DOCSLIB.ORG

The Magickal Observer 1 März 2008 ● Editoral Dieses Heft War Für Uns in Der Redaktion Aus Mehreren Gründen Eine Schwere Geburt

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Magickal Observer 1 März 2008 ● Editoral Dieses Heft War Für Uns in Der Redaktion Aus Mehreren Gründen Eine Schwere Geburt The Magickal Observer 1 März 2008 ● Editoral Dieses Heft war für uns in der Redaktion aus mehreren Gründen eine schwere Geburt. Zum Einen ist es sehr schwierig, über Scientology authentisches Material zu recherchieren. Man findet eigentlich nur Halbwahrheiten, unterschiedlich gefärbt, je nach dem, wer sie einem präsentiert. Befürworter loben die Scientology Kirche in den Himmel, Gegner verorten sie gern in der Hölle. Interna sind dünn gesät und mit Vorsicht zu genießen, da sie meist von „Aussteigern“ präsentiert werden, die mit der Org noch eine Rechnung offen haben. Wir haben an diesem Heft nun ein Jahr lang gearbeitet und waren bemüht, Material aus unterschiedlichen Quellen zusammenzutragen. Ein abschließendes Urteil ohne „wenn“ und „aber“ zu fällen, ist unglaublich schwer. Es gibt Momente, in denen man den Scientologen attestieren möchte, daß sie eigentlich ganz nett und zum Knuddeln sind, aber es gibt auch Momente, da möchte man sie nicht im Haus haben. Das vorliegende Heft beinhaltet einige Themenkomplexe, die jenseits der mainstream-Diskussion liegen und selten ventiliert werden. Es war nicht unsere Absicht, zum x-ten Male die Verfassungskonformität von Scientology, die Wichtigkeit von Tom Cruise oder die Existenz der RPF zu diskutieren, das haben andere Publikationen schon ausgiebig getan. Unsere Fragestellung war vielmehr: Woher kommt Scientology? Wer war Ron Hubbard? Was beseelt diese Religion? Was bringt Menschen dazu, sich dieser Gruppe anzuschließen? Nun, unser Heft ist fertig, und ich bin mir sicher, daß es weder Befürwortern noch Gegnern der Scientology gefallen wird. Es ist aber auch nicht Aufgabe der Redaktion, zu gefallen, sondern wir informieren. Es ist auch nicht erheblich, ob wir fortan unser Dasein als „Supressive Persons“ fristen werden. Es kümmert uns nicht, ob Scientologen, die sich durch unsere Veröffentlichung auf den Schlips getreten fühlen, „Fair Games“ mit uns spielen wollen, weil sie möglicherweise nicht begreifen, daß wir sie nicht diskriminieren, sondern letztlich sogar für ihre merkwürdige Religion eine Lanze brechen. Wir sind Thelemiten, und wir sind Kummer gewöhnt. Und wir haben keine Angst vor großen Tieren ;-) -Olaf Francke- Chefredakteur & Herausgeber Inhalt dieser Ausgabe: Seite 2: Die Redaktion - Editorial, Inhaltsangabe, V.i.S.d.P. Seite 3: Scientology – Konzern oder Kirche? .- Olaf Francke Seite 7: Interview mit Sabine Weber, Präsidentin der Scientology Kirche Berlin e.V. - Neidthard Kupfer Seite 12: Wie ein Interview zustande kommen kann – Eine kleine Nachbetrachtung - Neidthard Kupfer Seite 14: Einige notwendige Anmerkungen - Neidthard Kupfer Seite 20: EinsFünfSex –Yeah, it is I, Babalon! - Olaf Francke Seite 29: Wes Geistes Kind – Woher kommt Dianetik? - Olaf Francke Seite 38: Aufruhr im All – Sektor Neun und die Freezone - Olaf Francke Seite 46: Eine Frage noch... –Interview mit Frank Busch SK-HH - Olaf Francke Seite 51: Zitate – Sammlung von Statements – editiert von Olaf Francke Seite 54: Die wunderbare Welt der Enturbulation – Neidthard Kupfer Seite 58: Wie Käpt'n Ron the home of the brave aus höchster Not errettete – Neidthard Kupfer Seite 69: Darumb du gwis des teuffels pist - Scientology und Okkultismus – Neidthard Kupfer Seite 69: Dokumentation Hubbard / Parsons – zugesandt von der Scientology Kirche Berlin e.V. Auf die Seitenzahl klicken, um direkt zum Kapitel zu gelangen. Herausgeber & V.i.S.d.P.: EVENT HORIZON™ -Olaf Francke- Dorfstr. 