Critical Q&A

The fifth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video:

(1) What an excellent video – I would urge anyone still in to watch it – there can be no harm in listening to someone who has actually been a Scientologist for many years give his perspective on the church. What I always find hard to understand is how any Scientologist can accept being told not to watch, listen or read things that may challenge Scientology doctrine. Surely this is all part of gaining personal freedom, which is what Scientology is supposed to be about. How does any Scientologist reconcile that, as a member? I ask because when I did the Dianetics course, I got downgraded for thinking for myself. I was told only to write what it said in the book. I instantly stopped doing any more courses because I realized that I was therefore not going to be allowed to be self-determined, and I saw this as hypocrisy because I was told Scientology was all about making you more self determined.

(2) Aaaand I thought of another question/issue – non CO$-related – that I’d love to hear you tackle. In the pagan/Earth-centered traditions, there’s been some influx of some truly stupid, mentally damaging ideas lately, such as the “Law of Attraction” (where everything – good or bad – that happens to you is due to the “vibrations” of your thoughts) and the even more sickening conceit that we choose our parents in some “between life” station – which is a direct slap in the face to anybody born into adverse circumstances. Care to tackle the wooly thinking of the New Age Sheeple? my simple, tree-hugging religion is going down the toilet due to these infectious ideas…

(3) Great idea for the new series. Your vast font of knowledge and insight is perfect for the Q&A format. My question has to do with the OT III mythology — in accord with LRH’s “scientific” findings, when a body thetan is audited off a Scientologist’s body where does it go? Does it fly around looking for another body to leech onto? Does it have a preference for Scientologist or wog bodies?

(4) Love watching your videos Chris well done. I found you due to my somewhat obsession with learning everything there is to know about Scientology. I’ve never studied LRH or his writing but I find cults very interesting and perplexing. My question is more about faith in general. Do you think organized religion, whatever it may be is helpful or more hurtful to our society? I think spirituality is important for our souls. I’m not going to tell people what they should or shouldn’t believe but from my viewpoint organized religions are hypocritical and use faith to further their agendas, and have lead to the death of millions. I’m curious to hear what your opinion might be…

(5) Hi, Chris. There is a video somewhere of you and a woman in your SO uniforms getting out of a car and walking. I think this was during a raid on a Church of Scientology. Wondering what your thoughts were at the moment? Crazy m-fers? Ignore them? Just a bunch of SPs? Hmmm, wonder what they’re so upset about? etc.

(6) Here’s my question: Would you say that you were brainwashed when you were in Scientology? I mean the literal definition of brainwashed. If so, how were they able to brainwash you, when you are clearly an independent thinker and very logical and analytical??? I know you wanted to help people. But it had to be more than that.

(7) Weren’t you in Minneapolis when the Ideal Org there opened up? What was the thinking behind acquiring such an ENORMOUS building (a former museum, if I recall correctly)? Didn’t it seem suspicious when the org did not start filling up with thousands of public eager to go “up the bridge”? I would think it must be very discouraging for a handful of staff to be rattling around inside a massive structure…

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