Gadfly
Crusader
Scn has a policy by LRH, a Flag Order as I recall, that any person who leaves the Sea Org MUST be a "DB". "DB" is Scientology-speak for "Degraded Being". It says what it means. He or she can't be hired by any Church organization. The implication is that the person is somehow flawed, incompetent, weak and unable to do anything useful.
Interestingly, the Sea Org member who has left was "able" and "competent" right up until the moment that this person "left" the Sea Org. This person may have been extremely able and competent, for many years, while working in the Church of Scientology. But, we are supposed to accept that when this person leaves the Sea Org, that suddenly, by some act of Magic, that this person now loses all "competence" and "ability" and instantly becomes a "DB"?
What is strange is that MANY people in the Church of Scientology "believe" this type of nonsense. Many people "think with" and "act with" this sort of ridiculous idea. Of course, what dedicated Scientologists fail to realize is that people often believe nonsense, that this aspect of humanity is quite common (believing nonsense), and that they themselves are quite guilty of this very same liability (accepting and believing nonsense).
I used to think that anything able to be understood must be "true". I thought this before SCN, but I further added onto this belief by studying the concept:
ARC = Understanding
Initially, I thought that "understanding" meant that it was a valid or legitimate "understanding". I finally came to realize that people can understand just about anything, because ideas can be connected in an infinite variety of ways, and also ideas can be accurate, vague, well aligned with other ideas, poorly aligned with what they purport to relate to, and so forth. In other words, "understanding" is quite relative. Understanding is entirely a "mental" phenomena, subject to all the imperfections of things mental.
For instance, one could state:
"All red newts are evil and must be destroyed."
This can be understood. But, just because it can be understood does not mean that it is true. I can understand something, but NOT agree with it.
The idea of ARC contains a major flaw in this regard.
ARC contains the concept of REALITY, which basically means "agreement". The ARC formula, where ARC equals understanding strongly implies that to understand something then one must "agree with it". That is not at all true. It is very much NOT true. Of course, the Scientology indoctrination system (i.e. learning via courses, events, briefings, etc.) involves extensive agreeing with what you are told. You come to understand based almost entirely on agreeing. In fact, if you disagree, YOU are attacked, and you get sent for correction - to find the reason WHY you disagree; which in the Scientology belief system MUST involve out-ethics, misunderstood words, false data, or some other convenient reason explaining why you are not readily and happily grabbing onto and fully accepting what is being rammed down your throat. LRH was very good at figuring out a way to effectively indoctrinate people. He was no dummy, whatever else he may have been.
I can entirely understand the concepts, ideas and logic underlying why Muslim fanatics tie bombs to themselves and kill innocent children. But, I don't agree with it at all. There are many examples where people can completely understand something and NOT agree with it. I can understand the theories underlying modern psychiatry, but I don't agree with them. I can understand the theories of Plato, but not agree with what he says. Some people might say that you don't really "understand" something unless you agree with it. That is completely false. What you are failing to do, and this isn't at all bad, is to view it exactly as someone else views it. You can completely understand something while having NO agreement at all with the subject. You can also completely understand something while having little or NO affinity with a subject.
I don't "like" the ideas and actions of the Christian priests of the Inquisition. I can have affinity with the facts and data about them, meaning that I am willing to be in the same place as the information, and even observe what they do in real life (if time didn't separate me from the events), BUT I can still very much have low affinity and low agreement with these same things - YET have full understanding. The concept of ARC is severely flawed in this regard. Few Scientologists that I have talked to about this can ever see this, because their own FIXED IDEAS prevent them from honestly observing in the area. In fact, Scientology is arranged in such a way to make questioning of any sort nearly impossible.
So, back to the idea that "all people who leave the Sea Org are Degraded Beings". This idea can be understood, but based on honest observation, it is utterly a false idea, and quite stupid really. It is one of many "stupid" ideas in the Sea Org and in the Church of Scientology. Yet the obedient Sea Org members agree with it entirely, largely because they have no choice based on the enforcement of LRH policy as being "always utterly correct and beyond questioning". To continue to agree with such nonsense as this idea about ex-Sea Org members being degraded beings, and to "think" with such nonsense, a person MUST refuse to look at the facts of observable reality. In other words, a person must allow their thoughts to remain senior and above what he or she observes. This actually violates what LRH states in the KNOW to MYSTERY SCALE, where LOOKING is far higher than THINKING. But, the genius of LRH in certain areas doesn't prevent the mindless masses of followers from failing to see how they routinely violate one aspect of LRH data in favor of another. That is a whole other subject - contradictions in LRH data. There are many.
Any sane person can look around and find VERY successful people who have left the Sea Org. Obviously these people are NOT degraded, and in some cases these people are extremely able and have achieved much after leaving the Sea Org. But, the moronic organization (and LRH) demands acceptance of this concept, a concept that is entirely verifiable as false. This is one example of how the demands of an oppressive religion or ideology can disable the thinking of a human mind. The common denominator here is that THINKING becomes senior to OBSERVATION. The "thinking" is created through systematic indoctrination of the data of the ideology and/or belief system. Thinking about the facts of reality should never supersede observing the facts of reality, but it often does in the routine functioning of Scientology staff and public members.
The scary part is that the obedient members can be so easily duped into believing such utter and complete nonsense. Please realize that this one example is just one tiny example out of an ocean of many possible examples inherent in the observable functioning reality of the Church of Scientology. Of course, this lunacy goes on in MANY other areas of life, and is not at all restricted to Scientology. Though, the strict controlled indoctrination aspect of Scientology makes it easier to connect the ridiculous with the controlled information that is force-fed to the members.
