In the past year we have seen an increase in the number of Scientologists taking the How To Confront And Shatter Suppression – PTS/SP Course. It’s been a required course for years and one that many members have done repeatedly but now we learn it’s been revised again, this time with more “clay demos.” It could be the fifth major revision but it’s hard to be sure. In 2013 Claire Headley described her experiences with the course.
We don’t think the revision is intended to help treat sick Scientologists. We think it’s an attempt to reinforce the shield in their minds against Leah Remini’s recently completed A&E series, Scientology and the Aftermath. Leah’s series documented many instances of abuse in Scientology that must be having an effect on members, and the PTS/SP course is their way to fight it. The course emphasizes that there are two kinds of people: good and bad with nobody in between. Hubbard describes them as the White Hats and Black Hats. “These are the two dominant behaviour patterns. There are people then who are trying to build things up and others who are trying to tear things down. And there are no other types. Actually there aren’t even shades of grey.” — HCO Info Letter 2 April 1964: Two Types of People
It’s a theory intended to prevent Scientologists from considering anything bad that has happened in Scientology. Scientologists are the White Hats, incapable of tearing anybody down. Critics and those who claim they were abused are the Black Hats, incapable of building anybody or anything up. Any abuses must be attributed to a Black Hat and that means former members who have been declared SPs. Mike Rinder and Leah Remini are perhaps Scientology’s ultimate Black Hats in the world today. Regardless of the credible stories from guests on the show the course teaches they should be ignored because they are being presented by Black Hats.
The PTS/SP course also describes the Merchants of Chaos. Hubbard applied the term specifically to newspaper reporters, but Scientologists now regularly describe any media source as a Merchant of Chaos. Listening to and studying the Hubbard lecture Scientology Zero is required in the course.
Of course, the chaos merchant, who wants an environment to look very, very disturbing. Somebody says there’s such a thing as a good news story. Have you read a paper lately? There’s no good news stories. “Train wrecked, child raped, murder” — what’s good about these stories? There is no such thing as good press. These are fellows who are shoving the environment in your face and saying, “Look — dangerous. Look — overwhelming. Look — threatening. Look. Look.” Well, they not only report the most threatening bits of news that they could possibly — couldn’t have any possible effect upon their readers’ lives, but also sensationalize it, and make it worse than it is. What more do you want, as a proof of their intention? Well, of course, this is the chaos merchant. He’s paid to the degree that he can make the environment threatening. — Scientology Zero, 10 December 1963
Scientologists are trained through the PTS/SP course not to look at the Aftermath show or the reporting in newspapers about it. All reports about Scientology are to be considered sensationalized and exaggerated. When seeing a report of abuse in Scientology the course teaches that it first has to be evaluated as to whether the reporter is being paid, and by whom. It allows the Scientologist to safely ignore anything reported by a professional news outlet.
In the absence of any new writings from L. Ron Hubbard, for the PTS/SP course Scientology has added more clay demos. Scientology claims that modeling any concept in clay “adds mass” and makes the material more real to the student. They can be quite elaborate as the above example from Taiwan shows. Revising the course yet again may indicate that the Aftermath show is impacting members of Scientology. We think the old course wasn’t effective enough in stopping Scientologists from considering the large number of stories of mistreatment and abuse being reported by former members.
— Rod Keller
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Leaked document of the day
From the FBI documents release comes this item.
We grew up in California so we remember what a respected figure Senator Alan Cranston (1914-2000) was at one time. So it’s disappointing to see that he got rooked by Scientology at least once, when Scientology’s propaganda rag, Freedom magazine, put together a film claiming that Scientology was being targeted by an FBI COINTELPRO operation intended to destroy the church. Cranston was asked by a constituent to look into this, and he sent off a letter to the Department of Justice. This isn’t the first time the response from the FBI’s assistant director, William M. Baker, has been online, but when we ran into it in the new FBI release, we thought it was a good example of how even a solid, reputable figure like Cranston can be “safepointed” by Scientology.
