Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
From: tdowling@milton.u.washington.edu (Thomas Dowling)
Subject: Clear sailing? was Re: Frequently Asked Questions - 2
Message-ID: <1991Sep13.220048.7213@milton.u.washington.edu>
Organization: University of Washington
References: <1991Sep08.210452.2484437@locus.com> <1991Sep10.042109.225492@cs.cmu.edu> <28CDFF27.1393@ics.uci.edu> <28D10665.27294@ics.uci.edu>
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1991 22:00:48 GMT

george@brooks.ics.uci.edu (George Herson) writes:

>In article <28CDFF27.1393@ics.uci.edu> george@ics.uci.edu (George Herson) writes:
>>>"The Science Fiction Encyclopedia" (Peter Nicholls, copyright 1979,
>>>Doubleday):
>>>
>>>"Hubbard also taught that traumas could be pre-natal, and eventually
>>>that they could have been suffered during previous incarnations.  A
>>>"clear", one who had successfully rid himself of aberrations, would
>>>possess, according to Hubbard, radically increased intelligence,
>>>powers of telepathy, the ability to move outside his body, the
>>>ability to control such somatic processes as growing new teeth, and a
>>>photographic memory.  ... In 1952, after an organizational rift,
>>
>>The abilities of a "clear", outlined above, would if demonstrated win
>>many converts for the Church, if not the planet.  Forgive me, I
>>haven't a "radically increased intelligence", can a Scientologist tell
>>me why there hasn't been any (well-publicized) demonstration of the
>>unusual powers gained by Clears?
>>

This is from _Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science_ by Martin
Gardner (2nd edition, Dover, 1957).  Dianetics rates a whole chapter:

-----------------------
In 1950, speaking to an audience of 6,000 in the Shrine Auditorium, Los
Angeles, Hubbard introduced a coed named Sonya Bianca as a clear who had
attained perfect recall of all "perceptics" (sense perceptions) for
every moment of her past.  In the demonstration that followed, however,
she failed to remember a single formula in physics (the subject in 
which she was majoring), or the color of Hubbard's tie when his back
was turned.  At this point, a large part of the audience got up and
left.  Hubbard later produced a neat dianetic explanation for the
fiasco.  He had called her from the wings by saying, "Will you come
out here _now_, Sonya?"  The "now" got her stuck in present time...
----------------------

Perhaps someone can provide a more recent (and less risible) example?
(Gardner, or course, should be required reading.  Catch him every 
quarter in _Skeptical Inquirer_.)

-- 
|Thomas Dowling                    |          tdowling@u.washington.edu|
|Natural Sciences Library          |                     (206) 685-1540|
|University of Washington FM-25    |                Seattle, WA   98195|
|All discernible opinions are mine.| All apparent facts are unverified.|