Scientology First-hand accounts mega-thread

I went to Clearwater with my boyfriend for Christmas to visit his family who lives there. We were driving around going to one of the piers and his dad explained that the ENTIRE intersection we were driving through was PURCHASED by the 'Church of Scientology.' All the buildings, the hotel, the damned intersection, the stores and restaurants. The only people who can stay at the hotel are Scientologists. If the fact that they are buying an entire intersection of a key tourist destination doesn't scare you, than I don't know what will. o_____o

If you think that's scary....
http://forums.whyweprotest.net/threads/scientology-first-hand-accounts-mega-thread.639/#post-22308

I'm betting there are a few of you who have caught wind of my story. My brother is a Scientologist who had me declared SP/Fair Game some time around 2001. His step daughter, who is also a Scientologist, warned me that he had, but I knew little about it and he maintained a facade of good intentions. I'm guessing he didn't want her to tell me. I was never in Scientology, but he tried to get me into it when I was 10 years old and he was 19 or 20. (It would have been 1980 or 81.) He put me through a couple TRs, namely, the one where you sit and stare at each other, and touching the wall. For anyone who reads this who may not be familiar with it, he took me into a small room with white walls that was empty other than a folding chair in the middle. He told me to follow his instructions and not to ask questions. It was just he and I in the room. After I complied with each instruction, he was say "Thank you, very good." The instructions went like this:

"Okay, look at the wall."
"Walk over to the wall."
"Touch the wall."
"Turn around."
"Walk over to the other wall."
"Touch the wall."
"Turn around."
"Walk over to the wall."

This repeated several times and every few minutes he would ask me how I felt. I believe I said "Okay" 2 or 3 times before I got scared and started crying and when he asked me how I felt said, "I don't feel like touching the wall any more." He gave up and we stopped. Ironically, out of loyalty to him, I never told our parents about it.

Another thing I'll mention is that Scientologists believe that if you have some sort of physical or mental impairment, you're being punished for wrong-doing in a past life. I've heard there are other religions that think this, but I doubt they handle it the way my brother did. We have a cousin who was born with a brain defect. He had limited use of one side of his body, his speech was severly impaired, and he had a difficult time keeping saliva in his mouth. My brother told me about this "past-life screw-up" Scientology belief as justification for openly mocking our cousin at family gatherings. My brother is the oldest and only blood offspring, so my dad used to kiss his ass for the most part. It was great when my uncle, who was always very cordial and a very nice guy, finally spoke up and basically told him to shut the fuck up in front of everyone. It was beautiful.

I was warned on a few occasions that he was out to destroy me around the time his daughter warned me about the SP/Fair Game label. He is a lifetime con-artist. His motivation against me is an instense inferiority complex and it turns out he used the internet to frame me for a number of very, very bad things. He also worked with my very, very far right-wing extremist brother-in-law cop who had me stalked by Neo-Nazis. His motivation is core fundamental politics. He liked to refer to me as a "god damn liberal." The truth is, far-right Christian racists have had me blacklisted for 20 years because of a mixed relationship, but that's another story.

It's been indicated to me that my blog is part of the reason for it all as well. I assume my bro-in-law fingered me in that regard. I started my blog in April of 2008 which was also when I was starting to figure out what my family was up to. (My sister and dad where in on it as well.) I told some people about it over the phone, and shortly after that I started getting stalked by Neo-Nazis and other extremists. Everyone I encountered in public was blatently mean to me until about a year ago when I made some moves to stop it. Nevertheless, the taunting hints regarding the defamation follow me whereever I go. I took a volunteer job with an environmental advocate in San Francisco and one of the bosses there actually harassed me with taunts referring to me super secret (only from me) file.

I moved to San Francisco in '09 and continued to be stalked by Nazis until I made what you might call a political move to stop it. But the defamation continues and morphed into other things you might not believe. Basically, various cults and high level agencies tried to exploit my disadvantaged situation and coercively "recruit" (attempt to blackmail) me. My brother and my brother-in-law used Nazi mind control tactics on me starting some time around '01 and lasting until I stopped associating with them during 2007. It was only over the past 6 months that I figured out the multi-layered mind control and have been able to break away from it mainly by figuring out the pieces one by one and using out-loud self-instructions to counter all the aspects of it.

