The Scientology Abyss
“You can’t convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it’s based on a deep seated need to believe.” — Carl Sagan
It was late 1971, and I was not a happy camper. I had been searching for a spiritual path for a couple years, but nothing was clicking. In Austin, TX at this time there was a chapter for about every path, practice, persuasion, system, etc. that you could think of. And I had checked a lot of them out, to no avail. Until this one day when one of them actually pushed itself upon me.
At the time I was going to the University of Texas, methodically attempting to get some kind of college education. But a lot of the time my heart was just not into it. The world did not seem real to me, and I was searching for something more. Clarity? Truth? Honesty? Reality? I just didn’t get it and was thinking there was something wrong with me.
One day I was walking across the street just off campus on the main drag. A guy came up to me and stuck some kind of brochure in my face. I looked at him and then at the store front right behind him. Scientology. The brochure was about a book called Dianetics. I had heard of the book, but didn’t really know much about it. I had seen the storefront before, but hadn’t given it much thought. He talked to me and led me into the store. I was feeling a bit tired and just halfway listened to what he said. Somehow I wound up taking one of their tests, along with an E-meter reading someone gave me.
I didn’t think too much of it at the time, until they kept wanting to sell me things; their books, courses, etc. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was slowly being brainwashed. Not before long I got my wife to check it out, thinking maybe there was something there. She wasn’t too enthused but let me indulge myself.
One thing let to another and then before you know it they wanted us to give up all we had and move into one of their residences, a place that was a combination of an apartment complex and a military barracks. We actually went to check out the premises and were so very close to signing up for the whole thing. But at one moment my wife and I looked at each other, and I felt a serious twang in my solar plexus. Something just didn’t feel right to both of us. At the last minute we backed out and had nothing to do with them again.
Yes, over the years I have heard all the crazy stories about Scientology, wondering how true they were. For all those people’s sake I hoped it wasn’t. Then in late 2013 I read the book GOING CLEAR (interestingly it was written by an Austin writer). It was one of the most sickening and appalling things I had ever read. I was mesmerized by so many of the accounts in there that it got me wondering about what could have happened to us if we had gone forward with our Scientology experiment more than 40 years ago. It seems we have truly made the right decision. Whew …
I don’t usually harp on with negative rants about different spiritual systems, as I feel it is always up to each individual to make their own choice about such an important decision in their life. But I am making an exception here. I think Scientology is an evil scourge in this world, and should not exist in its present form. I hope that this book and the forthcoming documentary based on it, which is coming out in a couple months, sheds light on this horrid practice and that we see the beginning of its demise. It has no place in decent society. So, read the book and watch the film. Get informed!
Check out a previous post on my overall attitude about this — “Spiritual Big Shots”
JAD