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A conspiracy theory is a kind of escape hatch any believer can retreat to whenever his belief system is challenged. They are a kind of catch-all defense. And the best part of a conspiracy theory is that the lack of evidence to support it PROVES it’s true!
For instance: “NASA faked the moon landing.”
This conspiracy theory has absolutely no evidence for it.
EXACTLY! Because NASA would never ALLOW the evidence to exist!
See? The lack of evidence for “NASA faked the moon landing” is proof that it’s true!
It’s why conspiracy theories are so useful. When you are presented with facts that decimate the beliefs you hold, a conspiracy is your ace in the hole for you as the believer. Every belief system requires an escape hatch if you are going to keep believing it in the face of counterfactual information. And conspiracy theories are the best kind of escape hatch you can get.
The Belief System of Anti-Scientology and the Conspiracy Theories That Protect It
The belief system of anti-Scientology is structured around a few key beliefs – How brainwashing always trumps personal choice, how minority religions are ‘destructive cults’, etc. But one of Anti-Scientology’s most important beliefs is “Scientology is a criminal organization.”
The problem with this particular anti-Scientology belief is that too many facts challenge it. For instance, the fact that no charges have been filed against the Church of Scientology in the US since 1979 – 40 straight years. Think about it: Criminal organizations like the Gotti crime family, for instance, usually pick up at least one or two criminal charges, don’t they?
Over 40 years? So when you apply basic skepticism to this anti-Scientology belief, asking for or looking for positive evidence in support of it, that evidence is hard to find.
So what do you do when your belief that Scientology is a criminal organization is challenged by the facts?
Employ the conspiracy theory that Scientology bribes the police – who then look the other way & even cover up crimes for Church of Scientology. That’s why no charges in 40 years. When you really look at this, it’s quite an extraordinary claim – one that requires extraordinary proof, right?
This conspiracy theory acts as a kind of thought-stopping mechanism, too. When it is pointed out to you that no criminal charges have been filed against Scientology in 40 years, you feel uncomfortable. Your belief is being challenged. And so when you hear the conspiracy theory that “Scientology bribes the police” this explains away the facts for you. You can now keep believing that Scientology is a criminal organization.
I noticed this a few years ago as a staunch anti-Scientologist myself. Applying some basic skepticism to the belief system of Anti-Scientology – just as I had applied to my Scientology beliefs before – led to my whole anti-Scientology worldview collapsing around me – just as my Scientology belief system did before.
A Message from Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter – Feb 02, 2019
So this is why I’m happy that, after decades of allegations that the Clearwater police are corrupt and paid off by Scientology, the Chief of the Clearwater police made this video. It provides very important factual information that hysterical anti-Scientologists conveniently forget in their crusade to create a moral panic around Scientology.
Some of the facts that Chief Slaughter provides give a great deal of perspective on this conspiracy theory of anti-Scientology, and can lead to a better set of beliefs that are probably closer to the truth than Leah Remini and Mike Rinder are giving you.
I wonder what Jackie Lacey of the Los Angeles County Prosecutors Office, who has also been repeatedly accused of corruption by hysterical anti-Scientologists, thinks of this video by the Clearwater Chief of Police?
CPD Statement describing this video:
clearwaterPubSafety
Published on Feb 2, 2019
There has been a lot of negative reaction online to the Clearwater Police Department after two recent A&E Network shows by Leah Remini concerning Scientology in Clearwater. Chief Daniel Slaughter addresses some of the issues, myths and misperceptions about our agency related to Scientology.