I communicated with high level authorities and a major news outlet and it appears that my name has been cleared, but the stalking and harassment had continued, though to a lesser extent. Simply being aware of the full nature of the mind control is half the battle. A major part of the reason they're after me is simply because I am a free-thinker. Whereever I go I get taunted and harassed regarding the things I've been accused of. My family took any opportunity they could to portray me in a bad light and used my bro-in-law's cop/marine network to ruin my life. I don't want to list all the different parts of the character attack to which I've been subject. Let it suffice to say that it is massive and multi-faceted. So, I'm in SF and in need of a job. I've been trying to make friends at Meetup groups, but covert operatives show up where ever I go and try to spoil it. I don't know if Anonymous folks ever offically get together other than for events, but I'd love to talk to some like-minded folks. Isolation is a big part of the mind control. Peace.

my father, brother, motherr, grandparents, and uncle are all members of the co$' clearwater headquarters. i was lucky enough that my parents didnt force me into the co$ and since i turned 18 i have been acting as a spaeker of truth about co$. the one class i went to was taught by an abusive and condesending teacher. i watched as my brother went from a promising meta sculpterer to a mindless worker and. my parents lefft their jobs to become more involved. i saw many of my best friends who i grew up with become husks of their formerr selves. scientology latches on to one person in your family and deperatley tries to get them to spread their message. they ripped me from my naievety and innocence. i was sickened and almost fell into their weeb of lies and propaganda. the co$ is a greedy parasite that ruined my life led to my faher abusing me because i wasnt one of them and turned my home to a hellhole. the co$ is a vile thing that makes me nauceaus and invikes memories that i have longed tried to suppress. the co$ must be stopped.

walking down the street, looking at people, normal people, never heard of Scientology, they work, they take care
of their families, they go to the movies, the park, the museum, save money to send the kids to university, spend sundays with grandpa, grandma

then the testimony on this board

wonder what it would all be like if never had walked into a COS

many valid points, know your audience is the main message, and yes the general mainstream like these celebs, and they know nothing about Scientology

IMO its Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X.

Who had the most credibility, respect and followers, legacy?

This messenger knows the unfunny truth

see this messenger on page 1, Message from The Inside - not free to speak.

While my story isn't as extreme as many of the others I've read over the years regarding the CoS, it is still tragic. I'll try to keep it brief.

I was 18 and in my senior year of High School. This was in the mid-90's. I had recently quit McDonald's (for the 3rd time) and was looking for some kind of part time job to earn some extra cash. My best friend, we'll call him Joe, gave me a call and told me about this place downtown that was hiring. He claimed that all I had to do was say that I had read a book, called Dianetics, and I would most likely get the job.

This is the point where I feel compelled to give a little background on us He was an underachiever. One helluva smart guy, but like me, he didn't apply himself. We would sometimes skip school to go trip, get drunk, or just wander around. Joe had a real problem with the establishment, I had a real problem with just about everyone. I had had a rocky childhood, dealing with an alcoholic/abusive parental unit, and was depressed and doing a lot of "soul-searching." We were both sort of exploring religions, other than the faiths we were raised in. We didn't have shit, we didn't care much about anything except our friends. One of our favorite sayings was, "If you ain't got nothing, you got nothin' to lose." Now that you may have a clearer understand of our sorry-assed state of minds, I can continue...

We started on the same day, Joe and I, and the hiring process consisted of an IQ test and a personality test. Now, I hadn't had much experience with job-seeking, and I thought it was a little strange to take an IQ/personality test, but I was ignorant. They claimed that I had the highest IQ of anyone that had ever taken their test (I scored a 147 of 155), which at the time was probably true, I used to be very bright (since then, I've leaned hard on right-brain functions). The personality test, on the other hand, I bombed. Joe didn't do so hot on either test, but regardless, they offered us both a job, and said we'd be paid $180/week. Not too bad, considering minimum wage was $4.25/hr at the time. We accepted.

