Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts

The Legendary Robert Jay Lifton Interviewed by Steve Hassan

Dr. Robert J. Lifton is renowned in the field of cultic studies every since his groundbreaking work that evolved into the leading Theory of thought reform, which was first published in 1956 with his book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

On July, 13 2011 Lifton was interviewed in the following video by Steven A. Hassan, author and cult  recovery expert from the Freedom of Mind Center.


Adapted from the video description by Steve Hassan's channel on vimeo:
 
I sat down and had a most wonderful conversation with Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. on the occasion the publication of his memoir entitled, Witness to an Extreme Century.

Lifton talks about Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism and his work in Hong Kong in the 1950s exploring brainwashing in communist China. We then talk about his book, Death in Life, which describes the psychological effects of the nuclear bombs on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as his life work campaigning against nuclear bombs and ultimately nuclear energy.

Followed by a discussion of his work with Nazi Doctors, the concept of "doubling" and the mot amazing levels of atrocity done in the name of "virtue." Then to his book, Destroying the World to Save it, about apocalyptic cults. The book focuses on Aum Shinrikyo, the cult of Shoko Asahara who ordered the manufacture and ultimate sarin gassing of thousands on the subways of Tokyo. We talk in depth about this cult and throughout this fascinating talk, the themes of how powerful situational influences can make essentially, intelligent, good people commit extreme and immoral acts.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Lifton's works, his earliest research and related theories along with the great works Margaret Singer on Brainwashing and Mind Control have become the defacto standards in cultic studies aimed toward the harm inflicted on members of destructive cults.

From Dr. Lifton's profile with The Harvard International Negotiation Program:

Robert Jay Lifton is a lecturer on Psychiatry from Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychology, The City University of New York. He was formerly Director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He held the Foundations’ Fund Research Professorship of Psychiatry at Yale University for more than two decades. The recipient of many awards and honorary degrees, Dr. Lifton has sought always to combine scholarship and social activism.

The overall themes of his work have been holocaust and transformation. He has developed a general psychological perspective around the paradigm of death and the continuity of life, with emphasis on symbolization and the “formative process,” and on the malleability of the contemporary self. He has studied many of the most destructive events of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and has played an important role in the development of the field of psychohistory.

His many publications include: Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima (winner of a National Book Award), Hiroshima in America: Fifty Years of Denial (with Greg Mitchell); Six Lives/Six Deaths: Portraits from Modern Japan (with Shuichi Kato and Michael Reich); The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide (awarded a Los Angeles Times book prize), Home from the War: Learning from Vietnam Veterans (finalist for a National Book Award, and reissued with a new introduction on the war in Iraq), Destroying the World to Save It (about the fanatical Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo), and The Protean Self: Human Resilience in an Age of Fragmentation.

From September 11, 2001, he has been studying Islamic apocalyptic violence and American responses to 9/11, including their own apocalyptic tendencies. His book Superpower Syndrome: America's Apocalyptic Confrontation with the World was published by Nation Book in 2003. Most recently, Crimes of War: Iraq (Nation Books 2006), coedited with Irene Gendzier and Richard Falk and included a number of Dr. Lifton's essays, exploring the complex legal, historical, political and psychological dimensions of America's military response to 9/11.
As readily evidence in the small excerpt above, the range of Lifton's expertise since his earliest work based on his infamous Study of Brainwashing in China runs broad and deep.

But there is still an incredible wealth of knowledge that can be gained from Lifton's perpetually reprinted book, and it ranks high on this blog's recommended list of reading for those looking to shake off the undue influences of cults.

Additional references on Lifton and his related works in the fields of cultic studies and psychology of totalism for further study can be found on the following links.


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13 ways Scientology just got creepier [Annotated]

Asked how high he got in Scientology’s levels
of study, Haggis said, “All the way to the top.”
Photograph by Mary Ellen Mark.
Lawrence Wright's penultimate essay on Paul Haggis in The New Yorker magazine entitled THE APOSTATE has unleashed yet another media feeding frenzy regarding the alleged human rights abuses the Church of Scientology inflicts upon it's Sea Org members.

However this time the media wave comes with with with and additional one-two punch that was long overdue: A celebrity bares his soul about what he experienced and the FBI have been investigating the claims of abuse.

