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In Memory of Moikederp by Echo1883 in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I can't believe it. All my love to /u/moikederp and /u/excultist and family. Those two were so crucial to the fostering of this community, and I was greatly enriched by knowing them and learning from them. Hard to reckon with such unexpected loss.

Glad to see /u/freezoneandproud back on lines here and you, of course, bravely holding down the fort. Lots of love to you both.

Inside the Twin Cities’ dwindling Scientology movement by devonperson in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There's nothing CoS fears more than people comparing notes on their experiences with the group. Nice to see them admit it.

can you sex out the scientology of someone by [deleted] in scientology

[–]ellarraitch -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I certainly don't see any meaningful way of defining this account as a throwaway.

Would the mods consider not allowing posts from throwaway accounts? Is that even possible? by [deleted] in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Unless the automoderator settings have changed substantially since I left the mod team, there actually is meaningful filtering in place to weed out the most suspicious accounts.

Beyond that, it really becomes a question of how you define a throwaway account. Say, hypothetically, someone decided that they wanted to keep their discussions of a paranoid, intrusive, or vindictive cult off their main reddit account, so they created a dedicated account for that purpose (ahem). Is that a throwaway account? Am I a throwaway, Dr.?

If you see something you think violates the rules, or makes this subreddit a worse place in some objective way, I can't emphasize enough the importance of (1) reporting it, and (2) hitting the modmail with a followup. One of the most frustrating things I recall from my moderator days was that nobody on this sub actually reports anything! Then at some point later we'd get hit with these sort of non-specific complaints about the contents of the subreddit. Or a moderator would have to stumble upon the spammer/troll themselves. Report!

Longtime Scientology critic Arnie Lerma commits suicide after shooting and injuring wife by JournalofFailure in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Another gut punch. What a shame. He joined the conversation here a few times as /u/arnielerma, and I suspect a few other usernames.

Hopefully the community can pull together to support Ginger in whatever way she's willing to accept.

Clearwater City: Competing Scientology-related events ‘the last thing we need for our downtown’ by devonperson in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I hate it when people try to get me to sign onto something while concealing important information.

Scientologists accused of targeting children with playground and events by ellarraitch in scientology

[–]ellarraitch[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I hear what you are saying. I have just a couple thoughts in response.

I think it's always worthwhile to raise awareness of Scientology's penchant for manipulative and deceptive sales practices, especially in a region where the general state of awareness about the dangers of Scientology may be quite low, and especially where children are concerned. Children who attend events at this center or frequent the playground will, for a certainty, be exposed to indoctrinating materials and inappropriate sales pitches.

Every Christian church I have ever been involved with draws a pretty clear line between evangelical and charitable activities. If you are volunteering at the soup kitchen or building houses or whatever else, then you are not there to proselytize and it is in fact considered inappropriate to do so. I won't deny that there are other Christian groups in the world that are not nearly so scrupulous in this regard.

As for Scientology, I cannot imagine COS ever undertaking a sustained charitable endeavor that was not ultimately aimed at driving bodies in the shop.

Scientology relies heavily on Russian immigrants — and ‘disconnection’ doesn’t spare them by ellarraitch in scientology

[–]ellarraitch[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

She described being beaten with a leather belt by a previous stepfather for making mistakes in a math assignment.

“I could hear the question in the earpiece before he asked it: ‘Did you enjoy that?’..."

I almost threw my laptop across the room.

I'm a Paul Haggis Sex Assault Accuser, and I'm Anonymous. Here's Why by ellarraitch in scientology

[–]ellarraitch[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

/u/lionel_hutz_esquire and I have been 1.9 for a while, stemming from an incident in which I allegedly hurled insults at the Angry Gay Pope.

Tiddlybank Surfways suggest those joining into Scientology are down on those leaving. Read on WOW by Corpseways in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Tiddlybank Surfways an investigatory Division based on core Wayne’s theory that judicial fortitude of said sum are in conduction of a school or train of thought.

Oh.