30 D25557 Beldorf www.event-horizon.de – [email protected] St.Nr.: 28024WV - Finanzamt Rendsburg Redaktion: Satz & Layout, Grafik: Olaf Francke # Lektorat und redaktionelle Bearbeitung: Neidthard Kupfer Leserbriefe bitte an [email protected] oder hier: http://leserforum.magickal-observer.de Sie möchten in unserem Magazin Werbung schalten? Kontaktieren Sie die Redaktion unter [email protected] und holen Sie ein individuelles Angebot ein. Oder rufen Sie uns an: 0178/87509811. Sie möchten in unserem Magazin unentgeltlich Artikel veröffentlichen? Kontaktieren Sie die Redaktion unter [email protected] und senden Sie uns Ihren Artikel als Textdatei zu (MS-Office, Open Office, jedoch keine PDF-Dateien). Bilder legen Sie bitte ggf. gesondert in einer ZIP-Datei bei, geeignete Bildformate sind JPG, PNG und SVG. -Anzeige- Besuchen Sie unsere Community im Netz: The Magickal Observer 2 März 2008 Scientology – Konzern oder Kirche? - Olaf Francke- Der Gedanke, ein Themenheft über das Phänomen Scientology zu machen, nahm im Frühjahr 2007 konkrete Formen an. Der Redaktion lagen Berichte vor, nach denen Scientology angeblich „totalitär“ sei, „Gehirnwäsche“ betreibe und Menschen unterdrücke. Diese Berichte kamen jedoch hauptsächlich aus einer Quelle, nämlich aus der Clique der sogenannten „Weltanschauungsbeauftragten“, deren zentrale Figur, ein Herr G. aus Berlin, offensichtlich einen Feldzug gegen Scientology organisiert. Das stimmte uns skeptisch. Also begann die Redaktion zu recherchieren. Wir fragten uns: Was ist dran an den Gerüchten? Meine erste Berührung mit der Scientology Organisation unserem Verein distanzierte. hatte ich im Jahr 1993. Damals war ich im Vorstand eines Vereins [1] tätig, der sich u.a. sozialen Projekten widmete, Das alles half nichts. Allein das Gerücht, ich sei eines unserer Projekte befasste sich mit offener Scientologe, reichte aus, um unseren gemeinnützigen Drogenberatungsarbeit. Wir vermittelten für Verein derart zu isolieren, daß eine Weiterführung der Heroinanhängige Therapieplätze und betrieben einen Vereinsarbeit unmöglich wurde. Geldgeber zogen sich Spritzentausch. Dort konnten die Junkies gebrauchte zurück, gegen unseren Vorstand wurden Drohungen Spritzen kostenlos gegen neue tauschen, um der HIV- ausgesprochen, Repressalien machten sich bemerkbar. Wir Infektionsgefahr entgegenzuwirken. Gebrauchte Spritzen beendeten die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, die sozialen Projekte hatten in den Drogenbenutzerkreisen plötzlich einen Wert wurden eingestellt und wir widmeten uns anderen und landeten nicht mehr auf Kinderspielplätzen, wo sie Projekten, u.a. wurde ein Arbeitskreis gebildet, der sich der zuvor eine deutliche gesundheitliche Gefahr darstellten. Erforschung spiritueller Konzepte widmete. Dieser Kreis Diese Arbeit wurde in unserer Stadt allgemein als nützlich ist noch heute aktiv. und unterstützenswert erachtet. Bis zu einem bestimmten Tag. Dies war der Tag, an dem das Gerücht aufkam, ich In den Jahren darauf widmete ich mich -neben anderen wäre ein Scientologe. Unterstützt wurden die Gerüchte Themen- auch der näheren Betrachtung des Phänomens durch einen Fernsehbeitrag des NDR, in dem unser Verein Scientology. Ich wollte wissen, warum man, wenn man nur völlig willkürlich in die Nähe der Scientology gerückt in den Verdacht gerät, Scientologe zu sein, gleich den wurde. Status eines Aussätzigen erhält. Aus einiger Entfernung verfolgte ich den Kampf, den Leute wie Caberta, Hartwig, Schlagartig änderte sich unsere Situation. Der Eigentümer Gandow u.a. gegen die Scientology führten. Mir fiel auf, des Hauses, in dem wir unser Büro hatten, kündigte die daß von Seiten der Kritiker dieser Kampf offensiv mit Räume, der Vorstand wurde vor ein Tribunal geladen, das ziemlicher Härte und z.T. verbal unzumutbar geführt aus Funktionären der Diakonie, einem wurde, während die Befürworter sich i.d.R. recht besonnen „Sektenbeauftragten“ und Mitgliedern einer Anti- und intellektuell akzeptabel in der Defensive bewegten. Scientology-Bürgerinitiative bestand. In inquisitorischer Manier wurde unser Vorstand „verhört“. Dieses hysterische Die nächste Einladung nach Hamburg erfolgte Anfang Juni Vorgehen machte mich neugierig. Also besorgte ich mir 2007, anläßlich einer