Green Oasis

Here’s an interesting interview with Jason Beghe about leaving Scientology. Sounds very familiar.

I’m having a moment.… of coming out of Scientology. There are moments where you just feel a loss. And it’s not a loss of “I miss Scientology” by any stretch. It’s a loss— It’s a regret of having invested so much in something that is empty.…

There’s a book that [L. Ron Hubbard] wrote that’s called [A] History of Man. And he talks about a lot of these traps that can catch a Thetan,… The best Theta traps are ones that the Thetans runs on autopilot. Like if I’m trying to enslave somebody, the last thing I want to do is to have to worry about… keeping the key [and] the lock. The best traps, you get a guy to just keep himself in jail. And that’s what Scientology does. You just keep yourself in jail.… It’s a perfect Theta trap because you believe it, and you’re investing your time and your money. So you can’t be a fool: that’s too much to confront.

…

The more I got in, the stupider I got. As I get out, that’s my perception. I mean—Christ!—you don’t even ask questions.… What I gather as I wake up—you know, it’s a funny thing—in Scientology, you feel as though you’re waking up to the truth or reality or what really is. But what you’re doing is waking up to the reality of Scientology.

…

[Scientologists] are good people. These are some of the best people you can meet. These are people [who] really want to help.

…

I’ve never been closer [to my family than] now that I’m out [of Scientology].

…

There was a moment where I could have woken up there [upon hearing about Xenu]. But you choose not to. And that’s part of the reason Scientology’s expensive.… If you’re paying a lot of money for it, it makes it more valuable.

…

You’re driving the car. It’s just that you don’t realize that the car, as a Scientologist,… it’s got a pre-rigged route.… And so you feel like this is this easy life. I’ve just got to sit here and the car basically drives itself. All I got to do is show up at the church, and I’ll be happy.

…

Jason Beghe the Scientologist is willing to lose David[, his best friend], is willing to sacrifice certainly the quality of my relationship with Mom and Dad, and brothers and sisters, and God knows who else that I could have made friends with that weren’t Scientologists,…

…

For somebody who’s in [Scientology], as far gone as I say you are as you go up [in the levels of Scientology], the difference between waking and being asleep up is the difference between being waking up and asleep. And it’s like sometimes when you’re asleep you can still hear the shit that’s going around because you’re only half asleep, you’re not that fucking brainwashed. So I’m here to tell you, this is what I say: wake up!

Made you look!

I just read the post on fMh about the Tom Cruise Scientology video that I mentioned in The Xenu Files. It’s interesting how many people there are unwilling to criticize Scientology because they realize that their own religion looks only a little less bat-shit insane to outsiders. Instead of people pointing out how stupid it is to believe that we are infected with the souls of hundreds of billions of aliens whom Xenu, leader of the Galactic Confederacy, executed eons ago by packing them around volcanoes here on Earth and detonating hydrogen bombs, they refuse to criticize the obviously ridiculous fabrications of a science fiction writer. They don’t want their own religion criticized, so they refuse to criticize another’s religion.

Those who refuse to criticize Scientology are following the Golden Rule. This provides a great example of one of the failings of the Golden Rule. Following it makes us enablers of each others’ delusions. More love is shown when we are willing to point out each others’ mistakes so that we can correct them. We may not like it when our own mistakes are pointed out, but it needs to be done on occasion.

Think of it like a piece of spinach wedged in your teeth or like the zipper on your pants being down. It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing to have someone discreetly point it out, but it’s much better than getting home from your date, looking in the mirror, and realizing that everyone let you look foolish all night. You might question why no one had the decency to point it out to you.

Being unwilling to lovingly criticize someone when the time is right shows a lack of empathy and concern. Religion seems to mute some of its adherents’ ability to provide empathetic correction to another if they are too afraid that they might look just as crazy.

Tom Cruise speaks on what Scientology can do for you. (via Mind on Fire)

I think the thing that creeps me out the most about this video is how utterly convinced he is that he has the answer to everyone’s problems. He sees scientologists as saviors on Mt. Zion, so to speak.

I wonder how long before this video is taken down. Doesn’t anyone have a vorpal sword to go snicker-snack through the Scientology beast and its hordes of censoring lawyers?

Update: Jesus and Mo have something to say about this video.