How are you Scientologist?

[Nakosis]

Well, it all started with an IQ test back in the late 70's.

A pretty young woman ask to come get my IQ tested and they could help me improve that score.
I thought it wouldn't hurt to be a bit smarter.

So I got tested and they offered free training courses. I went to the course, I forgot what it was called. They had you sit down and some guy would scream and yell at you. Call you all kind of names and rip your shirt off.
The idea was you weren't supposed to react to any of this.

After this they offered you an auditing secession for $300 an hour. Had to borrow the money but I went. They have you hold cans connected to an E-Meter.

Then they say a series of words and watch the E-Meter for reactions. If they see a reaction from a word, they keep repeating the word. The idea being that something about the word is bothering you. So they keep repeating it until you realize what about that word bothers you.

Eventually, you have an epiphany, kind of a mystical experience recalling some event from your past causing you to be upset/depressed by things in your current environment. After this realization, you are no longer affected by this. Repeating the word no longer causes the E-Meter to react. They consider this event "engram" has been cleared. You continue auditing sessions until all of these past events in your life that cause you problems are cleared.

Auditing gets expensive so they set you on a path of selling Scientology books. I was ok at it but not great.

Along comes the "Sea Org". You go to work directly for the church, they provide food and housing. You sign a 1 million year contract. So you are now obligated to spend the next several lifetimes working for the church. In exchange, you get free training and auditing.

I was given the job in the church in Los Angelas to build and repair E-Meters.

 

[exchemist]

Well, it all started with an IQ test back in the late 70's.

A pretty young woman ask to come get my IQ tested and they could help me improve that score.
I thought it wouldn't hurt to be a bit smarter.

So I got tested and they offered free training courses. I went to the course, I forgot what it was called. They had you sit down and some guy would scream and yell at you. Call you all kind of names and rip your shirt off.
The idea was you weren't supposed to react to any of this.

After this they offered you an auditing secession for $300 an hour. Had to borrow the money but I went. They have you hold cans connected to an E-Meter.

Then they say a series of words and watch the E-Meter for reactions. If they see a reaction from a word, they keep repeating the word. The idea being that something about the word is bothering you. So they keep repeating it until you realize what about that word bothers you.

Eventually, you have an epiphany, kind of a mystical experience recalling some event from your past causing you to be upset/depressed by things in your current environment. After this realization, you are no longer affected by this. Repeating the word no longer causes the E-Meter to react. They consider this event "engram" has been cleared. You continue auditing sessions until all of these past events in your life that cause you problems are cleared.

Auditing gets expensive so they set you on a path of selling Scientology books. I was ok at it but not great.

Along comes the "Sea Org". You go to work directly for the church, they provide food and housing. You sign a 1 million year contract. So you are now obligated to spend the next several lifetimes working for the church. In exchange, you get free training and auditing.

I was given the job in the church in Los Angelas to build and repair E-Meters.

I like the auditing secession. Does that mean you had to give up your citizenship?

 

[Orbit]

Seems a little like removing one's humanity--to react emotionally is a normal human thing. Why would you remove that?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

$cientology creeps the hell out of me. They're active in this area and I do what I can to avoid them, just like all the other missionaries (we have an infestation of Mormon missionaries in the area, too). There's one $cientologist who works for the "church" and stops by here regularly. He has the fake grating "niceness" of any salesperson, and is also one of those people who overuses my name, which I hate when customers do.

 

[Jedster]

@Nakosis
I was approached by them in the early 70s in the West End of London(by Goodge St station, for Brits). I had just become a premie and ended up taking the guy to satsang.
This was after a 3 hour long conversation.

 

[Nakosis]

@Nakosis
I was approached by them in the early 70s in the West End of London(by Goodge St station, for Brits). I had just become a premie and ended up taking the guy to satsang.
This was after a 3 hour long conversation.

This was right after I left Premiedom.

 

[Jedster]

This was right after I left Premiedom.

How long did you stay with Scientology?

 

[Nakosis]

Seems a little like removing one's humanity--to react emotionally is a normal human thing. Why would you remove that?

It was training to be an auditor. You are not allowed to react to anything the client says or does during an auditing session.

 

[Nakosis]

How long did you stay with Scientology?

From age 19 to 23, so four years. I got married to another Scientologist. She was declared a suppressive person and kicked out of the church. I decided my duty was more towards her than the church so left as well.

