The Internet and Scientology
by The power of internet activism, cults pretending to be a religion, and freedom of speech. All in one place.
As a supporter of free speech with an interest in world issues I am very interested in the ongoing “cyber-war” between Scientology and Anonymous. For those who don’t know, this war was started when videos featuring Tom Cruise we removed from the Internet.
In response to the the Internet group Anonymous used various methods as well as the Streisand effect to keep this video free. This free-speech war eventually grew into large monthly protests with various “flash-raids” in between.
The common response to this by Scientology was a tactic referred to as “fair game”. It is a tactic which is know by many to be used by Scientology against its critics to discourage any negative press. Scientology has also accused Anonymous of making bomb threats against their buildings.
I find it interesting that freedom of speech and freedom of religion can cause a disagreement about beliefs. How ever looking back at recent history we find many New Religious Movements appearing based on different ideologies. These varying beliefs can cause conflicts among people in a society, but when it come to how a religion produces its money is another topic.
If Scientology wants to be a successful religion in the future it needs to be more transparent in its operations. As only when the world can see what is happening will the world accept Scientology for what it is.
These are my opinions on this Internet based movement. Perhaps it will be the start of a new era, for the people of the Earth.
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Post CommentLiberty
On June 5, 2008 at 2:54 pm
It’s called the marketplace of ideas for a reason. We put our wares on the shelf and see who will buy them. The views of “Anonymous” are generic wares, unbranded, plainly marked, and are in the “Free” basket by the door. Scientology’s wares are in a glossy box, in a big display, with a spokesman standing there making promises about what’s in the box. Meanwhile, that glossy, fancy box contains poisonous vipers for astronomical prices. Any customer who comes back, having been nearly fatally wounded, and says, “Hey, they’re selling poisonous snakes!” are attacked, dragged out of the building, and called criminals. Anyone who tries to return the product is attacked. Anyone who attempts to find out what’s in the box is attacked.
It’s not religion. It’s the mafia. How is that okay?
No one, absolutely no one, has argued with the right of Scientologists to believe what they like. No one denies them a right to speak. No one denies them a right to do “auditing” with ridiculous little galvanic response meters or to read L. Ron Hubbard materials. No one is interfering with freedom of Scientologists to practice their “religion.” Ordinary citizens are simply educating themselves, and pointing out the truth about that religion. If that means Scientology sells fewer “units” and has fewer “bodies in the shop,” so be it. The product is unappealing and dangerous. Telling the truth is not interfering with practice of religion — unless collecting cash for bogus services is “religion.”
You know what? If “freedom of religion” includes free license for Scientology to lie, steal, cheat, extort, infiltrate the government, practice unlicensed medicine, influence policy based on unfounded pseudoscience, and otherwise exploit people/society… then yes, I’m against that “religion”, and proud to say so.
Anonymous
On June 5, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Jack,
The war was declared after the Gawker incident, yes, but it started long before. Scientology has always destroyed lives and left lifelong enemies behind to haunt it in the years to come. It has managed to disturb even those whom it has never attempted to consume, and the time has come for it to pay the price.
Scientology is not a religion. It is a criminal organization that has a pseudo-religious UFO cult around it. Scientology has never been nice to anyone. It is completely devoid of humour. And for that too, indeed, the time has come for it to pay the price.
We are Legion.
David R. Internetz
On June 5, 2008 at 3:19 pm
The internet generally doesn’t like bullies as a whole. If you need an example of what im refering to please google the “Barbara Streisand” effect. Scientology has a long history of harassing interest groups and supressing free speech, they were the first group to invoke the dread DMCA a acronym dreaded by the internet community as whole due to its vague nature and its utility to our otherwise draconic Intellectual property system. Scientology maintains a very mafia like presence online and its nice to see somebody doing something about it. E-Thugs like this shouldn’t be tolerated their mafia tactics aren’t all that scary to a group of shining examples of the importance of anonimity like these guys.
