Rest assured, every one of the “experts” scientology touts is paid. Massimo Introvigne of CESNUR., Gordon Melton, Brian Wilson and many, many others. I know, I did the original program to find “religious experts” who would write “expertises” on the subject of scientology. Every single one of them was paid for their “work,” though that fact was not made public.’
“Scientology’s experts are all wonderful people with college degrees who wear suits and write scholarly books — but they take scientology’s side in any argument. Because they are paid by scientology.”
In 11 years of watching him, I’ve never seen Mike Rinder admit this before.
It opens up a whole bunch of questions which Mike Rinder will never answer. Why? Because keeping those questions unanswered maintains his much-needed anti-science slur of all of social science and academic research on religion.
Like many anti-vaxers we see on social media who cite one scientist who was paid by a pharmaceutical company who sells vaccines, Rinder here is naming 3 guys who he says he paid for their “work”.
And just like anti-vaxers who use their one example to slur ALL SCIENTISTS, Rinder here is using these three people to slur every social scientist or religious expert who writes something about minority religions that might question his [present] anticultist narrative about Scientology.
So these questions need to be asked:
What were they paid, Mike? Was their airfare and hotels paid to appear at conferences, just like the Ex-Scientologist’s airfare and hotels were paid to appear on Scientology and the Aftermath?
In one case, you say because it was only airfare and hotels, those Exes on your show were not paid.
But in the case of religious scholars who wrote something you agreed with (at the time) about Scientology, you now say they were paid?
Were the Exes who appeared on your show paid or not? And if they were paid, does that make what they said on your show false?
How are the rest of us supposed to believe this double standard for your definition of who is paid and who is not paid, and how this determines the truth of what they say?
And so, which social scientists were paid by you, exactly?
Was Eileen Barker paid by the Church of Scientology, Mike?
Was Laurence R. Iannaccone of George Mason University?
Was James Richardson, Lewis Coser, Rebecca Moore, Hugh Urban, David Bromley, Stuart Wright, Dick Anthony and dozens of other scholars and experts who wrote things that you now don’t like paid by you too back in the day?
What did you pay them for, exactly, Mike?
How much?
Mike Rinder didn’t like debate and disagreement when he was the psychopathic head of OSA for 22 years for David Miscavige, and it’s no surprise that he doesn’t like it now. Then, as now, he used glittering generalizations to insult and discredit whole classes of social scientists and suggest “they’re all paid” if what they wrote about disagreed with what he wanted written about.
Back when he was head of OSA, anyone who disagreed with Scientology was being paid by Big Pharma – remember?
Now – if they wrote something he doesn’t want to you think about – they’re all being paid by Scientology.
See this problem with Mike Rinder?
Scratch the surface just a little bit, and you can see the career-long lying and manipulation he has engaged in.
It’s hilarious to see how many people Rinder has conned into believing that a guy who ran OSA for 22 years has just magically been cured of his sociopathy, simply because he is now telling you lies that you agree with.
Hello, I have been a Scientologist for many decades. Just very recently, I started watching Youtubes of various exScientologists. One of the first I came across was Mike RInder’s interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2GCOfdNE1c
That was the beginning of a day and night binging of all things Scientology. Luckily, Messiah or Madman was on online to be read. I am left convinced Hubbard was sadistic conman. I honestly have to acknowledge Mike Rinder for starting me down the rabbit hole.
He was raised in the cult and joined the SO at 18 years old. He was indoctrinated by Hubbard’s hypnotic madness. For him to pull himself out of the wreckage and now helping other people is admirable.
He has apologized. Do you not think a man is incapable of changing? That man in the video does not look like a sociopath nor criminal to me.
I think it’s great that you are allowing yourself to see information that the Church has hidden from you. Don’t stop now.
Do you know who Gerry Armstrong is?
Tom Padgett?
Virginia & Mike McClaughry?
Tom Klemesrud?
Ariana Jackson?
Michael Flynn?
Bob Minton?
