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Chapter 2:
The Confessionals
... when matters of sex and
perversion are introduced ... as is frequently the case, they are
discussed and probed and dwelt upon sometimes for hours on end. The
quality of the filth and depravity recorded in the ... files as being
discussed ... almost defies description.
-- from the Australian Inquiry{1}
The "Church of
Scientology," as they call themselves today, no longer claims to cure
people of their emotional and physical problems. Instead, they say it's
people's spiritual well-being that concerns them now.
The method is still basically the same, resembling a combination of
psychotherapy and the Catholic Confession -- although Scientologists
today emphasize their similarities with the latter.
The beginning Scientologist is called a "preclear" -- someone who is not
yet free from his problems and difficulties as is a "clear"
Scientologist. The "preclear" reveals intimate details of his past and
discusses his present problems with an "auditor," someone resembling a
priest, who is frequently called Minister or Reverend in the Scientology
Church.{2}
During this Scientology "Confessional," which is called "auditing" and
sometimes "processing," the preclear holds onto two empty tin cans --
usually soup or V-8 juice -- which are connected to a crude galvanometer
Scientologists call an "E-meter."{3}
The preclear believes that the E-meter works somewhat like a lie
detector. He is told that it is a "truth detector," however, and he
therefore reveals increasingly intimate details of his life to his
auditor while holding on to the meter.{4}
There are major differences between the Catholic and Episcopalian
confessionals and a Scientologist confessional. First of all, before
they will audit him, the Scientologists make the confessor sign a
release form swearing he will never sue them.
Second, the Scientologists charge people for the opportunity of
unburdening themselves and they charge a great deal of money for this
privilege.
Third, the person has very little choice about what he "confesses"{5}
because he is asked certain questions repeatedly, such as "Have you done
anything your mother would be ashamed to find out?"{6} He must not only
answer these questions but he must answer them fully and truthfully or
else the "lie detector" will give him away.
Fourth, the intimate information he reveals to his auditor is not kept
completely confidential.{7} As many as ten people may examine these
files, since a preclear's records are available to all of his auditors
(who often number five or six), plus the Director of Processing and
occasionally the Ethics Officer, a type of internal police officer in
the Scientology organization.{8}
In addition, Hubbard has access to these records. Portions of a
preclear's files may be sent to the main Scientology headquarters at
Saint Hill so that Hubbard can review them for research.{9}
Finally, in addition to not always maintaining complete confidentiality,
cases have occurred (and they are certainly the exception and not the
rule) in which some of the auditors have also failed to maintain a
proper professional relationship with their preclears.
One reason for this may be the surprising physical intimacy that exists
between auditor and preclear. In at least one exercise that is part of
the Scientology auditing, the auditor and preclear are seated in chairs
without arms, close together, with their knees intertwined.{10}
In other exercises the auditors may touch or move the preclear around,
or touch his hands for several hours, moving them slowly in a circular
motion, (an act which could surely become quite sensual after a long
period of time).{11}
Ethical problems may have also occurred because many of these auditors
are only in their teens or early twenties. Teen-agers, wrote a
Scientology director once, "make the SWINGINEST auditors." Yet despite
their age, these teens are supposed to remain objective and uninvolved
while listening to what the Australian Inquiry described as "normal and
abnormal sexual matters that are frequently dwelt upon in great detail
and in an erotic manner."{12}
During these sessions, the preclear is encouraged to shed his
inhibitions, and his reticence or reluctance to reveal the most intimate
things may be disparaged. Scientology files have contained such
statements as "pc (preclear) gets often the urge to move down to his sex
organs. If he does that he gets restimulated." Or "pc has a bug about
sending sexual beams at auditor," or even "pc disturbed because he came
to have auditing and now wants to have sexual intercourse."{13}
Apparently, it's not only the preclear that has gotten sexually
stimulated in such an atmosphere. One male auditor wrote on his
preclear's file that she was "sexy as hell."{14} In another case, the
Reverend William J. Fisk (a Scientology Reverend) was conducting his
Scientology class in Seattle when Russell Edward Johnson, thirty six, a
carpenter and building contractor entered the room.
According to the Seattle Times, Fisk shouted "This man is going to shoot
me. Go get a cop. Please someone get a cop." But his plea was too late.
With one bullet in his chest, fired by Russell Johnson, the Reverend was
dead.{15}
During the murder trial it came out that Reverend Fisk, the one who was
killed, was not only having an affair with Johnson's wife, but had
revealed the fact to Johnson himself, boasting that Johnson's wife was
completely under his control.
The wife also told her husband that she had been having an affair, and
in fact, sued him for divorce on the day before the murder.{16} The
wife, a mother of four children, had spent approximately $1,000 on
Scientology, and had been going for help with her marital problems.
(If anyone is wondering what happened to Johnson afterwards, forget what
you read in Anatomy of a Murder. In that book, a husband killed the man
who had intercourse with his wife, pleaded "irresistible impulse" and
went free. In this case, Johnson pleaded "temporary insanity" and was
sentenced to fifteen years in prison.)
Other ethical difficulties may arise because the auditors are just
hastily trained layman. Their backgrounds are not checked or
investigated -- they only answer a simple true false questionnaire about
themselves.{17}
According to a United States tax case, in Chicago, the (Scientology)
Reverend Justin agreed to audit a woman for $1,000 on the condition that
he could move into the house with her, her husband, and their three
young daughters.{18} After the Reverend entrenched himself firmly in the
home, the husband saw that the Reverend was upsetting his wife and asked
him to leave.
He refused. Nine months after he finally did go, the parents learned
that the Reverend had secretly tried to see and possibly to remove two
of their young daughters who were staying in a Girl Scout Camp. Girl
Scout authorities stopped him and informed the parents.
The parents still suspected nothing until one month later the Reverend
was found wandering around the halls of the young girls' grammar school
looking for the three of them. The authorities took him to the
principal's office, found out what he was doing, and called the wife.
Several months later, three United States Marshals came to the parents'
home looking for the Reverend Justin, saying there was a complaint
against him elsewhere for molesting little girls.
_______________
Notes:
{1} initial quote
[261]
{2} auditor training to be minister [277]
{3} V-8 juice [139]
{4} truth detector [29]
{5} forced to tell secrets [261]
{6} ashamed for mother to find out [25]
{7} (8) preclear doesn't know {that confessions aren't confidential}
[255]
{8} (7) preclear's records available [255, 261, etc.]
{9} Hubbard gets records [25, 261, 255, etc.]
{10} knees intertwined {during one exercise} [14]
{11} touching preclear [16]
{12} abnormal sex discussed, no inhibitions [261]
{13} three quotes from preclear file [261]
{14} preclear "sexy..." [261]
{15} Fisk shot [134]
{16} why shot [144]
{17} auditors not investigated [255]
{18} story of Justin {a Scientology Reverend} [255]
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