From: Hartley Patterson <hpttrsn@daisy.freeserve.co.uk>
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: alt.religion.scientology critical FAQ 2.0.6
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:47:10 +0100
Message-ID: <MPG.25419aaceac481710@news.thundernews.com>
Summary: This posting is intended for newcomers, covering the history of ARS and giving URLs for further information
User-Agent: MicroPlanet-Gravity/2.9.11
X-Disclaimer: Approval for *.answers is based on form, not content

Archive-name: scientology/skeptic/faq
URL: http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/faq.htm
Maintainer: Hartley Patterson <hpttrsn@daisy.freeserve.co.uk>
Posting-Frequency: monthly

An Alt.Religion.Scientology FAQ (2.0.6)

1. What?s an FAQ?

FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. Newcomers to popular=20
newsgroups, forums and websites often have the same questions they want=20
answered, a FAQ is intended to be an aid to those who get bored of=20
repeating the same answers every week.
This FAQ expresses the author?s views not those of any other ARS poster,=20
though on occasion he does state what he believes to be the majority=20
view. FAQs do not require unanimous approval of every word in them, just=20
sufficient truth not to get buried under a mountain of abuse. ARS has no=20
Charter so it does not have an ?Official? FAQ.
The author is not nor has ever been a scientologist and is a critic of=20
the Church of Scientology (CoS).
Internet URLs are signalled by ***. If you cannot use them as links=20
directly, cut and paste into your browser.

2. What is Scientology?

This is an FAQ for ARS not for Scientology so the answer will be very=20
brief:

American author L Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), founder of Scientology, first=20
presented his ideas in the bestselling book "Dianetics - the Modern=20
Science of Mental Health" (1950). Scientology, an expansion of=20
Dianetics, followed in 1952, the Church of Scientology appeared in 1953.
CoS headquarters are in Los Angeles and its main training facility is in=20
Clearwater, Florida. The CoS claims to have branches in 64 countries;=20
about half of CoS members are believed to be US citizens with another=20
third in Europe.
The CoS also claims to have over 10 million members, however its own=20
data and independent sources suggest an active membership of 50-100,000.=20
In addition there are scientologists who practise their faith outside=20
the Church. Some have set up their own organisations, though the CoS=20
remains the largest group. The CoS considers them all to be ?squirrels?,=20
the scientology term for heretics.
There are a number of CoS enterprises that promote Hubbard?s teachings=20
such as Narconon (anti-drugs), Criminon (anti-crime), CCHR (anti-
psychiatry), Applied Scholastics (schools) and WISE (business). When=20
convenient the CoS claims that it does not control these groups,=20
internally circulated documents show otherwise.

There is a wealth of information about Scientology on hundreds of=20
Internet websites, more than you will ever have time to read. Type=20
?Scientology? into a Search Engine such as Google and you?ll find them.=20
Please try Searching first for answers, only when you can?t find=20
something specific should you post questions to ARS.
*** Wikipedia, the Internet encyclopaedia, has a wide range of=20
referenced articles about Scientology:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology
As an exercise you might like to open your web browser now and put any=20
words or phrases you don?t understand in this FAQ into a Search Engine.

3. What do scientologists believe?

Scientology is an ?applied religious philosophy?. It is not derived from=20
Christianity or any other religion, being an original belief set=20
devised/researched by L Ron Hubbard. Concepts that are considered=20
important in some religions such as a personal relationship to God do=20
not exist in Scientology. The CoS claims Scientology to be compatible=20
with other religions. This is untrue.
A common mental block is assuming that the organisation and the beliefs=20
are the same. The Catholic Church and Christianity are not the same, and=20
neither are the CoS and Scientology.
These are important points that newcomers often take some time to grasp=20
as they try to fit Scientology into preconceptions of whose existence=20
they are not aware. The CoS sometimes tells lies about itself and its=20
beliefs which doesn?t help.

4. I have some questions for scientologists, are there any here?

Ordinary members of the CoS do not usually post to ARS and are=20
discouraged from doing so. It is also likely that they could not answer=20
the questions you want to ask anyway for doctrinal reasons.=20
Scientologists are not encouraged to discuss Hubbard?s teachings amongst=20
themselves or to explain them to outsiders but to read them and advise=20
others to do so.

