New Statesman - A journey into Scientology:
[...] In 1950 I read the book: DIANETICS: The Modern Science of Mental Health, and was fascinated by the way in which that research related to the world around me, and how I could directly put it into practice in my life, to help myself and others. [...]
Miracle-like experiences brought by Scientology to my brother and my wife I shall describe in a later post, but for myself the main results of my study of Hubbard’s works have been twofold
Firstly, I now have an unassailable good natured and cheerful certainty in myself. A quiet confidence that nothing can really trouble me for more than a short time because I know that I will quickly find a solution. I find that that certainty and self-confidence play themselves out in my life.
Secondly, because I personally feel at peace with myself, I am able to observe and give attention to the plight of our communities and the individuals within those communities, and this has resulted in a daily desire to help others in a wide variety of ways.
Sometimes the help is financial, but mainly it is hands on: making full use of the various skills I have learnt in Scientology. Helping addicts recover from drugs or alcohol. Helping the recently bereaved recover from their loss. Helping those in physical pain understand and overcome it. Helping those in fear or other painful emotion deal with it and recover. [...]"
3 comments:
People post negative comments in the feedback of a story on the web?
Shocking! Unheard of! How dare they?!
Or is it just like every other article ever posted on the web? On religion, politics, computing or anything else?
And because a person feels he's getting benefits, should we really turn a blind eye when the same person espouses Hubbard's nonsense as the head of the UK Narconon variation front group?
http://www.pr.com/press-release/7275
He loves Scientology today but so did all the others over the decades who woke up and asked "What was I thinking?"
I'm not sure we help anyone by looking the other way. Most of the people in Jonestown were happy to be there. The people in Heaven's Gate felt quite content, they had found the way.
When do we get permission to say, "Wait a minute. Not everything is as L. Ron Hubbard promised it to be."
Thanks for your comment, Mark.
Of course I am not against people posting their comments, even if most of the time I don't like the way they do it.
I am not sure it's like for any other topic, though. Several authors have commented that it would be enough to just mention Scientology to receive a flood of comments.
I believe that some anon/critic make it their duty to immediately jump onto the slightest mention in the news. There's a guy who often comes first with some copy/paste article starting with a quote from the son of LRH.
My pointing out to the attacks was not a criticism about posting comments, more like an observation, while at the same time I also wish these comments would be more than just base and thoughtless ones.
And since you mention Jonestown and the Haven's Gate, these events did not exist in a void, and we ought to take into account the anti-cult reaction to them which, I believe, at least in part, were also responsible for the tragic outcome.
In other words, when does legitimate reaction to the cult phenomenon become detrimental itself? When does criticizing the negative side of these groups (and I agree with you that this needs to be done), have for effect of reinforcing their cultic tendencies rather than easing them off?
My criticism goes in that direction, not that we should look the other way and say nothing. Not at all...
Great reading yoour blog
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