Amongst the ensuing fallout a virtual tsunami of media articles and related coverage is currently flooding the internet, one of the best sidebar tidbits this blogger came across was the article featured on the backlink of this post from the Manage Your Life blog on Yahoo!Shine.

This gem struck me as not only well worth re-posting on this micro-blog for educational purposes, but also worthy of expanding each item listed with additional source materials that support the information highlighted The New Yorker expose.

13 ways Scientology just got creepier
[The Annotated Edition]


Originally by Piper Weiss, Yahoo!Shine Staff with additional hyperlinks, images and dox inserted after each item, and supplemental commentary by this blogger noted in accented text. Click on thumbnail images for additional reference on any of the visual annotations.

"Journalist Lawrence Wright interviews current and former members of faith, including Academy Award winning writer Paul Haggis, who denounced his three-decade affiliation with Scientology publicly. The 28-page investigation into the history and horror stories of Scientology is chock full of weird. Here are the highlights:"

1.   The FBI probe: The article reveals that the church is under investigation from the FBI for human trafficking. Former members have made claims of unpaid, forced labor and physical abuse from current head of the organization, David Miscavige.

See also:


2.   The founder's fake past: The church fabricated documents about founder L. Ron Hubbard's war heroism, claims The New Yorker.

The DocumentCloud from The New Yorker supports Wright's conclusions. Additionally, see the following classic body of work by Chris Owen, a British historian who studied Scientology extensively. (click thumbnail for further reading)
 

3.   The celebrities: A lot of them were siphoned by a Scientologist acting teacher at The Beverly Hills Playhouse. That's how Anne Archer joined the fold. Now her son, Tommy Davis, heads up the church's Celebrity Centre. In other news, bossman Miscavige was Tom Cruise's best man when he wed Katie Holmes.

Note the Tom & Katie photo from the original article below, and cross reference this bike to the motorcycle shown on the left in the photo added for clarifying item #12.


4.   The six-figure membership: Members can spend upwards of $100,000 on courses and training in the church.

The vast number of levels on the Scientology Grade Chart is seemingly endless, and the farther up you the more outrageous the costs become. The fee schedules in the following collection of dox illustrates how easy it is for membership in this cult to lead to financial ruin.


5.   The fenced-off boot-camp: If you don't have that money you can work for your faith as a Sea Org member at Gold Base, a compound in central California. Miscavige spends a lot of his time there and most high-level members make there way to the base at some point for brief, intensive stays.

The razor fence surrounding the cult compound from: Scientology Headquarters (Gold Base/Int Base).


6.   The fenced-off prison: There's also a re-education camp near Gold Base. Here's the description: "Sea Org members who have 'failed to fulfill their ecclesiastical responsibilities' may be sent to one of the church’s several Rehabilitation Project Force locations. Defectors describe them as punitive re-education camps. In California, there is one in Los Angeles; until 2005, there was one near the Gold Base, at a place called Happy Valley. Bruce Hines, the defector turned research physicist, says that he was confined to R.P.F. for six years, first in L.A., then in Happy Valley. He recalls that the properties were heavily guarded and that anyone who tried to flee would be tracked down and subjected to further punishment."

The following 1999 German documentary about Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force ( RPF) was the first to expose the world at large to the cult's POW style abuses.



7.   The escape: Two former members claim to have escaped in the middle of the night. One drove a car through a fence.

Mark Headley's great escape was even more hair raising, check out his book Blown For Good for an unforgettable tale on escaping Gold Base.
 

8.   The punishment: According to a former Gold Base security chief, the church is not averse to using mental and physical tactics to bring escaped members back in the fold.

Amy Scobee's horror stories in her book Scientology Abuse At The Top goes into even more detail on the violence surround the cult's nefarious leader David Miscavige.


9.   The most bizarre game of musical chairs ever: A violent version of the kid's game set to Bohemian Rhapsody, mandated by Miscavaige, took place one night at Gold Base. It lasted all night, and by the ned people were punching each other. As full-time residents and workers at the Base, they were playing for their livelihood. Everyone who lost would be shipped off the Base immediately, deprived of their shelter and $50 a week income.

Marc Headley was the first to disclose the infamous Musical Chairs Incident, and his book listed above goes into further details. Since we already featured that reference, it seems apropos to note the gut wrenching story of torture, abuse and humiliation endure by Jeff Hawkins during his days at Gold Base as featured in the Counterfeit Dreams book.


