Assuming that it is "Church of Scientology International, Inc." that has the power to bestow and revoke eternity, why is it that CSI doesn't even OWN Scientology materials, and must pay for each use? The usual procedure is: The OT 8 student pays CSI, directly or indirectly, and attends OT 8 training. Some people in Sea Org (1) guess how much more money and effort they can shake out of the student, and may ask for donations, attacks on critics, a new disconnection, or other sacrifices before they award the OT8. Sea Org often blunders on this, since so many OT 8's have quit in fury. But, let's assume this student finally earns an OT8 certificate and gets to stand up holding it, to applause. There is temporary euphoria at finally achieving this supposed triumph.
But then doubts occur.

According to CSI's "Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart" (2)

But a cup of java could also bring about "a resurgence of power and native abilities." This level is so vague it's meaningless. CoS publicly says nothing about reading minds, remote viewing, out-of-body experiences, and psychokinesis (moving objects with your mind). This was only promised vaguely and mostly verbally, and the message is that the levels are perfect and any problem lies with the student. So the student - assuming it is a man - thinks it is his own fault that none of these abilities appeared, except for perhaps a disorientation that the student thinks is an out-of-body experience. What's more, the student finds himself being the same imperfect, unsatisfied, forgetful person. Even Buddha said you could achieve a state of bliss for a short time, but it fades in everyday life. It is not the student's fault; nobody has achieved these abilities in a way verifiable to the outside world. But, the student may reassure himself that they've got that eternity, and they'll re-incarnate the approved scientological way.

So, there's the student, hanging the OT 8 certificate on the wall, while CSI sends the course money to Religious Technology Corporation (RTC), which owns the copyright on OT levels. Wikipedia sums up RTC (3) and has four interesting facts:

A. Miscavige is Chairman of the Board of RTC As COB, then, Miscavige has final decision-making over who advances at the OT levels. Ironically, there is no proof that Miccavige has himself done the highest OT levels.

B. Miscavige, as Commander of Sea Org, controls all the top CoS corporations despite their supposed independence. Sea Org is itself a vaporous brotherhood with no legal existence, which nonetheless rules all of CoS.

C. RTC acts as the final arbiter of orthodoxy" ...to see that the religious technologies of Dianetics and Scientology remain in proper hands and are properly ministered. (3) RTC's enforcement of orthodoxy crushes down on the student, who has to conform and obey, and make amends for any lack of enthusiasm. There's only one exact way to eternity, and RTC, a California non-profit with an address in Los Angeles and a building at Gold Base, is the policeman to make every student do it with maximum satisfaction and money flowing to RTC. Ironically, each person attaining OT 8 appeases RTC with different tasks and a different set of sec-checks and other hoops to jump through. So, the procedure to attain levels is rigid AND variable, depending on RTC's need for control and money. So, rather than a saintly benefactor inspiring love and rewarding students in a predictable progression, RTC inspires fear and appeasement.

D. Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) can for $1 take away RTC's Advanced Copyrights at any time. (3) So CST is the meatball on top of this spaghetti-pile of supposedly divine cash-collectors, even though it claims to be OUTSIDE THE HEIRARCHY (4). Then what is CST? ....Church of Spiritual Technology includes "Special Directors" who are not required to be Scientologists, but who are required to be lawyers "to ensure that CST takes no action to jeopardize its tax-exempt status" (CST vs. IRS, US Claims Court No. 581-88T, June 29, 1992).(4), If the IRS revokes non-profit status for the major corps, it's not certain whether CST will still be the meatball on top. It may move to a new country that will grant it tax-exemption and grant work visas to its non-Scientologist lawyers and inner circle. If CST loses its US tax-exemption the special directors may get a new mandate to get and keep tax exemption in a new country. If that's not possible, their role may be over.

CST has a comical pretense of being a "church" since it is theoretically totally separate from RTC and CSI, and basically squats and collects royalty money (5). CST must employ, forever, CST trustees

Lawyers made CST separate to protect the copyrights from lawsuits against CSI or against RTC, but since it is legally entwined with the CoS corps through its collection of royalties, it's likely a lawsuit would reach it anyway, if a suing party was rich and persistent enough to NOT agree to a settlement. If lawsuits reached the top corporations, and there was insufficient money in CSI and RTC (due to hasty money-moving) theoretically CST would have to sell the royalties to pay the damages. Game over.