July 19, 1985
Honorable Alan Cranston
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510Dear Senator Cranston:
Your July 11th inquiry on behalf of [redacted], who is concerned about allegations that the Federal Government is attempting to disrupt the activities of the Church of Scientology, has been received.
We have received other inquiries on this subject, and I want to assure you that the FBI is not involved in any attempt to destroy the Church of Scientology. In those cases where a violation of Federal law falling within the FBI’s jurisdiction has occurred, we always strive to investigate such situations with complete fairness to all parties involved. The facts are then presented to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office which determines the prosecutive merits of the case.
The film referenced by [redacted] has been provided by the Church of Scientology as an exhibit to various pleadings filed in litigation with the Department of Justice, and it fails to substantiate claims of a counterintelligence program directed against this group.
I hope this information will assist you in corresponding with your constituent. Your enclosure is being returned as requested.
Sincerely,
William M. Baker
Assistant Director
Office of Congressional and Public Affairs…
NOTE: [Redacted] wrote to Senator Cranston and a number of other members of Congress expressing her concern that the FBI and IRS are engaged in a COINTELPRO based on her viewing of a film and reading a story in the “Freedom News Journal,” which is a publication put out by the Church of Scientology. She requests an investigation of this alleged action. The film was made by the Church of Scientology itself and transcripts of it, which were provided by the Church as exhibits to various pleadings filed in litigation with the Department of Justice, fail to substantiate the claims of a counterintelligence program directed against them. Above response has previously been used in reply to similar inquiries from other citizens to members of Congress and was coordinated with SA [redacted] CID, and SA [redacted], LCD. [Redacted] is not identifiable in Bufiles.
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“All this of course is, is, I’m just, I’m just kidding you mostly. I don’t believe that you’ve been in the universe seventy-six trillion years. I don’t believe you have any past before birth. I don’t believe that there’s any reason whatsoever for this universe to be here except that some fellow called the devil or something that built it. Uh, I don’t believe any of these things. And I don’t want to be agreed with about them. It infuriates me to be agreed with about them, so I’m not asking for anybody to agree with me. But I’m not asking for anybody to disagree with me either.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 1, 1952
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“I think it’s great that the church has a healthy second dynamic, like you see young people running their orgs, very likely they are Scientology kids. Maybe it has something to do with marriage being respected and abortion being avoided. We don’t seem to have a young generation in the Free Zone. I guarantee you the church will always exist because it’s got a second dynamic, of course only in a quiet way though but that’s better than nothing. We need younglings and babies so start making them.”
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“I’m putting out a shoop challenge. I’m envisioning a shoop of LRH with a doll of Miscavige sitting on his lap and Tiny Cancer has a Tom Cruise doll sitting on his lap. The prize to the winner is a chicken dinner or a quadrillion Howdy bucks.”
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] President George H.W. Bush dies at 94, and we remember a fateful October 1991 day
[TWO years ago] How L. Ron Hubbard used ‘past lives’ to set a trap for Scientologists
[THREE years ago] Leah Remini: Scientology’s new attack has a Katie Holmes angle they aren’t talking about
[FOUR years ago] Legoland theme park donates $10,000 to Scientology front on behalf of Jenna Elfman
[FIVE years ago] Hey, Dr. Phil, get a clue about Scientology and stop stiff-arming Lori Hodgson
[SIX years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Fundraising Mailers Galore!
[EIGHT years ago] Melissa Paris, Valeska’s Sister, And Her Own Ordeal in Scientology’s Cadet and Sea Orgs: Forced to Marry at 16
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,645 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,774 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,278 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,798 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 818 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 709 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,016 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,884 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,658 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,432 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,778 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,344 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,263 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,431 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,012 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,273 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,311 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,024 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,550 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,076 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,639 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,779 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,099 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,955 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,074 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,429 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,732 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,838 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,240 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,112 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,695 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,190 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,444 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,553 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 1, 2019 at 07:00
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