10.   The most bizarre celebrity anecdote ever: Actor Josh Brolin claims to have witnessed John Travolta using his Scientology practice to heal the wounded leg of Marlon Brando at a Hollywood party. “I watched this process going on—it was very physical,” Brolin recalls. “I was thinking, This is really f------- bizarre! Then, after ten minutes, Brando opens his eyes and says, ‘That really helped. I actually feel different!’ ” (Travolta, through a lawyer, called this account “pure fabrication.”)


11.   The horror stories of Scientology kids: For kids who grow up in the church, there’s a thing called a ‘freeloader’ tab. If you want to leave the church’s fold, you’re charged with a six figure debt for unpaid coursework, according to ecclesiastical policy. Former underage members, including the niece of Miscavige who joined at 12, have formed an online support group called exscientologykids.com. They talk about how hard it is to leave the fold because they never received a formal education, and instead were put to work as manual laborers.

The article states: "In 2009, two former Sea Org members, Claire and Marc Headley, filed lawsuits against the church. They had both joined as children. Claire became a member of the Sea Org at the age of sixteen, and was assigned to the Gold Base. She says she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone where she was going, not even her mother, who was made to sign over guardianship."

The appalling treatment that Children in the Sea Org receive is unconscionable. The only words that can do this subject the justice it deserves, is the voices raised in unison from the kids who lived it.


12.   The horror stories of dealing with Tom Cruise: A former member claims he was ordered to pimp Tom Cruise's motorcycles, pro-bono, of course. Haggis claims Cruise reported him to the church when he joked about Scientology to Stephen Spielberg on the set of War of the Worlds. Another former member claims a botched project for Cruise resulted in a member being sent to the work camp for a stint.

From John Brousseau settles it, the personal account of the former Sea Org member who did the customization work to trick out Tom Cruise's favorite toys for $50 a week. Click the thumbnail to view the full-size image and notice the same motorcycle shown above with Tom & Katie is on the left:

Tom Cruise’s motorcycles flanking Miscavige’s Harley at his $70 million palace. [Source] This is Building 50 built for RTC and David Miscavige in Hemet, California
at Gold Base. [Source]

See also:

13.   The horror story of Scientology chief's wife: David Miscavage’s wife, Shelly, hired several people for jobs at Gold Base, without her husband's permission. Shortly thereafter she disappeared. When the New Yorker asked Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis of her whereabouts he said, “I definitely know where she is.” He didn't elaborate.

Nobody knows where Shelly is, but iy is widely hell DM is inseparable from his communicator Laurisse (Lou) Stuckenbrock as shown in the 2nd photo below from July 2008 when DM & Lou were seemingly on a double date with Tom & Katie at the Laguna Seca Moto GP in Monterey, California. The original photos by celebuzz.com recently disappeared but highlights captured here for posterity.


See also: Tom Cruise Katie Holmes Laguna Seca Moto GP & FreeKati.yuku.com
YES- Long post is long, but it needed to be said because the rabbit hole runs deep in Scientology. And considering the long history of insanity surrounding the Sea Org's Billion Year Contract, it needs to be said again and again. Until it stops.

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Margaret Singer: Cults in Our Midst

Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace is the second edition of a nonfiction psychology book on cults, by Margaret Singer with a foreword by Robert Jay Lifton. This text was first published in hardcover format during 1996, with a slightly different subtitle with coauthor Janja Lalich, Ph.D.

The second edition of this book, without Lalich as co-author, was published in paperback form in 2003 shortly before Dr. Singer's death. This revised version of the text was used as the primary source for this review, and includes a new introduction and postscript section that brings the book up to date. A lively yet comprehensive oral review of the first edition was also done in September 2008 by Mr.Fyde's channel on YouTube, and is featured in playlist format at the bottom of this post.

About the Author

Dr. Margaret Thaler Singer has been called "the preeminent cult expert of the 20th century" by those who follow in her footsteps. She was a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. A leading expert on thought reform and cult techniques of persuasion, she forged a path where few had gone in her time.

