Critical Q&A

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

(1) There were yellow jacket wearing ‘Volunteer Ministers’ in my community doing their thing, giving people flyers and pointing people toward their tent this weekend. One of them came up to me and I made a joke at the guy indicating that I had seen them running around the area all weekend, figuring they were a union or political group. He said “If there is something troubling you in life, there is something that can be done about it.” This was his sales pitch, and I guess I asked “What do you mean?” or “What’s this about?” and the man abruptly replied, “It’s Scientology.” I was surprised by his bluntness. No front group, just right into the main line. I was polite, but I walked away. I worry about seeing them again, about being pestered when I go by because I frequent the area they were in regularly. I am not aware of any Org in my city. I did not go into the tent, I did not give anyone my personal information. Do I have need to be worried about any future encounters?

(2) Watching the Zuckerberg hearing and I was curious as to your thoughts on the matter. Western social media has an observable political bias and while your personal politics may align with this bias, your cult awareness content could be placed in the ever increasing and nebulous umbrella of what they consider hate speech. Does this concern you? Given Zuckerburg’s testimony and the recent political comments by Jack Dorsey and the value you place on critical thought and the vigorous exchange of ideas, do you feel any obligation to call attention to what many see as an organized effort to obstruct certain speech on these platforms?

(3) Do you think some Freezone Scientologists see the OT III “Xenu narrative” as metaphor instead of actual fact, like liberal Christians believe about a lot of the Old Testament? Also, do you think some in the Church or Freezone don’t buy the “becoming sick” part about hearing the story, and only if you’re audited on it?

(4) I’m curious about how Scientology dealt with 9/11. How did you find out about the event? Was there any immediate impact to you? To the Sea Organization? Did you get some sort of statement or instructions from the higher organizations or even Miscavige? I imagine that it would have been near impossible to keep everyone in the dark about it considering the volume of the impact even on the smallest segments of society. No amount of fingers in your ears or blindfolds to media would have been very effective, I imagine.

(5) Where/when in your journey out of Scientology did you realise the importance of the falsifiability of your beliefs about objective reality? What was the immediate result of that realization for you?

(6) When Scientology gives you vitamins, how do you know the pills are what they say they are? Are they commercial, off-the-shelf brands or are they some sort of special Sea Org generated pill?

(7) In YouTube videos at Flag, some of the Sea Org members are wearing blue and some are in gold. Why do they have different colored uniforms at Flag?

(8) Do you know of any other modern day cults beside Scientology that are not Christian based? Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and even Heavens Gate all have Christian foundations while Scientology does not. How unique are they in this fashion?