As far as freedom of speech/religion goes. Calling some religion a cult isn’t supressing their right to believe in anything. As a human being you have a right to voice your opnion in the US and you have the right to be offended by other peoples opinions. You don’t have the right to stop people from worshipping whatever in the world they want the same goes for speech if they want to protest you legally and you don’t like it too bad…. The images i’ve seen online don’t show anything but regular legal protests. Scientology is an extremely sore loser and is used to abusing their extremely complicated setup as a religion/buisness to harass people into silence. I’m sure when your used to winning all the time being annoyed like this must be a huge switch. I hope these guys keep it.
Val
On June 5, 2008 at 3:19 pm
$cientology can’t be anything BUT secretive. It their members were informed about what the upper levels of the cult were about they would run out of the org laughing, never to return. Xenu is something they can’t discuss because it is so stupid no one would buy their “religion” any more. As a matter of fact not many people are buying it now.
Anonymous
On June 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm
What the above people said.
Scientology is an organisation dedicated to separating vulnerable people from their money. That is its sole purpose. To talk of it as a “religion” is as ridiculous as talking of Al Capone’s crime syndicate as a “monastery”.
Patrick
On June 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Excellent article, but it should be noted that Scientology is NOT a religion. Anonymous protests because of Scientologies stated aim to rule this world (or this sector of the galaxy to be precise) and because of the abuses it inflicts on members.
Examples are legion, but I list some recent news clips below. Everything can be easily verified with a Google search.
December 2007: Dutch hitman Jesse R. (last name is not given per local custom, but Google is friendly) is arrested for at least 6 murders. During police interiogations it becomes clear took inspiration from Scientology and donated the proceeds of his assasinations towards them. Though there is no indication that Scientology members were assecory to the murders, Scientology ’scriptures’ are filled with dozens of quotes which show disrespect for human life: ‘You can get away with murder as long you are upstat [red. bring in money]‘, ‘These are men dead because they attacked us’, ‘Rather be dead than a bad Scientologist.’
January 2008: A French women called Boublil is abducted by her Scientology brother and held hostage on Sardine for several weeks in appalable conditions before she is able to throw an SOS sign in the neighbors’ garden. The French Scientologists misapplied what is called the ‘introspection rundown’, a dangerous Scientology procedure involving completely isolating a person who is (supposedly) in a pyschosis. In an almost identical incident in the late ’80s a lady called Lisa McPherson died.
February 2008: Belgian officials raid the Scientology office. The raid is the culmination of a nine year investigation into the practices of the cult in Belgium. Charges, including fraud and extortion, were formerly brought upon 12 members in April.
March 2008: Norwegian girl Kaja Bordewich Ballo commits suicide after taking the ‘free stress test’. The ‘test’ is used to recruit people into Scientology. It only has negative outcomes (you are depressed, insecure etc) on the result sheet, whilst positive equivalents are not possible. This way, they hope to get under your skin so that you’ll take Scientology courses. After filling in the ’stress test’ Kaja watched a recruitment video in which it is suggested she might as well commit suicide if one doens’t not join Scientology (I really wish I was joking here, but sadly enough it is true).
April 2008: Jenny Miscaviage, the niece of the cult’s current authoritarian leader David Miscaviage tells about child labor and disconnection on ABC’s Nightline.
May 2008: Germany issues a report in which it discusses the nation’s approach to organizations that threaten the stability of the German Democracy. It discusses such nefarious organisations such as Neo-Nazi’s, Al-Queda and, yes, Scientology.
May 2008: Dutch Antilles’ officials seal the Scientology ship Freewinds after blue asbestos is found, the most dangerous kind. It is well documented (google Freewinds Woodcraft) that 21 Years ago church senior management was duly notified of the asbestos but refused to take action, exposing their members for decades.
That’s only five months worth of news and there has been a steady stream of this for 50 years now. US Officials insist on playing the ‘Religious freedom card’ rather than investigate Scientologies’ many instances of braking laws and abusing members. Ask yourself, do you agree?
Anonymous is a group of people that feels the free people of the West should not allow this cancerous organization to exist. We protest anonymous, not to be initimidating, but because of the ‘fair game’ practices that Scientology inflicts upon its critics: ‘If possible, of course, he [red a critc of the cult] should be uttery destroyed’.