Our first day was orientation. I remember the guide having us watch their video, which basically explained that Scientology was a religion so that they could claim tax exemption. The video claimed the organization was more of a philisophical entity, rather than a religous one. It also prattled on about how Scientology would replace conventional psychology, it was only a matter of time. I was thinking, "Yeah, whatever, just give me a paycheck." Our guide showed us an E-meter (I'll get more into this later). We were also told to read the tenants of LRH's teachings, I can't recall much of it, but it had something to do with the obstacles associated with learning (like having an example of what you're learning about in front of you). The guide showed us around the building, and then the strangest thing occured: She asked us to close our eyes and feel the texture of the walls, then open our eyes and count the paces across the room (length and width). At this point, I was thinking, "Wow, these people are f'ing weird." I remember having signed a "contract" to work with them, but it wasn't a BILLION years! Near the end of my first day, I noticed an OT chart on the wall, and paused to read it. This chart is highly regarded as ULTRA-SECRET among scientologists. If you dig really deep on the 'net, you can sometimes find info pertaining to OT level 8, maybe even 9. This chart went to OT 13. I read this thing, and then I got the F out.

Over the course of the next few years, they called me every few weeks and complained that I wasn't coming to work, and that I had signed a contract. I generally laughed at them on the telephone, and told them that since the contract had not been notorized, it wasn't legally binding, and to piss off. They still called. Fast forward 14 years, and my having moved 6-8 times over the years, and I recieved another call from the CoS. I told them they had the wrong number, and that nobody by that name lived there. They never called back. Persistant mfers...

Rewind - back to when I was 18. While I had "worked" for the CoS for one day, my friend Joe stuck it out, and we grew further apart. He would call me every so often and tell me about how great it was, and what he was doing... He would run circles constantly around the city block "to purge his system of toxins." He was audited, and in turn did auditing. I was sort of freaked out about those flakes, and told him as much. He got really defensive, and we stopped talking. A year and change passed, and I heard from a mutual friend that Joe was in the local insane asylum. His mother had walked in on him eating his own feces. At this point, his psyche was destroyed.

Years went by, and Joe's shrinks tried various combinations of drugs on him. Eventually, they found some that seemed to work. Now he can maintain a conversation, and even leave his house. I met up with him one day, and we talked at length about our lives since the CoS. There was a point in our conversation that I noticed his eyes just glazing over, like he was looking through me, and everything. It took a few minutes for him to "snap" back.

That is the tragedy. This once bright young man, ruined by an organization that preys upon people in their time of need, or just the weak-minded. He's in his 30's, lives with his mother, popping God-only-knows what kind of anti-psychotic miracle drugs and working part time mediocre jobs. I'm now in my 30's, married with children, good job following a good education with a mortgage payment. He deserved the same. He deserves vengance. He deserves Truth.

Ps. If anyone's wondering, I did eventually find my religious conviction and come to faith in God.

^^^Thanks for sharing your story.

Yes! Along with Anonymous, I extend mysincere thanks to you too.

It is much appreciated!

Welcome to WWP!

Welcome Anon_Jon!!!

The worst thing about the evil cult is that it takes good people and destroys them, like your friend Joe. We are making the kingdom of David Miscavige fall to the ground.

I am glad you found God. There are a lot of God-lovers here - Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. Here is a fave vid:



There is a new book out by Rob Piro, When God Called On My Cellphone. He is a Catholic Christian who finally started recovering from addiction after five rehabs at the Narconon facility in Trois-Rivieres half way between Montreal and Quebec when found his way back to God.

Thanks for the timely repost moarxenu!
One of the most inspiring anon vids IMHO - I don't think I will ever tire of it.

And welcome to WWP Anon_Jon!

Hindus

Excellent. Looks like we have got the major authentic world religious traditions represented in Anon.

Buddhism is considered a practitioner's philosophy, and doesn't claim a deity.

But yeh, my beliefs are in parallel with other Abrahamic religions (eg. Christianity, Judaism, Islamic), leaning more towards Christianity. Although, I have a healthy respect for Jews and Muslims. The amount of worship and self-sacrifice that many in those particular faiths show is a testament to their piety.


On a side note: Anon has been made famous over the last few years, but I believe that there are other mediums that remain unutilized to further spread the word. I doubt it'd be very difficult to advertise over various FM stations.

I'm also curious as to the justification for many of the alleged DDOS's by Anon. Is there a link that could point me to the aforementioned information?

I'd like to say thank you all for the warm welcome!

Helluva vid, thanks for the post!

Oh, I did a few papers on CoS back in college, if anyone's interested I could CtrlV them somewhere

If you contact 'DURGA' (Resources Moderator) in the WWP Production Studio, you could explore the possibility of a place/thread where WWP Member's essays/papers about the cult could be posted.

