Inside Scientology


First-hand accounts of the Scientology Experience

Shane Vincent's Story

From u59791@uicvm.uic.edu Fri Oct 20 17:11:38 BST 1995

Hello all,

Well I finally felt like writing about my experiences in Scientology, not because they were incredibly terrible but because I think it shows that a lot of disorganization and dissent exists in the Sea Org.

In approx May 1990 I bought Dianetics, read it and decided to find a Hubbard Guidance center. I dd (in Berkeley, Ca) I then proceeded to buy (and read) every (and I mean every) Scientology book (sans the OEC and HCOPL vols). Now before anyone accuses me of having incredible MU's from this, two of the first books I bought were the Dianetics dictionary and the Modern Management dictionary. Since I managed to read at least two books/week before Scientology the Scientology books in themselves presented no real challenge since they were much less verbose than many of the books I usually read. The only real drawback to my reading so many Scientology books was that I entered the head space of a Scientologist. This may or may not have been a bad thing. I then proceeded to do some courses, the Purif, and eventually joined the Sea Org (at this point I had spent approx $10k). When I joined the Sea Org I was in the middle of Clay table processes for the Key to Life (a course proported to clear the MU's about basic common English words). I joined the Sea Org to work on the Freewinds (I like ships), but since the person who Sec checked me had some confusion about the fact that as a child I had said boy people would be sorry if I were to die (they must really have crappy memories or a GREAT childhood) I was told that I couldn't be on the Freewinds. As soon as the person from the FSSO said that, the flag recruiter said, come on staff at Flag. A senior to the person who said I couldn't go to the Freewinds then said I could go there but at that point I thought the FSSO was messed up so I joined Flag. The first week was ok. I finished my basic Sea Org hat (rather simple course teaches you how to clean windows and some basic staff things) right after finishing the course though things went crazy. First I got my Sea Org uniform, the pants were ripped (ok maybe there is some financial problems but don't have people clothes with big holes in them to fix). One change of clothes just does not cut it. Then I was packed off to San Francisco. When I arrived in San Francisco, the Sea Org members there, while polite, were unhappy to see me, since someone at Flag was trying to force a transfer on someone by sending me. So the next day I'm packed on a plane to L.A.. Now at AOLA they wonder who the heck am I and what am I doing there (and so am I, plus I am feeling like I am not at cause anymore, but heck I'm here to help anyway I can), but they are nice about it and put me to work doing some mail outs and moving things. Then from Flag comes a person who routed onto the Flag staff, she says I'm supposed to be in her department, shows me the HCOPL that applies to department recruiting and has me go back to Clearwater.

I arrive back in Clearwater, and then someone comes and says I'm supposed to work for her, since I'm sick of not working I go and work with her. Big mistake (or maybe not since this job provided the impetus to Blow). The job was trying to keep people who spoke only French and Italian (and I don't even speak Spanish) ready for auditing and schedule them so the auditors don't have to look for them. Ok so I'm trying hard at this job (which is big pain in the butt), and then I'm told, sorry we're so understaffed that you (meaning me) can't have your half day off this week but you an have it next week. The next week I'm told too bad you didn't get it in writing so it doesn't count. Now I'm getting ticked. I get a letter saying I can have the coming Sat. off, but my study hours get moved to before the Org opens and cut down to 2 hours/day (should be four, but heck I hadn't read that far in the Basic Staff volume). So now I'm feeling like I'm ARC broken, but when I try talking to the Chaplin about it (per HCOPL re:ARC breaks), she says something about everyone feeling a little disorientated at first. That was B.S.. I then went to HCO to try and clear this up, but all those OT 7 and 8's did was talk to me and then I had to go back to work since my lunch hour was over. Ok I trying to do a job that should be done by someone who has some knowledge of French and/or Italian (which I don't), other new Sea Org members who should still be in Non-Existence are getting book bonuses and some slap happy old Sea Org guy tells me it's wrong for me to fraternize with a girl in civies (but she was in the Sea Org) who I had worked with. I'm pretty p.o.ed at this point so I blow (since I can't do the job right anyway and don't want to be covering a hole in the Org board for some person who messed up somewhere).

After leaving it took me 6 months to meet my current wife, who has an AND,. BA, and DDS (and some other degrees and certificates) and is working on her ND and a Ph.D. I was accepted at a University and given a cash award to go there. I've written a database program that has allowed my wife to double her income and reduce her work hours by approximately 20%. In short I'm more at cause now that I've left Scientology than at any time I was in Scientology.


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