You may have seen them downtown; a group of people wearing Guy Fawkes masks from the movie, ‘V For Vendetta;’ dancing to a boombox, waving signs, handing out cards and fliers.
You probably wondered why they’re wearing masks, what brings them to the street, who these people are, where they’re from. And what’s up with all the signs about Scientology?
History is full of charlatans, dangerous or greedy, who hide behind the veil of religion. Everyone has heard of Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, Waco.
While the sarin gas attack on a Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinryoko cult was widely publicized, people might not know that the first biological attack by a “religion” happened in Antelope Valley, Oregon; when followers of the Baghwan Sri Rajneesh tainted local restaurant salad bars with bacteria the day before a local election.
Then there are those who use religion for self enrichment. During the depression, “Brother Love” ran soup kitchens for the poor, and strutted around in shoes with diamond studded heels.
The Baghwan, whose followers lived in poverty, had a Rolls Royce for every day of the week.
Even today, charlatans and con men flood the airways, begging for funds to spread the good word while wallowing in material luxury. A commonly heard defense is, “My parishioners want me to have this stuff.”
There is a tendency in America to consider anything religious as “good.” There is also a fear that, if one church is targeted, yours might be next. Under the protection of “religion,” abusive groups often operate under society’s radar until egregious abuses come to light.
When these abuses are brought forward into the public light, authorities have no choice but to act. The trafficking in young girls married off to polygamous older men, is a good example.
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, people who invoked the name of Jesus at every opportunity, were exposed as fraudulent hucksters who misappropriated the donations of good people to fund an opulent lifestyle.
Less fortunate victims of religious con men only make the news when tragedy befalls them, as in the case of Jonestown.
Most of these abusive groups are relatively small and wield little influence in communities outside of their own walls. This is not the case with Scientology.
Started as a self help movement by pulp fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology later sought religious protection to avoid abiding by regulations restricting the practice of medicine without a license, having to pay taxes, and fraudulent promises of curing disease, enhancing intellect, and promising super human abilities at the upper levels.
For over fifty years, this insidious organization has wormed its way into government offices, targeted “opinion leaders,” and worked its influence behind the curtain. It has virtually taken over an entire town in Florida; today Clearwater is widely known as the “Mecca of Scientology.” The Scientologists initially came into town under a false identity, “United Churches of Florida.” The city government of Clearwater is heavily under Scientology influence.
On the surface, it would be hard to criticize Scientology by reviewing their glossy brochures and happy mantras. They claim they help drug addicts, work to end illiteracy, help people during disasters and assist people who want to improve their lives.
The truth about the group is much darker. And, since the advent of the internet, the truth has become much harder to conceal.
There have always been stories from those who have left this cult, but they were few. Scientology tries to intimidate ex-members into silence by threatening their families, their pets, their jobs and reputations. The few speaking out had few listeners, and nobody to help them recover from their experience. People who have spent decades in such an insular group are poorly equipped to succeed in the outside world, or so they are told by Scientology leaders.
Followers firmly believe that the world is in a downward spiral that can only be salvaged by Scientology. They “know” that anyone who opposes Scientology is a criminal or lunatic; for who could possibly be against planetary salvation?
As the internet expanded, so did the availability of information Scientology had successfully kept hidden for many years. There are stories of sexual and other abuse, and forced abortions imposed on women who join Scientology’s paramilitary “Sea Organization;” L. Ron Hubbard’s personal Navy.
There are tales of children working long hours for the cult, receiving little formal education, substandard food and living conditions, inadequate medical care. Days off and family visits are dependent upon production statistics.
While claiming to support freedom of speech, the Scientology organization has worked hard to censor or quash any articles, news clips, or programming critical of their abusive practices. As more people get online, their success at controlling information about them has diminished.
In January of 2008, a video clip of Tom Cruise was posted, timed with the release of Andrew Morton’s unofficial biography of the star. Taken from an internal promotional video, it shows Cruise in full-blown Scientology mode, spewing incredible nonsense about Scientology being the only authority when it comes to mental health, getting people off drugs, being the only ones who can help during disaster.
Notably, he gloats over the day when “SPs will only be read about in history books.” SP stands for “suppressive person,” Scientology’s version of the evil represented by Christianity as the devil. Hubbard wrote that 2% of the population are suppressive, and should either be processed by Scientology or “disposed of quietly, and without sorrow.”
