An IAS event I attended...

When I first entered Scientology in 1987, the IAS (an organization set up to protect Scientology) only required a yearly ($300) or lifetime ($2,000) membership. I don't ever remember them asking members for more money after they had already purchased their memberships.

In the mid 1990s, the IAS really stepped up its fund raising activities. While IAS events had been held before, they suddenly became more common and transformed into group reg cycles. And let me tell you, IAS regs make org regs look like Avon ladies.

In the last four years of my membership in the [Church of Scientology], the IAS regularly sent teams around to local orgs to hold fund-raising "events". A single representative of the IAS would come a week in advance and get as many "confirms" as possible. Then on the day of the event, they would bring in a professional reg to work the crowd that had been assembled.

One particular event stands out in my mind. It was about two years ago on a Saturday night. They had assembled about 40 of us in a room. A Sea Org IAS reg, who I had dealings with previously (more on this later) was running the show. Her name was Bridget and she was one of the most aggressive, ruthless, unreasonable regs I have ever met.

Toward the beginning of the meeting, we were informed that she needed to raise $28,000 that night. Over the course of the evening she used every peer-pressure, group-manipulation tactic imaginable to get the people in the audience to part with their money.

I won't bore you with all the details, but here are a few of her finer moments:

At one point she told the audience, "If the person next to you hasn't donated yet, nudge them and let them know they need to."

Then later she brought an adorable little girl (a staff member's daughter) to the front of the room and said "If someone will donate $5,000 we will give this girl an IAS cap" and then waved the cap in front of the little girl just out of her reach.

And of course there was the ever present "psychiatrists are ruining the world", "the German government is picking on us", etc. etc.

Some audience members participated as well. In an effort to get others to donate, one woman said, "We are still paying off debt from the early eighties but we find the money to donate."

This kind of stuff went on for over four hours, until everyone was tired and hungry and the quota was finally met. I ended up dropping over $2,000 that night. Others there dropped much more.

When I got home that night I noticed a message on my answering machine. It was an IAS representative who was saying how proud she was of me and that she wanted me to call her that night. So I called the org and Bridget answered. Bridget said the representative who had called was not available but then asked, "Would you be able to donate another $3,000? That would elevate you to the next level of sponsorship!" She proceeded to heavily reg me for the next 15 minutes until I pretty much had to hang up on her because she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

I know this sounds unbelievable, but every word of it is true.

The Anti-Reg

"I got regged one too many times!"