5) Hubbard uses the words “his research” and his “study”…but it seems that most of it was just made up research. Did no one question the methodology? Peer review? Consensus? Answering my own question in advance…He is the source and that’s it.

(6) One observation I have from watching your videos and checking out related information is that often people join religious groups due to some very intense experiences, something which changes the way they look at the world and at spirituality. I also understand that (at least some of these experiences) can be created by “normal” methods, i.e. methods that are understood by psychology and there is no need to rely on spirituality to explain them. For example I am thinking about the “high” feeling Scientologists have on the TRs. Another example is what Derren Brown demonstrated in his show “How to convert an atheist”. I think in both cases the receiver is convinced that something supernatural is happening, something that can not be explained by science. As a result, they are receptive to the explanation offered and become a “believer”.

Do you have any advice for where/how to experience such an enlightenment safely?

Personally, I would love to experiencing this myself. I also think this should simply be part of public education. It should be part of the curriculum at schools. Kids should learn algebra, experience what it feels to sprint 100 meters and experience how their own mind works. It should be available in community colleges. Heck, I think it should be part of traveling funfairs!

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) Do you think all cult leader types or say people that think they are the second coming of Jesus Christ have issues with mental illness or is there something more complex happening?

(2) I have just heard of the Survival Rundown for the first time. I understand it took about a thousand hours of auditing. Could you please tell us about it, and when or why it would come into play? Thanks and keep up the good work.

(3) Do you have any more footage of you when you were part of Scientology like you have on the start of your channel? Did you see the recent video footage of Steven Mango protesting Scientology and if so, what are your thoughts? Lastly what are your thoughts on other ex-Scientologists’ way of dealing with current members as I remember you doing a video saying you shouldn’t be telling them they are in a cult as that pushes them further in. What do you recommend to do instead?

(4) How do you feel about Mark Bunker running for city council in Clearwater, Florida? Will you be giving him any shoutouts or endorsements via your podcast when his campaign officially begins?

(5) I’m about 1/3 of the way through Dianetics, and I wanted to pause and ask you a couple of questions about it.  The first thing someone who doesn’t know much about Scientology or Dianetics notices about this book is that it makes astounding promises about the benefits you’ll get from following the program: cure to all psychosomatic diseases, total memory recall, turning your brain into a super-computer, no more arthritis, myopia, asthma, etc.  All religions have their share of crazy beliefs: Christians believe in life after death, though you can’t really prove it one way or another…but Hubbard is very explicit about particular concrete results you’re going to get by following his steps, and says over and over again that these results have been scientifically proven. He makes the claim so often that it’s unintentionally funny (authentic scientific works do not tell you repeatedly “trust me! this is real science!”).  What’s more, he claims that it’s easy to get these amazing results. Anyway, my question to you is: what do Scientologists think about the promises that Hubbard makes in this book? Do they take them seriously, or not worry about them too much? Do they really believe that it’s science? Do they believe that they’re going to get superpowers once they finish this or that stage of the program? When the results don’t materialize, how do they explain that? You were a Scientologist for 27 years, if I recall: back then, how did you manage the dissonance between Hubbard’s claims and the easily observable fact that Scientologists still get sick, don’t have total recall, and so forth? 

(6) If the state of Clear means that you have achieved ’cause over life, feelings, thoughts, yadayada…’ how is it that Ron justified PTSes and Suppressives? Shouldn’t your reactive mind be free of outside influence, sort of like a Buddhist monk, letting outside influences wash over your perfectly controlled state? Instead, no one’s questioning how futile and fragile the state of Clear is; if one PTS can ruin everything, what’s the point?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) I just watched your video “An Open Message to David Miscavige” and it got me thinking. I understand that OSA monitors the internet for anything negative about Scientology. What happens when they find it? Is OSA the only one who sees it or does Miscavige see it as well? If he does, how much does he see? Do they pass everything up to Miscavige? Do they do some sort of assessment and only pass things that rise to a certain level to him? Does he have a list of some kind that prioritizes what OSA should look for or what he wants to see at the moment? Would they ever not send something up to him to shield him from seeing it? Finally, do you think there is any chance he would have seen your video?

