Picking Apart the 31 Factors: Part 1

Note: See below for original introduction.

In order to remind people of the modus operandi of the Independent movement – which is to use the negative publicity surrounding Miscavige to whitewash L. Ron Hubbard, so that true believers like Marty Rathbun (and possibly Debbie Cook) can continue to make money by selling Scientology – I wanted to take a look at one of Marty Rathbun’s first articles, 31 Factors for Scientology to Consider. Let’s pick this baby apart and look for the lies and half-truths. I won’t do the whole thing today, but that’s OK; Marty starts misleading in the first sentence.

Remember, as the South Park boys say: THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE.

“Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard discovered methodologies that can enhance self-determinism, increase freedom of choice, and bring about higher states of awareness and beingness to those who practice them.”

Oh boy. Where do we start? With the word “discovered”? Or with the claims made for Scientology? This is the same bullshit claim that the Church uses. Ask any ex-Scientologist about the freedom of choice or awareness level in Scientology.

“Hubbard developed a method of confession that includes unconditional forgiveness and results in more able, happy and peaceful beings.”

Actually, Hubbard stole a method of “confession” that results in more able, happy and peaceful beings. It’s called abreaction therapy, and it’s one of many psychotherapy methods that involves looking at past traumas to figure out why your life is hanging up. Hubbard cribbed it for Dianetics, and it works, which helps draw people into the scam.

Now, a real Scientologist would whip out its* dictionary and show me the definition of the word “develop” and use that as proof that Hubbard did not actually claim authorship. Bullshit, says I; the implication and belief is that Hubbard invented it, which he didn’t.

(* Thetans (the Scientology term for our spirits) are supposedly non-gender-specific, so perhaps we should start referring to Scientologists as “it” rather than “he” or “she.”)

“Hubbard developed an ethics system that an individual can apply to himself to improve his worth to himself and to his fellows.”

Hubbard developed an ethics system that encourages people to report on everyone they know and turn their back on anyone who dares talk bad about Scientology. That includes children, parents, and spouses. One important lesson: You cannot trust a Scientologist. Hubbard taught his customers followers that the “group” (Scientology) is more important than any one individual.

“Hubbard established a form of organizational policy that is predicated on rewarding accomplishment rather than punishing failure.”

I’ve worked extensively with this organizational policy, and the whole reward accomplishment/punish failure thing is a major fail. Hubbard’s “management by statistics” means that if your stats are up, you are left alone, but if they are down or flat, you have to change things, no matter the reason for your “downstat” condition.

In some jobs, constant improvement is possible. But in others, it’s not. Imagine a fire department: Normally, if the number of fires is down, that’s a good thing. It means fire prevention education is working and the taxpayers are saving money. In a Hubbard-run fire department, the “fires put out” stat would be down and everyone would be in trouble. The fire fighters could become arsonists, but more likely they would invent a new statistic that they could keep improving for a while, and then when that one plateaud, find a reason that statistic was the improper one, send a few people to waste their time doing useless “lower condition write-ups”, then invent a new statistic, and keep it until that one tanks, too.

That last scenario is what happens at most Hubbard Admin Tech companies, and it’s why they spend a lot of time spinning their wheels instead of building their business. Hubbard insisted that his Management Technology was the only workable management technology ever invented, and yet you won’t find a single Admin Tech company on the Fortune 500.

“Hubbard set forth many of the fundamental values of Scientology and its organizations in the Creed of the Church of Scientology, The Code of a Scientologist, and the Credo of a True Group Member.”

Oh yeah? Here are some bits from the Creed of the Church of Scientology:

“That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights.”

But not gay people or black people.

“That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others.”

Although doing so may be considered a Scientology crime and get your ass kicked out.

“And that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside these rights, overtly or covertly.”

And if you stay in long enough and spend enough money, you’ll learn that Hubbard says that Scientologists basically are God, and therefore they do have that power. Which is why they can send you to the RPF, the in-house prison camp that Hubbard invented, and keep you there.

From the Code of a Scientologist:

“1. To keep Scientologists, the public and the press accurately informed concerning Scientology, the world of mental health and society.”

Except for the PR policies about telling an “acceptable truth,” and the lies about the psychiatry profession, outdated and untrue, that Scientologists are led to believe.

“9. To embrace the policy of equal justice for all.”

Funny that, as right now the Church is trying to tell the courts that Scientology justice takes precedence over “Wog” justice. This is a belief that Hubbard espoused in policy.

I could go on, but you get the idea. You can read The Creed of the Church of Scientology, The Code of a Scientologist, and The Credo of a True Group Member (WARNING: All Church links) and see the bullshit for yourself.

“Thirty-one factors have been discovered that threaten the continued viability of this vital subject.”

Oh dear, I’ve filled up a whole blog entry and haven’t even made it past the introduction! We’ll start delving into the factors themselves in Part 2.

ML,
Caliwog

This was the original introduction to this article. Zapped in the interest of making this a better reference piece.

The Debbie Cook situation fills me with mixed feelings. It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Ms. Cook, although let’s not forget that she pushed the scam of Scientology on many others, and apparently wants to continue to do so. The publicity surrounding her case is a very real problem for the protest movement, as it pushes the perception that the problem with Scientology is the organized Church, and that Scientology itself is just a harmless religion.

Of course, Scientology is anything but harmless (or a religion, for that matter).