I have never been a Scientologist or into any organized religion for that matter as I don’t believe that any man/woman should speak for the gods/god; I do believe there is something but spirituality on my own terms is what I follow along with the basics of being a decent human being. So this being the way I think I do not and cannot understand why anyone let alone a parent would drag themselves and their children through this monstrosity of a cult. I have to say when I decided to investigate what this “religion” was all about (as I have said before, while taking my son to his sword fighting lessons in Vancouver Canada, I came across the anonymous guys outside the scientology centre) I didn’t think it would be such a sore spot for me, but the more I looked into it the more passionate I felt about seeing it end. I actually feel pride in those who find the strength and courage to leave this cult, so needless to say (although I am sure it has been very hard on you) I am super proud and happy for you. I believe from what I have read that there is some sort decompression that you all must go through and that takes quite awhile for some and some cannot ever escape the horrors they have experienced and some end up going back to it, I hope that you as a young man are able to adjust to your life without this cult and find absolute happiness on your own terms. Though I am sure this friendship that you have lost hurts you (and her, I am sure), I do believe there is a reason for everything that happens and perhaps much like recovering addicts a clean break from those still involved is actually the best for you. I wish you nothing but the best and hope you have an amazing future in whatever you choose to do as a free person!

TL;DR

and also

TS;DR

TL:DR

and also

TS:DR

It has little to do with intelligence; in fact, I can cite you several comparable cult leaders who were demonstrably quite stupid but nevertheless possessed the charisma and narcissistic self-confidence required to project magnetism and strenght, and thereby draw followers.

Cults are, in essence, early-stage religions. A religion is a cult that moderates over time to prevent its inevitable dissolution in the face of contrary information. Both exist because human beings possess a sort of faulty operating system.

Our brains are neuroplastic, which means the flow of chemicals, signals and blood through its various sections can change over time and adapt based on what the brain believes is necessary to reduce anxiety. This is because we’re only born with one well-defined emotion: fear, necessary to survive. One way we develop that survival instinct is by accepting a GROUP ETHOS, because a group ethos tricks the brain into think we have the strength of numbers supporting us, and therefore have less reason to be anxious.

In fact, this is so common to all religions, political ideologies and personal beliefs, that modern research suggests as many as 85% of basic daily decisions are made autonomically, without any real though put into them. We use the lessons we learn as part of our survival instinct — usually within the group ethos of our family, our formative influence during our earliest cognitive development stage — AND AS A CONSEQUENCE BECOME ADDICTED TO TRUSTING THE GROUP.

All faiths, new and old, become dogmatic, orthodox and controlling when their core concepts conflict with accepted social mores or evidence. Supporters of the faith or ideology, experiencing the “cognitive dissonance” sensation that comes with a new idea challenging their existing ideas, typically reject the new idea, even if it’s rational.

Children are particularly susceptible to belief indoctrination, whether religious or political, because the brain isn’t well-developed enough typically until age seven to rationalize and reach logical conclusions. Consequently, children are often confused and this produces anxiety, which makes them turn, from their earliest age, to their parents. Their parents, in turn, indoctrinate them with beliefs they believe will make their children more secure, typically including both religion and political ideology. But absent any rational investigation, people accept this indoctrination because it makes them feel secure.

All of this also ties into why we have a constant state of conflict; humans can only define ourselves as an either/or proposition because, as Descartes noted, the only surety we have of our state of being is existence itself; for without existence… we could not ponder whether we exist. He phrased it as “I think, therefore I am,” But what Descartes was saying was that everything else is a crapshoot; either, it’s real, or it’s not.

EIther, or.

The way we interpret this subconsciously is to polarize ourselves on one side of an issue or another, typically, based on the collective beliefs that we use to construct our sense of security. Sometimes, these beliefs are based on solid information and we take the right side of an issue. But rarely do most of us ACTUALLY do the investigation required to be sure; we pick a side based on what feel secure with. This ‘side’ is a belief, a group belief, no different from those offered by religion or political ideologies.

So why is all of this so compelling and powerful? Why do religious groups hold particular sway?

Answer: They’re based on our most powerful security self-delusion: that we won’t ever die. They offer the suggestion of an after-life, of being able to pass beyond this life and body to something better. This is because the concept of death, if accepted, is terrifying to most people. There are ways of getting past that fear that are healthier, but not particularly natural to us, and most people I’ve met or interviewed never really do, myself included. And the leaders of these groups, consequently, weild what seems to be fearsome knowledge and power.

Helping religions (and political/economic ideologies) sell themself is the human brain’s ability to uttery delude each of us by shutting down active portions of its oldest components — the posterior parietal lobe and the amygdala — during high-stress occasions in which an individual is questioning his or her purpose. Blood flow slows in these areas (as evidenced in Dr. Andrew Newberg’s neurotheology work) and the person becomes deluded, their control over an understanding of space, time and auditory response gone. They hear a third party talking to them and assume it’s a higher power, when in fact it’s their own internal monologue seemingly externalized as they float in time and space. But it’s not God; we can trick the brain into doing the same thing with DMT, a drug.

When someone in the desert becomes overcome with heat and thinks they hear God, we now recognize it as a delusion brought on by the anxiety of visiting a place they think is sacted and the temperatures; we call it ‘Jerusalem Syndrome.’ And yet, to millions of Christians and Muslims, it’s totally reasonable that Jesus and Mohammed wandered off into the desert for days without food, as recored in both their holy books, and their visions had to be real.

Anyway, social evolution, genetic inheritance and neuroplasticity are why humanity continually and inevitably advances in intelligence, which is why all of this delusional nonsense is dying off. Some of us — I have asperger’s, both a blessing and a curse in a Sheldon-esque way — are lucky to have been taught by our parents prior to age seven to be critical thinkers, breaking the brain’s ability to delude my reasoning somewhat. You learn over time that this “social separation” has the downside of causing anxiety as well, which is why kids with troubles in childhood have anxiety and depression later on, due to their subsconscious breaches in their security.

It’s also why ….. big circular point here… things like Scientology appeal to people. Some basic tenets of pop psychology, including reversion therapy, touch on the issues in our childhood that contribute to the groups we see support from as adults. By addressing them and coming to terms with their past, people tend to feel better. Some people take advantag eof this, combined with spiritual delusion, to create cults.

I could go on, but people will be writing books about this stuff for years.

True. And oh, I did; the blend of hokey & creepy is too delicious to lose! The CCHR site managers must have uploaded Professor Stickley’s pamphlet without actually reading the thing (I hope).

I agree.

Cool *thumbs up*

He’s fine. Probably just being moody 🙂

Just seemed very aggressive and angry on Monday’s post about the disconnection thing. It just kinda surprised me. People were even saying a troll was pretending to be him. I didn’t believe that but it did seem out of character and then I hadn’t seen him around since then so I got concerned.

ETA – He was prob just in a pissy mood. Glad to hear he’s good. Carry on!

I talked to him yesterday. He seemed fine. What did he say that worried you?