Social Science

Brainwashing Theories in European Parliamentary and Administrative Reports on Cults and Sects

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“Brainwashing” Theories in European Parliamentary and Administrative Reports on “Cults” and “Sects” JAMES T. RICHARDSON MASSIMO INTROVIGNE This study examines the recent rash of official reports done by governmental agencies in Western Europe to guide policy development in those societies. Particular attention is given to reports in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and Italy, and … Read more

Anti-Scientologists Display Frenzied Hysteria & Dysfunctional Negativity Over CNN’s “Believer”

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Reza Aslan CNN Believer

Reza Aslan’s episode of “Believer” on CNN regarding Independent Scientology changed my life for the better. It reminded me of an approach to belief and spiritual pursuits that is positive, constructive, and life-giving.

Mike Rinder Admits To Paying ‘Experts’ To Write About Scientology

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Mike Rinder Head of OSA

Mike Rinder: “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.’

Debunking Zablocki: Dick Anthony’s Searing Take-Down of Cult Brainwashing Theory

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brain

This is an excerpt from Benjamin Zablocki’s book “Misunderstanding Cults” which is one of the best representations of the 90’s era debate on Cults and Brainwashing. What’s funny is that all the players, such as Dick Anthony and others, who thoroughly debunked the ideas of “cult brainwashing” just rode off into the sunset – leaving … Read more

AntiCult Brainwashing Ideology as Totalism by Dick Anthony

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Anonymous Anticult Protester

“If I am correct about brainwashing ideology being a form of totalitar­ian influence, it would presumably serve the function of ministering to a polarized self-sense and curing identity confusion by enabling converts to it to shift responsibility for undesirable aspects of their person­alities and former behaviour onto a scapegoated contrast category, in this case the new religious movement of which they were formerly a member.

Criticizing Scientology: What Exactly is Criticism?

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No Criticism

Ever since October of 1950, when Dr. Joseph Winter publicly left the burgeoning Dianetic movement and wrote a book called “A Doctor’s Report on Dianetics“, L Ron Hubbard had a problem: Books like that made his stats crash. People who were involved in Dianetics, or the families and friends of those involved, would read these … Read more

The Anti-Cult Movement

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Ted Patrick Anti-Cult Movement

The “Father of Deprogramming” Ted Patrick was a devoted Christian who believed he was doing God’s work by kidnapping people & holding them in a room & browbeating them until they denounced their faith. In 1980, he served 1 year in prison and paid a $5000 fine for kidnapping and false imprisonment.

What Are AntiScientologists & the AntiCult Movement Trying to Achieve?

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anti-cult movement

A cult is a smaller culture inside the wider culture around it. It has different knowledge, skills & moral values, with a different narrative and different attitudes and acceptable behaviors.

The Best Book on Scientology: John Sweeney’s “Church of Fear”

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John Sweeney's Church of Fear

Of all the books that have been written about Scientology, if you had only one shot to communicate to someone what Scientology was all about, I would give them John Sweeney’s “Church of Fear”.

An Example of What Post-Ex Is Not

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What Post-Ex is Not

I am presenting this piece of writing which appeared on ESMB recently as an example of what I believe to be a pathological state of mind for an Ex-Scientologist to develop. This particular Ex-Scientologist has been out of Scientology for a long time and has had many opportunities to reconcile with his old self as … Read more