Scientologics

by Caspar de Rijk, ex-scientologist and Sea Org Member, Class IX

Scientologics I call the concept of applying plain logic and common sense to a broad subject generally referred to as Scientology. 

There is a difference first of all between scientology as a subject and an organization officially named the Church of Scientology.

Scientology is the title of a book written around 1934 by Dr. A. Nordenholz and contains a philosophical treatise and outline of a science of knowing.

Hubbardian Scientology is a collection of philosophical and religious views and techniques for increasing spiritual and mental awareness and abilities and releasing trauma assembled, re-interpreted and invented by the late L.R Hubbard. 

Hubbard did not follow the academic tradition of acknowledging and referencing his sources. Many of the principles of the actual Dianetics and Scientology counseling, could for example be derived from Carl Rogers work1. Some elements trace directly to Freud and Jung. 

L.R. Hubbard inspired many and indeed promoted and created new approaches in the self-improvement sector and mass marketed concepts like self-analysis (instead of expensive psycho analysis) and do-it-yourself or with a mate psycho-therapy. As a young psychology student at Utrecht University, in 1970 I went for it as it promised adventure and was more attractive than listening to my professor declaring psychology to be the soulless “study of behavior and the forms of organization of that behavior”.

The first few years 1950-1954 he started a break away movement of independence from the orthodox psychoanalysts and he was one of the first to cry out against psychiatric abuse such as pre-frontal lobotomies and other atrocities often used for political purposes, long before psychiatrist Thomas Szasz wrote “The Myth of Mental Illness” (1961)

Hubbard’s scientology was instrumental to get large numbers of people to experiment with their own minds and investigating the spiritual realms.

1 Counseling and Psychotherapy, Carl Rogers (1942)

Scientology Sect Disconnection

In 2004 I lost all contact to my ex-wife and two daughters when I voiced my opinions on radio and tv in the Netherlands. Soon after my first public utterances, at first still aimed only towards reform of the church, I received letters of disconnection from both my daughters.

But even in the New Testament things like this are described, for example in
Matthew 10, 34-37:

34.Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 
35. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36.Your enemies will be right in your own household!
37. If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.

Personal

I have spent 25 years in the Advanced Org mostly in Copenhagen, Denmark and had a lot of fun and a good game, giving lots of counseling sessions to people from Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain and France, mostly with great results.
For insiders
I left when Miscavige became abusive and directly affecting my own life. I did the PTS / SP course in the RPF at Flag in Clearwater and left the Sea Org on graduation from the course, leaving no doubt as to my opinion of what was going on and who the real suppressive was.

Conclusion

If one considers that Scientology is basically a body of philosophical, religious and mind data, it of course needs to be evaluated and my personal view is that a lot of it makes good sense and some of it is fantasy and some of it is degraded.
The techniques that I learnt for example as a Class IX auditor can in essence be found in the occult literature predating scientology. The best advice is to use your own judgment and of course don’t fall for all what the media is saying.