5. Can someone please Email me a copy of the secret scriptures?

You are referring to those unpublished writings of L Ron Hubbard that=20
constitute advanced courses in Scientology such as the OT (Operating=20
Thetan) levels. Anyone considering trying out Scientology should be=20
aware that the CoS holds that these levels should be studied in order=20
and that premature contact with the secret scriptures could result in=20
serious harm. According to Hubbard, he almost died whilst researching=20
them. The copyright to all Hubbard?s writings is owned by the CoS. If=20
you know how to use bittorrent this link, stable since 2006, may=20
allegedly be of interest:
*** Scientology-Dianetics-LRonHubbard-Complete
http://www.mininova.org/tor/274971
The esoteric language used in advanced courses is not comprehensible to=20
beginners. Really, honestly, you should search the Internet for=20
summaries rather than going for the original texts.
*** OT III Scholarship Page
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/OTIII

6. What is a newsgroup?

Newsgroups (most of which form Usenet) are part of the Internet. They=20
are not forums or discussion boards, which use webpage based software.=20
Specialised newsreader programs include Agent and Gravity; Email=20
programs such as Microsoft?s Outlook Express have integrated newsgroup=20
readers, so you don?t need any new software to access them.
*** Wikipedia on Usenet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroup
To access newsgroups with a newsreader you need to connect to a=20
newsgroup server. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) does not=20
provide one then free access to scientology newsgroups is available from=20
nntp.lightlink.com.
*** Reviews of Newsgroup access providers
http://www.newsgroupreviews.com
Portals such as Google offer newsgroup access on webpages but we don?t=20
recommend them unless you have no alternative. Google Groups in=20
particular is unstable and difficult to read.
*** How to set up a newsreader
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/stolgy_19.htm
If you have technical problems accessing ARS then it is definitely On=20
Topic to ask for help. We have a team of geeks awaiting your call.

7. So who?s in charge?

No one. A few newsgroups are Moderated: contributions are diverted to an=20
Email address where a human or robot moderator removes unwanted posts=20
such as spam. Most, including ARS, are not ? what you post is what=20
everyone will see. Think before you press Send! That?s not to say=20
anarchy rules: normal laws such as libel and copyright apply and your=20
ISP may well have a clause in its Terms of Service (TOS) about causing=20
offence on the Internet.

8. Can I delete or change my posts?

You cannot edit posts once sent, you can try to delete them but some=20
news servers ignore the Cancel command - another reason for thinking=20
before posting. There is a searchable Usenet archive currently hosted by=20
Google. If you posted something really embarrassing, you can delete it=20
from the archive.

9. Can I post anonymously?

Usenet doesn?t check to see if you are using a real Email address so you=20
can post as anon@nowhere.net if you like. Please try to pick a unique=20
nickname and address so you won?t be confused with someone else.
There is a normally invisible Header (some newsreaders can display it,=20
there are two examples below) attached to posts that gives details of=20
where you posted from, if you want to hide that as well you can use=20
Anonymous Remailers, a system that is in practical terms untraceable.
A simpler way is to ask someone you trust to post your message for you.
By default, your ISP customer services department is staffed by idiots=20
who know nothing about the law or customer care. They will reveal your=20
identity to anyone sending them an Email full of legal phrases.

10. What are all these strange words?

Scientology has a lot of jargon that inevitably gets used here. We?re=20
not going to apologise for this any more than alt.fan.tolkien posters=20
should apologise for talking about mathoms and ringwraiths.
There are several glossaries available on websites.

11. Wasn?t ARS started as a joke by someone using a fake Email address?

The creator had serious intent, but here is his setup post:

* From miscaviage@flag.sea.org Wed Jul 17 12:46:28 1991
* Path: rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!
ai-
* lab!flag !miscaviage
* From: miscaviage@flag.sea.org (David Miscaviage)
* Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology.ctl
* Subject: newgroup alt.religion.scientology
* Message-ID: 80235@flag
* Date: 17 Jul 91 08:06:31 GMT=20
* Control: newgroup alt.religion.scientology=20
* Sender: news@ai.mit.edu=20
* Lines: 0=20
* Approved: miscaviage@flag.sea.org

ARS was little used for a while, but as the Internet spread ex-
scientologists discovered it and the CoS became increasingly concerned=20
about the ?false and derogatory? information being posted. When extracts=20
from its ?secret scriptures? were posted beginning around Christmas 1994=20
the CoS retaliated with lawsuits and raids against the suspected=20
posters.=20
At the same time forged cancels began to hit ARS. The forger, nicknamed=20
?Cancelpoodle? after the legitimate spam canceller ?Cancelmoose?,=20
attracted the attention of the wider Usenet and Internet community ? no=20
one had seriously tried to wipe out a newsgroup like this before.