Getting back to the new OT 8 student, he quietly hides his disappointment, but find CoS has new courses for him to maintain his OT 8, and new demands, which he sheepishless agrees to. Then a relative of the student quits Sea Org, and the student says goodbye to the relative over the phone. Even if the student has said all pro-CoS words, the student may lose EVERYTHING if Miscavige is enraged by this new development.
In another case, the OT 8 student may have exhausted his savings and lost his job, and suddenly can't pay. He may become too ill to volunteer. He may become feeble, and not look "able" and "enthusiastic." Despite his utter loyalty, Sea Org is likely to start blaming HIM for his misfortune. After all, it makes the OT 8 look ineffective if the person then goes into decline. CoS claims that even OT 8's have thetans that can come back, and thus the student will need auditing forever. Actually, what the student was infested with, was MONEY, and CoS was determined to extract that money. CoS can weigh his network of relatives and friends that might quit CoS if he is mistreated. If he has no allies, or they've all quit, then they may well extort him into deeper debt. If he finally quits in a heartbroken huff, then they'll take away his levels. In this case, Sea Org / RTC is like a high school clique that freezes out a member over a misunderstanding. Or, Sea Org is like an office with a nasty boss who will fire you for trivial offenses. It's not like a spiritual font of eternity.

(1) Every worker is Sea Org at CSI, RTC and Flagship (the Freewinds corp).
(2) http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/P ... dchart.gif. Retrieved December 2011.
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_ ... ogy_Center
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_ ... Technology
(5) Some is spent on the annual "Writers of the Future" contest, and mountains vaults.
(6) http://www.angelfire.com/blog/suleiman2 ... _1992.html

Thanks Don
I'm not arguing that "Rundown" was a good or appropriate choice of terminology. Hubbard is well known for not using standard English (or English at all for that matter) in his choice of terminology. He seemed to just pull terminology out of his arse as he went along.

That opens up a can of worms because it shows Hubbard's non-religious attitude towards his own "religion." I believe, as many do, that Hubbard was interested in the "religious angle" for a tax shelter, and also so that he could make any claims he wanted to without worrying about scientific scrutiny or charges of fraud because it is all a matter of religious belief and practice.

As much as I like to call $cientology a cult, I don't believe that it is actually. It is neither a religion nor a cult. It is simply a fraud masquerading as a religion. Even cults have some element of worship or belief in a higher power. Even if that higher power is the cult leader him/herself or the sun or the moon, etc., there is reverence for something. Sometimes the belief is simply that there will be some sort of a doomesday and only the "chosen ones" (convieniently the members of that particular cult) will survive. Except for the idea of $cientologists being the only "enlightened ones" in the entire universe, I don't see the elements of a religion or even a cult in Scientology.

I don't want to get into religions in general because I really suck at that subject. What I am arguing is that $cientology is not a religion and never was, and that Hubbard knew it.

Good points, bp.
The Independents have abandoned CSI and its spaghetti-tangle of corps as the pipeline to eternity. Their new allegience is to "The Tech" which they still think will fulfill LRH's promises, without the abuse of the present CoS. In a way, this echoes the CoS hierarchy with the owner of the texts, CST, at the highest level of power. The Independents' awe and respect for Hubbard is like that given to many religious texts, but needs more style.
For example the Torah in Judaism is taken from the Ark and touched only with gloves, and people touch items to it and then kiss the items. This is just like Independent Scientology except there's no Ark to hold the photocopies, and gloves aren't needed to handle the photocopies, and no touching-with-objects-and-kissing-the-objects
There was adoration of the Christian Bible in the Middle Ages, with brilliant art accompanying the words, just like the Independents except only CoS produces pretty covers on its copyrighted books, and CoS photographs staged re-enactments of concepts like the third-party-as-meddling-mother-in-law.The Independents aren't drawing on the photocopies yet.
In several Christian traditions the minister stands on an impressive pulpit, opens the Bible on a book-holder shaped like the spread wings of an eagle, reads from the Bible, and then says "The Word of the Lord," whereupon the congregation replies "Praise to You Lord Christ." This is just like Independent Scientology except that there's no impressive pulpit except in Miscavige videos. Independents lack the pulpit, pretty book-holder and call-and-response.
You also see reverence for writing in Islam, where Mohammed's words are written in dazzling, intricate caligraphy. Well, Independent Scientologists aren't writing Hubbard's tech in any kind of caligraphy yet, though the Independents may write "your name in caligraphy" on graduation certificates.