Thanks!

I would like to pose this question: Does anyone have a detailed account of forced marriages between Sea Org members? I heard that some women were forced into marriages by the Church.

I found lots of arranged marriages, I'm still looking for forced marriages.

Wow, I wasn't aware of even arranged marriages. This is a new low.
Do you have evidence of these actions?

when I started going to high school in london, i would sometimes travel down Tottenham court road to get there,
there is a Scientology and dianetics place on the street, anyway evey so often they would try and lasso me in, they talked like salesmen and trying to rope me in tot he shop
when the guy outside the ''store'' saw me every morning he would try and start a conversation with me, referring me by my first name and calling me his friend. the guy made me feel totally uneasy and he kept making me feel like it was my fault for turning them down. one day he kept rambling on about me being severely depressed without even knowing it. I eventually had to find and alternate route to school where they would not bother me

reading some of the stories here makes me realize how much of a front they put on to get you before they destroy you

Scientology is pathetic and they pray on ordinary people

The way I got into it was that my Dad had been in and out of Scn several years. Then, during my sr year in high school, I had a lot of term papers due at the same time and was stressing. My Dad said he knew of a course that would help me. (the "comm course" in Scn). So I did it and I liked it. There were a few -- what I'd now call warning signs though they were pretty vague and subtle- but being 17 I didn't notice. Then, the following year, I started doing more and more Scn. It was kind of fun and all that, but they're never content to just let it remain fun or interesting. They always want to push the envelope and take over the person's life.

So I got kind of blackmailed/coerced into joining staff, and it sucked, though I did meet my husband that way and that was one good thing. Anyway, yeah, sucked. Got sexually harassed, mocked, lied to, stuff like that. Nothing compared to people who were in the Sea Org- which I never was, but still and all not a good scene.

Got expelled for leaving staff before my contract was up even though I tried to "go through channels". I received a freeloader debt that billed me for stuff like room and board while at the higher org (I'd stayed, actually, with my aunt and uncle who didn't even know what the hell Scn was) and plane fare while at Flag (which came out of my pocket, not theirs). It was stupid.

Because I was laboring under the misapprehension that the problem was just that one Scn mission, I pushed like crazy to get the expulsion overturned. I did get it overturned but afterward refused to rejoin any staff anywhere. Kept it light. Scn friends teased me about being a "pantywaist dilettante". I knew, though, that if I escalated my involvement, it would suck again. Now, that really should have been a clue to me that the organization was not worth it at all, right? Somehow, though, it wasn't.

I kept going along keeping it light til I found the internetz. Started talking to critics on alt.religion.scientology which used to be the major critical forum (this was a long time ago. Usenet is pretty much dead now.) and, by god, I was gonna set those suppressives straight but don't let's be rude to them since they don't realize they're SPs. Then, I figured, ok, they're not suppressive but they sure are wrong. Then, people started to email me and I started reading more and more critical stuff and I was like, WTF? Then I thought I could work through the system and be an unindoctrinated Scientologist. (Have I mentioned that I am evidently a slow learner?) Meanwhile, I was getting flak from the cult. OSA kept telling the local org to get me off the forum. I dug in my heels, ended up leaving the church in disgust, and got expelled a year later.

Then I experimented with Scn outside CofS for a while. That was kind of fun but what I didn't reckon with is that there are no easy answers, philophically and that one size doesn't fit all. So I kinda got tired of that and then started looking into other things, but not as a substitute, like, ok, now THIS is the shit. There is no One Great Hope. But I think a person can still learn things, spiritually speaking.

a friend of mine who joined scientology pretty much dropped out of the scene for 5-6 years. nobody heard or had seen anything from them... just the other week i heard in town someone had seen them walking along the highway with a shirt and tie on and in a trance, and they were pale looking. i dk who exactly saw them but all i have heard is their house hasnt had anybody go to it in years and the only time someone is there is a van that seems to collect the mail.
also another sighting of my friend was out in a town and they were setting up a table for those free stress tests.. nobody came and they sat with a creepy smile on their face.. they have changed greatly and idk if any other anons would be willing to protest this scientology center like me...

I joined the Sea Org while I was in middle school - this was around 2002, I was 12 years old. First let's back up a little...

