One of the primary dangers of Scientology is the potential for, and its proclivity toward, the abuse of the confidences its members entrust the organization with. It is a most insidious operation.
Scientology counselors are drilled for months – and sometimes years – on communication skills that are designed to make a seeker completely comfortable with sharing her innermost feelings and every detail about all of her frailties and shortcomings. Scientology counselors are trained to overcome their own possible misgivings about invading the privacy of another in order to ensure they probe every dark corner of another’s mind. The seeker is carefully indoctrinated that in order to achieve any gain in Scientology it is first and foremost necessary that she willingly discloses every secret, dark or light, she may possess. Scientology counselors are trained to naturally and thoroughly note for posterity every detail of the confessions that their counselees so disclose.
Scientologists are indoctrinated to fully believe that the ends of the Scientology organization justify whatever betrayal of an individual’s rights might be considered necessary for the organization’s survival.
Knowledge derived from the confessions of a seeker are continually utilized to keep that person serving and contributing at ever increasing levels of commitment. Sometimes it is done through encouragement, and sometimes it is done through inducing fear of the future. In either event, when the seeker is left bereft of money and energy to continue fulfilling the constantly imposed increasing commitment, knowledge of the seeker’s confessions are used in a darker fashion. That knowledge is used to convince the disaffected seeker that her own confessed weaknesses are the cause of her dissatisfaction and that failure to continue to comply to the organization’s agenda will result in the person succumbing thoroughly to those weaknesses.
Ultimately, in order to break this vicious circle the disaffected seeker must pronounce she is no longer willing to comply with the dictates and policies of the organization.
But, with Scientology that is not the end of it.
Well-established Scientology policy assumes that one cannot partially disagree or reject part of Scientology, “If a group member rejects the group, he rejects everything about the group and no further question about that.” Until and unless the disaffected individual ‘comes to her senses’ and capitulates to the authority of the group – accepting every policy and everything about the group – she is treated as an enemy of the group.
An enemy is considered fair game for group members to weaken and destroy by any means necessary. Group members are indoctrinated to believe it is a solemn duty to cooperate with such efforts to nullify designated enemies. Group members are required to cut all communication with the disaffected individual, even if the targeted person is a family member, long-time friend or business associate.
If a disaffected individual continues to vocalize or write about disagreements with such treatment or anything else about Scientology, the group will publish mean-spirited propaganda about that individual. That propaganda inevitably contains the fruits of the confessions of the targeted individual. Seldom is it done with chapter-and-verse, literal detail which could make the organization legally accountable for violation of trust. Instead, it is done through a sophisticated, even sociopathic, and complex propaganda methodology. It requires the development of a dark, complicated and evil mindset to create this variety of propaganda.
It is no coincidence that the Scientology organization has become less powerful, influential and popular with the advent of the age of information. With the expansion of sharing of information of a personal nature during the proliferation of social media use – and the glut of ‘reality-based’ entertainment focusing on the eccentricities of common and famous folk – people seem to be less apt to judge and condemn others for their personal shortcomings. People seem to have become more disgusted with the types of people who vindictively smear others than with targets of the condemnation attempts. Without an avid, judgmental audience Scientology’s stockpiled secrets have lost their value. To the degree its stock in trade has become unmarketable, the group has dwindled in numbers and its ability to silence disagreement and criticism has waned.
This is yet another reason to fear no evil.
Moving On Up a Little Higher 