From: jeff@wave.ics.uci.edu (Jeff Erickson)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Re: Indoctrination [was My opinion...]
Message-ID: <288CD5FA.29428@ics.uci.edu>
Date: 24 Jul 91 01:20:58 GMT
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lfreeman@phad.hsc.usc.edu (Leny Freeman) writes:

| You bring up an interesting point.  I didn't realize I had been brain
| washed by society until I got involved in Scientology.

Better and better.  Isn't convinceing someone that they're already
brainwashed and offering to "deprogram" them a rather effective
brainwashing technique?

What, specifically, did you believe as a reasult of society's
brainwashing that you no longer believe?  What lies were you told by
society?

And just who is this "society" person anyway?

| In Scientology something is true for you if you observe it for
| yourself.  That is one of the basic tenets.  There are may be a few
| individuals in the church that don't quite adhere to that, but that
| problem with the individuals themselves and not the church.

In what context do you observe these things?  When I was a Christian,
I saw several "acts of God".  I "felt" the presence of God.  God was
as real to me as my own hands, because I had "observed" Him myself.

Looking back, I can see that those so-called observations were largely
the result of expectation.  Everyone SAYS I should feel God, so I look
for the feeling, and when I find something suitable, I'm convinced
that I'm feeling God.  Suddenly, I have an experience that validates
my belief in God.

If you look for patterns, you WILL find them.  If lots of people you
trust tell you that the patterns are there, you WILL look for them.

| >The second case was a little more complex, but it basically boiled
| >down to peer pressure.  "You can believe what you want, but if you
| >don't believe waht we do, we're really concerned about you.  Maybe we
| >should help you see where you've gone wrong?"  Sure enough, they
| >could.  Again, if I'm told something often enough by people I trust, I
| >tend to believe them.

| Scientology is not a cult...

This statement carries absolutely no weight coming from a Scnist.

| ...but if a member acts like a "cult member"
| it certainly gives that impression to an "outsider".

No shit!!

| I hate it when I see someone acting like that because it's not
| Scientology.  Please try to understand that.

It's not Christianity, either.

One of the things that makes that particular form of manipulation so
insidious is that the participants are usually sincere.  My fellow
fundies really were concerned about me, and I about them.  We weren't
trying to brainwash each other.

| BTW these people are few and far between and usually straighten out
| into people we can all relate to or..... they just leave.

In my experience, there isn't a dividing line between the people who
brainwash and the people who don't.  If anything, it's a continuum,
and EVERY member of the group contributes, just by being a member.

--
Jeff Erickson    \  "Three."
jeff@ics.uci.edu  \          -- Mr. Owl
jeff@128.195.1.1   \