12. Didn?t a CoS lawyer try to delete ARS?

*** Here you go:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.config/msg/a8bbf4ca497633c6

* Control: rmgroup alt.religion.scientology
* Newsgroups: alt.config,alt.lotto.players,alt.lotto.players.ctl=20
* Path: uunet!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!
* netcom.com!hkk=20
* From: hkk@netcom=20
* Subject: cmsg rmgroup alt.religion.scientology=20
* Message-ID:=20
* Followup-To: alt.config=20
* Sender: hkk@netcom.com (Helena Kobrin)=20
* Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700=20
guest)=20
* Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 22:52:23 GMT=20
* Lines: 17=20
* Xref: uunet control:1568915
*=20
* We request that you remove the alt.religion.scientology newsgroup from
* your site.
* The reasons for requesting its removal are: (1) It was started with a
* forged message; 2) not discussed on alt.config; (3) it has the name
* "scientology" in its title which is a trademark and is misleading, as
* a.r.s. is mainly used for flamers to attack the Scientology religion;
* (4) it has been and continues to be heavily abused with copyright
* and trade secret violations and serves no purpose other than condoning
* these illegal practices.
* Please confirm that you have removed this newsgroup from your system.
* Helena K. Kobrin Counsel for trademark and copyright owner

As mentioned earlier ?Path? above reveals that Helena was posting from=20
Netcom, as is also shown by her Email address.

*** Wendy M. Grossman?s article ?alt.scientology.war? (1995) covers the=20
early days:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.12/alt.scientology.war.html
*** and on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_versus_the_Internet

13. And the CoS is still hostile to ARS?

ARS is nowadays just a minor front in a still expanding ?war? between=20
the CoS and its critics which includes pickets, media exposure, law=20
suits and other activities outside the scope of this FAQ. In 1998-9=20
another attack on ARS was made, thousands of spam posts each day that=20
forged the names of real posters and were dubbed ?sporgeries?. Its only=20
lasting effect was to attract the attention of more Internet users, as=20
regular readers quickly learnt how to filter out the spam.

*** Google has some stats on ARS (most frequent posters, monthly number=20
of posts) at
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/about

14. This is a hate group trying to destroy the Scientology religion.

Was that a question? The CoS says so, yes. Naturally no one here is=20
going to admit to being a hatemonger or a religious bigot! You?ll just=20
have to read ARS and make up your own mind on this.
Amongst critics, opinion differs about the ?destroy? bit. Some say they=20
are here to stop the alleged abuses committed by the CoS and are not=20
concerned with scientology as a set of beliefs. Others do not believe=20
the two can be separated ? any scientology based organisation is bound=20
to end up as bad as the CoS.
Critics presently have no formal organisation; such bodies have in the=20
past provided the CoS with targets to infiltrate, undermine and destroy=20
as was the fate of the Cult Awareness Network and the Lisa McPherson=20
Trust. The sometimes referred to ?ARS Central Committee? does not exist,=20
being a humorous reference to CoS paranoia about imagined plots against=20
it.

15. I want to spread the bad news. Is there some simple information I=20
can pass on to others?

*** What Scientology Won't Tell You: An Information Pack
http://www.xenu.net/archive/infopack/

16. Will posting on ARS cause the CoS to make trouble for me?

If you are a CoS member, post without permission and disagree with CoS=20
policy or doctrine you will probably be Declared. If you are not a CoS=20
member or ex-member then simply expressing your opinion is safe enough,=20
the CoS has too many critics nowadays to pursue them all.
The CoS has however a documented history of attacking its perceived=20
enemies, sometimes in long term and carefully planned ?dirty tricks?=20
operations. Before doing anything other than posting you should find out=20
about these.

17.  So what is On Topic for this newsgroup?

Anything connected with Scientology or the Church of Scientology; since=20
this is supposed to be a newsgroup, news and new information are=20
particularly on topic.
Posts that are just long reprints from webpages or books about=20
scientology are on topic but not encouraged, it?s better to put in a=20
hyperlink or a reference.
Some people have been posting here for a long while, have become friends=20
and can wander off topic and start discussing cats, cookery or life on=20
Mars. This is normal human behaviour.
You may see posts about psychiatry. Scientology beliefs include a strong=20
dislike of psychiatry; opinion differs on whether this makes psychiatry=20
a suitable topic for ARS. The posts seem to be intended as spam, as the=20
posters are not interested in actually discussing psychiatry.

