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Please Leah.
I used to believe that you were one of the most level-headed and powerful critics of Scientology in their history. But ever since you knowingly mis-characterized a quote from Dianetics to make it seem like Scientologists believed in pedophilia, and now you have publicly blamed a mother for her own daughter’s suicide to millions of people, I’m having doubts, Leah.
When Ex-Scientologists Radicalize & Turn into Anti-Scientologists
It seems to me that you have been radicalized. It follows a very familiar pattern.
First, Ex-Scientologists are viciously attacked by the Church of Scientology. One woman I know had her house raided by police and her computers confiscated on false accusations by the Church of Scientology. This led to the custody of her daughter being threatened.
After this incident, she became one of the most militant and cruel people I have ever known on the Internet.
Other people, like Tony Ortega, believe that their pets have been murdered – which they very well could have been. These are all extremely serious things which have a very high probability of being true.
But the reason the Church might be doing these things is because L Ron Hubbard told them that it will “shudder” their critics into silence.
It has always had the exact opposite effect. It makes the critic ROAR back 100 times harder than they ever hit the Church before, and often ensures that the critic spends the rest of their lives seeking revenge against the Church of Scientology for what they did to them.
Another radicalizing element for an Ex-Scientologist is the adoption of the Anti-Cult Movement’s ideology for what “happened to them” while they were a Scientologist.
It’s often said that when a person joins a “cult” they are confused and lonely and vulnerable, and this weakened state makes them susceptible to adopting weird beliefs and practices that they normally never would.
That may be true in some peoples’ cases, but it is definitely not true in many more. Studies show that an overwhelming majority of ex-cult members feel “wiser for the experience”.
After a person loses their religion however – any religion and not just a “cult” – there is certainly a period of confusion, loneliness, and vulnerability. Catholics have just as many “crises of faith” as Protestants, Buddhists, and Jews.
Scientologists, Jedi Knights, and Atheists are no different.
This evolution of spiritual understanding, and the questioning of your present spiritual path, is beneficial. It’s the evolution which comes from analyzing the experiences of your life.
For most Ex-Scientologists who have arrived on the Internet, the only offering to explain what happened to them in Scientology is “I was brainwashed into a brainwashing cult.”
Once these Anti-Cult Movement ideas have been adopted by an Ex, they can also have a radicalizing effect on the Ex’s new attitudes and behaviors after Scientology. It can lead to marauding behavior, seeking revenge against their former religion.
Studies have shown these radicalizing effects which come from adopting the Anti-Cult Movement’s ideas about your former religion. Part of adopting these ideas includes accepting self-degrading attitudes about who you were when you were a member.
I think the adoption of the Anti-Cult Movement’s ideas is one of the most destructive things I have ever seen done to Ex-Scientologists.
LEAH: It appears to me that you have had both of these things done to you.
And so while I still have immense respect for you and what you are trying to accomplish, I am very disappointed in the direction you are taking to accomplish it.
How will blaming mothers for their daughter’s suicide bring about a federal investigation?
It won’t. And it is unthinkingly cruel to this mother who has lost her daughter – whether she is a Scientologist or a Buddhist or an atheist. She is human, just like you, and just like me. And losing her daughter was one of the worst catastrophes in her life.
Stick to the crimes, Leah.
Stay the course.
Exhume the constructive spiritual purpose you’ve had all your life to make the world a better place, and make the world a better place.
Shake off their cruel attacks. Denounce cruelty of all kinds, on all sides – including your own. Dump the Anti-Cult Movement’s ideology, and get your loving spirit back – the one you’ve always had as a Scientologist AND WAY BEFORE.
You can do this.
Here’s the thing. If one’s behavior leads directly to the death of another individual then there is probable cause to investigate for manslaughter at the very least. I just watched this episode. Leah probably could have ignored Cathy’s tweet but it was her guest that actually brought it up. She, the guest, talked about Tiffany’s mother telling everyone to “disconnect(?).
That said, I totally agree that we are all witnessing a great example of what can happen when someone that was a fervent believer in whatever feels spurned and burned by their beliefs. That in itself makes this show worth watching.
I’ve watched every episode. I know many of the people who have been on it. The ones I had a chance to talk to felt well treated by her. It takes a lot of repetition to get ideas through anyone’s heads. Hence the repetition in the show. Many people have told me of Sea Org sexual abuse. Scn may not have that in its canon, so to speak, but it (CofS)does ignore every single bit of abuse. Tge Seattle DSA has actively covered up sexual abuse. And then there are the other things that hapoen there.
There are a lot of exes. Many have horrific stories. Hell, my story shocks my non Scn friends who were never in Scn, and I promise you, it’s nothing near as bad as that of many of my friends, acquaintances and an enemy or two.
Leah wants, I think, to keep hammering on things that happen to members. And that is the crux of the matter. Very few who did join would have done so if they knew a hundredth of this was happening. Tge group was created for members. To live better. To gain certain things. Not only did they not deliver all of it-they did the opposite.Like that meme “you had ONE job…”
So the thing that caused people to look to Scn and Dn is where the abuses came into play. And that’s why they’re emphasizing the hell out of it.
Excellent!! Extremely well put.
That is a true spiritual view point. Not everyone can adopt such view and beingness.
Practicing Ron’s tech as an Indie, (Solo N) in a totally FREE environment, makes it so natural for me to adopt balanced viewpoints and avoid more and more reactive and cultish ones. And dropping fanaticism altogether. Food for thought.
Hemi
“Shuddering into silence”. Yeah, like Tony Ortega did to me on Twitter (where I use my real name), having made it clear that he’d made a lucky guess as to the name I use to post here and on Marty’s blog. But he’s the good guy – right?
Howdy Doloras!
Tony’s totally the good guy. He’s making the planet safe for atheism!
It’s unfortunate Leah and Mike have started down this path. It is unlikely they will deviate from this tactic. It is very easy to criticize Cathy Tweed of her actions knowing the final outcome. I’m sure she regrets shunning her daughter and would do anything to take it back. Did that prompt her suicide? Who knows? Not enough information or context for this information to be useful. About the worst you assume is that it probably didn’t help.
I think both sides of this issue need a healthy dose of humanity and compassion.
I’ve been scanning the show for the exposure of criminal activity – something that will bring on the federal investigation that Leah announced that she wanted as a result of their new season.
This tactic of showing indifference to sexual abuse and suicides by scientologists doesn’t actually present any actionable criminal activity by scientology that I can see.
It seems to be simply designed to make scientology ” the most hated name on the planet”. That was something Chris Shelton promised on esmb would be the result of airing this season. I guess, in addition to being Tony Ortega’s Science Officer, he is now doing Internet carnival-hawking for Leah’s show. Or something.
Making scientology the most hated name on the planet is right out of lrh Osa materials, and has pretty much already been “achieved” – if that’s a valid achievement.
So how do we get a federal investigation out of this?
I have two non scientology friends who were drawn into scientology watching from leahs first season. This season they both told me that they are getting kind of annoyed. They said that while the indifference by a few staff members to the sexual abuse was bad, sexual abuse is not dependent on scientology. And while the suicides are horribly tragic, how are those caused by scientology?
One told me that the tone and direction of the subject matter is becoming “hysterical” if the show wants to produce action by law enforcement.
This is not good. I want this to succeed. But not this way.