Scientology moved quickly to get the video taken down. One site, gawker.com, refused, claiming it had become news. The clip was wildly popular, and widely viewed. The attempted censorship outraged thousands of netizens, many of whom informed themselves, donned suits, ties and Guy Fawkes masks, and took to the streets as Project Chanology. They call themselves Anonymous, and their goal is to dismantle Scientology, expose its dark history, and bring justice to its many victims.
They wear masks, not only to identify themselves as part of Anonymous, but to protect themselves from the harassment and intimidation perpetrated by this “church” on its critics.
Anonymous is a leaderless group of likeminded people who participate in global activities once a month, and stage many local events worldwide. Without leaders or members, they have managed to stage well organized demonstrations without committees or staff. Their success is the envy of other activist organizations, they rule by consensus, they plan on the internet, and they protest with style, flair, humor and cake.
While the Scientology PR machine tries to marginalize Anonymous by claiming they are “just a bunch of kids in their parents’ basement,” the awful truth is that they are from all demographics. Old, young, professionals, students, united by a single cause; the exposure of Scientology as a destructive, grasping, totalitarian cult.
They are freedom fighters in the purest sense, dedicating their time, money and talent to help those still trapped inside the Scientology bubble, as well as working to defend human rights and freedom of speech. Their work is not just on the street. It can be seen in their videos online, essays, articles, letters to editors and articles like this.
In San Diego, there is a strong and active cell of Anonymous participants. The Scientology organization targets demographics they know have money, even as their written doctrine reviles them as subhuman, perverted, or worse.
Hubbard said homosexuals were degraded, yet the cult actively tries to recruit them. Thus, Anonymous joined in the festivities at the Pride Parade this year, handing out thousands of fliers warning people about the hidden intolerance behind the happy PR. Anonymous’ presence in the parade was loudly cheered by the thousands of people lining the streets!
Anonymous also was present at the Comicon, San Diego’s huge pop culture celebration at the downtown Convention Center. Thousands of cards and fliers were given out to attendees, some of whom joined at later events downtown.
Last Saturday, Anonymous joined the march against Proposition 8, where 20,000 people marched in favor of human rights and against religious oppression. Scientology San Diego is on the list of organizations that supported Proposition 8. A curious bit of hypocrisy for a group that claims to be a champion of human rights. Again, thousands recognized the masked protestors, cheered their presence, and took information.
Anonymous has educated people at high profile events such as these, as well as staging smaller weekend rallies and information blitzes. They can be seen marching through the Gaslamp, dancing to music and handing out cards as they go. On Halloween, they passed out brochures in La Mesa, warning residents that the new occupants of the old Coleman College building will soon be trying to exert influence in their schools, their churches, and their local government.
Anonymous responded to the Scientology “Free Stress Test” booth in Balboa Park by warning passersby of the connection between Dianetics and Scientology, a little detail those trying to sell Dianetics at the booth fail to mention. When Anonymous appears, the Scientologists fold their tent and scuttle away, knowing the business of bamboozling passersby is over for the day.
At some point, Scientology will attract the attention of public officials who will no longer be able to take campaign donations and turn a blind eye to the unlawful actions and abuses perpetrated by the cult. Public opinion will eventually turn Scientology into a pariah, political death, as accepted and admired as the KKK, the American Nazi Party, Al Qaeda, or any group that advocates the removal of inconvenient races, religions, or attitudes.
You can help bring this day closer by educating yourself about this insidious, destructive organization hiding behind a happy mask of religiousity. In fact, the Anonymous movement is not about the persecution of a new religious movement at all, it is about behavior, the lies, the fraud and the harmful tactics perpetrated by the cult against critics and its own members.
Scientology cannot reform. Its entire doctrine consists of the writings of L. Ron Hubbard; writings that cannot be changed or modified. Designed to enrich its founder, Scientology is a complex, multifaceted entity whose corporate structure is as convoluted as that of Enron.
Inform yourself, and protect your loved ones from falling into the myriad traps set by Scientology to draw people in to their failing scam! Google is your friend, use it creatively to learn the truth about this destructive, hate-filled parody of true religious faith.
And if you feel like it, grab a Guy Fawkes mask and put on your dancing shoes! San Diego Anonymous welcomes new participants. Upcoming events are listed on their website. Anonymous only asks that you remain peaceful (they’re the Good Guys) and bring cake.
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