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

(1) When I was a kid there was a story in a major magazine that talked about how our skin was covered with little bacteria. I remember my Mom and Dad talking about the fact that there was no way to scrub these bacteria off and they were freaking out. Of course since then, science has realize that these bacteria actually help us. Companies are beginning to realize the importance of this microbiome and are selling products that protect these bacteria, but at the time this first came out, we were all very uncomfortable with the whole idea.

Jumping ahead to Scientology and “body thetans,” I’ve watched a ton of critics and only heard this touched on briefly. Some Scientologists, after being told they’re covered with little disembodied entities that they can’t break free of, lose it. I could see how this might send somebody straight off a cliff since it’s so similar to the microbiome thing. From what I gather, Lisa McPherson may have even had this problem. I’m not a psychiatrist but if somebody gets out of their car, gets completely naked and walks around on the street in traffic, it would make sense that they were trying to get rid of something that’s attached all over their body.

So how do Scientologists accept this without losing their freaking minds? Do most Scientologists, when they’re told this, just go “Oh..okay, cool?” I know that auditing is supposed to remove these body thetans, but from what I understand, it’s a painfully slow process. Why isn’t the freak out so much more extreme? Also, does anyone imagine they could sense these beings on them? Moving around or crawling, like bugs? Or did everybody understand that they were quiet and kept to themselves?

(2) Why don’t Scientologist recognize David Miscavige as a “squirrel”?

(3) Has anyone ever gotten Scientology for free?  The Scientology website FAQ assures the reader that one can be a Scientologist at no cost.  What would really happen if someone showed up at an org and tried to take advantage of this?

(4) I have spent my entire career in business, from engineering to sales to procurement.  I know how difficult it is to specify and purchase material to keep a business running, from buying paper to specifying computer systems and buying or leasing automobiles.  

How in the world does Scientology manage this complex process when it seems to be so heavily bureaucratic, with so many levels of apparent approvals and authority.  Who signs off on purchases, and what are the dollar amounts that get additional scrutiny? Does Miscavige sign off on everything above a certain amount? For example, if a new printing press is needed, or a maintenance contract is needed on an HVAC system, is there a dollar amount that triggers Miscavige approvals? Does he micromanage everything?

Additionally, doesn’t the constant threat of Knowledge Reports written up on each other stifle the Sea Org buyers’ creativity and ability to develop new (but perhaps more cost competitive but unproven) vendors? Are all bids competitive, with a typical three-bid minimum required for compliance reasons? Does Scientology only buy from “Scientology” companies? Are they given preferential vendor status? How are commercial disputes settled? Are they as lawyer-happy with business deals as with SPs?

This week, my wife Melissa and I did a live stream, answering a record number of questions in the hour we did the show. We read the questions out as we were going and some of them were just for my wife too! Enjoy!

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

(1) I follow STAND on Twitter (and Taryn Teutsch) just for shits and giggles. A lot of what I hear from the articles they share attempt to portray them as legitimate victims of religious persecution. My initial thought response, as a DL Scientology critic, is to say that we aren’t criticizing your beliefs as much as the abuses that happen within the organization of Scientology. However, the more I think about it, I feel like I’m being naive in saying that. Do you think that the very policies about the fair game and financial practices of Scientology is a part of their “religious beliefs?” Is it silly to try to separate them?

(2) I’d like to pose a question on behalf of the protesters and people who engage Scientologists on the streets or have Scientologists in their family because I think that could be helpful for them: What questions or phrases would you recommend people using on signs or in a discussion to plant that seed of doubt? What should people have said to you when you were still in Scientology to get you to think about it more critically?

(3) I discovered your Channel 6 months to a year ago and have been loving it! I am a Mormon who is physically in but mentally out. Husband is still VERY in and we have small children and I haven’t quite figured out what to do about it; it causes me a lot of stress and pain because I love him and them so much. You understand, no doubt.