According to her ICSA author profile, she was known as a soft-spoken but hard-edged Berkeley psychologist and expert on brainwashing who studied and helped authorities and victims to better understand the destructive nature of many dangerous cults. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Well-versed with the likes of Peoples Temple, Branch Davidian, Symbionese Liberation Army, Unification Church and Psychotherapy Cults, Mrs. Singer testified in hundreds of cases in court -- but she also assisted anyone who called her listed home phone number asking for help. [Oakland Tribune]

Cults in Our Midst is considered one of Dr Singer's seminal works. For those who are new to the subject of cultic studies, this book and Lifton's Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism should be consider the classic starting points for further study in regards to academic due diligence for self-healing or self-education purposes.

A formal review of the first edition by Rev. Walter Debold was published in a 1995 volume of Cultic Studies Journal astutely described the book as follows.

Cults in Our Midst is not a book about weird people who join crazy groups. It’s about how all of us, at various times, can fall into vulnerable states during which another person can wield more influence over us. Alluding to Big Brother of Orwell’s 1984, Singer says: "Instead of one Big Brother, we see herds of Big Brothers in the world today." And she notes that they promise intellectual, spiritual, political, and self-actualizing utopias. "Eventually these groups subject their followers to mind-numbing treatments that block critical and evaluative thinking and subjugate independent choice in a context of a strictly enforced hierarchy."  [ICSA Archive]

Roadmap of the Fundamental Principles of Thought Reform

In Chapter 3, Dr. Singer provides a comprehensive yet down-to-earth explanation of the history and mechanics behind the process of Brainwashing, Psychological Coercion, and Thought Reform.

The book explains that at the time of initial publication of this book (1996) there were many previously used buzzwords by various experts to describe the process of psychological coercion that include: thought struggle, brainwashing, thought reform, coercive persuasion, mind control, coordinated programs of coercive influence and behavior control, and exploitative persuasion. [pg53 in the 2003 edition]

The author also states that this gem of a chapter fits into the bigger field of cultic studies of the time by focusing on those aspects that are best conveyed by the first and last terms in the list – thought struggle (Mao Tse-tung 1929) and exploitive persuasion (Singer and Addis 1992). Furthermore, the approach she takes in undressing this somewhat unsavory subject from these particular aspects, provides possibly the best basic introduction printed to date on how a member of a cult can be unduly and unknowingly influenced.

Many former members of various groups have praised this book for being an all-inclusive wake-up call they desperately needed to “snap out of it.” In this blogger’s humble opinion, the magic mojo of Singer’s pen is fully unleashed in Chapter 3 because of the excellent way she covers the essential need-to-know aspects of thought reform and cultic coercion.

After covering the basic background and history of persuasion and control techniques, Chapter 3 goes on to explain that the tactics of a thought-reform program are organized to serve these specific functions: [pg 62 in the 2003 edition]

  • Destabilize the person’s sense of self 
  • Get the person to drastically reinterpret his or her life’s history, radically alter their worldview, and accept a new version of reality and causality 
  • Develop in the person a dependence on the organization, and thereby turn the person into a deployable agent of the organization 

Dr. Singer continues on to explain the evolutionary product of her decades of field studies research: Singer’s 6 Conditions of Thought Reform. Additionally, she provides an insightful comparison of the other two basic schools of thought on the subject that were contemporary works during her practice in the field of cult recovery: Lifton’s 8 Criteria of Thought Reform and Schein’s 3 Stages of Conversion.

A summary of these methodologies for identifying coercive tactics used by cults, and how the steps in each models correlate to each other, is also provided in the following table. [pg62-4 in the 2003 edition]

Table 3.3 Criteria for Thought Reform

Conditions
(Singer)
 		 Themes
(Lifton)
 		 Stages
(Schein)
 
1. Keep the person unaware of what is going on and the changes taking place.
1. Unfreezing.

2. Control the person's time and, if possible, physical environment.

3. Create a sense of powerless, covert fear, and dependency,

4. Suppress much of the person's old behavior and attitudes.		1. Milieu Control.

2. Loading the language.

3. Demand for purity.

4. Confession.
5. Instill new behavior and attitudes.5. Mystical manipulation.

6. Doctrine over person.		2. Changing.
6. Put forth a closed system of logic; allow no real input or criticism.7. Sacred science.

8. Dispensing of existence.		3. Refreezing.
Excerpt from Cults in Our Midst 2003 edition, pg63


At the time of initial publication, these 3 schools of thought on recognizing the classic signs of cultic mind control were the widely accepted standard amongst scholars, and they still are today. However, there has also been a new school of thought on the matter of conversion through thought reform by Steve Hassan, known as the B.I.T.E Model of Mind Control, which is seemingly growing in popularity amongst his peers.

