The IAS's monthly money-leeching plan

[Thrak]

Good question.

Why imprison people in the Hole? Why abuse and torture people? Why force people to divorce? Why chase down and harrass people who no longer want to be a part of it all? Why mention The McPherson case at an event when some had no clue what he was talking about?

I think it is similar to a serial killer or rapist taking trophies except his trophies are living people with ruined lives.
He gets a power thrill from the initial action but gets the thrill replayed whenever he is face to face with the people from whom he has taken money, love, freedom and dignity.
What a rush for him to know he can ruin people and they will still clap and smile and serve him.

Power. I can do all this to you and no-one can stop me.

That's probably as good of a theory as I've heard. DM is on the same level as a serial killer playing games with the cops trying catch him as well as the people he faces at the various events. That really sounds about right. The numbers don't matter, it's just the game. I think you hit the nail on the head.

Is it just me to think a guy like that shouldn't be the head of a "religion"?

[xseaorguk]

if you have signed up and want to finish payments, just report your card as stolen and it will be blocked.
You will then get a new card with a new number.
Has happened to me before

[Dunvegan]

if you have signed up and want to finish payments, just report your card as stolen and it will be blocked.
You will then get a new card with a new number.
Has happened to me before

True fact.

Probably the least complicated method to end charges. It works on a different principle than a automated bill-pay agreement. The theft or loss of a card immediately voids all uses of that card number beginning the instant it is reported to the bank.

Chargebacks for anything you wish to dispute since your 'loss' take further work.

[JackStraw]

What is really bizarre is simply one thing. Why? They have a billion in reserves and all 'he' wants is more. Why? I mean really, why?

My guess is that it's not about the money. As you say, they have more than enough.
It's more about control. A constant reminder of the ongoing battle against the oh-so formidable enemies of the church. It's a way keeping the public engaged with the group in the battle.

Keep in mind, the only reason Hubbard chose psychiatry as his BIG ENEMY is because he needed an opponent for his game. An opponent being a necessary part of a game...

He said he had no problem with them, he just needed an enemy to have a game.

Jack

[GoNuclear]

My guess is that it's not about the money. As you say, they have more than enough.
It's more about control. A constant reminder of the ongoing battle against the oh-so formidable enemies of the church. It's a way keeping the public engaged with the group in the battle.

Keep in mind, the only reason Hubbard chose psychiatry as his BIG ENEMY is because he needed an opponent for his game. An opponent being a necessary part of a game...

He said he had no problem with them, he just needed an enemy to have a game.

Jack

It's always about the money with Scientology, the rest is just conversation. True, Sea Ogre reserves are upwards of 1 billion. 1.5 billion is what I saw posted and that was sometime back. But why spend any of that or even some of the return on investment from those accounts, when you can bilk the Scientology public out of more.

Pete

[smartone]

What is really bizarre is simply one thing. Why? They have a billion in reserves and all 'he' wants is more. Why? I mean really, why?

Because money is power.

[TheRealNoUser]

The beautiful thing about all this is that this is the way Scientology treats its own members.

If the CoS believes that people who actually like Scientology should be treated like this, can you imagine how much respect they have for everyone else in the world?

This is a perfect example to illustrate just how vile the "Church" of Scientology really is.

Thank you David Miscavige for yet another footbullet ! The news of this financial scam will get spread far and wide, and even your existing members are going to be pissed at this one !!

TRNU.

[Ho Tai]

It's always about the money with Scientology, the rest is just conversation. True, Sea Ogre reserves are upwards of 1 billion. 1.5 billion is what I saw posted and that was sometime back. But why spend any of that or even some of the return on investment from those accounts, when you can bilk the Scientology public out of more.

Pete

I read an article the other day about the guy behind the Seagrams fortune. He is being sued by his relatives for backing out of simply considering buying out the shares of his relatives in some company. The relatives are saying that "It's not about the money." The guy's lawyer said "When they say it's not about the money, it's about the money." That hit me hard, thinking about times in my former life when I heard "It's not about the money!" Funny how in my new life it really is never about the money - it just doesn't come up!

[Captain Koolaid]

This is the final stage of what MR calls 'Corporate Scientology'. Over the next 20 years the organisation will shrink steadily, until the decline is so obvious that even the remaining indoctrinated sheep cannot ignore it.

This is the time to get everything of value from those remaining members before they realise that everything is just a charade. I think that Miscavige is quite astonished that the money is still flowing in, and he's going to ride that wave as long as he can before taking off to a country that doesn't extradite.

[Freeminds]

This is the final stage of what MR calls 'Corporate Scientology'. Over the next 20 years the organisation will shrink steadily, until the decline is so obvious that even the remaining indoctrinated sheep cannot ignore it.

This is the time to get everything of value from those remaining members before they realise that everything is just a charade. I think that Miscavige is quite astonished that the money is still flowing in, and he's going to ride that wave as long as he can before taking off to a country that doesn't extradite.

Twenty years? Good grief. I'd give it five. Those "remaining indoctrinated sheep" aren't as stupid as you think. Some of them are still pro-Hubbard and are genuinely disappointed that Scientology hasn't become the standard system of education, healthcare, government... but even they aren't blind to the sparse attendance at Scn events. Many others are in a condition of "silent running" and are hoping to slip away without being noticed and 'handled'. The truth is that leaving gets easier with each day that passes, because there are fewer staff left to handle the victim, and their morale is little better than that of the disillusioned publics. Also, with each day that passes, there are more exes on the 'outside', and thus the threat of disconnection becomes less significant.

Scientology always had a very high turnover of members. How could it be otherwise, for a 'technology' that can't deliver what it promises? With the 'raw meat' warned off by the media (and the protesters), membership can only fall... and what is the purpose of Scientology?

Recruitment? - Can't be done.
Defending the 'good name' of LRH? - Who will listen?
Training? - Then why are there less completions today than before?
Fundraising? - For what, when the cult's mothership is already parked on a huge pile of cash?
Massaging celebrity egos? - Celebs have their own for that.

... so is this what the faithful signed up to spend their eternity doing?

David Miscavige's own condition seems to be deteriorating, but he's right about one thing: Scientology must expand, or die. Rather like a ponzi scheme, Scientology has to be seen to be growing, or it the whole fairytale ceases to work - and when the crash comes, it comes hard and fast. Debbie Cook's defection is a symptom of that crash.

The thing about finding a country with no extradition treaty... okay. Maybe. But why wait? Can one human being (Davey cares nothing for anybody else) actually spend even a hundred million dollars? People talk about Scientology being a billion-dollar cult, so let's assume that the transferable and liquid assets a short guy with a bad haircut could leave the country with equate to a tenth of that sum.

Spending a hundred million dollars is quite a tall order, made harder when one is already over fifty, and not in great health. Hanging around in a stressful job that often provokes one to violent rage can only reduce life expectancy... so why does little David Miscavige stay at the helm? To ensure that when he finally skips, he does so with two hundred million dollars?

That would be stupid. Even by his own semi-educated standards, that would be very stupid.

So why stay? To protect and preserve Scientology? Don't make me laugh. Miscavige has done more to bring about the end of Scientology than anybody else. (I wish I'd done more, but the sad fact is that David Miscavige is the greatest SP alive today.)

So it's not for the money, and it's not out of a sense of duty. Why, then?

I propose that the reason Little Dave remains at the helm of Scientology... is because he likes to play with human lives. Stroking a large pile of used dollar bills over in Lichtenstein wouldn't amuse him for long. He likes to control people. He likes to scare people. He likes to hurt people. Davey can't give up control of Scientology, because it's the thing that allows him to indulge his addiction.