Many services-involving-holy-texts are done in transcendently beautiful synagogues, churches, and mosques. Music, robes, incense, gestures, processions, rituals, poetic phrases, and evocations of the changing seasons add color and liveliness to the written word. Miscavige tried hard with glittery gold columns in his Ideal Orgs, and fancy sets at Anniversary Events. The Sea Org costumes and the ministerial collars weren't so poetic, but the erupting volcano pictures added excitement. But Independent Scientology doesn't even have fancy buildings, since they're too big a target for CoS to harass and sue.
In Independent Scientology, the writing is adored, the procedures are followed, there's just no art applied around the text. Their approach is merely clutching photocopies of Hubbard's materials, and sitting at a plain table with an electronic device, maybe in a nicely painted room. What's the appeal? Eternity. The students still think the e-meter and those photocopies will get them there. No amount of mockery will change their mind. Just stay out of Miscavige's clutches.

Let me put it this way:

The Old Ones are not happy with $cientology.

I, actually, went through the Purification Rundown without knowing what the term means; I thought that it comes from the Scientology lingo.
Hubbard wrote that the state of Buddha is slightly above the state of Clear, but, I guess, this assessment had come before he declared himself as the incarnation of Buddha. Poor Hubbard-Buddha did not know for a long time that he is the Enlightened One.

CoS, if it feels its texts are divine, isn't acting on this belief. CoS and Independent auditing both are done in plain surroundings with undecorated folders and plainly printed text, partly because Hubbard found he could sell as many courses this way, and save money on décor. The plain room also appears more clinical and scientific. In contrast, Transcendental Meditation teaching starts with a flowers-and-candle-and-chanting ceremony called a puja, and I was a bit amused and baffled by it, since I thought TM was supposed to be more scientific than that.

Having no decoration on the e-meter, papers, or furnishings also keeps CoS from dismaying the new student with unfamiliar religious symbols, for example, Arabic calligraphy. The new student may even be dismayed by familiar images like the Garden of Eden or angels; the student is likely seeking answers outside their old religion.

The urge to decorate in CoS is poured into garish, sci-fi-style book covers. They also decorate with bookshelves stuffed with brand-new LRH texts, and nice dictionaries. Although it doesn't have the drama and beauty of the Ark in Jewish rituals,(1) at least the texts are nicely displayed and dusted. I would guess the Independents are copying the bookshelf concept. Ironically, the REAL texts used in, say the OT levels, are locked up and brought out in a classified-info ceremony. They ought to jazz this up to make it more like a spy novel, playing some music and having the OT documents look more impressive. Or, they could carve them onto slabs like the Ten Commandments, or "golden" tablets. If they're going to worship the texts, go all out.

The wonderful thing about a group event like a synagogue or Christian church service is that you can sing together. When I ran retreats for the Unitarian Church, the group song always started the retreat with a warm feeling.(2) But, auditing is mostly one on one, and the auditor and student would feel silly singing a solo, or duet. Also, audits elsewhere in the building would be distracted by the sound. The hunger for singing comes out when some Scientologists go caroling at Christmas. Even lapsed Christians will readily sing Christmas carols together, to get that warm feeling. LRH-written songs, however, are dreadful, and the "swing" style Scientology-themed Jive Aces songs aren't good enough for a group sing. In contrast, the Protestant hymn "Old Hundredth" (3a, 3b, 3c) from the 1500's echoes in every Protestant church I have ever been in, even the plain, severe ones. The Mormons, and even Unitarians left behind much of Protestant dogma, but kept this song IN EVERY SERVICE. A Catholic relative of mine went to a Protestant Christmas eve service and was baffled by this song, especially since EVERYONE THERE knew the words except her (that church sang it starting "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow...") So, Scientologists, write a song THAT GOOD that still will be sung in the humblest and the fanciest churches, FOR 460 YEARS. Hint: it won't be "Hymn of Asia!"