In the months ahead, we plan to explore all four (Singer, Lifton, Schein and Hassan) of these methodologies for identifying commonly used thought reform tactics used by cults. Thus the recent series of posts on this matter, including this book review, are an attempt to lay the basic groundwork for future reference. (See also Confronting Thought Reform & Coercive Persuasion and Glossary of Wog Words #2)

Definitive Work on the Various Types of Coercive Persuasion

In Chapters 6 and 7, Dr. Singer provides an informative description of exploitative persuasion tactics that cults like the Church of Scientology employ, and the effect each has on unsuspecting parishioners.

She takes a very common sense approach in addressing this material in laymen terms, and categorizes these tactics as physiological vs. psychological persuasion techniques. An outline of the general topics covered is summarized in the following table.

Physiological Persuasion Techniques
(Chapter 6)
 Psychological Persuasion Techniques
(Chapter 7)
  • Mass Marketing of Experiential Exercises
  • Techniques Producing Predictable Physiological Responses
- Hyperventilation
- Repetitive Motion
- Change in Diet, Sleep &     Stress
- Body Manipulations
- Relaxation-Induced           Anxiety
  • Meditation May Not Always Be Good for You
  • Trance and Hypnosis
- Naturalistic                 Trance Induction
- Guided Imagery
- Indirect Directives
  • Trickery
  • Revision of Personal History
  • Peer Pressure and Modeling
  • Emotional Manipulation
  • Psychotherapy Cults
Summary of major points from Cults in Our Midst 2003 edition, pg125-81

Additional Material

There is so much valuable material in Singer's Cults In Our Midst, this quick synopsis of the major highlights barely does it justice. Suffice it to say, if former cult members or their loved ones only read one book on the subject of subversive influences a destructive group asserts over its followers, this book is definitely the one you need to get.

Don't have time to read it? Well then, check out the following series of videos that take the time to provide a more comprehensive review of the first edition of the text.

MrFyde on Cults in Our Midst 



Further Reading in the Exit Zone Dox



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Philip Zimbardo Explains the Lucifer Effect

Jeff Hawkins recently featured a fantastic pair of articles on the Leaving Scientology blog that are a must-read for anyone considering leaving the Church of Scientology, or attempting to recover from the duress inflicted on them during their involvement with this pervasive cult.

These enlightening essays explore one of several key concepts included in Dr. Philip Zimbardo's well-established theory based on extensive scholarly research regarding how good people are easily conditioned to do evil deeds. Zimbardo's studies contend that situational factors in certain institutional settings can become a diseased breeding ground for evil acts, and the ultimate cure for this type of evil is acts of heroism.


Dr.Z and Robin Williams, TED Conference (2008)
The underlying theory behind The Lucifer Effect book initially evolved from Zimbardo's infamous Stanford Prison Experiment that former cult members, from many different destructive groups, often find reassuring for proving that anybody can be rapidly indoctrinated into a dangerous cult mentality no matter how smart or naive they might be.

As always, Jeff's articles listed at the top of this post not only hit a nail on the head, they also raised a great deal of positive discussion on the systematic factors inherent in the Church of Scientology that makes it such destructive cult. Thus, we thought we would add the following video to help amplify that recently raised awareness of Zimbardo's seminal works on The Lucifer Effect for further reflection.

This clip is a quick but thorough introduction that Professor Zimbardo gave to a distinguished  TED|Talks audience in 2008 that applies The Lucifer Effect theory to the travesties that happened at the Abu Ghraib prison encapment in war-torn Iraq. The above photo with comedian Robin Williams was taken at the same TED event, with the appropriate credit (and thanks!) going out to http://www.LuciferEffect.org.


"The shift [needed] is towards a public health model that recognizes situational and systemic vectors of disease. Bullying is a disease. Predjudice is a disease. Violence is a disease."
- Phil Zimbardo [18:18]
As Dr. Zimbardo explains in the lecture above, the main principle of the Lucifer Effect theory is to explain how institutional situations can affect human behavior. He touches upon the bad apples concept that Jeff highlighted, as well as briefly defining the other key concepts developed during his decades of research.