But fear not, whilst they have lies, we have caek and lulz. Join us at enturbulation.org.
Anonymous
On June 7, 2008 at 9:33 am
Anonymous advocate free speech, free information and free religion.
The question isn’t “who are those guys protesting?” it’s “why are those guys protesting?”
The crimes of Scientology are truly disturbing.
anotheranon
On June 7, 2008 at 9:54 am
I joined the ‘battle’ in opposition to the so-called church of scientology for the simple reason that it has been, and continues to be, very mean and nasty to both its members and the general public. You need go no further than the web-site exscientologykids to read some of the background to my statement.
People can have whatever beliefs they so desire…as long as those beliefs don’t try to turn ME into a victim. Scientology believes I am a lesser being because I protest their practices.
It is truly an alarming totalitarian organization.
Thanks Jack for the article. Oh and by the way, the demographic profile of Anonymous has expanded FAR beyond the young, computer geek label…of that I am living proof!
Richard Rolle
On June 7, 2008 at 10:16 am
A minute’s worth of research on the internet will yield something that will pique your interest. Why is it so easy to find so many horrible things about the dangerous cult of $cientology? Is it because the truth is so widely available? You can ask yourself; what kind of religion has a WRITTEN POLICY (as in it is a core belief of this false “religion”) of stalking, suing, lying to, financially and emotionally destroying critics? What kind of religion infiltrates the US government to steal information? What kind of religion resorts to ad hominem arguments instead of trying to calmly and rationally come to a conclusion? I’ve read online that the next Anonymous protest is on June 14th and after reading so many terrible things about the cult I’m going to stand alongside the protesters this time.
Anon Y. Mouse
On June 8, 2008 at 3:29 am
$cientology is just a money making scam. Anything can be called a religion. Including $cientology.
David
On June 8, 2008 at 8:49 am
This has been a long time coming – Scientology is much closer to organized crime than it is to religion.
anonymous
On June 8, 2008 at 8:34 pm
unfortunately, in order for scientology to be a successful religion is might like to consider stopping it’s habits of
using the legal system to intimidate
harassing critics
disconnecting members from “supressive” influences such as family
charging obsene amounts of money for “total freedom”
lying about getting superpowers and awesome memory after getting high enough in their ranks
not having a sense of humour
stalking peaceful protesters
being accused of murder
infiltrating the government (go ahead, search “operation snow white”)
having a “security check” for people that is used to attempt to remove potentially supressive members
having a seperate “security check” designed specifically for children
having a slave labour camp (called the rehabilitation project force)
having front groups such as Narconon (a pharmaseutical company that uses vitamins and sauna baths to cure diseases)
violently oppposing psychiatry
lying to everyone about their doctrine (go ahead, look up OT3)
using information they get from their basic psychiatric sessions (called auditing) as threats to prevent members from misbehaving (leaving)
did I miss anything?
AnonMemphian
On June 9, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Not only is it NOT a cult, but the CO$ is getting into our schools and subjecting our children to L.Ron’s tech. Watch out for Applied Scholastics, L.E.A.P. and A.B.L.E. in your town and school districts. We don’t want religion taught in our schools much less a CULT whose teachings are from a Crazy Madman.
Goldstein
On June 10, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I was trapped inside this cults mental prison for 20 years.
Ten minutes on the internet and my mind was freed.
Scientology and groups like it can only control people to the extent that they can control information.
Anyone who escapes Scientology`s evil clutch will never tolerate censorship of information again.
Scientology will shrink to the extent that free speech reigns supreme on the ever expanding world wide web.
This will send a message to others who feel compelled to make slaves of their fellow man. Go Anonymous. I love you guys.
Anonymous
On June 10, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Freedom of religion is of utmost importance.
However scientology is neither free nor a religion.
Ruby Hawk
On June 29, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Everyone should have the right to believe anything they want as long as they don’t push it in anyone elses face. They do not have the right to tax shelters unless the church is open to the public.
Lucy Lockett
On July 7, 2008 at 2:22 pm
This is all interesting but I agree with Ruby.