(2) When you were on staff in Minneapolis, where did you live, and with how many people? Were others in the same room? Who paid for meals or cooked? Did you have TV or a vehicle? Could you easily have blown at any time, provided you had enough money?

(3) I notice that religious fundamentalists like Christians and Muslims tend to think in black and white, but they are not the only type of people to do so. Is this black and white thinking built into the DNA of these religions like destruction is built into the DNA of Scientology?

(4) I was re-watching Season 2 of Leah’s show and they showed a policy letter listing suppressive acts and the date of the issue was “23 December 1965RB.” What does the “RB” stand for?

(5) When I was first in Scientology long ago, the mission’s Executive Director was very dictatorial and reminds me a lot of David Miscavige now, but on a smaller scale. Anyone who crossed him was tossed out of the mission and he would attempt to get them declared suppressive (much more difficult in the 70s). How much did/does this occur in the top positions of past and current Orgs?

(6) I am aware of the upcoming court case concerning Jane Doe and more recently from your podcast with Michael Creger.  Do you think the courts are actually listening to ex-Scientologists bringing litigation? Do you feel more positive about the outcome? In a recent podcast with Marci Hamilton you guys talked about bringing abusers in all cults to justice by taking away the religious umbrella they hide under as a form of ‘religious immunity’, but prosecute the individual involved in the crime.  Do you feel this could be the turning point for all litigations brought against Scientology and/or any other cult? If Scientology lose the case against Jane Doe, would this have an impact on their tax exempt status? How would they talk their way out of that?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) Do you play? How is music seen in Scientology? For instance, in most public schools, there are several times you are introduced to instruments, offered band, etc. Does this happen in the Scientology schools? Are you looked up to or down on for being a musician? For instance, are kids encouraged that music is a waste of time or something?  Also, I’ve seen the tacky, seemingly promotional videos of the “officers” singing (it looks like a bad rendition of “We Are The World”) but I understand that Scientology doesn’t have a regular weekly service/meeting, etc. so are there really any “Scientology songs”?

(2) I have a basic question. Going back to college….can a Scientologist get “used” books from a source or friend? What I am asking is, does Scientology make people buy new books so as to get full profit?  Does Scientology check that you have bought new books?

(3) Is the Church of Scientology required to have municipal inspections and licenses (hotel, food service, berthing for Sea Org, etc.) for their properties in LA and Clearwater or, like many other things, have they managed to “negotiate” a way around them?

(4) If someone came into Scientology claiming to have been Xenu or the Duke of Chugg in a past life and said they wanted to atone for their sins they committed by joining Scientology to help clear the planet, how would Scientology verify their claim? If proven true, how would the church handle them? Would they be allowed to join?

(5) I have a question that rose from the last podcast you did. How do you know for sure that OSA is listening to your podcasts? Are you 100% sure about it? I would think that if I were an OSA staff member, and was constantly listening to all these master works that you are regularly putting out, I would think twice from about continuing in Scientology. After all the staff are eating lots of crow & humiliated for nothing & sleep deprived, etc. What benefits do they have?  I have a hard time thinking how a normal person in his senses could continue there after all the bombarding information that they listen to. They could think, oh what a bunch of bad news and entheta about Scientology, but I’m sure that from all of the sorted information, there would be, even if one point that could cause them to make a switch & start their critical thinking that have been so abused. Further, I assume that if they are listening to you they are listening to all the rest too. It seems next to impossible to continue conducting routine work & think straight. Do you know of any such event that you helped a staff member to get out of there?

(6) Because of his growing paranoia do you think David Miscavige has built his own prison? He would never leave an area that was not under Scientology (his) control. So in a way, has he trapped himself too?

(7) In Scientology is there any policy in regards to pets for members who live on their properties?

