The island nation that is proving to be a refuge for the Church of Scientology

 
Rod Keller helps us keep an eye on Scientology overseas, and he has this report for us about Taiwan…

A tipster sent us the photo above of staff at the Kaohsiung Ideal Org in Taiwan celebrating a “highest ever” for WDAHWO, or Well Done Auditing Hours With Out Purif. Scientology tracks a large number of statistics by the week, and Kaohsiung is actually two orgs – one for Day and the Foundation org for the nights and weekends. We asked former Johannesburg staff member Shelley Ashurst if this is a good stat or not. She tells us it’s fairly typical for Ideal Orgs, but the stat breaks down to a rather small number of Scientologists active in the org. “A student doing the TRs and Objectives Course can account for 35 to 40 hours per week, so that 600 hours could equate to fewer than 20 PCs being serviced either in session, or in the course room. Every Ideal Org is built with enough auditing rooms and course rooms capable of delivering tens of thousands of hours per week. So the fact that they’ve reached 601 hours is embarrassing actually.”

Despite the low number, if Scientology is growing anywhere, it would be in Taiwan. An Ideal Org in the capital city of Taipei on the north end of the island is being planned to join Kaohsiung in the south. Taiwan deserves much of the credit for opening the Tokyo Ideal Org, and is seen as the gateway to expansion in mainland China. That is unlikely given the harsh treatment China has given the Falun Gong group, seen by some as a cult and a significant thorn in the side of Beijing.

Scientology runs identically everywhere, and Taiwan has its own Foundation for a Drug Free World, Narconon, CCHR and the rest of the front groups.

Where Taiwan exceeds all other Ideal Orgs is in the number of Scientology missions on the island. Ideal Orgs are expected to establish at least 10 missions in their area, which recruit new members, deliver introductory courses, and feed members to the org for higher level training and processing. Creating ten missions is a fantasy for most areas. Phoenix Ideal Org has one in Tucson. Portland had one in Lake Oswego, but that has closed. Ten orgs in California account for only 25 missions. Kaohsiung is unique – an Ideal Org with 12 missions on an island smaller than The Netherlands or West Virginia.

Taiwanese reportedly form the bulk of the Sea Org at the base in Australia, and they are frequently seen at Flag Land Base in Clearwater and on the cruise ship Freewinds. Scientology celebrities visit Kaohsiung regularly to raise money for Taipei, CCHR or the International Association of Scientologists, which brought musician David Pomeranz to Taiwan. Pomeranz is the author of the Scientology anthem “We Stand Tall.”

Scientology in the ANZO continent once meant little more than Australia, but Taiwan is rapidly replacing it as the center of activity. Expect Taipei Ideal Org to open in the next few years, and with it a new batch of missions. Although the orgs remain fairly empty, the donations to Scientology’s many causes continue to flow, and Taiwan is now a significant contributor to Scientology’s bottom line.

 
— Rod Keller

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 13, 2017 at 07:00

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BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
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GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
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