I had been on course in Miami for a while, had recently finished Pro Upper Indoc TRs (yes, I yelled at an ashtray - in my defense, I was 12) and the M1 coaudit course (the M1 is a combination of auditing and word clearing. Supposedly it clears up all confusions you have ever had in your education, making you into a super genius). I really really wanted to get started on Pro Metering and become an actual auditor and save people's lives and so on (actually I just wanted to get to OT and have super powers), but unfortunately the courses are somewhat expensive and my parents were not made of moneys.

So instead I was stuck taking Div 6 courses for a while. I was bored, so I took a whole bunch - STCC (even though I had already done TRs - whatever), the FSM course (so it turns out selling books is really hard...), and of course the VM course (this being right after 9/11). I still have the VM jacket by the way - it is one of the few jackets that has enough pockets.

I had a friend who was about 14 at the time. Call him Thor. He was taking the Scientology Minister course (not to be confused with the VM course). I thought it was kind of stupid, tbh, because Scientology isn't a religion, it's a way to save lives and get super powers and live forever (this is what I believed at 12), but I never told him that to his face because I thought he was a really cool kid (he could play guitar and made flash games and whatnot). Unfortunately I didn't know him for very long, because he joined the Sea Org not long after I met him.

You see, around 2002 there was a Sea Org mission going on in Miami. I don't know the details but I do remember that we would go to a souper secret meeting after course and watch inspiring videos about people who had gone OT in just six months or talk about implant stations, and then afterwords one of the Sea Org missionaires gave me a personalized metered interview where she ostensibly was trying to find out what had been holding me back on my progress up the bridge. In the end she ended up selling me a lecture series. Looking back, I was pretty gullible... Anyway, I lost my train of thought here.

Right. On top of super secret meetings after course, there were a bunch of events going on at the time too. After all the meetings and events, they would pass around questionnaires asking for your name, address, training level, and whether you were interested in joining the Sea Org. I always filled those out, and marked that I was indeed interested in joining the SO. (Since I filled out multiple questionnaires, I have been entered into the mailing list multiple times. So instead of getting one copy of Scn junk mail, I get three...)

My motivation for wanting to join went as follows: I had been informed that there were unreleased OT levels going from OT 9 on up to OT 15. I surmised that the real super powers were imparted at those levels, because OT 8s were clearly not making the news by levitating buildings yet, although they did claim to have telepathy and to be able to audit people at a distance. I'd also been told that OT 9 wouldn't be out until all orgs were "Saint Hill size". Since everyone was obviously derping it up (had anyone really been 5.4x-ing the size of every org every year, everyone on Earth would have been a Scientologist by 1964 at the latest), I had to take matters into my own hands. Well, that was part of my motivation, but it wasn't all of it.

If you are raised in Scn, then you have been told from an early age that the best thing you can do with your life is to join the Sea Org. All of the "good kids" from my elementary school had gone on to become Sea Orgers. Thor had joined the Sea Org. My babysitter from when I was five years old told me stories about Flag. Etc.

Joining the Sea Org wasn't something I had ever seriously considered, it was more like a vague dream. It wasn't like they would want me, right? You had to be some sort of superman for them to even consider you. Which is why I was surprised when I got an email one day from a recruiter from PAC base. I didn't believe I was qualified to be a superhero, but I decided to try out the IQ test they provided and see how well I did.

With my super genius abilities, I managed to get a genius score of 128 IQ! Holy shit. I told my mother, this is it, I'm gonna join the Sea Org in LA. She told me something like, "if they buy you a ticket to LA, then sure, you can go ahead and join the Sea Org." So I sent an email to the recruiter, and the next day I was on a plane to Los Angeles, flying as an unaccompanied minor.

I showed up in Los Angeles with nothing on me except for my Volunteer Minister jacket (I travel light). When I got there, I met one of the girls from elementary school, let's call her Julie, along with my friend Thor. They showed me around PAC Base, and Julie showed me some cool video called Mission into Time. Thor mentioned that since I liked cryptography that maybe I should go into INCOMM. I still wanted to be an auditor, but that also sounded fun. Hmm.

