Political?

Question answered by FreeZone in Scientology

FredricRice asked this question on 7/28/2000:

I've asked a number of Scientology experts a number of questions and curiously I've received only two unusual answers, both of which mentioned _politics_ when discussing criminal activities which are going to trial here shortly.

For ex-Scientologists who have escaped from the cult, can you tell me whether Scientologists are told to equate criminal activities with politics? Are the criminal activities of the GO/OSA considered _political_ activities inside of the organization?

Though I erased the previous answer which considered the indictments against Heber Jentzsch in Madrid to be a political matter, I did manage to save the second one. I'll offer it here for background in the hopes that someone can point to a particular HCPL or something which equates criminal activities as political activities.

Current Scientologists might also be able to tell me whether management is now claiming that Scientology is a political party. The answers I've received seem to indicate that possibility.

Thanks!

cer56 declined to answer on 7/28/2000, saying:

This is obviously a political attack for a political agenda. I'm not interestested in playing politics. I'm interested in what works and helps people - based upon my personal nowledge and experience.

Do you do anything that has a postive nature that doesn't attack someone or some other group?

FreeZone gave this response on 7/29/2000:

The official policy on this this used to be, and so far as I know still is, that Scientology is apolitical. "I hereby declare Scientology to be non-political and non-ideological.... Scientology is for a free people and is itself on this date declared free of any polotical connection or allegiance of any kind whatever." -

HCOPL 10 Jan, 1968, Politics, Freedom From

I would be quite surprised if this policy was explicitly contravened.

Of course, the GO was political to the core, and the OSA still is. The GO and OSA openly run groups that are political/lobbying organizations. The GO was along with its overt political activity also engaging in covert political ops, running other lobbying/'public interest' groups whose affiliation with Scientology was a secret. And of course it ran direct covert ops against political figures. The OSA probably continues similar activities.

Incidentally, the unofficial political ideology of the GO and most career Scientologists when I was involved was libertarianism. Many of the same people who were involved in doing GO volunteer work were also involved in Libertarian Party activism. Ayn Rand was very popular. Also a lot of the more crank right-wing nonsense - 'None Dare Call It Conspiracy', the John Birch Society, etc. The affinity of Scientologists for elaborate conspiracy fantasies was natural. Most of these people are now ex-Scientologists or Freezoners, but seem to still have the same political leanings.

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