(8) If David Miscavige became President of United States, how would you react? Would it be worse than Donald Trump?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) Do you think the anti-vaccination movement is very cult like? Or is that more the case of people who don’t have a good grasp on critical thinking and the scientific method believing something because they saw one study or heard it from someone who presents themselves as an authority on the subject? I hesitate to call anti-vaxxers stupid because, as you have said before, anyone can get drawn in to a crazy belief system.

(2) Do you know the origin of the word “engram”? It appears in non-Scientology dictionaries as the following: “a hypothetical permanent change in the brain accounting for the existence of memory; a memory trace” but it has its own specialized definition in Scientology as a moment of pain and unconsciousness which is stored in the reactive mind.

(3) Is it possible that Donald Trump is exploiting people’s fears of the far left to get people on his side? I think that is exactly what is happening. I do not support SJWs or Antifa but I am much more afraid of the far right than I am of the far left. Are we headed towards a Christian dictatorship?

(4) I recently heard your podcast with Steve Cannane and was very fond of it, but from a German perspective I would like to argue a bit against the universal freedom of speech chant you both so happily agreed upon. Freedom of speech surely is a powerful and necessary concept and it has its merits. But it is not as simple as it seems.

Nobody has total freedom of speech as there always are restrictions. Public libel and slander are illegal everywhere and cannot be justified by arguing freedom of speech. Stakes may be high to prove it, but Anglo-Saxon and especially US justice make it easy to claim threatening financial compensations. This risk alone may lead to a kind of preemptive censorship, which in effect is contradicting freedom of speech.
In contrast most Central European justice systems have broader legal limitations and may be more willing to dispute statements in speech or writing, but penalties for breaking those laws begin very low (a few hundred Euro fine) and compensations are only rarely awarded on an also low basis (taking only proven damages into account). Severe sentences are very rare, but possible if a person or an organization stubbornly doesn’t refrain from repeating such acts again and again.

On this basis Central European countries have laws against “defamatory hate speech directed upon minorities (religious, ethnical, gender etc.)”, which I deem prudent. For me and probably most Europeans such arguments are a kind of libel or slander against a group of people instead of a single person or a business or entity. Isn’t it a bit curious that in the Anglo-Saxon justice a business or a so-called church has more rights to defend itself than a minority of humans?

In Germany, Austria and (for weird reasons I don’t know) Switzerland and Spain those or similar laws also specifically prohibit national-socialist propaganda and holocaust denial (with some countries also regulating display of a few national-socialist emblems like swastikas). I understand this out of history, but I’m no big fan of this legislation as it naturally bears the hallmarks of cementing truth by statute.

Nevertheless I do support the idea to limit freedom of speech if it is used to defame individuals, entities or clearly defined groups of people. And in my critical thinking I don’t see plausible arguments to feel our overall freedom limited by that. I would be interested in your thoughts.

(5) I’ve been watching your stream for about 2 years now. Was there anything you learned in Scientology that has been helpful for you outside of the Church and in your current life?

(6) Do you think there is a reason why especially in the United States there are many cults where members are so fanatic? Is there anything in the American psyche that causes cults to pop up more frequent compared to Europe where there are cults, but not as many as in the US. Does it relate to US history, where there is no official bond between the state and the church, where we as Europeans have a closer connection between the church and the state?

(7) Chris, do you think David Miscavige knows that he is a fraud and full of crap? Or do you think he really believes that he is as significant as he is?

(8) I presume YouTube provides you logs on visitors. Have you ever gotten visitors from IPs that were delegated to Flag, Gold Base or the big stuff in LA?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) As exploration of past lives is central to the Scientology belief, do people usually report having inhabited bodies that share a gender with the body they inhabit in their current life? I know from Critical Q&A 116 that thetans do not have a gender, so past lives should average at a 50/50 male-to-female ratio. Is the reality of past life reports even close to that assumption? What happens to people who report past lives as the “wrong” gender considering Scientology isn’t really supportive of LGBT and this might read as a related phenomenon? Is being closely in touch with your past lives/recalling them vividly a good thing to happen to you as a thetan? How would an auditor react if you, a man, described your loving relationship to a man in a past life you lived as a woman? Would that raise any red flags? Or what would happen if you are a woman and after careful reflection on past lives lived as a man, you tell your auditor how being in a relationship with a woman always seemed like the most appealing thing to your thetan self and you would consider trying it with your current female body?