My question is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses multiple fear tactics to keep people in. One of those being the very real fear of losing your family which I understand to be similar if not worse within the Church of Scientology with its policy of disconnection. The other fear tactic that I was wondering if there is a counterpart in the Church of Scientology is that when you make Covenants in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or even if you are simply obedient in keeping the commandments, you are promised certain protections and blessings. If you walk away from those promises and don’t fulfill your end of the bargain, the idea is that you put yourself in Satan’s power and he will be able to tempt you, torments you, and as much as possess you, ultimately leading your soul away from God to destruction and damnation. YIKES. You sort of touched on this in a ‘Three Apostates,’ video involving the abused woman who had to climb the stairs with the knives on them in order to leave her apartment, so forgive me if I’m being forgetful, but again, I was not sure if Scientology stayed pretty much on the, “you’ll lose your family and your job and everything temporal,” side of fear tactics or if there’s a spiritual side to Scientology’s Scare Tactics for people considering leaving the church of Scientology.

(4) Was there ever a moment, when you were in the Church of Scientology, that you came across an article – in print or online – that was critical of Scientology (e.g. that covered the abuses or exposed the true history of L Ron Hubbard) and that you “filtered out” because you were unable at that point in time to accept the facts? And what about once you had left the CoS and had started to “go down the rabbit hole” on the Internet? Do you remember the first article you read – did it convince you right away or were you still sceptical of the claims made?

(5) Chris, has anyone ever just told Miscavige to fuck off? I know it’s basically heresy but over so many years and so much abuse I cant imagine someone hasn’t. Have you ever heard of someone doing so?

(6) Given how prolific a writer LRH was, did he ever write anything on his writing system?

(7) Is that a Star Trek poster behind you in your podcast? What is written on it? It looks like stars, and maybe the Enterprise. I’m a total Trekkie, so I am curious.

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

(1) Most ex members seem to have left because Miscavige made the organization unbearable. However, I think, as an outsider,  the blame still belongs to Hubbard. He was Victor Frankenstein, and Miscavige was his creation. Do you think if Hubbard were here today, would he have a tirade and ask Miscavige what he did to his enterprise? Or, would he pat him on the back and say, “Well done, Grasshopper, I trained you well!” If Hubbard had lived longer and there were no Miscavige in charged, would YOU have stayed? Would you STILL be in?

(2) I was curious if you had any opinions, theories or done any research on the origins of Hubbard’s Demon Circuits in Dianetics. These endless engram loops that are supposedly part of the analytic mind are interesting and different conceptually from the classic engram reactive mind stuff that supposedly is what dogs humans. I was hoping you could explain them to me in your clear logical way because I have never heard any other theories except the psychological view of the unconscious on where these patterns come from.

(3) Something really struck me during your interview with Bree Mood. She said she went to Mission Renaissance for school in the Valley. I lived in LA for about 6 years and during that time my close friend and roommate got an art teaching job there in the Valley. She had no prior Scientology experience. I remember telling me after her first week that she was being taught how to communicate with small children, that she had to explain every facet of what she was referencing so they would ‘truly’ understand. I thought that was strange since ya know- they’re children! Usually we limit language so they understand. The other thing was she had to use different words and almost a different language. I thought it was so odd, but she really loved it there and after a while talked about the Scientology side less & less. Fast forward 10 years later, I moved back to the Midwest and she’s still my friend on Facebook. I see glimpses of her life and she’s still working at Mission Renaissance. She shows awards she wins, and how much she loves it there. I’ve always wondered about that school and if you are required to be a Scientologist after a while. And Bree’s insight made me think about the students. Do all of the parents realize Scientology runs them? Is this school like a Catholic school where you don’t have to be Catholic to go there? Or is it a facade and a ‘feeder’ institution to get people in Scientology?