*The Ark is a cabinet, front and center, beautifully decorated, with doors closed at the start of the Jewish service. The doors are dramatically opened during the service to display a beautiful interior with, of course, a replendent Torah. The Torah is lovingly taken out and handled with gloves, since it must remain pristine, and walked about the synagogue, as members of the congregation touch it with their song-books or shawl, and then kiss the object that touched the Torah. The Torah is opened and read, then returned to the Ark, and the doors shut. This is true adoration of a text.

** The song was a Unitarian hymn:

(3a) Old Hundreth sung as Queen Elizabeth walks in a procession at Westminster Abbey, with flashbacks of her walking to this hymn as a young queen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfAIW-fggeAal

(3b)A simple church organ and an ordinary congregation can capture the same magic, singing Old Hundredth in a plain small church in Tennessee at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfAIW-fggeA

(3c)History of this Hymn at htp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_100th

When I was a $cientologist, I was like most of them. I liked the "Tech" but hated the church. I wasn't aware of any Independents but would have opted for that if I knew I had a choice. I am not a $cientologist anymore because of the "source". Hubbard lied so much I can never again take anything he said on faith. He denied Christ existed (R6 Implant) but then in OT8 he supposedly said that Christ did exist, but that he was a homosexual and a pedophile. Hubbard seemed to have been bigoted towards Christianity.

I thought about Scientology décor for a while (I mean their books, as Don Carlo mentioned) and it became clear to me that they use subliminal sex messages to sell their crap. Well, they are not alone -- all marketing agencies use these symbols when they design commercials for their clients. These symbols include explosions of all kinds, including the volcanic ones, plenty of pictures of running water, bridges, stairways leading to nowhere, etc. All this shit is based on idiotic Freudian psychoanalysis. This stuff never works, but that does not prevent the companies from using it.

It's hard to give old-style adoration to Hubbard's writings because:
(a) He or his employees wrote too much; the Ron-Bible would have to be stuffed into many books. Published books like "Science of Survival" would be too widespread and boring. Let's assume the Ron-Bible is the course writing only. Even that is a lengthy mess.
(b) Due to LRH's rigid "gradient" theory, students must take courses sequentially, & a Ron-Bible would let them "skip ahead."
(c) Miscavige would have to declare the materials properly and finally transcribed, and stop rewriting the Ron-Bible.
(d) The copyrights are still a cash cow, so CoS would fear theft of such a book and exploitation by Independents.
(e) The Bible, Torah, and Koran have poetic chapter names; many CoS courses' names are unspiritual or awkward
(f) The writings are highly irregular in length, and some "chapters" would seem too long. Many books in the Old Testament are only a page or two long.
(g) Even within each course the writing is not organized into a story or parable. If the writing is a self-help guide, it likely lacks an intro, a middle and a conclusion; the grammar and sentences are also awkward, illogical, and often contradict* other LRH writing. Quoting "Course XYZ, Paragraph 8" isn't as poetic as "Ecclesiastes 1:9" (that's the "nothing new under the sun" verse)
(h) One USE of a sacred text is to quote it. But, if CoS has copyright padlocks over the course work, CoS doesn't want anyone to quote it. So the Ron-Bible becomes silent.
(i) LRH wrote for "secular" companies like Narconon and Applied Scholastics. If those works are in the Ron-Bible, they are too religious for public schools and prisons. If they are not in the Ron-Bible, they will lose their authority.
(j) The eight OT levels are locked up at CoS, so they would have to be kept in 8 separate, closed books, under bulletproof, theft-proof glass. I'm trying to imagine a kind of "Ark Cabinet" holding the lower and upper levels, and it would look like a display at a Book Store. Even worse, since the OT levels are less than ten pages long each, they would barely make a pamphlet, and they can't be combined because of the gradient rule - one course at a time! They would have to be padded with blank paper, and a student would be disappointed to open one and see all the blank pages.
(k) Since the tapes of LRH talking are also "sacred texts" to CoS, A Ron-Bible needs to be multi-media; an awkward situation - does the student hold "in awe" a cassette tape or Compact Disk?
(l) The handling of LRH writings is already a rigid, high-control and colorless procedure at CoS; changing it would be "squirreling the tech."

In conclusion, CoS claims the LRH texts are sacred, but dogma, hyper-control and disorganized writing mean CoS can't properly revere them.

* The Old and New Testaments are also inconsistent, so that's not a deal-breaker.