(2) We know that high intelligence is not inversely related to participation in cults. In fact, you mentioned in at least one video that high intelligence could make someone more prone to joining for several reasons, which makes a lot of sense. What about levels and types of post-secondary education? One would think that having advanced education would make someone less prone to joining a cult, but the number of people I know with post-secondary education who also participate in MLM (multi-level marketing) schemes like Young Living, DoTerra, Younique, Arbonne, etc. and demonstrate some cult-like behaviors is kind of alarming. Especially those who are in fields similar to mine where we have graduate-level training in research methods. For reference, I have a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. In your podcast with Clint Heacock, you cited a study which found that fundamentalist evangelical Christians tended to have a lower level of post-secondary education than the general population. Did you find this to be the case in Scientology? What about other cults that you’ve researched?

(3) I have watched several episodes of your podcast and I find it informative and thought-provoking. I would like your thoughts in regards to Soviet Communism, specifically Stalinism in terms of destructive cults. As I have understood that system, it had the rigid doctrine, thought control, surveillance, infallible leader etc, just as many destructive religious cults (and Scientology) you have talked about. I think Stalin was a true believer who tried to advance the cause of Soviet communism, but he was crippled by his issues and personality, as opposed to David Miscavige, who to me at least seems to be totally cynical about the cause, only in it for what he can get out of it. 

(4) I understand the E-meter is a primitive lie detector, but I’m wondering what happens psychologically when a Scientologist lies on a meter and gets away with it. The idea of ‘cheating and getting away with it’ seems to be replicated in other places. For example, when curious Scientologists read the OT levels ‘before they’re ready’ and don’t get sick. How common is this sort of thing in Scientology? Do people get the feeling that they’ve passed a course when they shouldn’t have, or somehow fluked some sort of win? Does it help them feel special or better than other Scientologists? Is it a kind of wiggle room in the coercive cult that actually serves to make the cult more effective? Perhaps it helps them think that they’re ‘pulling one over’ on Scientology even as they pay more money to the church? Did you ever beat the E-meter, e.g. lie and get away with it?

(5) After watching your recent excellent video about mind control, I have to ask: How did you become a Rush Limbaugh ditto-head and what finally cured you of this condition?

(6) Why doesn’t Miscavige just “go exterior” and “psychically/astrally” connect with LRH, wherever he is supposed to be now in his current form and find out from him what the final OT levels are? Is it because further OT levels, fake or truly from LRH, would go against Miscavige’s aims for the CoS?

(7) Was wondering out of the mass exodus of sea org hierarchy, & fall out from the Truth Rundown who was the one person to leave the church that was a surprise to you? Thanks & keep up the good work.

(8) If David Miscavige were to leave Scientology today, how many ex-members would go back?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions based on what they have left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) If a public learns of the confidential info found in OT 3 and higher, how does the Church handle that? It must come out in auditing somehow. Is it reported to Ethics and, if so, what does that mean for the individual? What if someone learns the secrets “before they are ready” and then they get to OT 3 and realize that what they heard was actually true? What would the reaction be? Do you have any first hand knowledge on that happening to someone?

(2) How does David Miscavige get paid? How does he justify his salary?

(3) How do Scientologists justify “Clearing the Planet” but only helping the able to be more able? And “Clearing the Planet” but no free services? Only a small percentage of the world’s population can afford Scientology services.

(4) I was googling the history of various recreational drugs and was surprised/alarmed that Narconon occupies the top sites. I read through a few of the pages and found the information well researched, referenced and didn’t try to plug its treatment. Could you concede that Scientology is doing a positive in this way? And how did they get to the top of the list?