(4) The incident with Serena Williams and many others before and since highlight a rather galling issue in discourse/human interaction that’s currently going on: the deeming of any opponent (ideological or otherwise) as hateful or discriminatory. With Williams, if she’s asserting that the male umpire of her match was being misogynistic, then would such a man choose one woman over the other given that he should hate them both? Moreover, given that her opponent Naomi Osaka has practically the same skin color, if she’s asserting he was being racist in his decisions, again why would he choose one of these women over the other given that he should hate them both? Her accusations along with her behavior in that match were illogical and petulant, that of a spoiled child instead of the athletic role model she normally is. The terms racist, sexist, fill-in-the-blank-phobe are thrown around so flippantly and so frequently that they have lost the significance they were supposed to retain, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between those truly worthy of the labels and those who have a disagreement gone awry. My question for you is why is this acceptable to so many? Why is this behavior placated and often encouraged by our media, who are not admonshing her for this unsportsman-like display but patting her on the back? This is the behavior of children on the playground, not something we should be seeing in grown adults dealing with conflict.6

(5) You ask that we press the like button at the end of each video, which I obediently do, as it is my way of saying thanks. I was wondering though, does it help you channel in any way? For instance more prominence in the listings or even helps to link it to ads & therefore making  it financially beneficial to you. As always a solid thumbs up & many thanks.

(6) How did you come to have Seven the wonder cat in your lives? Do you have any other pets?

(7) Do you ever think about producing your own film or documentary?

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

(1) In continuation of the question I asked you last week, you made your point why the IRS should investigate the Church of Scientology to determine if it is still eligible to maintain its tax exempt status. However, as you and other former Scientologists have made clear, the Church of Scientology terrorizes its opponents. What was also made clear on how the Church of Scientology got its tax exempt status is that it countersued the IRS, bogged it down with paperwork, and went after the individual IRS employees involved in the case. People like you who publicly criticize Scientology knew what you were getting yourselves into. Should the IRS investigate Scientology and the case lands on some poor unsuspecting IRS agent’s desk, what would you tell him/her on what to expect and how to handle Scientology’s reaction?

(2) I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries on Shelly Miscavige. My question is given the numerous new properties that the Church seems to acquire each year, is it possible that they could have moved her to one of the newer and more secluded properties? And is there any way of finding out which properties the church actually owns, through things like tax filings or something like that?

(3) Does Melissa watch every episode of your podcast? What does she think about your podcast? If she does watch every episode, does she give you feedback on every one? Does she ever disagree with your opinions? Have you changed your mind based on her opinions? If she ever changed your mind on an issue, could you give an example of this?

(4) I’ve seen stories of Sea Org members using a medical appointment as an excuse to get off the base and escape. Given that Hubbard taught that you “pull in” your own injuries and illness, coupled with his teaching that pretty much anything can be fixed with an assist such as a touch assist or nerve assist, how is it that members are allowed to seek medical attention at all?

(5) Do Scientologists believe that we all have different amounts of theta (soul quantity) and the more theta you have the more successful you are? Do you believe that or is it just a gimmick?

(6) Chris, if you could save the life of only one current celebrity Scientologist then who would you save?  I would save Beck.

(7) People regularly ask if certain people are “true believers” and after your interview with the gentlemen from the Church of Spiritual Technology, it seems there are “several types” of true believers. Some believe in the “tech” or that there’re “helping people”, or “policy believers.” Do you or think that this happens to many Scientologists over time? Getting in to “help people” then they “buy into the tech” then become “policy believers”? Is there this debate in the CoS community or is it considered “part of the Kool-aid glass”?

(8) What type of Magic the Gathering decks do you and wife play?

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

(1) When one spouse of a Sea Org couple goes on an extended mission (6 months or more) or gets reposted to a different city/country (Los Angeles to Flag for example), does the partner who stays behind keep the “private” couples berthing or do they go back to a dorm until reunited with the spouse?

(2) When L. Ron Hubbard died, those present or who knew the actual circumstances (David Miscavige, Sarge Pfauth, attorney Earl Cooley, the Broekers, etc) must have been presented with an awful problem for Scientology. How could this powerful thetan just die in such a sad and pathetic way? What to do that was the question.

