Ask a Scientologist: Scientology destroys Scientology's image

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Scientology Destroys Scientology's Image

One of the most important images that the Church of Scientology tries, desperately, to create and sell to everyone is the image of having the exact, perfect answer to everything.

L. Ron Hubbard worked very hard to have that image. He was, according to himself, the master of every skill and every discipline in the whole world, heck, the whole universe! Scientologists will say exactly that if you ask them.

Hubbard had the final word to say about everything.

Not only do you have Narconon, Hubbard Study Technology, WISE, Criminon, The Way to Happiness and all that -- touted by the Church of Scientology (without any proof) as the solutions to the world's problems, but you have, well, everything else as well.

Hubbard wrote Policy Letters about pretty much everything. Like, for instance, he wrote a huge amount about "Public Relations". Yes, he wrote the exact science of public relations. Use this exact technology, he said, and you would have the best image possible.

And then reality rears its ugly head. It has a bad habit of doing just that.

Public relations. We have witnessed the magic of Hubbard's public relations tech before, but never so clearly as David Miscavige's recent response to the St. Petersburg Times exposé on Scientology.

He refused to be interviewed, putting the newspaper off week after week, even though the newspaper first requested an interview on May 15th, either in person or by phone.

He ordered a "mission" to be "fired" to St. Petersburg, consisting of nine "OT" Sea Org members, some of whom had been reported imprisoned in his Hemet compound in California. These people were supposed to go and "handle" the reporters.

The newspaper was given conditions -- the Sea Org "missionaires" would each read a two minute pre-written speech (undoubtedly written by David Miscavige himself) and there would be no questions permitted.

And these missionaires carried out their orders from Miscavige exactly. They gave their little prepared speeches and then, even as questions were being asked, they turned on their heels and left. Somehow, they didn't realize this would appear very, very strange. Somehow, they didn't realize this would make them look cultish and quite guilty.

Next, the church paraded the ex-spouses of the Scientology critics in front of the journalists, to smear the critics. And Miscavige thought this made the church look normal? He thought this was good public relations?

Then, per standard Scientology policies, they tried to get the journalists to accept the critics' confidential confessional material. This may have been their biggest mistake -- and it was pure, exact Scientology technology in action.

When the journalists didn't seem to be responding correctly to this magic Miscavige tech, the missionaires blocked the exit and started haranguing the journalists. You can bet that went over well.

Hubbard's flawless tech in action. Miscavige's brilliance in action. Real "OTs" in action. A church striving, desperately, to appear "normal", in action.

As usual, reality proved the unmaking of Scientology's image. If Hubbard was master of every skill and discipline, how could his technology have failed? If Miscavige is brilliant in all he does, how could his handling have failed? If the OT missionaires were truly at cause over matter, energy, space, time, life and thought, how could they have failed?

Like Scientology's Narconon, Criminon, WISE, Hubbard Study Tech, The Way to Happiness, this latest action by the Church of Scientology was an utter failure. And that further destroys the image that Miscavige so desperately wants to have.

It is important to look at the Church of Scientology's "solutions" in light of their consistent failures. This is the church that brags about their "effective solutions". This is the religion that boasts that it produces "Homo Novis", far beyond normal human beings. This is the religion that wants to tell you how to live your life.

Looked at in that light, their consistent failures are even more meaningful.

Instead of having the solution to the world's problems, it becomes very clear that the Church of Scientology and Miscavige can't even solve their own problems. That's the true image.