Scientology

Started by richard ford, Apr 24, 2005, 12:49 PM

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richard ford

Scientology and the Men's Movement. Copyright Richard Ford

Scientology is more likely to be spelled $cientology on the internet because of its notorious money making schemes. I am not at all suggesting that we adopt the wacky beliefs and ethics of these people- I would like to spend a little time examining the structure and character of this 'church' to see why it has been so fireproof despite a never ending series of scandals that would have sunk any other organization.

Scientology even promotes a similar product to ourselves at the lower end of the 'Bridge'. Scientology (under the name 'Dianetics') promotes itself as a way to improve ones relationships and achieve success. Later on the new recruit is indoctrinated with increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories regarding who is running the world and what they are up to. Later still the recruit is told about the space aliens. One thing that interests me about all of this is that we are able to provide the things that scientology offers but does not provide. For instance- a man will become happier and more successful once he starts running his own life. Only the men's movement can help him do this. I also believe that most women would be happier if they could only drop their resentment, their controlling behaviour and their sense of entitlement. The men's movement even has its own conspiracy theories. The difference between ours and those of scientology is that ours are true!! The only thing we lack are space aliens and I hope we never get them.

There have been many attempts to close this racket down, none of them successful because the organization has a number of defence mechanisms that are difficult to penetrate.

Firstly, it claims to be a religion on entirely bogus grounds. This makes them a tax free entity in some countries. There is also a squeamishness in many people about entering into debate with religious people. For example- I happen to enjoy bacon sandwiches but I would not offer one to a Jewish or Moslem friend. I certainly would not argue with them that they were needlessly denying themselves a pleasure, although I would argue with someone who was avoiding something they enjoyed because of a needless health scare. This has meant that very few people have had the courage to point out the abuses of this organization and the 'church' has had a free hand to victimise them as bigots.

Who has the greater claim to be a charitable or religious enterprise? Scientology, that makes vast sums from pop psychology, simplistic philosophy and nuclear physics- or ourselves? Most of the money Scientology earns is used to enrich a tiny number of elite members while ours will be used to build shelters for battered men and a hundred other worthwhile things.

The men's movement promotes values traditionally seen as 'religious' such as respect for the family. We are opposed to empty materialism and greed. Many of us work for charities in our spare time. Any sane society would encourage our activities in all possible ways but we are not living in a sane society. We will have to fight for our own space and will have to adopt an extreme organizational model in order to do so.

Secondly, Scientology has a great deal of money. Nobody knows just how wealthy the Church of Scientology is but it has money that it moves around the globe in secret to fund projects not only the membership know about. This money is particularly powerful because of its very invisibility and the covert nature of the organization. Few large companies or government departments do not have at least one scientologist on the payroll despite the small size of the organization in absolute terms. A Scientologist is always expected to be a Scientologist first and everything else second so the organization has a network of spy's and contacts that would be the envy of many national intelligence agencies.

The Church of Scientology has become a multi national enterprise and can transfer profits from one region to another to avoid tax. When one nation such as Germany decides to rid itself of Scientology it is possible for the organization to play upon anti German prejudice in the remaining countries.

I realise that all of this sounds dreadfully cynical- but we need an army- a band of fanatics far more than we need another debating society right now. We do not need great numbers to start with. Most men are not joiners of organizations and are certainly not willing to join with other men in the disciplined outfit that I aspire to- but this is true of any elite group. Many will aspire to membership but few will have the guts to see it through. I would never think less of a man because he is unable to make the sort of sacrifices needed to bring about a revolution.    

Scientology has entered the self help field because it is very profitable. An individual of either sex is willing to pay a great deal of money in order to be slightly better at whatever they do than they otherwise would be. This is particularly true in industries where fate is fickle and fame fades quickly such as the film industry. I would hate to create something that existed primarily for money- yet money is what the men's movement lacks most at the moment. We have the ideas, and we have many millions of supporters who do not even know we exist. All we lack is some money to set up local campaigns that reach these people and remind them of what they already believe.

The first step would be to invent some course or initiation that was genuinely helpful to men. Most men are pretty mangled by feminism even if they cannot see it themselves. Addressing this damage will free a man in all sorts of ways he cannot imagine.

Most of the men freed in this way will become interested in all sorts of things life has to offer and disappear, never to be seen again. We must respect this in a way that more cult-like organizations do not. We are aiming to open up more and more choices to men rather than close them down the way groups such as the Church of Scientology does. On the one hand this will mean that we continually lose people to the wider world- on the other hand we will not become a cult. Ultimately the cult nature of groups such as the CoS is a cause of many of their own problems. Any cult will seek to instil fear of the outside world in its members much as feminism does in the political sphere. This heightens the control the cult exerts over its membership but also cripples them. When a member finally does leave they become bitter enemies of the cult which is one reason Scientology is so hated on the internet. Cult groups lose their ability to talk to outsiders over time and thus lose their ability to recruit new members. Their map or reality becomes so distorted that they are unable to deal with the world and then the group fails.