Arnie Lerma?
Kyle Brennan?
Shawn Lonsdale?
Flo Barnett?
Google those names. Keep digging. You’re not done yet.
No one needs an apology from Mike Rinder – they need the truth of what he did to them. In 14 years, Rinder has never revealed anything that someone else didn’t already reveal years before him, and which didn’t benefit him personally.
Mike Rinder ran the Office of Special Affairs for David Miscavige for 22 years, reporting every day on all “flaps” and “blows”, executing all fair game on all critics and squirrels.
Do you really think he was brainwashed into that – or that he liked it?
Repentance stories are great, and everyone loves a new recruit to their “side”. But it takes a special kind of guy to do what Rinder did every day for 22 years. And the idea that a guy like Mike Rinder is all trustable and telling the truth now?
No.
I’ve been watching this guy for 36 years, in and out of the Church.
Mike Rinder is not the hero he, and his network, are desperately trying to make him out to be.
http://alanzosblog.com/gerry-armstrong-mike-rinder/
Just out of curiosity, do you really believe Mike Rinder is a true sociopath (possessing the clinical traits) or that he was brainwashed and did some awful things because of it? Do you think the Stanford prison experiment had any validity or provided any insight?
Thanks for your question.
I was in Scientology for 16 years. I know the kinds of people who worked for OSA.
I did one project for OSA, and was thoroughly disgusted.
I wanted nothing more to do with OSA after that for more than 12 years – even as a loyal Scientologist.
My experience with OSA contributed heavily to my decision to leave the Church of Scientology in 1999. Scientology’s Office of Special Affairs, as run by David Miscavige, Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder – when I finally found out what they were up to – proved to me that Scientology was not the group I’d joined.
I know the kinds of people in Scientology that ‘OSA work” appealed to: They were abusive. They got their kicks out of having the power to destroy the lives of others.
No matter what Mike Rinder tries to say now – those people from Int are not like other Scientologists. No Scientologist was ever as fanatical and abusive as Mike Rinder was as the Head of OSA under Marty Rathbun and David Miscavige.
What kind of person RUNS ALL FAIR GAME for Scientology for David Miscavige for 22 years?
You know too, don’t you?
“Cult Brainwashing” and The Stanford Prison Experiment
As a loyal anticultist, I used to believe in ‘cult brainwashing’ too.
But then I searched for the scientific studies that have been conducted on it since the mid 1950’s.
Did you know that every study ever done on ‘cult brainwashing’ has debunked it?
As a loyal anti Scientologist, that was shocking to me.
I studied social science in college, including the Stanford Prison Experiment.
I also used to believe in it, too, until I found that it has been repeatedly debunked since I left college.
I learned a series of lessons from leaving Scientology. The biggest lesson was do not let your tribe do your thinking for you.
Through basic skepticism, I’ve come to the conclusion that the concept of ‘cult brainwashing’ is simply a very useful excuse.
Normal Ex-Scientologists, who never harmed anyone and who never would, find ‘cult brainwashing’ to be a distraction that hides their perception of what they were getting out of Scientology. Those who have accepted the “cult brainwashing excuse” felt like it made them believe they had some kind of brain damage.
But for the criminal and cruel people who ran Scientology from Int Base? Like Mike Rinder, Marty Rathbun and David Miscavige?
“Cult Brainwashing” just serves as cover for their sociopathy.
So many people believe in brainwashing, like so many people believe in witchcraft, nobody sees that these guys from the Int Base of Scientology are just sociopaths, that’s all.
FACT: The vast majority of Scientologists never harmed anyone and never would.
It was only Ex Int Base Sea Org members, like Mike Rinder, who are now saying that ALL Scientologists were just like them.
That is a lie. Nobody in Scientology was, or is, as criminal and sociopathic as Int Base Sea Org members like Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder and David Miscavige.
I presented the evidence and experience that’s led me to these conclusions.
I’ve provided it for you to keep up the investigation.
Again, thanks for asking.
Alanzo