Presumably it would be disastrous to announce that their spiritual leader who had discovered the meaning of life just died and that’s that. Had they known the actual circumstances, I’m sure people would run for the doors and an exodus of Scientology would begin. But instead, they were totally complicit in perpetrating an enormous lie. It is now abundantly clear to me and to many others that at this juncture they were all complicit in creating a story that defies logic, since if they had told the truth, the True Believers would know they had all been part of the most unbelievable con ever perpetrated on the world.

I don’t know if you were in the audience, Chris, or if you have spoken to people who were but did they all swallow this hook line & sinker? I suppose clearly they did as Scientology still exists to this day. Yet those on that stage knew they were not telling the truth, so therefore must agree that this was all a massive con….what other explanation is there?

(3) It took me years to realize that I was ALREADY happy before Scientology (I was 20 when I read Dianetics), and HOW it was possible that a smart guy or girl would choose to become a cult member. My answer is quite simple: we were CONCEITED and the idea of becoming part of an elite and ruling the bloody world was amazing. What do you think about that?

(4) By your own and your fellow critics admission, Scientology is not getting any new members and is actually losing members. But at the same time, you as well as A&E’s Scientology and the Aftermath and other anti-Scientology websites make a big deal about Scientology’s tax exempt status. If Scientology is truly dying, why should I, a non-Scientologist, care whether or not it keeps its tax exempt status or not?  Why would I want the IRS to try and take away Scientology’s tax exempt status and have the people who work for the IRS face the headaches Scientology causes while spending tax payer money in an uphill battle? Why not wait them out and see who ends up being the last one to close the doors and leave? That person, whether David Miscavige or someone else, ends up shutting down the Church of Scientology, takes the money and is hit with a tax bill on the massive personal income.

(5) Is there any evidence that Hubbard engaged in experiments with LSD either on himself or others? And what is LRH’s connection to cocaine-abusing Aleister Crowly?

(6) I have a real Scientology dictionary. Got from a person who is now out. Is it of value or should I just read it for fun?

(7) What are the ranks system in the organization?

(8) I was reading the Wikipedia entry on Anonymous.  I’ve lifted a quote from that article here:

“Project Chanology’s stated goals include the complete removal of the Church of Scientology’s presence from the Internet and to “save people from Scientology by reversing the brainwashing”. Project Chanology participants plan to join the Church of Scientology posing as interested members in order to infiltrate the organization.” Do you have any idea if they have implemented the infiltrate part? Please keep up your work, and fighting the good fight!

This week is the 200th episode of Critical Q&A – a landmark in any series and certainly one I didn’t expect to cross when I started this so many years ago. Thanks to all of you for your love and support and friendship. This is a watershed moment for my channel and work. The questions were great and we really enjoyed doing this.

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) The other day, I was catching up on current events around Scientology (Scientology Money Project, The Underground Bunker, etc.) and somewhere along the line found a reference to you being contacted by someone supposedly in Australia asking you all sorts of questions about the recent stabbing murder inside a Scientology org there. I am assuming it was a fishing expedition by Scientology, but I wonder what it was they were fishing for… What was their best-case expectation, assuming you went along with the con? Any speculations? It’s so out of the left field that I am straining to understand why they would think to use this kind of ruse in general and on you specifically…

(2) I just listened to your Sensibly Speaking podcast on Scientology training. I believe it was Jenna Miscavige-Hill who said that the fastidiousness of Study Tech ruined her pleasure of reading for life; I certainly can imagine why. Referring to dictionaries for definitions of words is essential, but the understanding of words can also come from inference and context of a sentence. That is also a valuable skill to develop but seems completely neglected in Scientology training. My question is do you think this neglect affects Scientologists’ abilities of conceptual and figurative thought? Ultimately, perhaps, critical thought?

