Have you been harmed by scientology?

Question

A lot of people say how harmful scientology is but they don't explain how.
Here are a few tricks they use that I know.
First they get you when you are vulnerable. Depressed ,stressed out etc.

There are some truths so you get suckered into it, the lies make you go in circles so it is hard to get out.

There is always something about someone you disagree with(human nature), but they blow those out of proportion to disconnect you from others.

They make you ashamed of everything you do and think,overts and withholds theory.

What scientologist don't know is that every thing they teach them about suppressives and psychiatrist is exactly what they are doing to them.
tell me what you know.

Gandalf, I was in scientology for seven years. At first everything seemed great until I found myself with no money and more stressed than ever.
I am still being harrased by them , But it doesn't bother me as much because I know their tactics. The worst they have done is humiliate me. I am still alive.
I just laugh now.

Thetaalw... The tactics that they use that I wrote are from my experience.
If you are a scientologist tell me this Why don't orgs go "Saint Hill Size" despite all the effort put in to it.Despite ,supposedly, the "best" admin tech.
I will give you a clue from scientologies own scriptures, an axiom not sure which one but something about efforts or self-determinism alone can cause restimulation.
This may or not be true but what is apparent is that staff are made to "produce" a whole lot of nothing.
another clue is L. Ron Hubbard himself. first he writes about sp going insane thinking everyone is out to get them and then he acts that way. hhhmmm suspicious to me.

Answer 1

What an EXCELLENT question. I will gladly star this question. I will be very interested in the answers.

I am an ex-scientologist myself. I spent a couple of years hanging out at a scientology center. And I took some of their (cheaper) courses. The one fo Personal Communications, and the one for Better Studying. Actually I found them very useful and still use what I learned decades later. I have taken pretty much the same courses later in coleege but they tended to cost more and not be as useful (or fun).

The Sunday services seemed kindof bland. Non-denominational and pleasing to all religions. No hat was passed though.

Im afraid that I didnt see anything you mentioned. I had no problems quitting. In fact, according to anti-scientology sites they say that 62% of people try a couple of courses then leave.

One thing, with all of the information you gave about what scientology does, you didnt mention what your experience was with them personally. How far did you try it before you left?

Answer 2

No. Infact quite the opposite. I've been involved with Scientology for over 35 years and consider myself to be a Scientologist. I have helped many people with various problems like drug addiction and literacy difficulties using Scientology technology. I have experienced the results of this technology for myself and it has been completely rewarding and very validating for me personally and spiritually. I know many people who have had similar experiences to mine.
As Gandalf mentioned you don't really explain how you became ashamed of everything you do and think. This makes no sense to me. I have never come across anything in Scientology that has this effect . In fact Scientology teaches you that no one can invalidate you without your agreement. You would have to be critical of yourself first.
That is the overts and witholds theory actually and why it is important to clean things up, because you are basically good and will end up stopping yourself and withholding your abilities . This is a basic barrier to spiritual freedom.

What exactly did you disagree with? Did you read any of the basic books ?

P.S. Who and where are all "these people" who say how harmful it is anyway. It's a bit of a generality. They don't seem to be speaking up, given the opportunity.
Those who do say this, but don't say how, are obviously just spreading negative rumors for effect and are probably against anything that helps others, including religion

Answer 3

They are all around me in California but no I have not been harmed by any. Ive seen swarms of people ready to post bad things about it. I agree that it will be interesting to see how many really posts an answer of "I have personally been harmed".

Thanks for adding your background. I guess it is possible then to give the scientologists more money than the christians. I always figured that 10% of my income (christians) was more than I would spend on scientology.

I see the point on lack of growth. The anti sites say that 62% just take a couple courses then leave. That's what makes me laugh about posters who are afraid to check it out. They make it sound like dangerous brainwashing technology that will suck in anyone who comes close.

Answer 4

You know..I found a dianetics book from the 1950s by L Ron Hubbard and read the first few pages a couple of times, I just wasn't able to grasp it. That is the only experience I have with Scientology.

