Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
From: eastin@locus.com (Dick Eastin)
Subject: Re: Frequently Asked Questions
Message-ID: <1991Sep04.071209.344984@locus.com>
Organization: Locus Computing Corp, Los Angeles
References: <1991Aug31.165532.335918@locus.com> <1991Sep1.200141.15975@cs.UAlberta.CA>
Date: Wed, 04 Sep 1991 07:12:09 GMT
Lines: 57

In article <1991Sep1.200141.15975@cs.UAlberta.CA> userisra@mts.ucs.ualberta.ca (Mark Israel) writes:
>In article <1991Aug31.165532.335918@locus.com>, eastin@locus.com 
>(Dick Eastin) writes:
>> 1. A philosopher develops a philosophy about life and death;
>   Hmmm, I wonder why that was changed to "philosopher" from "doctor of
>philosophy" in my edition.

This is probably timing.  My "New Slant on Life" is copyright 1965 and I'm
guessing that Hubbard's honorary Ph.D. was after this.

>>  Scientology ... endeavors to help the individual discover past 
>> experiences....
>   What sort of information from previous lives is recollectable?  For

When past lives are encountered it is usually while backtracking on
a chain, or sequence, of related incidents, more or less unknown, which
have some sort of emotional/spiritual trauma associated with them.

That means that the data recovered is somewhat selective and narrow of
experience generally.  There are also mental/spiritual mechanisms of
forgetting which occur between lives, which can be researched in oneself.

>> ... you can't over-value the state of Clear.  It has never been 
>> achieved before.
>
>   L. Ron Hubbard has been quoted as saying:  "Neither Lord Buddha nor
>Jesus Christ were OTs according to the evidence.  They were just a shade
>above Clear."  The reference is to Ability No. 81, 1959.  Is this 
>quotation authentic?  If so, how do you reconcile LRH's statement that
>Jesus and Buddha were Clear with your statement above that Clear "has 
>never been achieved before"?

This is probably a correct quotation, though I could not find a copy of
Ability Issue 81 handy.  The gap in clarity here has to do with the
historical sequence of research.  Though the concepts of Clear and OT
were easy to state, the practical, reliable, realization of those
conditions took some time.  The current Clear was not consistently
and routinely achieved until June 65, and due to the clarification of
the progression of spiritual gain, was defined more specifically and
somewhat differently than in 1950.  So, to put it more directly, the
quotation refers to the 1950-58 frame of reference; and, the "never
achieved before" quote refers to the post-1965 frame of reference.

>   I'm posting rather than e-mailing because I'm a "suppressive person",
>but my questions are nevertheless sincere.
>				Mark Israel

Sincere questions for the purpose of greater knowledge and understanding
and the betterment of man are not a characteristic of a suppressive person.
A suppressive person is bent on overtly, or covertly, harming others and
anything that genuinely helps.  They usually think they already know
everything or are trying to get knowledge to further their goals to
suppress others.  They will be found endorsing harmful "helps," like
drugs and shock therapy.  He makes those around him sick, hostile,
and feel worse, instead of better.

Dick