Annie Broeker's death reminded me that CoS says a Sea Org worker after death reincarnates as a young person who will again join Sea Org. That billion year contract had to be worked one lifetime at a time, if you believe Sea Org. Of course Miscavige is going to reincarnate too - and presumably he plans to rule Sea Org again. Who would embrace such a future?
Are CoS public parents believing their young child is destined for Sea Org, and is a reincarnation of some Sea Org worker who died shortly before their child was born? Is Uwe Stuckenbrock coming back again? Will Uwe's reincarnation fall for the reincarnation of his ex-wife Lou? Will Yvonne Jentzsch reincarnate and load the dishwasher at Celebrity Centre?
As Sea Org shrinks, does that mean, in this crackpot theology, that reincarnated Sea Org workers are not finding their way into Sea Org, but are instead having a better life? That means the billion-year contract has no force between reincarnations, so it's bogus. But we knew that. It has no force for a minute, because it has illegal clauses in it.
RIP Annie and if you reincarnate, look for a Buddhist set of parents. All the benefits of Scientology were things you could have gotten outside it, anyway, and you deserve better than another Sea Org life.

If I understand, at least from what I have read from the supposed LRH OTVII and OTVIII, LHR plans on comming back. What is Misscabbage going to do then?
I signed a billion year contract. I abandoned that after only a few months. Five years later, I got a call from ASHO, someone wanting to recruit me. I didn't know how the bastard got my phone#, but I simply told him that I am not a $cientologist anymore and hung up. Immediately my phone rang again, it was my mother. She told me that some $cientologist had called her asking for me. That made sense as they had her phone# which had not since changed. That really pissed me off. I got another call from the SO about a week after that and I decided to mess with the young girl on the other end. I was asking her about the Captain who was there when I was in, and she told me that she was in "corrections" at the time. She mentioned "Mr. Rufalo", who was actually a "Mrs." but in the SO, everyone is Mr. and Sir regardless of gender. Okay, "Mr. Ruffalo's" husband actually recruited me into the SO. The young lady passed the phone over to Mr. (actually Mrs.) Ruffalo. She asked me what I had been doing, and I replied that I was working hard and enjoying my life. "I see", she replied. She then tried to suggest that I re-join the SO. I politely refused. She asked "But didn't you have gains.." I replied "Of course I did, and I still have gains every day." The conversation ended on that note!

Could it be the phrase you're looking for is "takedown"? As in: The detectives run down a lead, then coordinate a takedown."

Good idea. How about shakedown? The Purification Shakedown. The Introspection Shakedown.

Oh yah, the 1 billion year contract! I distinctly remember that I signed 2 papers before joining Sea Org -- one was an employment agreement (for some reason it is called a “contract”, although the length of service is not specified), and the infamous contract, which was written on a small piece of vignette paper. To me it looked like a symbolic document with no legal meaning attached to it. At that time I did not think that anyone would take it seriously.

LOL. It's all a shakedown.



CofS does decorate, from buildings to themselves. Symbols range from seagulls to laurel leaves to crossed-out crosses to the OT symbol itself. They've even been known to gild e-meters, to sell at an even more inflated price than their usual colorful array. Oh, can't forget the fancy, expensive Halliburton cases. Nothing says I'm going OT more than a metal briefcase cuffed to your wrist. Now how's that for a status symbol? Of course volcanoes are for the hoi polloi. As such, volcanoes are reserved for Dianetics- to better restimulate the general public.

Unlike Christianity, where if you want to make it known you're a Christian all it takes is wearing a cross around your neck, in scientology, you have to earn the right. To wear a clear bracelet- a prized acquisition- you have be a clear. Same for an OT necklace or bracelet. The bookstore officer will happily sell someone a clear/OT bracelet, but the buyer isn't allowed to it take home until their status is official.

There used to be a poster in the head registrar's office at AOLA. It read: Whoever said money doesn't buy happiness didn't know where to shop. One day it was gone, and I asked what had happened to it. I forget her name now, and I'm too lazy to look it up, but she told me she had been made to take it down because it wasn't an approved LRH quote. Though she tried to hide it, she looked upset. I said, "That's too bad, because I really liked it." She flashed me a very fast glance of gratitude, from which I gathered there must've been an ugly scene.