That night I went to sleep in the EPF dorms, before any of the other EPFers got back, and I woke up after they had already left. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I waited around till the girl I'm calling Julie came and said hi. She told me that I was going to have to learn how to make my bed if I didn't want to get in trouble in the future. Uh... whatever... I half-assedly straightened out the sheets, and then followed her to the ASHO course room. I spent the morning finishing up the course I was on so I could get started on Pro Metering (it was... ugh... the "What Is Scientology?" course. I was on the part where you had to wordclear the whole What Is Scientology? book. I must've spent 90% of my time looking through dictionaries of obscure words. Total waste of time.)

In the afternoon, we started on the administrative details. I had to do a sec check (a formality, I was twelve years old, it was pretty unlikely for me to be a druggie/CIA agent/alien spy), and then I signed a contract saying that I would work for the Sea Org for the next billion years. There were a few more things that needed to be signed, but they could wait.

That night I finally met the other EPFers. They were mostly about 14-16 years old. To illustrate the maturity level here - one of the EPFers came late to bed and started banging on the door and someone joked that he was humping the door. The next morning, we woke and went to a muster - we all lined up, something boring was said - and then I found out that we were supposed to do some sort of chores at this point. Um. This wasn't really what I had signed up for... I was under the impression that since I was such an awesome super genius I could spend my time on the EPF doing courses or something... I figured that I would go along with it for today, and then later get it straightened out that I would not be spending my time doing busywork.

One of the other EPFers decided to give me some advice, and directed me to the easiest of the chores - sweeping around the outside of the base. I got a broom, and it felt kind of silly, but I went around the back of AOLA, sweeping up leaves. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what the heck I was supposed to be doing. I figured it was best to look busy. I hadn't been going at it for more than ten minutes, when an older Sea Orger found me, told me to stop, and brought me back inside. Oh man... did I somehow derp it up?

No, thank god. The reason I was pulled back inside was that the public would freak out if they saw a twelve year old wearing an EPF t-shirt sweeping leaves around PAC base. It was bad PR. Hurray, I got out of doing chores! Err, no, not actually... Instead, they reassigned me to another job - re-caulking a broken down bathroom with three or four other EPFers.

So it turns out that "caulk" sounds really similar to another word, which I found highly amusing. We ended up spending so much time joking about caulk that I don't think we actually got very much work done. At some point a senior Sea Orger came by to check on our progress, and tbh she didn't seem to find jokes about caulk all that entertaining. If I had stuck around, maybe I would have gotten into some sort of trouble for that...

But I didn't stick around, because as it turned out the Sea Org needed some sort of signed piece of paper from my mother saying that everything was cool. Also, I didn't have any clothes other than the ones I had come in (and the jacket!) So they decided to fly me back to Miami to pick up some clothes, maybe a toothbrush, and get some forms signed.

When I got back to Miami, it was like waking up from a dream. My mother told me that she had really missed me, and that I should consider carefully whether I really wanted to join the Sea Org for good. She pointed out that she had another baby on the way, and that it would be nice if I at least stuck around until she was born.

That night, before going to sleep, I put a lot of thought into it. My mother had a point - if I joined the Sea Org now, I probably wouldn't have time to do some of the other things I wanted to do with my life. Also... if I joined the Sea Org, I would have to make my bed every single morning. Do I even know how to make my bed without having any wrinkles in the sheets? Why is this even necessary? I mean, I knew that cleanliness is supposed to be important (there's a whole chapter in The Way To Happiness about how being clean impacts the people around you), but still, this seemed kind of arbitrary to me.

I slept on it, and the next morning I decided I just wouldn't go back. The End.

Uh, I didn't really intend to write a novel. Oops...

Also I'm this dude ----> http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3037376/

Wow. At first, when I read you claimed at age of 12 to have figured out that whole 5.4X = all humans would be sci's by 1964, I thought troll, move on. But then you link, and you really are a young math genuis/whiz! Do you remember how many others were under the age of 18 when you were at ASHO? Do you remember names of recruiter and EPF peron in charge and any other Sea Org staff that handled you? That would be very helpful. I assume now, at age 22, you realize that all of that was illegal for Sea Org staff to do.

You have such a bright and promising future ahead and I hope many corporations and even think tanks are persuing you and assisting in scholarships and internships. Please tell us that you have educated yourself on the true face and the harmful sides of scientology and have steered away. Is your mom still involved or any other family? Thanks for writing your story. You're super smart in many areas, not just math!

http://www.hardproblemsmovie.com/synopsis.html
"Zeb Brady and Arnav Tripathy win gold medals for the United States." 2006 Award. Very impressive, Zeb.