Feier [2]. Unter den ca. 30 geladenen einen Termin bei der Scientology-Zentrale in Hamburg Gästen befand sich auch ein Angehöriger der (damals noch am Steindamm) beim Presseprecher. Wir Unitariervereinigung, ein Herr Wolfgang Deppert, sowie trafen uns und er beantwortete mir meine Fragen geduldig. ein AMORC-Rosenkreuzer. Diese beiden waren als Er veröffentlichte sogar eine Stellungnahme der Gastredner avisiert. Erstaunlicherweise war auch der Scientology Kirche, in welcher sie sich deutlich von Pastor der evangelischen Nachbarkirche unter den Gästen, The Magickal Observer 3 März 2008 er stieß sich in seinem Redebeitrag etwas an der Behauptungen sind eruierbar? Bezeichnung „Kirche“ für Scientology, ein Umstand, auf den wir im Verlaufe dieses Heftes noch genauer eingehen 5) Ist Scientology eine Gefahr? werden. Ich war gespannt darauf, wie ich als Thelemit in Geht von der CS eine politische, wirtschaftliche und / dem Kreis der „Gläubigen“ ankommen würde. Ich hatte ja oder religiöse Gefahr für die Gesellschaft aus? Wie sollte bislang immer mit Pressesprechern in der Scientology zu man der CS begegnen? tun, und außer einigen Freezonies [3] kannte ich nur wenige Mitglieder der CS [4] persönlich. Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, nahmen wir uns vor, Als ich das Scientologische Zentrum in der Domstraße in Daten auszuwerten, Quellmaterial zu sichten, Interviews zu Hamburg betrat, stellte ich fest, daß ich mal wieder völlig führen und uns mit Befürwortern und Kritikern „underdressed“ war. Mit Lederhose, Boots und legerem ergebnisoffen auszutauschen. Pulli hob ich mich doch recht deutlich von der Besucherschar ab. Die Anwesenden waren festlich Anfang Juli dann fanden erste ernste Sondierungs- gekleidet, die Herren in schicken Sakkos, die Damen in z.T. gespräche in Albersdorf statt, in den Geschäftsräumen eleganten Kleidern, man gab sich halt die Ehre. Der
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Dangerous Discourse of Dianetics: Linguistic Manifestations of Violence Toward Queerness in the Canonical Religious Philosophy of Scientology
    Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies Volume 2 Issue 2 Article 4 5-5-2017 The Dangerous Discourse of Dianetics: Linguistic Manifestations of Violence Toward Queerness in the Canonical Religious Philosophy of Scientology Francesca Retana University of Puget Sound, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/relics Recommended Citation Retana, Francesca (2017) "The Dangerous Discourse of Dianetics: Linguistic Manifestations of Violence Toward Queerness in the Canonical Religious Philosophy of Scientology," Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies: Vol. 2 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/relics/vol2/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at Sound Ideas. It has been accepted for inclusion in Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies by an authorized editor of Sound Ideas. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Retana: The Dangerous Discourse of Dianetics: Linguistic Manifestations Page 1 of 45 The Dangerous Discourse of Dianetics: Linguistic Manifestations of Violence Toward Queerness in the Canonical Religious Philosophy of Scientology I. Uncovering the Anti-Queer Sentiment in the Dianetic Perspective At present, there is a groundswell of public sensational interest in the subject of Scientology; and, in fact, in the time since I began this research paper, a nine-episode documentary series has premiered and reached finale on A&E titled “Scientology and the Aftermath”— a personal project hosted by sitcom celebrity, ex-Scientologist, and author of Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, Leah Remini.1 I could not begin to enumerate the myriad exposés/memoirs of ex-Scientologists that have been published in recent years nor could I emphasize enough the rampant conspiracy theories that are at the disposal of any curious mind on what many have termed “the cult” of Scientology.