18. Are there do?s and don?ts for posting?

*** A page of Netiquette
http://www.newsreaders.com/guide/netiquette.html
Crossposting (posting to several newsgroups at once) is not encouraged;=20
we have enough traffic without sharing off topic threads with other=20
newsgroups. Please trim or do not reply to crossposts unless they serve=20
a genuine purpose.
The more readable your post, the more people will read it. This means=20
doing simple things like not reposting the full text of a long article=20
just to put a short comment at the end of it (or worse, in the middle),=20
quoting at least a few lines so it is clear to what you are replying,=20
separating your text into paragraphs, etc.
If you repost from elsewhere please give full attribution ? author, URL,=20
date ? preferably at the top. This is polite and saves others from=20
replying to a writer who doesn?t actually read ARS.
Please don?t post anything but plain text at less than 75 characters=20
width. No pictures, no binaries, no HTML, no Word files.
Researchers appreciate easily located Subject lines. Ideal examples for=20
Picket and Media reports:
=09Picket report: London, UK 4 December 2007
=09[UK Media] The Guardian 4 February 2008 Hackers declare war
Please make allowances for posters who are not native English typists.
Offering fallacious or fraudulent arguments attracts abuse and flaming=20
on ARS.
*** Carl Sagan?s Baloney Detection Kit:
http://www.xenu.net/archive/baloney_detection.html

19. There?s a lot of rubbish on ARS, how can I get rid of it?

Newsreaders have a facility for blocking posts from people or about=20
subjects; this is called killfiling. Google Groups does not. Most ARS=20
readers have a carefully maintained killfile, this is an unfortunate by-
product of the popularity of the Internet, along with spam filters,=20
virus checkers and firewalls.
ARS has its share of trolls, the Usenet equivalent of children who throw=20
stones at windows and then run away. They are best ignored unless in=20
answering them you have something of interest to say. Some trolls=20
crosspost as well.
*** A special killfile minibrowser for Google Groups:
http://holysmoke.org/ggf/index.htm
*** A Google Groups killfile addon for the Firefox browser:
http://www.penney.org/ggkiller.html
OSA (Office of Special Affairs in the CoS) remains interested in ARS,=20
maintaining one or more ?OSAbots? here whose posts are intended to=20
confuse and deter casual readers. Some pretend to be critics and accuse=20
real critics of being fake. When a ?flap? is on (some event upsetting to=20
the CoS) these posts increase for a few days in the hope that they will=20
swamp normal traffic.
*** A list of suspected OSAbots:
http://home.primus.ca/~ronsharp/circlejerk.html
As above, they thrive on attention. Please only reply to them if you=20
have something new to say (?Scientology sucks!? is not an original=20
concept to this newsgroup); often they are not actually reading ARS=20
anyway, only posting to it.

20. Whatever happened to Bob Minton?

*** His Wikipedia entry, neutrality disputed of course and incomplete:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Minton
Since he withdrew from involvement with Scientology in 2002 Mr Minton=20
has not written or spoken publicly. Those still in touch with him report=20
that he and Stacy are fine. Critics remain deeply divided about what=20
happened, and some suspect that OSAbots deliberately ask this and other=20
questions in order to reopen old wounds.

21. What is Anonymous?
*** Anonymous is an Internet based community with no leaders or=20
structure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_%28group%29
Its interest in Scientology surfaced in a YouTube video in January 2008,=20
setting off another wave of Internet activism against the CoS that=20
entered the Real World the following month with worldwide monthly=20
protests.

22. Is this the only scientology newsgroup?

alt.clearing.technology (ACT) discusses the beliefs and their=20
application. It is little used at present.
de.soc.weltanschauung.scientology discusses scientology in German.
free.it.religioni.scientology is in Italian.
alt.binaries.scientology (ABS) is for pictures and such, the others=20
being plain text only newsgroups. A post to ARS saying ?new picture of=20
Saint Hill Manor on ABS? is OK. It has poor distribution but you can=20
access it free through
http://www.usenet-replayer.com/groups/alt.binaries.scientology.html
There are also a number of web based discussion boards about=20
Scientology, you may find these more to your liking than ARS as they are=20
moderated to remove rubbish.
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/ Operation Clambake
http://narcononvictims.com/
http://forum.exscn.net mostly ex-members
http://forums.whyweprotest.net/ Anonymous activism
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/XSO/ ex-Sea Org members only
http://www.exscientologykids.com/eskforums/ for younger members/ex-
members


23. Is this the only Usenet Scientology FAQ?

No, there have been a number of them in the past;=20
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/scientology/ archives thirteen of them! Most=20
date from the mid-1990s and the information in them is nowadays to be=20
found on web pages or is out of date. There is also a fake unarchived=20
FAQ posted by OSA.

***************
Special thanks to Homer Smith for lightlink and the secret masters of=20
Usenet for keeping ARS alive and kicking the cult since 1991. Reprinting=20
this FAQ is permitted, encouraged even, provided nothing is omitted=20
including the header which points to the latest version.

Some parts © 2009 Advameg, Inc.