I checked to see if I had any of the emails from the recruiter, to see what the names were, but it turns out that back then I deleted all my emails after reading them like a big noob. Oh well. How many others were under 18? How many were over 18 sounds like a better question... I don't remember anyone specific though because I was just there for two days (I'm bad enough with names as it is).

I went into a dwindling spiral, got pneumonia and died sometime in 2004/2005. I really thought I would be able to survive reading that OT III stuff... Hubris... Seriously though, Scientology is pants.

It should be completely illegal to allow children into the Sea Org.

Not to derail (too much) but there are even a few here without any particular love for God who nevertheless recognize and respect persons of honest and humble faith as yourself. Whether or not God is "real", I would judge him/her by their followers, their works and teachings. That God I've myself encountered; who fillls, inspires and guides Anons is a pretty cool guy, he loves Scientologists and doesn't afraid of anything.

I respect you for that.

Gerry Armstrong in Russia:

Like a complete gullible, half whit I signed up for a 5 year contract when I was only 19. Being the fool I was it was mainly as my partner was a Scientologist and I wanted to make him happy. I was just curious about the the Org and desperate for a job. I stayed for 3.5 years then eventually routed out. There were a number of whispers that I was a 'suspected' SP and then eventually totally my husband left me presumable because I am not really aware of making any case gain and he was keen on joining the Sea Org. I nearly had a nervous breakdown after finally having some more auditing mainly to please hubby and then the Ethics Officer was accusing me of being an SP as I had two young children and hubby was about to join the Sea Org.
I felt so awful that I was very aware of a number of remarks or paperwork that I may be an SP. In fact it took years and years and years to get Scientology twoddle out of my head. Now that I am way more mature I am now proud that I was accused of being an SP because it shows I had a thinking and logical mind and Dianetics, auditing, past lives and other tech were a novelty in the 60s. Nowadays it is only for the very rich or half whits who are hung up on the fantasy of past lives, space ships etc and of course the good old favourite ... yes you all know it. Being Dianetic clear and of course audited by Ron in the 60s. There must have been a hell of a lot of 'dropped bodies' in the 60s as there were never any shortage of Dianetics Clears.

It should be illegal for children of any age.

It was, frankly, quite therapeutic for me to write up my first hand account, and Arnie Lerma has hosted it on his site for a long while. It is a mega post and "way too long", but I have been astonished that several people actually read it. Not going to re-post it here in consideration of excess content even on a mega thread. LOL
Have a link anyhow.

http://www.lermanet.com/michaelpattinson/

Never met/seen Scientology groups, hope I never do. Mission Impossible sucked and its not hard to avoid Tom Cruise films. which by default fund and support the CoS.

Sorry for the double post; clumsy
Not a horror story but a totally ridiculous encounter

When I was in university I was approached by on of their counsellors on the street and invited to take a personality assessment test. I agreed and went to their offices where I gave a false name and particulars.

They administered the test, which I found interesting as I was taking courses on the construction and development of these tests at the time.

I gave the appropriate answers to indicate a suggestible subject after which the tester went over my results. She explained where I might be having difficulty in my life and began to show me how these things could be changed. Not surprisingly, she had a book or program that could address each of my alleged faults or problems.

I expressed great interest in having my life turned around (with their help) at which point I was taken before a man who appeared to be higher on the echelon, or just a better salesman. He continued to offer me resources.

When I told him I didn’t make that kind of money at my job, he told me he could refer me to a specific individual at a bank who would give me a loan to pay for my programs.

After 3 hours of conversation, they had signed me up for $10,000 of debt. This for a person who indicated a very low paying job with no prospects, no family and no self esteem. I left.

And you expect us to believe that?

Why not? Helping victims lie to a bank is an old technique used by the criminal organisation known as the "church" of $cientology, from the UK - http://cosmedia.freewinds.be/media/articles/itv281196.html and https://androvillans.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/ex-scientologist-story-257-the-bournemouth-horror/ - and Denmark https://whyweprotest.net/community/threads/danish-news-story-ex-sci-speaks-out-in-evening-news-show.94204/ recounting the testimoney of Andrea Catt and Robert Dam respectively.