    [Show full text]
  • Scientology in Court: a Comparative Analysis and Some Thoughts on Selected Issues in Law and Religion
    DePaul Law Review Volume 47 Issue 1 Fall 1997 Article 4 Scientology in Court: A Comparative Analysis and Some Thoughts on Selected Issues in Law and Religion Paul Horwitz Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/law-review Recommended Citation Paul Horwitz, Scientology in Court: A Comparative Analysis and Some Thoughts on Selected Issues in Law and Religion, 47 DePaul L. Rev. 85 (1997) Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/law-review/vol47/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Law at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in DePaul Law Review by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SCIENTOLOGY IN COURT: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND SOME THOUGHTS ON SELECTED ISSUES IN LAW AND RELIGION Paul Horwitz* INTRODUCTION ................................................. 86 I. THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY ........................ 89 A . D ianetics ............................................ 89 B . Scientology .......................................... 93 C. Scientology Doctrines and Practices ................. 95 II. SCIENTOLOGY AT THE HANDS OF THE STATE: A COMPARATIVE LOOK ................................. 102 A . United States ........................................ 102 B . England ............................................. 110 C . A ustralia ............................................ 115 D . Germ any ............................................ 118 III. DEFINING RELIGION IN AN AGE OF PLURALISM
    [Show full text]
  • Scientology and Estate Planning Handout Materials Are Available for Download Or Printing on the HANDOUT TAB on the Gotowebinar Console
    11/12/2019 Scientology and Estate Planning Handout materials are available for download or printing on the HANDOUT TAB on the gotowebinar console. If the tab is not open click on that tab to open it and view the materials. 1 1 Scientology and Estate Planning By: Thomas Cummins and Martin Shenkman, Esq. 2 2 General Disclaimer The information and/or the materials provided as part of this program are intended and provided solely for informational and educational purposes. None of the information and/or materials provided as part of this power point or ancillary materials are intended to be, nor should they be construed to be the basis of any investment, legal, tax or other professional advice. Under no circumstances should the audio, power point or other materials be considered to be, or used as independent legal, tax, investment or other professional advice. The discussions are general in nature and not person specific. Laws vary by state and are subject to constant change. Economic developments could dramatically alter the illustrations or recommendations offered in the program or materials. 3 3 1 11/12/2019 Additional Disclaimer If there are any errors in how a particular faith is portrayed please email [email protected] and I will correct the materials and recirculate them. There was no intent to provide more or less coverage of the impact of any particular faith on estate planning. Rather, the objective was to use customs of various faiths to illustrate how planning can be tailored to respect and reflect the precepts of any faith. If you feel something important, or a particular faith’s omissions in the materials should be addressed email me relevant information at [email protected] and I will correct the materials and recirculate them.