Answer 5

this isn't any longer even a church... it particularly is a agency (communicate with Germany's declination to permit Scientology to benefit "faith" prestige some years in the past, informing them that they've been, certainly, a agency). i could have a tricky time taking a self-proclaimed church heavily while they swindle human beings out of 1000's of greenbacks just to connect, evaluate valid psychiatrists to be their archenemy, think of that extraterrestrial beings inhabit their bodies, and exceptionally thinking the full element exchange into cooked up via a low-rated technology-fiction-author scheister interior the 50's.

Answer 6

Thankfully I've never involved myself in the cult. I've been fortunate enough to have the foresight and knowledge to protect me from subjecting myself to their harm. I'll provide to you the information that convinced me without a doubt that Scientology is dangerous.

There are multitudes of people who have suffered tragic experiences during their involvement with Scientology. Read about them here:
http://www.lermanet.com/persecution/
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/
http://xenu.net/archive/personal_story/cheryl_s

Here are more "bad experiences" with the cult including an illegal plot to infiltrate the government, brainwashing techniques, mind control camps, attacks on critics, and DEATHS caused by Scientology doctrine and members:

● Operation Snow White – Under this official program, Scientology operatives committed infiltration, wiretapping, & theft of documents in government offices. This program constituted the single largest infiltration of the United States government in history. Among the 11 prominent Scientologists convicted of this conspiracy was Mary Sue Hubbard, the wife of Scientology’s “prophet”.
http://lisatrust.freewinds.cx/scientology/snow-white/index.html
http://en.allexperts.com/e/o/op/operation_snow_white.htm

● Operation Freakout - Their campaign of sabotage & violence against Paulette Cooper, the writer who published her research & findings on several cults, including Scientology. Scientology’s official plan: to frame Paulette, ruin her career & reputation & get her either incarcerated or locked up in psychiatric confinement.
The official plan: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Krasel/cooper/frk1.html
Her book: http://holysmoke.org/cos/books/scandal-of-scientology-cooper.pdf
PC website: http://www.holysmoke.org/pc/pc.htm

● Fair Game - the Scientology policy detailing how the organization may confront & handle critics & perceived enemies. Here is a direct quote: "Enemies may be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.”
http://www.xenu.net/archive/disk/fairgame.htm
http://www.planetkc.com/sloth/sci/Fair_game_ord.html
http://www.fairgamed.org/

● Physical & psychological punishment: Scientologists who "break the rules" while members of the "Sea Org" must subject themselves to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), which includes regimes of harsh physical punishment, forced self-confessions, social isolation, hard labor and intensive ideological indoctrination.
http://www.xenu-directory.net/practices/rpf.html
http://www.lermanet2.com/scientology/gulags/BrainwashinginScientology'sRehabilitationProjectForce.htm
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rpf/escape_2.htm

● Brainwashing & mind control: Scientology exerts control over its members by means of typical cult tactics, including but not limited to controlling information about internal doctrine & criticism of the organization, severely restricting social contact outside the cult (including the practice of “disconnecting” with any family who question the credibility & trustworthiness of the cult), creating an “us against them” mentality by villainizing a specific out-group (for Scientology, it’s psychiatrists), & claiming all those outside the cult are unenlightened.
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/24/Tampabay/The_unperson.shtml
http://www.factnet.org/Books/SocialControl/scs.html#toc http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/s/scientology/pignotti/
http://xenu.net/archive/personal_story/funkydonny.html

● Violent Kidnapping - Lisa McPherson was a Scientologist, was involved in a car accident & resultantly became mentally unstable. She was kidnapped from the hospital by agents of Scientology, held against her will, refused proper psychiatric treatment & allowed to STARVE TO DEATH.
Video: http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/
News Coverage: http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/Lisa_McPherson_Scientology_Deaths.html
Website: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

● Tragic Murder - A CBS “48 Hours” special on Jeremy Perkins, the mentally disturbed son of Scientologist parents who, because of the Scientology doctrine of opposing psychiatry, refused to put him on the anti-psychotic drugs that would have stabilized him & prevented him from killing his own mother.
Video: http://www.scientomogy.com/jeremy_perkins.php
CBS article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml
Website: http://perkinstragedy.org