(3) In an interview involving Aaron Smith-Levin, it was discussed that John Travolta, who has been a prominent Scientologist for 40 years, has never been allowed onto OT 7. Couple questions: Is there any other plausible explanation for this besides the “gay” thing? Also, why OT 7 and not OT 3, etc.?

(4) Can I ask what the Scientologists think of us poor peasants who can’t afford their courses? Are we doomed? They can’t fully ‘Clear’ the planet can they. And, if I could beg a two-for, why the need for auditing after people have gone Clear?

(5) Hi Chris, I really like the movie “The Master.” There is one thing about the comparison to Scientology that doesn’t make sense to me. Scientology is supposed to be about making the able more able. Freddie Quill doesn’t seem able at all. He has severe anger issues and seems mentally disturbed. Would Hubbard have really put so much effort into making someone like Quill into a Scientologist?

(6) Being a Never-In, I look at all the Scientology stuff in the Wright/Gibney way, in as much as the belief itself is irrelevant but THE WHY we believe is the real question. With that being said, I stumbled upon an actual lecture from Hubbard on YouTube with information that Scientologists deem confidential. Excited about actually hearing some primary source materials I listened and have two questions: a) Is this legit? If so, how come they are not taken down? Don’t they charge thousands of dollars for these materials? b) Listening to these tapes I was really taken aback by just how meandering and pointless Hubbard sounds. I was expecting the charisma that has been attributed to him come across but it didn’t to me. He sounds like a guy talking off the top of his head about something kind of ridiculous. Now, if you were in the room with the guy live, than I can understand because it could be chalked up to a “you had to be there” type situation but most of the people I hear talking about their experiences were mature or your young adults while Hubbard was in hiding or dead and would never have met him, including yourself. What was your reaction when you listened to these tapes for the first time?

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

(1) What would happen if Scientology, with all of their buildings and members, decided all of a sudden to do only good things? Say for instance, David Miscavige gets attacked by a pack of wild dingoes and is no longer able to manage Scientology because they ate his face off (John Travolta reference). One of the management members steps up and takes over, turning Scientology into an actual organization that dedicates its buildings to local programs and keeping kids off the streets; opens a food bank; opens some of the berthing to homeless; let’s the children in some of these rural areas, vacation to some of the wonderful places that Scientology has property; or take some of the money that they have stored away and spend it on charitable causes or help with natural disasters in a way that is obvious and real. Maybe even let some of the Sea Org members play tennis on the tennis courts or swim in the pools. Pay the Sea Org members a minimum wage. Cut out the disconnection policy. What I’m trying to say is, what if Scientology decides to actually go legit? Too legit? Too legit to quit? They have the money, they have the property, they have the people who want and need to do a good thing for society. Let’s face it, everybody I’ve heard asked what was the draw, then they get out of Scientology, says the reason they stayed is because they thought they were doing good for the world. Do you think that’s a possibility? If Scientology goes away, it seems like such a waste. People that are involved want to help humanity. It just seems to me, and I’m just a lonely old wog, it would be a reasonable transition.

(2) I just saw a video with you in a very fancy Sea Org uniform with lots of medals, and I gotta say I got a good chuckle out of it. I always do when I see those uniforms. Are SO members embarrassed to wear those in public? Were you? It strikes me almost like playing dress-up.

(3) When you were still in the group (or even now) how difficult was it to tell through the way a person talked and their conduct what level of the Bridge they were on? Could you pick a Class VA auditor from a Class III, a Clear from and OT II or was it something you could only know through bracelets or literally being told?  

(4) If a Scientologist were to leave one area to get services in another area at lower costs (let’s say due to money exchange rates), do they receive any type of talking to, retribution, pressure or the like for that? If so, will reges or other people try and “recoup” or sell them more services because they may have saved money? Could this calculated monetary saving measure be viewed not only negatively, but result in any ethics actions?