    [Show full text]
  • Researching New Religious Movements
    Researching New Religious Movements ‘The most important “first” that this book achieves is its bold questioning of the whole intellectual apparatus of the sociology of religion as it has been applied to the understanding of the new religious movements. I am confident that Elisabeth Arweck’s study will quickly become required reading in the sociology of new religious movements.’ Professor David Martin, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics, University of London ‘Powerful and original . it succeeds triumphantly in being at the same time an important, high-quality academic study and a book for our times.’ Professor David Marsland, Professorial Research Fellow in Sociology, University of Buckingham New religious movements such as Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Unification Church (Moonies) are now well established in mainstream cul- tural consciousness. However, responses to these ‘cult’ groups still tend to be overwhelmingly negative, characterized by the furious reactions that they evoke from majority interests. Modern societies need to learn how to respond to such movements and how to interpret their benefits and dangers. Researching New Religious Movements provides a fresh look at the history and development of ‘anti-cult’ groups and the response of main- stream churches to these new movements. In this unique reception study, Elisabeth Arweck traces the path of scholarship of new religious move- ments, exploring the development of research in this growing field. She con- siders academic and media interventions on both sides, with special emphasis on the problems of objectivity inherent in terminologies of ‘sects’, ‘cults’, and ‘brainwashing’. Ideal for students and researchers, this much- needed book takes the debate over new religious movements to a more sophisticated level.
    [Show full text]
  • Lucifer Over Luxor: Archaeology, Egyptology, and Occultism in Kenneth Anger’S Magick Lantern Cycle
    Doyle White, E 2016 Lucifer Over Luxor: Archaeology, Egyptology, and Occultism in Kenneth Anger’s Magick Lantern Cycle. Present Pasts, 7(1): 2, pp. 1–10, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/pp.73 RESEARCH PAPER Lucifer Over Luxor: Archaeology, Egyptology, and Occultism in Kenneth Anger’s Magick Lantern Cycle Ethan Doyle White* One of the great figureheads of American experimental cinema, Kenneth Anger (b.1927), is internationally renowned for his pioneering work, recognisable for its blend of homoerotica, popular and classical music, and dark, symbolist imagery. A follower of Thelema, the religion of infamous British occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), Anger’s work is imbued with occult themes and undercurrents rarely comprehen- sible to the non-initiated viewer. In exploring these esoteric ideas, Anger makes use of archaeology and heritage in his short filmsEaux d’Artifice (1953) and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954–66), as well as in the lost films The Love That Whirls (1949) and Thelema Abbey (1955), which utilize such disparate elements as Aztec human sacrifice and putative Renaissance Satanism. However, this theme only reaches its apex in Lucifer Rising (1980), an exploration of Thelemic theology filmed at such sites as Avebury, Luxor, and Karnak, which reflects and propagates the Thelemic view of the past—an ‘alternative archaeology’ rooted in Crowley’s own fascination with Egyptomania. This paper seeks to explore Anger’s use of the past and place it in its proper context of twentieth-century Western esotericism. Kenneth Anger (b.1927) is one of the foremost figures of through the transformation of individual consciousness American experimental cinema, an artist who produced via artistic mediums (Hughes 2011: 12).
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom of Religion and the Church of Scientology in Germany and the United States
    SHOULD GERMANY STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE OCTOPUS? FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN GERMANY AND THE UNITED STATES Religion hides many mischiefs from suspicion.' I. INTRODUCTION Recently the City of Los Angeles dedicated one of its streets to the founder of the Church of Scientology, renaming it "L. Ron Hubbard Way." 2 Several months prior to the ceremony, the Superior Administrative Court of Miinster, Germany held that Federal Minister of Labor Norbert Bluim was legally permitted to continue to refer to Scientology as a "giant octopus" and a "contemptuous cartel of oppression." 3 These incidents indicate the disparity between the way that the Church of Scientology is treated in the United States and the treatment it receives in Germany.4 Notably, while Scientology has been recognized as a religion in the United States, 5 in Germany it has struggled for acceptance and, by its own account, equality under the law. 6 The issue of Germany's treatment of the Church of Scientology has reached the upper echelons of the United States 1. MARLOWE, THE JEW OF MALTA, Act 1, scene 2. 2. Formerly known as Berendo Street, the street links Sunset Boulevard with Fountain Avenue in the Hollywood area. At the ceremony, the city council president praised the "humanitarian works" Hubbard has instituted that are "helping to eradicate illiteracy, drug abuse and criminality" in the city. Los Angeles Street Named for Scientologist Founder, DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR, Apr. 6, 1997, available in LEXIS, News Library, DPA File. 3. The quoted language is translated from the German "Riesenkrake" and "menschenverachtendes Kartell der Unterdruickung." Entscheidungen des Oberver- waltungsgerichts [OVG] [Administrative Court of Appeals] Minster, 5 B 993/95 (1996), (visited Oct.
