Critical Q&A

The weekly show where I answer questions left for me in the comments section of my Q&A videos or sent by email to AskChrisShelton@gmail.com. This week, the questions I answer are:

(1) Are there any other cults that are under the same scrutiny as Scientology?
Who or what decides that a person is ready to go the next step on the Bridge?

(2) DUUUDE! Stop! Dude. Please….PLEEEEEEEZE elaborate as much as you possibly can on the “no deaths in Clearwater” policy. That a California death is more “ideal” fascinates me. After you mentioned that, suddenly it is the only thing I want to know about. Hoping there is a great number of anecdotes on that.

(3) Here’s a question I know you don’t know the actual answer to, but I want to hear your opinion about. In the last week the internet news was filled with reports that Tom Cruise was contemplating leaving Scientology. You were quoted as saying you doubted it, he’d be disconnected from his family and anyone following the story of Scientology knows he would lose his “apostle-hood” to the messiah Miscaviage.

Not long after THAT story came the announcement of Scientology’s own “CNN.” An all Scientology news channel. My gut feeling was that there was a closed door chat between Cruise and Miscavige about how to react to HBO’s “Going Clear “ and the news reports about Cruise picking his daughter over Scientology. As crazy as Miscavi ge is said to be, I think he’d do ANYTHING to keep his Golden Egg laying Goose ( Cruise ) from leaving.

The church has been alleged for many years of asking parishioners to donate money to apparently bogus projects. Building Church buildings they KNEW would remain empty, and asking for money to modify the former Los Angeles PBS studios to spread the good news of Scientology. (Even though they had the elaborate GOLDEN ERA studios for many years already).

Do you think that the “Scientology CNN” story is Miscavige’s reaction to “Going Clear”? Do you think that Cruise said to Miscaviage : “Why don’t we use those PBS studios we bought to counter HBO’s bad PR?” Will we ever get to see this “Scientology CNN” channel? Or is this just more smoke and mirrors? Will this “Scientology CNN” be a laugh fest like most of Scientology’s internal videos that have leaked out or will they take it seriously?

(4) I am fascinated by the constant barrage of flyers for minor events that the COS hold at various orgs, with the never ending quotes like “Epic”, “World Changing”, “Extravaganza Event” etc, that so often now include the bait of some free food. Surely just like spam email many public members just ignore this constant pleading to come to yet another regging. So my question is this: they set out a room in the Org, they make it Epic, but nobody turns up. How do they explain this away? It must after a while border on utter humiliation that nobody turns up to their ‘Epic Event’. Are they compelled to hold these events, or do they have no clue how to try another tact? Surely one can only smash one’s face into a brick wall so many time before one realises that using face & wall interaction is not the correct way to take a wall down.

(5) Chris, Do you think ( as I do ) that when this magical world of David’s comes crashing down he will slip out the back door with all the money and live happily ever after leaving everyone else to face the consequences?

(6) Hi Chris. Thanks for these Q&A videos. I have heard a lot about the lives of the high level Scientologists and those that work in the Sea Org. I have been wondering about the lives of ordinary Scientologists. How does Scientology influence the normal member’s life? Do average Scientologists, for example, have non-Scientologist friends?

(7) Do you think there is a threat of Scientology’s wrath for us never-ins curious and critical towards the Scientology topic who participate in the online events and/or follow ‘great SP critics’ like yourself, Rinder, Ortega and others? Or is their reach a thing of the past, their actions now only reserved the big SPs themselves and not the random people they interact with?

(8) I hear people saying that the CoS is going to die. With billions in money and assets, isn’t that a total fantasy? Someone will step in the moment Miscaviage shows any weakness. What would you say to that?

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