 

[Nakosis]

$cientology creeps the hell out of me. They're active in this area and I do what I can to avoid them, just like all the other missionaries (we have an infestation of Mormon missionaries in the area, too). There's one $cientologist who works for the "church" and stops by here regularly. He has the fake grating "niceness" of any salesperson, and is also one of those people who overuses my name, which I hate when customers do.

Pretty girls, what can I say.
I always seemed to get dragged into one religion or another by a pretty girl.

 

[Nakosis]

I like the auditing secession. Does that mean you had to give up your citizenship?

By the time I joined, it was "Sea Org" in name only. although it kept the trappings of Naval officers and uniforms. Hubbard was in hiding but still in contact with the church.

 

[Heyo]

Well, it all started with an IQ test back in the late 70's.

A pretty young woman ask to come get my IQ tested and they could help me improve that score.
I thought it wouldn't hurt to be a bit smarter.

So I got tested and they offered free training courses. I went to the course, I forgot what it was called. They had you sit down and some guy would scream and yell at you. Call you all kind of names and rip your shirt off.
The idea was you weren't supposed to react to any of this.

After this they offered you an auditing secession for $300 an hour. Had to borrow the money but I went. They have you hold cans connected to an E-Meter.

Then they say a series of words and watch the E-Meter for reactions. If they see a reaction from a word, they keep repeating the word. The idea being that something about the word is bothering you. So they keep repeating it until you realize what about that word bothers you.

Eventually, you have an epiphany, kind of a mystical experience recalling some event from your past causing you to be upset/depressed by things in your current environment. After this realization, you are no longer affected by this. Repeating the word no longer causes the E-Meter to react. They consider this event "engram" has been cleared. You continue auditing sessions until all of these past events in your life that cause you problems are cleared.

Auditing gets expensive so they set you on a path of selling Scientology books. I was ok at it but not great.

Along comes the "Sea Org". You go to work directly for the church, they provide food and housing. You sign a 1 million year contract. So you are now obligated to spend the next several lifetimes working for the church. In exchange, you get free training and auditing.

I was given the job in the church in Los Angelas to build and repair E-Meters.

I was approached by them (without them giving away who they were) for a "test". It was a short test, about 10 minutes after which they found out:
1. I'm too smart
2. I'm not dissatisfied with my life enough
3. I'm not going to pay them.

They couldn't get me out the door fast enough.

 

[exchemist]

From age 19 to 23, so four years. I got married to another Scientologist. She was declared a suppressive person and kicked out of the church. I decided my duty was more towards her than the church so left as well.

That sounds very wise.

 

[exchemist]

By the time I joined, it was "Sea Org" in name only. although it kept the trappings of Naval officers and uniforms. Hubbard was in hiding but still in contact with the church.

Blimey, so you weren't joking: you really have been in it!

I should think you are lucky to have got out in one piece, with your wallet intact.

 

[Quintessence]

Just to note, the techniques used here - even if the end goal is questionable to some - are not entirely off the mark. Using language cues and various instrumentation to assess things like unconscious bias is used in the social sciences, though with a somewhat different setup. The Implicit Bias Test (see - Measuring the implicit biases we may not even be aware we have) is predicated on this concept, for example. It's not too far fetched from there to use probing of our unconscious biases to prompt mystical experiences as part of a mystery religion.

 

[Nakosis]

Blimey, so you weren't joking: you really have been in it!

I should think you are lucky to have got out in one piece, with your wallet intact.

Before Hubbard died, getting out wasn't as intense. Also, I never made any noise about Scientology. They had a group called the Guardians office which would launch counter-attacks on anyone, any government agency that attacked the church.

 

[Nakosis]

I was approached by them (without them giving away who they were) for a "test". It was a short test, about 10 minutes after which they found out:
1. I'm too smart
2. I'm not dissatisfied with my life enough
3. I'm not going to pay them.

They couldn't get me out the door fast enough.

I was still a bit naive @ 19 and more interested in impressing the girl.

 

[Heyo]

I was still a bit naive @ 19 and more interested in impressing the girl.

The girl was cute but not exactly the brightest candle. There were more interesting ones at uni.

 

[robocop (actually)]

I am Scientologist because I believe in reading through a book and there being a twist, I believe in survival at every level, I am 99% clear, and I like their acceptance of many different things.

 

[exchemist]

I am Scientologist because I believe in reading through a book and there being a twist, I believe in survival at every level, I am 99% clear, and I like their acceptance of many different things.

My deepest sympathy.