    [Show full text]
  • Church of Scientology (England and Wales)
    CHARITY COMMISSION DECISION OF THE CHARITY COMMISSONERS FOR ENGLAND AND WALES MADE ON 17TH NOVEMBER 1999 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION AS A CHARITY BY THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY (ENGLAND AND WALES) 1. The issue before the Commissioners The Board of Commissioners considered an application by the Church of Scientology (England and Wales) (CoS) for registration as a charity pursuant to section 3(2) of the Charities Act 1993. In reaching their determination of the application the Commissioners considered whether CoS is charitable as being an organisation: (i) established for the charitable purpose of the advancement of religion and/or (ii) established for the charitable purpose of the promotion of the moral or spiritual welfare or improvement of the community, and if in the case of (i) or (ii) above CoS is so established for such a charitable purpose, whether it is established for the public benefit. 2. Conclusion The Commissioners having considered the full legal and factual case and supporting documents (including expert evidence) which had been put to them by CoS and having considered and reviewed the relevant law, taking into account the principles embodied in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the Commissioners concluded that CoS is not established as a charity and accordingly is not registrable as such. In so determining the Commissioners concluded as follows -: CoS is not charitable as an organisation established for the advancement of religion because having regard to the relevant law and evidence: (a) Scientology is not a religion for the purposes of English charity law. That religion for the purposes of charity law constitutes belief in a supreme being and worship of that being (section 6, pages 12 to 25).
    [Show full text]
  • How the Church of Scientology Lures in Closeted Individuals
    Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 1 1-31-2018 How the Church of Scientology Lures in Closeted Individuals McKenna Cole [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/relics Recommended Citation Cole, McKenna (2018) "How the Church of Scientology Lures in Closeted Individuals," Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. Available at: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/relics/vol3/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at Sound Ideas. It has been accepted for inclusion in Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies by an authorized editor of Sound Ideas. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cole: How the Church of Scientology Lures in Closeted Individuals Cole 1 McKenna Cole Professor White REL 215 May 9, 2017 How the Church of Scientology Lures in Closeted Individuals Using Kate Bornstein's memoir, Queer and Present Danger, as a primary source, HBO’s Alex Gibney’s documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and several other articles and interview; I will be analyzing the manner in which the Church of Scientology provided closeted homosexual and other ‘sexual deviants’ a false sense of hope. This is done through the promise of a structured community and the possibility of ridding individuals of their homosexual tendencies, which during this time was seen as a mental and physical illness. In 1950 L. Ron Hubbard, an American science fiction author, published his groundbreaking novel titled, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
    [Show full text]
  • Brainwashing in Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF)
    Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Behörde für Inneres – Arbeitsgruppe Scientology und Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Brainwashing in Scientology’s Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Behörde für Inneres – Arbeitsgruppe Scientology und Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Brainwashing in Scientology’s Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) Introduction The Scientology Organisation, its methods, its business practices and above all its victims and their fate continue to arouse the interest of the public. In recent years various media reports have also highlited one aspect of the Organisation, the ”Rehabi- litation Project Force” – or RPF. Particularly the reports of former members who have endured the RPF in the US, the UK and in Denmark have made it possible for the author of this brochure, Prof. Ste- phen A. Kent, to describe what I consider to be inhuman practices within the RPF. If the term ”brainwashing”, so often associated with the Scientology Organisation by the public, applies at all, then it certainly applies to the RPF, as this brochure shows. The RPF is part of the ”Sea Organisation” (als known as ”Sea-Org”) of the Scientology Organisation. Sea-Org was created in 1967 and according to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology Organisation, it is the ”sole guarantee of the survival of Scientology technology on this planet”. Members of Sea-Org use pseudo-naval ranks and uniforms, an the unit is fully organised along military lines. Sea-Org states that its aim is to ”maintain Scientology as a functioning organisation” and that the members, according to its own publicity, have ”signed a contract of eternal service to Scientolo- gy and its aims”.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Activity for Teaching the Sociology of Religion I Created This Activity To
    Activity for Teaching the Sociology of Religion I created this activity to encourage active learning for an Introduction to Sociology class. In these introductory classes, students come from diverse major backgrounds and often are early in their college careers. For this reason, any activity I create for classes such as this one is designed to encourage both mastery of the material, but also to help students work on their ability to utilize a sociological perspective. The activity described below is designed to be used on the first or second day when the topic of religion is introduced in an introductory class (total time: approximately 1.5 to 2 hours for lecture and activity). Its most basic purpose is to teach students the sociological definition of “a religion.” More than that, however, I want students to engage with the diversity of religion present in our society. As described below, I chose to use three uncommon or extreme religious groups that students were likely not overly familiar with. After the activity concludes, however, I think it is important that the instructor engages the students in discussion about the connections that can be made between the activity and the wider sociopolitical forces that influence shared images of other religious groups. In this document, I have included a detailed summary of the short lecture that I give before the activity to introduce students to the topic of the sociology of religion. I also provide instructions for conducting the activity, the worksheet that I distribute to each student, and the documents that are shared by each group.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gnostic L. Ron Hubbard: Was He Influenced by Aleister Crowley?
