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Chapter 6:
The Org
Step into the Exciting World of
the Totally Free.
-- from a Scientology subway ad {1}
Once someone
succumbs to any one of these methods, his first formal contact with
Scientology is usually at the headquarters, or Org as they call it, for
a free lecture and film and a personality test, the first two to see if
he wants Scientology; the last perhaps to determine if he needs it.
Each evening in Manhattan, a couple of dozen people arrive for this
process at the main Org, which is located in the Grand Ballroom of the
Hotel Martinique at Thirty-second Street and Broadway. In the
Scientology section of the hotel, the atmosphere has been described as
similar to the Defense Department.{2}
Certain areas are off-limits,{3} no pictures can be taken,{4} and one
writer was photographed during his interview from every angle "as if for
a Wanted Poster." Another was told that her story had to be "checked for
accuracy" before the Scientologists would "permit it to be released."
Another writer who brought a tape recorder to an interview was not only
not permitted to use it, but -- to add insult to injury -- the
Scientologists put on their own tape recorder and recorded him.{5} And
finally, no one can enter the Org until he writes down his name and
address, in keeping with Hubbard's order to "register everyone -- even
the postman."{6}
From the moment he registers he may get as many as seventy pieces of
mimeographed mail{7} for as long as four years afterwards.{8} Most of
this mail lives up to Hubbard's statement that quantity is more
important than quality.{9}
Begging the Scientologists to remove your name from the mailing list
often does no good. The Australians reported that if someone wrote to
have his name removed, the Scientologists wrote them back suggesting
that the meaning of their letter wasn't quite clear to them.{10}
One Manhattan actor who spent a weekend in Scientology -- and was
immediately disenchanted because the night before the first course they
had called him to take more courses -- tried to make it clear that he
did not want to receive the incessant phone calls and letters to which a
Scientology friend of his had been subjected. The Scientologists told
him to tell this to the "Student Examiner," but when he did, he was
hounded to reveal the name of his friend. When he refused, he was
"escorted" to the Ethics Officer, who again pressed him for the name of
that friend who had complained about the phone calls so that they could
"call him and talk with him about it."{11}
After the potential convert -- or to quote Hubbard, the "raw meat"{12}
-- registers, he is directed to a converted classroom to hear a
Scientology lecture that sounds like a cross between a Jehovah's Witness
pep talk about the Day of Doom and the spiel of a used car salesman.
The lecture is apparently no better in England. During one lecture
there, the audience cheered every time someone had the courage to yawn
or walk out. One man finally got up and said "if Scientology is so good,
why are there not better lecturers?" He walked out to the loudest
applause of the evening.{13}
After the lecture and sales pitch, potential converts are shown an old
film of Hubbard and given the American Personality Test.{14} {15} This
test was written by a Scientologist with a B.Scn., D.Scn., and D.D.
degrees. While someone looking at this quickly might think she is well
qualified to write such a test with a Bachelor of Science, a Doctor of
Science degrees, her degrees actually stand for Bachelor of Scientology,
Doctor of Scientology, and Doctor of Divinity -- in the Church of
Scientology only.{16}
The author also has a B.A., but that does not necessarily have an
academic counterpart in Scientology either. One Scientologist admitted
that her B.A. stood for "Basic Administrator" and "Book Auditor."{17} To
become a "Book Auditor" she only had to buy one of Hubbard's books,
apply the principles to someone else, and send in for her
certificate.{18}
Sometimes the results of the personality test are presented to a person
not so much to enlighten him as to his difficulties and problems as to
enlighten him about what Scientology can do for him. While analyzing the
test, Hubbard told his followers to make remarks such as "Scientology
can influence this"{19} or "auditing can remedy that," etc., and added
"We will take full advantage of the superstitions of people at the level
of prediction."{20} Hubbard also told them that they should not precede
a statement that a score on a particular item was low with something
like "Don't worry" because "this cancels impingement."{21}
In addition to "enlightening" people, the test has also been used to
intimidate them into joining Scientology. The Australian reported that
one boy who took the test claims they told him he had a defective
character, was mentally unstable, and would have a mental breakdown
unless he joined Scientology.{22} (They also suggested that he had
homosexual tendencies.) When he refused to join nonetheless, people at
the Org took turns for a year writing him personal letters to remind him
of his difficulties as reflected on the test, and his need to join them
to remedy it.
After a person takes the test, he does not "sign up" for a course in
Scientology -- he "joins," as author William Burroughs put it.{23}
Anyone who does decide to join the Church of Scientology that night must
then sign a contract, which has his name filled in even before he agrees
to look at it. "If a person is on your premises longer than five minutes
sign him on a release form," wrote Hubbard. "If he won't sign a release,
he is going to give you trouble so get rid of him."{24}
The form consists of a number of questions, and while answering any of
them falsely can result in immediate dismissal later from Scientology,
answering them truthfully will not necessarily keep a person in.{25} The
following is a composite of the contents of a few of these forms over
the years: {26}
-
They ask if
the person has ever been institutionalized, had shock treatment, or
been under the care of a psychologist or psychiatrist.
-
They ask if he
has "submitted" his body to drug treatment or is addicted to alcohol
(Scientologists cannot take marijuana, LSD, etc., nor are they
permitted to drink, or even take aspirin, for certain periods of
time before auditing).{27}
-
They ask if
the person will take and pay for additional courses or hours if the
ethics officer tells him to.
-
They ask if
the person is over twenty-one (otherwise he needs his parents'
consent to join Scientology).
-
They claim
that a person can get his money back if he's dissatisfied with a
Scientology course, generally within thirty days, although he may
not take any more Scientology courses after asking for a refund.
-
They ask if
the person has a criminal record.
-
If he is
currently receiving medical treatment.
-
If he agrees
with the stated aims of Scientology and will not work against it and
if he belongs to a group that is against it.
-
That he agrees
to undergo any E-meter test that he is told to take.
-
That he agrees
to "release each and all of the above-named organizations and
corporations and any and all employees, staff members, or associates
thereof from all liability from any consequences resulting from
training, education, or processing practices and methods used by
Scientology."
After signing
this, and paying for the first course, one becomes a Scientologist. And
as Hubbard often says about that state of affairs, "May you never be the
same again."{28}
_______________
Notes:
{1} initial quote
[285]
{2} Defense Dept. [146]
{3} (4) off limits [178]
{4} (3) can't take pix [146, 178]
{5} writer photographed and tape recorded [283]
{6} register postman [87]
{7} 70 pieces of mail [261]
{8} for 4 years [81]
{9} quantity important [82]
{10} can't beg them to remove name [261]
{11} Manhattan actor [277]
{12} raw meat [98, 103]
{13} English lecture [216]
{14} Oxford Capacity Analysis [112] {The OCA, a personality test, is
mentioned nowhere else in the book}
{15} American Personality Test [105]
{16} meaning of degrees [261]
{17} girl with BA [261]
{18} how to be book auditor [10, 23]
{19} telling people what Scientology can do [83]
{20} quote on superstitions [83]
{21} don't say don't worry [83]
{22} boy who took test [261]
{23} "join" Scientology [187]
{24} make them sign release says Hubbard [261]
{25} (26) answering them falsely or truly [254] {ambiguous citation}
{26} (27) release forms [129, 254, 178]
{27} (25) no alcohol or drugs permitted [130a]
{28} "May you never be the same" [6, 111]
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