Interestingly, the Sea Org member who has left was "able" and "competent" right up until the moment that this person "left" the Sea Org. This person may have been extremely able and competent, for many years, while working in the Church of Scientology. But, we are supposed to accept that when this person leaves the Sea Org, that suddenly, by some act of Magic, that this person now loses all "competence" and "ability" and instantly becomes a "DB"?
What is strange is that MANY people in the Church of Scientology "believe" this type of nonsense. Many people "think with" and "act with" this sort of ridiculous idea. Of course, what dedicated Scientologists fail to realize is that people often believe nonsense, that this aspect of humanity is quite common (believing nonsense), and that they themselves are quite guilty of this very same liability (accepting and believing nonsense).
I used to think that anything able to be understood must be "true". I thought this before SCN, but I further added onto this belief by studying the concept:
ARC = Understanding
Initially, I thought that "understanding" meant that it was a valid or legitimate "understanding". I finally came to realize that people can understand just about anything, because ideas can be connected in an infinite variety of ways, and also ideas can be accurate, vague, well aligned with other ideas, poorly aligned with what they purport to relate to, and so forth. In other words, "understanding" is quite relative. Understanding is entirely a "mental" phenomena, subject to all the imperfections of things mental.
For instance, one could state:
"All red newts are evil and must be destroyed."
This can be understood. But, just because it can be understood does not mean that it is true. I can understand something, but NOT agree with it.
The idea of ARC contains a major flaw in this regard.
ARC contains the concept of REALITY, which basically means "agreement". The ARC formula, where ARC equals understanding strongly implies that to understand something then one must "agree with it". That is not at all true. It is very much NOT true. Of course, the Scientology indoctrination system (i.e. learning via courses, events, briefings, etc.) involves extensive agreeing with what you are told. You come to understand based almost entirely on agreeing. In fact, if you disagree, YOU are attacked, and you get sent for correction - to find the reason WHY you disagree; which in the Scientology belief system MUST involve out-ethics, misunderstood words, false data, or some other convenient reason explaining why you are not readily and happily grabbing onto and fully accepting what is being rammed down your throat. LRH was very good at figuring out a way to effectively indoctrinate people. He was no dummy, whatever else he may have been.
I can entirely understand the concepts, ideas and logic underlying why Muslim fanatics tie bombs to themselves and kill innocent children. But, I don't agree with it at all. There are many examples where people can completely understand something and NOT agree with it. I can understand the theories underlying modern psychiatry, but I don't agree with them. I can understand the theories of Plato, but not agree with what he says. Some people might say that you don't really "understand" something unless you agree with it. That is completely false. What you are failing to do, and this isn't at all bad, is to view it exactly as someone else views it. You can completely understand something while having NO agreement at all with the subject. You can also completely understand something while having little or NO affinity with a subject.
I don't "like" the ideas and actions of the Christian priests of the Inquisition. I can have affinity with the facts and data about them, meaning that I am willing to be in the same place as the information, and even observe what they do in real life (if time didn't separate me from the events), BUT I can still very much have low affinity and low agreement with these same things - YET have full understanding. The concept of ARC is severely flawed in this regard. Few Scientologists that I have talked to about this can ever see this, because their own FIXED IDEAS prevent them from honestly observing in the area. In fact, Scientology is arranged in such a way to make questioning of any sort nearly impossible.
So, back to the idea that "all people who leave the Sea Org are Degraded Beings". This idea can be understood, but based on honest observation, it is utterly a false idea, and quite stupid really. It is one of many "stupid" ideas in the Sea Org and in the Church of Scientology. Yet the obedient Sea Org members agree with it entirely, largely because they have no choice based on the enforcement of LRH policy as being "always utterly correct and beyond questioning". To continue to agree with such nonsense as this idea about ex-Sea Org members being degraded beings, and to "think" with such nonsense, a person MUST refuse to look at the facts of observable reality. In other words, a person must allow their thoughts to remain senior and above what he or she observes. This actually violates what LRH states in the KNOW to MYSTERY SCALE, where LOOKING is far higher than THINKING. But, the genius of LRH in certain areas doesn't prevent the mindless masses of followers from failing to see how they routinely violate one aspect of LRH data in favor of another. That is a whole other subject - contradictions in LRH data. There are many.
Any sane person can look around and find VERY successful people who have left the Sea Org. Obviously these people are NOT degraded, and in some cases these people are extremely able and have achieved much after leaving the Sea Org. But, the moronic organization (and LRH) demands acceptance of this concept, a concept that is entirely verifiable as false. This is one example of how the demands of an oppressive religion or ideology can disable the thinking of a human mind. The common denominator here is that THINKING becomes senior to OBSERVATION. The "thinking" is created through systematic indoctrination of the data of the ideology and/or belief system. Thinking about the facts of reality should never supersede observing the facts of reality, but it often does in the routine functioning of Scientology staff and public members.
The scary part is that the obedient members can be so easily duped into believing such utter and complete nonsense. Please realize that this one example is just one tiny example out of an ocean of many possible examples inherent in the observable functioning reality of the Church of Scientology. Of course, this lunacy goes on in MANY other areas of life, and is not at all restricted to Scientology. Though, the strict controlled indoctrination aspect of Scientology makes it easier to connect the ridiculous with the controlled information that is force-fed to the members.
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