A cult always aims to recruit a new member for life. They may offer a solution to a real life problem that may be preventing a person from achieving a goal- but this offer is insincere. The cult does not want the member to branch out or discover anything new. All alternative interests are threats to them. Our organization must be different- we must encourage men to engage fully with life and not to spend their entire lives in therapy or meetings. Anything else is betrayal.

Then we must create a core group of men who will promote and run the courses. This will be hard work at first because men are naturally suspicious of all offers of help but the numbers will grow over time.

Large cities where people are open to new ideas will be the most fertile ground. Cities such as London or New York also offer international contacts galore so that the movement is likely to jump from capital city to capital city leaving the towns and villages untouched for many years.

Peter

For  details of this particular cult, see Operation Clambake by Andreas Heldal-Lund.

We definitely need better models than Scientology.
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Tony Ananda

>For instance- a man will become happier and more successful once he starts running his own life. Only the men's movement can help him do this.<

He said ONLY the men's movement can help a man run his own life. Is he serious?  Surely he is parodying the Scientologists.  Pure bunk propaganda.  Many means, many ways.

>Most men are not joiners of organizations and are certainly not willing to join with other men in the disciplined outfit that I aspire to- but this is true of any elite group. Many will aspire to membership but few will have the guts to see it through. <

No thanks, asshole.  I'm not going to be part of a groupthink run by you or anyone else but me.

This is not about Scientology, but a commercial for Richard Ford's great master plan.  I'm glad he lives in the woods in a rural area so I don't have to deal with him.
When the going gets weird, the wierd turn pro.

dr e

Quote
>For instance- a man will become happier and more successful once he starts running his own life. Only the men's movement can help him do this.<

He said ONLY the men's movement can help him do this. Is he serious? Surely he is parodying the Scientologists. Pure bunk propaganda. Many means, many ways.

>Most men are not joiners of organizations and are certainly not willing to join with other men in the disciplined outfit that I aspire to- but this is true of any elite group. Many will aspire to membership but few will have the guts to see it through. <

No thanks, asshole. I'm not going to be part of a groupthink run by you or anyone else but me.

This is not about Scientology, but a commercial for Richard Ford's great master plan. I'm glad he lives in the woods in a rural area so I don't have to deal with him.


Tony - Personal attacks are not allowed here.  That's a warning.
Contact dr e  Lifeboats for the ladies and children, icy waters for the men.  Women have rights and men have responsibilties.

richard ford

It is OK. I expected something like this and it is true I am promoting my 'master plan'.

I do not know quite what is wrong with people in rural areas though...

If you had read the article you would realise I am opposed to the doctrine and charicter of the cult.... but I admire their teflon quality.

If we combine this with a worthwhile and moral aim what could we achive?

Tony Ananda

Groups like the one you propose are an anachronism which are not only not needed by the men's movement but are harmful to the individual men who participate in them.  Your totalist philosophy is just as bad or worse than the Scientologists.  Its no wonder at all that you say you expect rejection.

Don't let an amateur psychologist like Richard call the shots in your life, men.  He doesn't have a cure for anything and his "treatment" will only make you sicker (if you feel you need some sort of cure).
When the going gets weird, the wierd turn pro.

CaptDMO

Richard Ford, and anyone that choses to listen,

I invite you to keep any further invitations to examine Scientology as a model, or use the MRA as another $US 2,000 a head recruitment ground to other venues.
Let me state, in no uncertain terms, that any further attempt to either bring them in, or recruit from ANYWHERE I STEP ON THIS PLANET will not be met kindly. There will be no further dialogue on this matter.

I hope I have been crystal clear in my position.

I propose that anyone interested in further information go to the site suggested by Peter. Operation Clambake

EDIT to add, Please note I took no excerpts from anything expressed on thiis subject . may I also note, the  practice of subtle "copyright" of opinions or posts is most unusual.
Are we all on the same page now?

typhonblue

I read this stuff and I wonder : what is it that these articles aren't saying? Why are people attracted to something that sounds so unpleasant?

RockyMountainMan

Quote from: "typhonblue"
I read this stuff and I wonder : what is it that these articles aren't saying? Why are people attracted to something that sounds so unpleasant?


Speaking as a resident of the great state of Utah, I've often wondered the same thing.
Give me liberty or give me death.

                              ----------------

Tact is for those lacking sufficient wit for sarcasm.

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