Hi,

Im a new member here at Operation Clambake.

Im from Norway, 34 year old male, and recently got interested in what is this scientology excactly?
It was in the news recently an article about a boy named Shane in Australia that got my attention.

I`ve heard about this cult/religion earlier and was aware of some of their methods and that people have commited suicide after taking personality tests and so on. This actually happened to a girl here in Norway who was a daughter of a politician or something also (im using my memory).
But this news about working children under horrific lousy conditions were new to me and made me really upset.
I mean, adult people do have a choice to a certain point, but children ar forced it seems.
After this i went online to do some research, and that also brought me to this site. I have seen a lot of videos around the net, and it only made me want to know more. And what is it about all these scientists?? They come off as childish to me in videos?? -What is your crime?? repeating and repeating?? I sometimes have to laugh instead of being disgusted. After watching all these videos something picked my brain.

Ok, the church of scientology obviously have a lot of money, but what about members?
In videos, i see the same people over and over, and i start to wonder, how many people is it in this organisation excactly??

Is there a way to see how this organisation is built?

And since im from Norway, does anybody know how many members there is in Norway? I saw and old video of Andreas Heldal Lund claiming it was about 30 active members here in Norway.

To all you people fighting the church of scientology, i think you`re doing a great job! I loved the story about Tory Christman, and i think she is so cute also, hehe

I also will be grateful for any pointers of where i should begin seeking out more information and what can i do if i want to help fighting scientology?

I`m sorry if my english is bad.

Vidar.

Hi, Vidar and welcome,
Here is a 2010 Norway picket thread on whyweprotestrotest.net https://whyweprotest.net/community/thre ... iii.61706/

The Norske area on this message board has a few threads: viewforum.php?f=41

You can send private messages to some of the posters on those threads, if you want to know more about anti-Scientology action in Norway.

Reports from last year hovered around 40,000 worldwide, but whatever the number it has surely fallen rapidly in just the last few weeks. In Norway? You're probably right.

Debbie Cook sent 12,000 emails on Jan 1st 2012. A census in the 1990's showed 25,000 in the US at that time. With the scandals, abuse and over redging I suspect 12, is closer to reality.

Hi Vidar, and welcome to Operation Clambake. This site is the best resource in my opinion for anyone seeking information about $cientology.
As Radio Paul mentioned, Debbie Cook sent 12,000 emails to $cientologists. She said that she was in good standing with the church and that she was not connected with anyone who is not in good standing with the church, so I trust that all 12,000 of the email recipients were active $cientologists.

It is difficult to estimate the number of $cientologists worldwide. One thing is for certain, the Church of $cientology lies about how many members it has and lies about how many people are $cientologists. I estimate 25,000 at the most worldwide.

The best place to start is at the Operation Clambake main page. You can find answers to most questions about $cientology there. This message board is a good place to ask questions and discuss and debate topics related to $cientology.

Again, welcome to Operation Clambake.
Your English is excellent!

Hartley Patterson's pages on the subject.

An OCMB recommended read for anyone researching the topic.

Fastest growing religion?
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/stolgy_3.htm

Millions of members?
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/stolgy_4.htm

Scientology Worldwide
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/stolgy_5.htm

Thank you for the welcome Don Carlo, and for pointing me in the right direction for Norske area. There was little activity there, but that probarbly has something to do with what i read Mr. Heldal-Lund said somewhere: "Its just a doorbell"




Im glad to hear it has probarbly fallen. I mean, what if it is several millions of people "trapped" in this thing? Im just a bit surprised that i see the same faces over and over in videos. I havent seen any videos shot by scientology themselves yet though. I!ll come to that I guess.




When Debbie Cook sent those emails, does that include kids like Shane in Australia? Is the 12.000 recipients all kinds of people in the church of scientology?
Maybe it is 12.000 people higher up the ranks, and a lot more people lower on the ladder? As i understand the CoS calls you a member as soon you have just bought a book or have taken one course or test?





Hi bparker230, and thank you for your welcome. I will continue doing my research here, and
watch videos on xenutv, youtube and so on. Any other good sites? Is there a collection somewhere containing videos made by CoS people?




Hi Sponge, and thank you for the good links



One other thing.. This Tommy Davis person? Its ridicoulus too see videos of him in the streets, and then interviewed on CNN talking against himself, and so on. He actually encourages, in the CNN interview, people to go online for themselves and make up their own minds, then he states out his own internet site, and claims all other sites are cybergossip and mongers? And that internet twists and bends the truth?
Who is he trying to fool? I really hope people everywhere doesnt fall for his propagandamachine called CoS.

Thank you all for your welcome and answers. I tried to comment on all your posts and post it here, but it seems like something went wrong, or maybe i wrote something wrong and got moderated. Anyway, i will look into all your answers and links, and continue reading up on this very important subject.

Vidar.

The only other site I can recommend is Lermanet.Com "Exposing the Con". I can't say I know Arnie Lerma personally, but I did have a very good phone conversation with him once. He has done so much to expose the cult and has suffered all sorts of harassment from the cult for doing so.

Welcome to the board, vidarbelfort !

The answer to your question is simple -- no one oustide an inner CoS circle of top executives knows how big/small CoS is. The estimates range from 25,000 to 100,000 worldwide. I do not have an estimate of my own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=y2Wx2M7a5Wg

Sorry that I missed one of your points in your reply RE: videos made by CoS people. Critics offer access to other points of view, but the CO$ does not.

I am sure the emails did not go to kids but there are even less kids in Scientology than adults. As one person said, Debbie was in good standing when she sent the email. Also she was going to send it to anyone that mattered and not persons that bought a book. Yes being who she is, she would have access to that list. The ORGs are empty. I drove by the DC ORG on my way home today and saw them let out of evening course. There were 6 public I did not recognize and the rest were all staff. 25,000 is a number that is pre Anonymous, Marty, Mike, Debbie and a rash of bad press hitting the internet. Scientology can claim that all of your body thetans attached to your meat body are members if they want but 12,000 staff and public is being generous by what I have seen.

I would also add that the over regging and all the disconnections we have seen in the last few years has got to be trashing their numbers too.

Makes sense. At a dozen or so per org, that would be 1,000 orgs to make up even 12,000 members. I don't know if everyone on Debbie's e-mail lists were active $cientogists, but she did say that she was not connected to anyone not in good standing with the church. It seems unlikely to me that she could know for sure that all 12,000 in her list were in good standing with the church.

Cook left CoS several years ago, so her 12,000 e-mail address list is stale, and the number of active members is likely lower.