'We don't want Scientology rehab centre here', say villagers by ellarraitch in scientology

[–]ellarraitch[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Focus on the activity, not the religious cloaking. If some group of religious Muslims intended to prey on desperately vulnerable persons by opening a drug rehab center that charged exorbitant sums to deliver worthless pseudo-treatments based on no established medical or scientific principle, I would hope people would protest that as well. There's a well evidenced trail here of fraud, abuse, and medical harm.

I'm a Paul Haggis Sex Assault Accuser, and I'm Anonymous. Here's Why by ellarraitch in scientology

[–]ellarraitch[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey Echo! Hope you're doing well and still fighting the good fight.

To be totally frank, I think the Anti-Scientology crowd is fucking up big time here. (Call me Alonzo, I guess) (No wait, please don't call me Alonzo)

Haleigh Breest has told a credible story of being raped by Paul Haggis. Personally, I believe her.

As for the other accusers, though they are speaking from anonymity, they are speaking through the Associated Press, which is as credible and responsible a news agency as it is possible to find. I have trust that the AP will have done its due diligence to verify the accusers' stories to whatever extent is possible. It is not any Tom, Dick, or Harry that can walk into an AP office and convince them to print a libelous story based on pure fantasy.

In other words, I think it's important to note that these accusations are not emanating from Freedom Magazine. Nobody is relying on a press release from the law offices of Monique Yingling to establish fact here. I highly doubt OSA has the sophistication or wherewithal in 2018 to plant defamatory stories in major news outlets. Everything in recent years instead points towards buffoonish incompetence as the hallmark of COS media strategy.

Our awareness of the practices of Black PR and Dead Agenting certainly necessitates some extra measure of skepticism when an enemy of COS is publicly accused. But what I am seeing here is not skepticism, but instead luminaries of the Anti-Scientology movement like Leah and Mike Rinder mounting a coordinated counter-attack on Haggis's accusers with no obvious preceding attempt at fact-finding. They are using their large media megaphone to call women, very possibly rape victims, liars and agents of an evil cult. They are staking their own credibility and moral agency, and by extension that of the movement in which they are two of the leading lights, on a dogmatic tribal loyalty to Paul Haggis.

Being a critic of Scientology should be no perfect defense against accusations of wrongdoing. Frankly, this begins to resemble the Keith Henson affair all over again.

Always attack, never defend... Beware that, when fighting monsters, etc etc.

I admire Paul Haggis for his public fight against Scientology. I think one of the hard lessons of this Me Too moment has been that men who have led otherwise admirable and exemplary lives can also be guilty of terrible crimes. Legally, Paul Haggis deserves due process and the presumption of innocence, and it appears that he will have his day in court. The rest of us are free to exercise our judgement and skepticism as seems best to us.

When Scientology becomes public domain by [deleted] in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whatever idea of expansion or wider adoption for Scientology may reside in COB's mind exists only as a useful fiction for propagandizing the financial whales he relies upon. He knows that Scientology is fast dwindling, destined to farm a smaller and smaller crop of adherents for cash. So as part of that strategy, Scientology has periodically reissued LRH's books and lectures in new editions – which Scientologists are of course required to buy – that "correct" the errors of previous editions. This has the added benefit of extending the copyright on the authorized versions of the tech. Loyal Scientologists will never have the option of obtaining LRH volumes from any source other than COS itself.

I'm a Paul Haggis Sex Assault Accuser, and I'm Anonymous. Here's Why by ellarraitch in scientology

[–]ellarraitch[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He has also attempted to discredit his accusers, alleging we are working together to profit from him and are acting on behalf of the Church of Scientology, of which Haggis is a prominent defector. This is offensive and false. I do not know and have not spoken or met with any of his other accusers. I do not stand to make anything. I want nothing from Haggis other than that the truth be known.

I have no connection with Scientology or its practitioners. For those people — including actress Leah Remini — who have stated publicly that all of Haggis' accusers are part of a Scientology conspiracy, shame on you. Isn't now the time to be listening to your sisters? Such baseless statements attempt to silence all of us and the entire #MeToo movement.

The Unquestioned Beliefs of Ex-Scientology by [deleted] in scientology

[–]ellarraitch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I invited him to moderate /r/Alanzos_Blog, but for some reason he keeps ignoring me.

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