Title: A Religious Indoctrination in Confidence Games
Author: Anonymous <remailer@htp.org>
Date: 30 Dec 1997 23:45:01 -0000

[ Son of Xenu      ] ARSCC(wdne): We don't kill cats, dogs, OR people!!
[ Mountain Interior]
[ Las Palmas       ]                      30 Dec 1997
[ Teegeeack        ]

	The Church of $cientology, Co$, Church of Scamitology, Church
of the Holy Lawsuit, etc. etc.  These are just a few of the terms we
use to describe the "pay as you go" Applied Religious Philosophy that
we all know and don't love.

	Some of us are former members who one day came to our senses
and left, or were thrown out because we didn't tow the line, questioned
authority, or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Some
of us just dislike the hypocrisy of this group, or are alarmed at its
attempts to stifle free speech.  There are many reasons why some come
here to disparage this group.  You are free to chose your own.

	The scammers get you started by offering you a free
personality test, a free ticket to a movie at their place, or a good 
cheap book on how the mind works.  They get you interested and when you 
start asking questions about it they don't answer your questions.  Instead 
they tell you you have to read about it for yourself or they have an 
inexpensive course you can take to improve your communications or life 
and learn about it.  Concerned about the fact that they're a religion?
NO PROBLEM they tell you they are compatible with all major religions.
Don't believe in GOD?  NO PROBLEM this is a NO GOD REQUIRED religion!
All you have to do is believe you are a spiritual being - that's not
so hard is it?

	So you decide you'd like to learn more about them and agree to 
take the course.  Its kind of strange but everyone is so supportive and 
happy and maybe you feel a little better as you fall into the routine.  You 
complete the course, they make you write a story about how much better you 
feel making you think positive thoughts about what you did.  Congratulations,
you've now graduated your first Scientology course - go immediately to 
_THE REGISTRAR!!!!_

	The registrar is where you get the really hard sell sales pitch.  
They'll keep you there for hours breaking you down, telling you how much 
better the next course will make you feel, how they're trying to create a 
better world and you can be a part of it, how you're hurting your future 
if you don't take this course NOW!

	So you take the next course or a Purification Rundown to rid
your body of the radiation and toxins in your body.  Again its a little
strange, but you're somewhat used to that now, and at the end you have
to write another story telling everyone how good you feel and they all
stand around and smile, clap, tell you how good they all felt when they
did it, etc., etc.   Then its off to (you guessed it) _THE REGISTRAR!!!!_

	Bad news! Its Thursday morning and Scientology ends its week at
2:00 PM on Thursdays and everything is run by statistics, so this registrar
is REALLY going to grind you.  They'll give you the spiel about how the
NEXT service is going to make you so much better, they'll ask you about
the stories you wrote, reminding you of how much better you felt, and
how much better yet the next course will make you feel.  But the courses
are starting to get fairly expensive now so you balk.  NO PROBLEM says
the registrar, tell me all about your finances and I'll show you how
you can do it.  They show you how to max out your credit cards, squeeze
the last penny out of your checking and savings accounts, get an advance
from your employer, get a second or third mortgage on your home, or beg 
money from your relatives.  After all its your future thats at stake here, 
so WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!  Oh, and by the way, I'll need your check 
before 2:00 PM or terrible things will happen to me, so how about being a pal?

	On and on it goes.  There's no such thing as taking a few courses
and getting on with your life.  Scientology is a LIFE TIME PLAN!  They
have a whole series of courses and services laid out that take years to
do and costs more and more the higher you go.  Can't afford to pay?  NO
PROBLEM, have we got a deal for you.  Just sign up to be a Staff Member
for a few years, or maybe a Billion, and we'll give you all the free
service you want (whenever we have the time and resources to do it).
Now you get to work 6 or 7 days a week, 12 hours a day of work and
study.	 You're part of the team now helping to CLEAR THE PLANET!!!


	Its enough to make a sane person crazy (which does happen).


		SON OF XENU (XEMU)

OT I:		OT havingness (spotting drills)
OT II:		Implant incidents/GPM's
OT III:		You are covered with the spirits of others (Body Thetans)
OT IV - VII: 	NOTs - More ways of extracting BT's (and your money)
OT VIII:	Check out those past lives - Are they real?
OT IX(?):	We're all Gods - just some are bigger than others