(5) They say that if cult members do write to Hubbard, even now (and he died back in 1986) that he will reply and that this will not be a letter with a pre-printed signature (autograph) of his. How can this be?

(6) I was helping out with an information table at a local festival being held at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. When I checked in with an organizer for our table location, one of the nearby tables had a sign saying “Hubbard Dianetics.” I found it very interesting that there was no “Scientology” designation to be found (although I did observe a number of LRH books, including Dianetics). Is this something new, or did they choose NOT to use Scientology because it was a government-organized event?

(7) Could the answer to why Scientology has such big whales continuing to donate be as simple as this: They get ‘attaboys’, plaques, certificates and tax deductions for the donations? Seems almost too simple to figure. And that it isn’t out of any sense of spiritual searching.

(8) What level on The Bridge do you have to obtain to be allowed to pay and become a Mission Holder?

(9) Has the Church of Scientology ever been implicated or strongly suspected to be behind the death of any individual that transgressed the church?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) From what I understand, Scientologists are willing to put up with harsh conditions and terrible treatment because of the urgency to save everyone by clearing the planet. The reason Scientologists give all their money to print books to spread the word, build giant buildings, and train auditors, etc. is to clear the planet. If this is the case, I would think that the last thing that Miscavige would want to do would be to clear the planet. What would he be able to use to keep people motivated and more importantly keep giving him money if he stood up and said “Well done, we did it”? 

Are there any instructions from LRH about what to do after the planet is cleared? Is there some next mission that would require people to continue giving all their money to COS? Do you think LRH actually really thought, believed, and/or intended that the planet would ever be cleared or was it just something to get people excited about so they would listen to him and do what he said?

(2) Massive fan from Australia. I look forward to your content each week no matter what the subject is.My question is in regards to if there was ever a country that Scientology really wanted to penetrate extremely badly other than the United States. Thank you greatly for standing up for every person who has been bullied in their life.

(3) I recently realized something interesting about LRH’s communications – including written and spoken, in all forms: lectures, bulletins, policy letters and even in his fiction. The man comes across as a prude! Reports from people who had personal communications with him paint a picture of his frequent use of extreme profanity; but as a student and reader of his fiction, I saw none of that. From Battlefield Earth and even Mission Earth, the most extreme expression was “diseased crap!” The words “damn” and “hell” seemed to live at the boundaries of his profanity – not even a “shit” to break the monotony. How do you explain that (or am I missing something)?  

(4) One of the things that made me think that Scientology wasn’t working around the world was the failure of their numerous “Way to Happiness” campaigns to affect real change anywhere they were done. Do you think they really did hand out those Way to Happiness booklets to very many people? I remember they were going to hand them out in the Middle East somewhere because it was always a troubled area. Well, I didn’t see anything change there and no one ever spoke of that campaign again! Did they really hand them out only to find that it didn’t change anything?

(5) I am involved with the Christian church here and interested in pastoral issues. Last night I watched one of your videos and you said Scientology creates narcissists.  There are a few books written about narcissists in the Christian church. One recent one is “Let Us Prey.” It reckons 39% of the pastors in the United Methodist Church in Canada have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The Christian church seems to be a haven for people with such a disorder. Do you think it applies to all religions or just those with positions of power and control?

Also when does a Christian church become cultic? What would the warning signs be?  In the USA you have many denominations with what seems little accountability, so it’s easy for a charismatic pastor with NDP to turn a church into a cult. Your thoughts?

(6) Hi, Chris – Some of the events that Mike Rinder likes to make fun of on his website actually look like fun: costume parties, magic shows, etc. Except for the regging part, are the events any fun?

(7) I’m wondering how important it is for someone on Scientology’s Bridge to Total Freedom to be in a relationship in the churches eyes. Is there more pressure the higher they go to have a relationship or do they prefer/encourage Scientologists to concentrate on the Bridge and forgo relationships?

(8) I was wondering if you know what happened to Stacy Brooks when the LMT was disbanded in the early 2000s?

