Church of Scientology Exit Zone: October 2010

Open Letters for Open Minded Scientologists to Ponder

There is a long standing tradition on the internet and elsewhere in regards to outreach efforts to help current members of the Church of Scientology find their way free from the organization - Open Letters.

A search of the internet reveals a treasure trove of insights in these open letters ranging back for decades, all of which match the general pattern of opening with:

Dear Scientologist(s).., Dear Church of Scientology..., Dear Scientology Executive..., Dear Scientology Staff... or Dear Family Members Still in Scientology... and so on and so forth.

In fact, the tradition of open letters encouraging Scientologists to do what is right in regards to straightening out the problems within the orgs was seemingly started by L. Ron Hubbard in his HCO Bulletin of 27 May 1960 where the following paraphrased advice seems to have done no good in the long run.

Dear Scientologist: ... Clearing the executives, the auditors, the people of Scientology is your job now.

- L. Ron Hubbard

A great new blog has recently been launched by Jim Little featured on the backlink of this post's title, which does an excellent job of archiving the most recently released open letters. However, the extended time line of open letters is just too valuable of a reference to miss.

Thus, we offer the following greatest hits list of links to other open letters that deserve to be remembered for posterity. There is lots of great food4thought here, all you have to do is look.

David Mayo 1983
Captain Bill Roberts 1983
Eric Townsend 1985
Lyle Stewart 1988
Indira and Manu Bajaj 1994
Steve Allen 1997
Jesse Prince 1999
Robert Vaughn Young 2000
R. V. Young 2000 [Cont'd]
Michael Pattinson 2005
Michael Leonard Tilse 2005
George Kelly 2007
Anonymous 2008

Jenna Miscavige Hill 2008
Tory Christman 2008
AskTheScientologist 2008
Susan Lentsch 2008
Neo [on ESMB] 2008
Mac Stevens 2008
Reasonable [on ESMB] 2009
Carmel Underwood 2009
Resident of London 2009
Paul Haggis 2009
Christopher Eisenman 2010
David St Lawrence 2010
Jim & Meshell Little 2010

And lastly... because we're STILL here for you,
whether you like us or not - from Anonymous in 2010.

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men."

- Abraham Lincoln

Do you have something to get off your chest in tune with this established tradition of Dear Scientologist(s)... letters?

If so, please consider doing so and releasing it publicly on your own coming-forth blog like Mr. Little did with LittleDoubt, or amongst the online community of your choice. Or post a comment on this article if you need help getting it online, and the anon-friendly human rights advocates managing this sector of the interwebz will be happy to help.

The more voices who speak up - no matter where they stand when they come forward - the easier it becomes to set others free.

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.

Blogspot Do-over Underway

For those who might be wondering "what's going on here" with this blog, yes - it's currently under re-construction with a cross-camp collaborative effort do-over.

What was previously just a simple web repository for showcasing the published reports from the Exit Survey project, is in the process of being re-branded as the new Church of Scientology Exit Zone - or 'jus plain Exit Zone for short.

So the new purpose of this blog is to setup a central square, outside the world of forums, for promoting multiple data collection projects that span several different camps within the Scientology critic circles (WWP, OCMB, ESMB, and the Tipping Point). Our hope is to build a respectful common ground index of tools and resources that will serve as a comfortable middle-path stop on the interwebz from the conservatively critical side of the fence.

Furthermore, we aim to host information adhering to a single-focus theme that all those with interests in seeing changes in regards to the Church of Scientology modus operandi can mutually agree on - more help is needed for getting people OUT of the church. Ultimately, the way out is the way out - and that is all that matters here on the Exit Zone. Once current members are free of church's destructive hold on their lives, they are likewise free to choose their future path beyond organized scientology as far as we're concerned.

All of the data collection projects showcased here aim to help current members of the Church of Scientology see that their doubts are valid and find their way out of the Church of Scientology organization. Our target audience is for people who are still actively involved with the official church, but on the fence and beginning to open their eyes to the more critical viewpoints. As well as helping non-sci family or friends concerned about their loved ones' involvement understand what they are dealing with in trying to help someone to see the light.

As of this post, there is still a few unfinished spots when you surf through the newly added pages available from the site navigation links at the top of the blog. Tentative launch date for making a formal public announcement in the various online communities introducing the Exit Zone is likely a month or so away.

Update Dec. 27, 2010: We're basically done with all the under construction zones, and just waiting to see where the pending wwp wiki resurrection stands after the holiday season passes. Please excuse the delay & temporarily busted wiki links, shi- happens, and when its hardware related - its not easy to find the time to make things right on a site thats solely supported by volunteered/donated resources.

Having trouble making sense of the lingo and slang used on this blog? Check out the glossary of terms specific to this announcement in the post below, and/or following the related sidebar link under Labels to see an informal index of glossary definitions that will grow over time as more materials are posted here at the Exit Zone.

Glossary of Wog Words #1

Chapter 1: Basic Internet-savvy Vocabulary

The following glossary of terms is the first installment of a series of posts humbly offered as an aid to Scientologists who may be struggling to leap over the language barriers between the various different camps who find fault with the Church of Scientology.