Another concept from this theory that is also worthy of highlighting is mentioned in the run-up to Zimbardo's concluding remarks around the 20 minute mark in the above clip, where he briefly recaps his supporting points that certain situations can have the power to do three things:

These factors are extremely relevant for former cult members who beat themselves up over not doing anything to stop the abuses they witnessed. Admitting that abusive practices run rampant within the Scientology organization is the first big step of fighting off the cult's influence over one's mind. While recognizing that previous inaction towards stopping institutional abuses has been proven a common response in an abusive group environment, is a giant realization for recovering cult members to make towards seeing that they are not alone in their experiences.

Dr. Z's points regarding the normal situational responses to the influence of an abusive institution are also expanded upon further in the Resisting Influence guide that is featured on The Lucifer Effect website.

For a much more comprehensive lecture from Philip Zimbardo on the Lucifer Effect (where he has the time to thoroughly explore all of the aspects of his theory and hypothesis) along with other related interviews and discussions, check out the following playlist available on YouTube compliments of the PLMSTube channel.


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Warning Signs of a Dangerous Cult

For current members who may be wondering if they have truly gotten involved in a destructive cult the internet holds a wide variety of lists of warning signs, checklists of dangerous factors, and classification charts for differentiating a abusive group from a harmless sect.

The wealth of information is readily apparent even on Wikipedia where they have 10 different checklists indexed, including a fascinating historical reference to a 1979 addendum from a United States Congressional Research Service report.

Although at a cursory glance, the Church of Scientology pretty much fails on all or most points no matter which list you investigate, sometimes too much information is a bad thing.

Thus, in the hopes of identifying one singular reliable resource for those who are still actively involved with the Scientology organization, that may be Facing Their Doubts and asking that gut-wrenching question "Is Scientology a Cult?" we humbly recommend the following classic article from the Factnet.org website.


This excellent work provides an easy-to-digest outline of key warning signs and factors of concern that current members of the Church of Scientology should evaluate for themselves once they begin the process of becoming informed. The following is an abbreviated checklist excerpted from this article for the sake of a quick reference.

1) A destructive cult tends to be totalitarian in its control of its members' behavior.

2) A destructive cult tends to have an ethical double standard.

3) A destructive cult has only two basic purposes: recruiting new members and fund-raising.

4) A destructive cult appears to be innovative and exclusive.

5) A destructive cult is authoritarian in its power structure.

6) A destructive cult's leader is a self-appointed messianic person claiming to have a special mission in life.

7) A destructive cult's leader centers the veneration of members upon himself or herself.

8) A destructive cult's leader tends to be determined, domineering, and charismatic.
Do any of these warning signs resonate with your experiences in the Church of Scientology? If so, checkout the following fair usage video based on one of Scientology's own propaganda PSA that makes several false claims about their stance of human rights, but edited here to reveal the truth about the harm the organization is currently inflicting on their followers with no remorse.


For additional recommended references, see the Checklist of Cult Characteristics that was covered in an earlier post. Also be sure to review Cult Warning Signs by Rick Ross, which features the following useful checklists for similar areas of concern that are likewise applicable to the Church of Scientology.

  • Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.
  • Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.
  • Ten signs of a safe group/leader.

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Professor Stephen Kent on Scientology and other cults in America

The following lecture on Scientology is an oldie but a goodie from the XenuTV video archives.

This segment is from the Leo J. Ryan Education Foundation CULTinfo conference series in 2000, featuring Professor Stephen Kent from the University of Alberta in Edmonton.


Stephen A. Kent, Ph.D is a Sociology Department Professor who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on the sociology of religion and the sociology of sectarian groups.He has published extensively on his research into various cults including Scientology, the Children of God, other alternative religions and Ritual Satanic Abuse.

His more poignant studies in regards to becoming informed about the ramifications of the Church of Scientology being a cult include the following published works.


Professor Kent is also one of the few cultic studies researches that looks extensively at the testimony of ex-members and is vocal in his criticism of the groups that his finding indicate to be dangerous.

Thus, he has weathered many a storm with major blow back from the cults he exposes. Additionally, he's also been a frequent target of the legions of paid-for cult apologists who earn a living criticizing the real scholars while trying to publicly brand a cult's enemies as the so-called "critic" so as to buffer the damage their academic works inflict.