    $ The Journal of CESNUR $ The Gnostic L. Ron Hubbard: Was He Influenced by Aleister Crowley? Massimo Introvigne CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) [email protected] ABSTRACT: Scientology was defined by its founder himself, L. Ron Hubbard, as a “Gnostic religion.” In 1969, however, a Trotskyist Australian journalist and an opponent of Scientology, Alex Mitchell, disclosed in a Sunday Times article that Hubbard had been involved, in 1945–46, in the activities of California’s Agapé Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis, an occult organization led by British magus Aleister Crowley. The article generated a cottage industry of exposés criticizing Hubbard as having been a member of a “black magic” organization. Some scholars also believe Hubbard to have been influenced by Crowley in his subsequent writings about Dianetics and Scientology. While conflicting narratives exist about why exactly Hubbard participated in the activities of the Agapé Lodge and his leader, the rocket scientist Jack Parsons, the article argues that Hubbard researched magic well before 1945, came to conclusions about the role of magic in Western culture that are largely shared by 21st century scholars, and created with Scientology a system that is inherently religious rather than magic. KEYWORDS: Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, Babalon Working, Aleister Crowley, Jack Parsons, John Whiteside Parsons, O.T.O., Agapé Lodge. Scientology and Gnosticism Some weeks ago, I was visited by a leading Chinese scholar of religion, Zhang Xinzhang from Zhejiang University. Zhang is a scholar of Gnosticism and a critic of movements the Chinese government identifies as xie jiao (“heterodox teachings,” sometimes translated, less accurately, as “evil cults”).
    [Show full text]
  • SCIENTOLOGY: from Science Fiction to Space-Age Religion
    STATEMENT DS-170 SCIENTOLOGY: From Science Fiction to Space-Age Religion by John Weldon Summary The Church of Scientology is a controversial new religion developed by L. Ron Hubbard as an extension of his earlier psychological theories of Dianetics. Drawing on ideas from Buddhist and Hindu religious philosophy, science fiction, and Western concepts in psychology and science, L. Ron Hubbard produced a religion that sees all human beings as immortal spirits (thetans) who have forgotten their identity and become deceived by the very universe they mentally emanated in order to amuse themselves. Scientology claims it can free the thetan to realize his or her true nature and powers through certain controversial procedures that allegedly heal the mind and free the spirit. Although the church claims its beliefs are not incompatible with Christian faith, an evaluation of what Scientology teaches in the areas of God, man, the creation, salvation, and death proves this is not so. Scientology is a powerful new religion whose teachings are inconsistent with the beliefs of orthodox Christian faith. Ours is an age of religious cacophony, as was the Roman Empire of Christ's time. From agnosticism to Hegelianism, from devil-worship to scientific rationalism, from theosophical cults to philosophies of process: virtually any world view conceivable is offered to modern man in the pluralistic marketplace of ideas. Our age is indeed in ideological and societal agony, grasping at anything and everything that can conceivably offer the ecstasy of a cosmic relationship or of a comprehensive Weltanschauung [world view]. — John Warwick Montgomery.1 One of the most intriguing and controversial items found in today's religious marketplace is The Church of Scientology.
    [Show full text]