For additional information on the purpose behind this series of posts, and further explanation of the "Type of "Lingo" classification in the embedded document below, please refer to the previously posted Exit Zone Glossary Classifications.

A hardcopy version in PDF format that isn't so hard on the eyes will eventually be made available in the Exit Zone documents collection on Scribd once more entries are posted, and indexed for greater ease of references at the bottom of the Resources page.

For more definitions commonly used in the Scientology activism and reformation communities, check out the related Glossary label readily available on the sidebar. (More posts like this one coming soon!)

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.

Exit Zone Glossary Classifications

With an aim towards spanning the language barriers that current members of the Church of Scientology often struggle with when they first venture out of scieno-speak indoctrination and seek answers on the internet in response to their growing doubts...

An upcoming series of posts entitled the "Glossary of Wog Words" will soon be launched here on the Exit Zone blog.

Unlike all of the other Scientology-related glossaries on the web that define scieno-speak terms for the un-initiated to understand the world inside the CofS, our glossary will cater to helping the initiated understand the outside world from within the bubble that cults tend to enveloper their members in to filter outside influences.

The list of terms included will be classified by type of lingo or language standard being defined, according to the following list.

Type of Lingo - Glossary Classifications

General :: General-purpose definitions of common vernacular meaning of words as it relates to the subject matter and content on this microblog.
Sci-speak :: Scientology’s own internal form of language that's essential knowledge for interpreting their doctrines and teachings.
Web-speak :: Common pop culture slang or familiar technical terms used by those who are internet-savvy.
Anon-speak :: Common subculture slang terms that are often derived from memes or offensive language being neutralized with satire.
Clinical :: Standard medical, academic and/or scientific terms.
Universal :: Specific-purpose definitions widely excepted as the norm by the world-at-large.

The glossary will be published in installments, usually accompanying an important announcement or another post of some significance. The segments will be released such that the home page of this microblog (set to show 2 posts per page) will show a feature article on top, and the supplement glossary post as /b/ackup underneath.

If you find this glossary series helpful and wish to see other words defined, feel free to add comments on any given post with the Glossary label to relay your requests & suggestions.

Facing Your Doubts About The Church of Scientology

For current members of the Church of Scientology organization that may be out there on interwebz lurking in silence, the backlink featured on this post's title is a must-read reference by Tom Martiniano on the scientology-cult.com website.

If you are struggling with coming to grips with all the troubling controversies becoming readily apparent these days with your church, there is an obvious solution for sorting out your upsets.

Accept that you have doubts, and then go looking for answers with an open mind - see for yourself how deep the accusations run and whether or not they have merit or ring true for you.

Then do as many others have done - run an honest doubt formula in accordance with the practice defined in the Introduction to Scientology Ethics book that looks at ALL sides of the issues. Open your mind to sources of information beyond the church's own propaganda, and evaluate their claims for yourself.

“By doubting we come at truth.”
- Cicero

Yes, there is a lot of information out there to absorb along the path of becoming fully informed. There is also a wide-range of ground to find commonality with: pro-church, pro-LRH but anti-church, pro-none-of-the-above (anti-everything), plus many shades of gray in between. The decision of where you personally stand is ultimately your own, but none-the-less we urge you to do your own doubt formula as so many others have done and become fully informed before coming to your own conclusions.

The following useful nuggets are offered as further food4thought on the matter. In the coming days, we will also begin indexing published doubt formulas from a range of source for further reading. With the goal being to build up a useful cross-reference under the related blog label on this post, with insights spanning multiple communities representative of the full range of opinions on the controversial aspects of the Church of Scientology.

Doubt -- Gathering facts for actual evaluation

Leaving Scientology Blog | Doubt Formulas

Scientology Doubt Formula in the Freezone

If you discover your doubts are justified, please considering sending a copy of your doubt formula to scientology-cult@nyms.net to be posted online in response to the featured backlink on this post title.

Another alternative to consider is releasing your doubt formula in some other means amongst the online community of your choice. Or post a comment on this article if you need help getting it online, and the anon-friendly human rights advocates managing this sector of the interwebz will be happy to help.

The more voices who speak up - no matter where they stand when they come forward - the easier it becomes to set others free.

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.

Steven A. Hassan Lectures at NYSEC

The notable cult expert and author Steve Hassan, who is also the founder of the Freedom of Mind Center, gave a short talk at NY Ethical Culture Society on October 17th, 2010.

The lecture was approximately 40 minutes long and titled the same as Steve's previously released book "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves." The discussion touched on Scientology and went into Steve's own personal story of how he was rescued from the Moonies in 1976.

Additional commentary on this recorded lecture has been covered by Jeff Hawkins on the Leaving Scientology blog, and Mark Bunker over at Xenu TV. Other discussions & lectures Steve has done regarding cults in the past that are available on the web include the following.

Click the title of this post or ob any other entries on this micro blog to visit the related link for a given announcement.