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Steve Hassan & Tory Christman: Getting In & Getting Out of a Cult

The notable cult expert and author Steve Hassan, who is also the founder of the Freedom of Mind Center, recently gave a talk in Los Angeles in conjunction with an event hosted by the Sinai Temple.

Afterwards, he had the opportunity to tape the following 60 minute discussion with Ex-Scientologist Tory Christman on November 20th, 2010.

From the video description on the Freedomofmind Vimeo Channel:

I got the chance to sit down with my friend Tory Christman, a former 30 year Scientologist (OT7 and did it twice!), who was directed to do some of the very first "dirty tricks" on the internet, and who left the group and has been one of the most courageous, outspoken critics. Tory has a simply amazing experience to tell. She went all the way "up the bridge" to discover it was not what she ever wanted to be involved in. She knew John Travolta and other celebrities in the group.


 
For additional reference on Steve's comments at 12:50 mark see:
Derren Brown - New Age Belief Systems-Voodoo Dolls, Reiki
 
For additional reference on Tory's remarks at 18:05 mark see:
ROAD TO FEBRUARY 10, 2008 - FINAL VERSION 
 
For additional reference on Steve's comments at 24:29 mark see: 
Geraldo: Scientology vs. Prozac (Jentzsch vs. Hassan)

 
 
For a good general reference on this discussion see:
Is the Church of Scientology a Cult?

Looking for more information on leaving a cult? Then be sure to check out the Exit Zone Resources index and related Reading Lists.

Need someone to talk to? Tory is a fabulous resource to reach out too, and she helps many former members far and wide. Just stop by ToryMagoo.org to find her personal contact information.

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Karen Pressley Presents Not In My Back Yard to GSA

The Georgia Sociological Association (GSA) held its 2010 Annual Meeting on October 29, in Decatur, Georgia that featured Ms. Karen Pressley, Scientology expert and former 16-year member.

The GSA was formed in 1964 and is an organization of academic and applied professional sociologists and students who strive to improve research, teaching, and discussion among persons in the State of Georgia engaged in the scientific study of society and culture.

The conference theme for this year's annual GSA meeting was Healthy, Just, and Sustainable Communities. Ms. Pressley was amongst the guest speakers and gave the following presentation entitled Not In My Back Yard: Cults, Communities, and Concerns.


Karen also participated in a panel discussion on the subject of "Rehabilitation or Religious Reeducation? The Intersections of Therapeutic Communities, Synanon, and Narconon" thats available on the following links.


According to the SP Times in 2006; Pressley left Scientology in 1998 and refused to come back for sec checks. She has publicly denounced "substandard" child care at church facilities around the world and criticized the church for the "condition of poverty" that staffers lived in. She endured disconnection from her husband along with the usual dead agent attacks in the aftermath, yet managed to find her own salavation along the path of Christian ministries.

Ms. Pressley also went on to successfully pursue a higher education that she now puts to good use when speaking out critically against the abusive practices the Church of Scientology inflicts upon its parishioners.

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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.


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.
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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.

Listen to your doubtsIf 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.

If you discover your doubts are justified, please considering sending a copy of your doubt formula to scientology-cult@nyms.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 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.
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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.


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AnonyNews Report on CofS Exit Survey

A segment of the AnonyNews 10.5 broadcast from February 2010 featured a review of the ongoing CofS Exit Survey project. Special thanks going out to the German Anons for the wonderful plug, the following video is spliced from the original segment to highlight the survey coverage.



The recently released monthly reports for April marked our first milestone of 250 responses gathered. A few highlights of the demographic the survey is reaching is reflected in the summary charts provided below (click on the thumbnail chart to view the full size image).


The initial cross-community support for this project was a little tricky to navigate at first. However, there seems to be signs that hopefully indicate a cohesive acceptance of this effort slowly building amongst all the different camps who find fault with the Church of Scientology organization. For additional discussion on these efforts, check out one of the following threads in the camp of your choice.

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Ex-Scientologists Speak Out at Center for Inquiry West

On February 12, 2010 in Los Angeles, CA six former Scientology Sea Org members took the stage at the Steve Allen Theater to expose abusive conditions inside the Church of Scientology. The event was hosted by the Center for Inquiry West and held to commemorate the two year anniversary of the Project Chanology segment of Anonymous taking a stand worldwide to peacefully protest the criminal policies and abusive practices the Church of Scientology adheres too.

News media coverage of this event included the following broadcasts.

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