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left for me in the comment section of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) Scientology seems to be really bad at public relations. The Church presents itself in an incredibly awkward, belligerent and alienating way. I remember you mentioning on the podcast that Scientologists honestly don’t know how creepy they come across. What surprises me is how bad they are at this despite having had so many high-profile celebrity members. I would think someone like Will Smith would take David Miscavige aside and be like “Hey man, we gotta talk about our presentation to the world….” I find it so weird that celebrities who carefully manage their image don’t get how crummy the Church is at doing that. Do you have any thoughts? Keep up the good work!

(2) What are your thoughts on Steven Anderson and the likes of the NIFB movement (the group that is hosting the Make America Straight Again conference on June 16th in Orlando)? Are they just an ultra-conservative Baptist sect or have they moved past that into the realm of dangerous cults?

(3) Recently I found a paper in my family’s house with a long quote from LRH on it: “In Scientology you are dealing with a specialized group, specially selected. Actually, these people are all preselected out of the races on earth today. It isn’t a cross selection of the population at all. It’s a very great minority of the population…. As these people move up to more advanced levels of training, a further selection takes place. Their confront, their persistence come up. Just look at the things that are required of one of these people. Look at the things that have been required of you in actual fact: as sticking with it despite the disappointments and upsets and trouble you’ve had. If you don’t think that’s a process of pre-selection, you should take a look at it someday. Just going on being in Scientology is a process of pre-selection. It has its rewards, but it also has it’s liabilities and those that have survived this particular process have simply demonstrated the fact that they will obviously someday make OT.” -The Relationship of Training to OT (lecture of November 7, 1963)

Is Hubbard implying that Scientologists are “pre-selected” by a higher power? (I know they don’t believe in God but my family believes in a higher power of some kind). And if that’s what he’s saying, was I not meant to be a Scientologist? And wouldn’t the logic there be that people who aren’t Scientologists or those who leave, aren’t supposed to be? Additionally, the section with “disappointments, upsets and trouble” is pretty interesting – it would seem as though being dissatisfied with Scientology is built into the core of the religion. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

(4) There’s something that has been bugging me recently, in regards to OT 8 specifically. It is my understanding, that at the inception, or perhaps at the end of the course, that a person going through OT 8 at some point, comes to a realization that it was them all along who was responsible for these thetans latching onto our spirits, and it was us that were creating them all along. My question is this: how is this in any way not contradictory to what is established in the doctrine of OT 3? In OT 3, it is revealed that by using several means, Xenu trapped the souls of the inhabitants of the planet Teegeeack, thus making them body thetans and it is they that are responsible for humanity’s endless suffering, roughly speaking. So does this mean that OT 3 was just a made up story, from the perspective of the now enlightened OT 8 member, meant as nothing more than a foreshadowing of how immoral actions can have such devastating effects? Are we supposed to sympathize with Xenu for being locked up for all eternity? Is this perhaps a metaphor for how all of us are locked up spirits, and that we must atone for our wrongs indefinitely in order to obtain a state of Clear? Am I missing something here?

(5) For you personally, do you have any more or less personal satisfaction generating Scientology-related content, other Destructive Cult content, or Critical Thinking content? I enjoy all three but I was wondering what was more fulfilling for you (if any).

(6) I’ve watched all the Q & A videos and I don’t remember seeing you ever talk about mind-crushing BOREDOM as a factor in Scientology and cults in general. As I’ve learned about cults from you and John Cedars and others, I’ve learned that boredom seems to be a tactic, rather than an aberration. I first got interested in cults on the 30th anniversary of the massacre at Jonestown in Guyana. I found Jim Jones’ sermons on the internet, expecting them to be captivating and enticing. In fact they were incoherent and mind-crushingly dull. That was actually what began to intrigue me most, and sent me on the path of investigating more. I’d be interested in how BORED you were in Scientology, and what you think about boredom as a feature of Scientology and other cults. Thanks for your great work.