(5) What are your thoughts on Scientology outing names of Scientologists that write critical articles about Scientology anonymously or with pseudonyms, as they did with Jeremy Gold writing as Terra Cognita on Mike Rinder’s blog? This happened in court documents as part of the IJC’s statement of why he wasn’t a member “in good standing” to qualify as an arbiter in the Garcia case. By the way, Jeremy is mentioned as having worked at the Santa Barbara Org and his Scientology course completions go back to 1990. Did you work with him and do you like his articles?

(6) Among Independent Scientologists, what has been the reception of documentaries and TV series that have exposed the abuses of Scientology and the Church of Scientology, such as Going Clear and Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath? I am interested to know whether Independent Scientologists are sometimes uncomfortable with the criticisms made of L Ron Hubbard and Scientological beliefs, as opposed to criticisms simply made of the practices of the current Church of Scientology under the leadership of David Miscavige. Going Clear went into great detail on LRH’s very questionable background, and the second season of Leah Remini’s show demonstrated how some Scientological beliefs, by their very nature, lead to abusive practices. Are you aware of any examples? All I know is that two Independent Scientologists did appear on Leah’s show, but I remember reading on Tony Ortega’s blog that Marty Rathbun, still then an Independent Scientologist, was unhappy with some of the commentary in Going Clear on Hubbard.

The weekly show where I answer your questions based on comments left in my Q&A shows or sent to me by email at [email protected]. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) In talking about Scientology, there is a lot about sexual child abuse and about covering up pedophiles but nothing about underage auditors having to interrogate grown men about their sexuality. These 14 or 15 year old teenagers being forced to ask “old” people about their masturbation practices, etc? For me, this is another really ugly face of the “church”. Yet so far it was never covered. I read a lot of posts from Serge and others and this is an outrageous matter. Since I was never in, I’m of course unsure if this is a matter that could be put out into public but I sure think that this is an abuse people should know about. Have you ever thought about doing a podcast about this?

(2) I came across your channel on YT and I am curious if a single ex Scientologist out there is willing to discuss project Stargate. I was shocked to read the entire Jim Marrs book PSI spies and never once did he mention Puthoff was a Scientologist. I found this out from a separate blog. Apparently all of the PSI group is a bunch of Scientologists. Why is Tony Ortega pretending like Scientology doesn’t have tech or the ability to infiltrate or control any government intelligence operations? Is Tony Ortega the same guy from the back page human trafficking scandal? I don’t buy the whole cult front at all.

(3) If the state authorities, FBI, or IRS raided various Scientology organizations and got their computers and files, such as Flag, International base, OSA, CCHR, WISE, IAS, CST, Narconon, etc. wouldn’t the authorities be obligated to read people’s PC folders and have to investigate the public, doctors’ offices, and Narconon facilities for their crimes and confessions? I understand that when a public or new person comes into Scientology they receive a PC file or a “pre clear file”. After somebody becomes a “Clear” or learns the “Clear cognition” do they have a “Clear file”? Or do they continue documenting the person’s activities in that same PC file? Once somebody becomes Clear, not a past life Clear, do other Scientologist look upon them more highly? Do “Clear’s” receive any special privileges or recognition over non-Clears? Sorry if my Scientologese is off; I’m just learning and a little confused on the subject.

(4) I have heard from several former members that they compare their attitude while in as if they were like the Nazis. To a point I can see this. The IAS Gala as well as the Knowledge Reporting system come to mind. I was wondering your thoughts on this.

(5) How many people in Scientology were or are children when they began their indoctrination and captivity? Also, is this a growing percentage of Scientology members, especially in staff of Sea Org slave labor camps?

(6) I am curious to know how Scientology became so wealthy. I know it is very expensive to reach the OT levels, and they have a number of very wealthy benefactors, virtually free labour and tax exempt status. However, there are very few people who would have both the money and inclination to spend hundreds of thousands to reach the highest OT levels. As you have said, very few Scientologists know the content of the OT levels. My point is the organisation must be able to draw on an income stream from the average run-of-the-mill person, so what do you think it’s broad-based income stream is?