Scientology: My 5 Reasons For Speaking Out

The Tom Cruise/Katie Homes divorce has put a spotlight on the Church of Scientology, and not in a way they would like.  In recent years news of abuse, intimidation, coerced abortions and other human rights violations has been shared with the public at large.

Katie Homes and Tom Cruise

The Tampa Bay Times did a multi-part series called The Truth Rundown, exposing much of what has been going on behind the doors of the Church of Scientology.  Former Church executive Marty Rathbun has been running a blog exposing their cult like behavior, which has been running rampant under current leader and Tom Cruise's buddy, David Miscavige.  Rathbun recently wrote a book that does a great job of explaining how the Church of Scientology became a cult.  It's called "What is Wrong With Scientology?: Healing Through Understanding".

Former Scientology Executive Marty Rathbun

There was a time when people who left Scientology were afraid to speak out about what they saw or experianced, that caused them to leave.  With the internet and the mass exodous from the Church of Scientology, this is no longer the case.

Having grown up in Scientology, and having left two years ago, I have my own viewpoint on Scientology and the Church of Scientology and I'm very comfortable sharing it.  I don't see the two as one in the same.  For this reason I've been open to and have  spoken out about the subject.

My reasons for doing so are these:

1. The Church of Scientology has become a cult under the leadership of David Miscavige.  What other Church contacts your friends and family in person, via facebook, and instructs them to cut all ties with you when you leave?  The head of a worldwide religion shouldn't be physically beating his staff.  Read those Tampa Bay Times articles or Amy Scobee's book "Abuse at the Top".  Or "Blown for Good" by Marc Headley.  David Miscavige's abusive behavior has been attested to by a large number of witnesses, including former Church executive Debbie Cook who suffered some of the worst abuse, which she recently testified to in court.

2. Others who came before me spoke out and helped to open my eyes, confirming my suspicions of what was going on in the Church turned cult.  I know how much this helped me and my family, and I'm willing to return the favor in hopes that it helps someone else.

Scientologist KNOW something is wrong within the organization, but they are indoctrinated to disregard their feelings of doubt.  They are indoctrinated to believe that anyone who speaks out against the Church has crimes they have committed and are doing so only because they are "bitter apostates", as the Church likes to call us.  I'm thinking of having a shirt made that reads "Apostate and Proud".  Additionaly they are NOT allowed to read or watch anything that speaks against the Church, especially its leader David Miscavige.  If they do, the church must "handle" them by discrediting the source of the information so as to put the parishioner back on the path of no doubts, complete with blinders.

When I left I spent 6 hours with two members of the Church of Scientology's Sea Organization.  I agreed to meeting with them because I wanted to see for myself how the dog and pony show went. They flew to Minnesota with the sole purpose of putting my blinders back on.  They laid out print outs of comments I made on facebook in regard to Scientology, and went over the names of facebook friends of mine that they wanted me to cut ties with.  Can you say stalker?

When they realized I wasn't going to go back into the dark, they were left only with threats of excommunicating me, thereby forcing my friends who remained in the Church to "disconnect" from me.  I was willing to lose friends if that was what it meant to live free.  I've never once regretted that decision.

3.  My mother Donna-Gail Wilcock died this past October.  She too had left the Church after being reprimanded and invalidated because she was no longer physcially well enough to volunteer her time or donate money.  Local Church executives at the Twin Cities Church of Scientology went so far as to try to get her husband to divorce her so that he could work for the Church, something my mother didn't want him to do.  He stood by my mother and their 20 year marriage.  He also left the Church after this, along with the rest of us.

My mom and I on one of our many adventures after leaving Scientology

Simply, when my mother was no longer a resource to the Church she gave 35 years of her life, time and money to, she was treated with disrespect and disdain.  When she died none of her lifelong "friends" in the Church sent any condolensces, and trust me when I say they knew about it.  When the Church of Scientology doesn't approve of your friends or family, you no longer have them as friends or family, despite your history with them, despite how they helped you in the past.  They call this "disconnection" and is part of the mind control exerted by the Church.

4. Scientology as a philosophy has and can be helpful when you aren't trying to harm people with it as is the case with most self-help practices.  I'm an ex-Scientologist, but I have many friends who continue to practice Scientology when they leave the Church.  I support their right to do so.  I have friends in the current Church of Scientology.  My issues are not with them but with the corrupt organization running Scientology into the ground, taking many good hearted people with it.  In many ways it is for them that I speak out about what I know to be true.

The numbers of Scientologist who are pretending to be "good Church following Scientologist" but have in truth left the Church, is astounding.  Many don't officially leave because they have family, friends, or business connections who will remain, or they think they will.  You aren't allowed to discuss your doubts about the Church with other members or they will report you to the Church for doing so, even their own friends and family.  It's part of the conditioning and mind control.

5. Because I can.  The Church of Scientology has no power over me anymore.  I've lost friends when I left, but I've since learned that love and friendship shouldn't be conditional upon your blind devotion to a group.  Some of the friends I lost early on have rekindled our friendship as they have come to the same conclusions that I have.

I haven't nor am I now speaking out to "Get my name out there" which is what current members are being told as the Church scrambles to do damage control from this most recent fallout.  As a columnist, blogger and busybody in my community my name has been out there for years.

I speak from the heart, based on my experiance and what I know to be true.  I'm open to hearing any questions or comments anyone has, even the ones from the Church turned cult.