Email from an almost-Scientologist
I got this email late on the night of January 21, 2000, followed by another one a few days later. I stripped the headers and the lady's name off the emails and am posting them to my website with her permission.
Note: In the email where she gave me permission to post these, the lady in question realizes that the person's name is "Robert Minton" not "Richard Minton". I'd rather post this unaltered, so I didn't change it as the lady suggested. However, you should all know that she did get it right, and it's her mother that said that he's Richard not Robert. :-)
It feels good when I help someone avoid getting scammed by the Scientology cult... I should do it again, and soon.
I have to give you the short version. First ..I am grateful for your site. Four months ago I began working for a 0TVIII Scientologist, and slowly up to this point I have been slipping into their world. My parents sensed this and found your site and a couple other sites.
The information contained in these sites armed my parents with valuable information. With that information and my bond with them, we have narrowly escaped the clutches of local Scientologist (I live in Clearwater)
Evil, is a mild adjective for these people, they are very skilled. They say that they are effective communicators, yet they are really manipulative communicators. Acting, to gain your trust through back doors of one's psyche.
My situation in a nutshell, I worked for a Doctor who as I mentioned is supposedly from what I was told an OT VIII level Scientologist....I eventually started dating a patient that came into the office...I fell in love with him, he was my every dream come true....I also made friends with a couple of Scientologists that came into the office and did work for the Doctor....I sometimes went out with them, somehow the conversation would always go into Scientology.I always have had an interest in all religions and like to hear their philosophies and basis'. I learned a lot, I never totally subscribed to everything, I agreed with some of the things that were in preliminary teachings probably because they were universal and actually stolen or based on previous doctrines I had studied. But, nonetheless, I did have an interest in it and did not realize exactly how much I was getting sucked in. It's gradual...turns out (this is minus many details) I had my first offer to get some free auditing....they knew my financial standing and that this would be the only way to "hook" me. I almost choked when they offered, I thought of the stories of the drug dealers giving kids cocaine for free at first so they get hooked and come back for more...they knew the more they erased my reactive mind the more I would become dependent on auditing and the Technologies of Scientology. To them it was not such a bad deal, because hey they've done it and they had some "mind blowing" discoveries/cognitions. To them, they're lives are better because of it...if that is true, why all the deception?
I must tell you, this man treated me better than I had ever been treated in my life, and in quiet moments alone was the most caring wonderful person I had ever encountered....things were occurring that were throwing up a few flags in my head, but I didn't want to believe that it was too good to be true. Turns out, I believe as I put pieces together here, they were all working together, probably had a file started on me and were preparing to take me to my first auditing session on Sunday (this Sunday)...I know this is missing details, but the basics are here. I f you need/want details I will be happy to elaborate, mainly I want to voice my agreement about this deceptive culture and graciously thankyou for your whistleblowing and hard work, it is paying off. It saved my life as I know it.
Thank God for your site, my closeness with my parents and a life that was not in need of a solution, in other words, I was brought up with good morals and goals, and have been a practicing Buddhist and yoga participant for 2 years. Unfortunately, my open ways of thinking and toleration almost took me down a bad bad road.
There were many things that were warning flags and with my trusting nature, I ignored them, thinking, they would not hurt me, I am in control of me. I couldn't have been more wrong! My parents armed themselves with information and wanted to have a talk with me. I had told my boyfriend that I was on the fence about all this because I was torn between my love for him and my love for my parents and friends.....my loyalty to my parents saved me. After a talk with my parents they said they supported me solely in leaving my job right away, two week's notice would've raised their flags and they would've closed in. Simultaneously I have cut all communication with them all. One e~mailed me saying she was sad about what happened and could I enlighten her, my boyfriend and boss called my parents trying to find out something. My dad spoke with my boyfriend and was polite in telling him to leave me alone, next time it won't be so polite. I know there is reiteration in this letter, but I am still in the beginning stages of closing these people off, right now I am still a conquest to them....they are looking for some sort of "comm line."This is day two for me...so we'll see hopefully because of people like you and Richard Minton and other ex Scientologists etc., I have a safe haven and a wealth of knowledge to free/excercise myself from this.
It's like a dream. More like a nightmare.
My name is ---.
Thankyou.
Please post this if it will help others, of course as you said with the removal of my name and headers. Any local Scientologist that reads it will know it's me anyway without the name.
I noticed there were a couple changes to be made such as Robert Minton rather than what I wrote which was Richard Minton, I thought it was Robert, but my Mom said it was Richard, nonetheless his name should be corrected if you are able to do it, or I can see if I can go back in and edit it and resend it to you...you tell me. I just want all the info to be correct.
It is just unreal to me the deception Chris. They are A list actors!!!!That's the scariest part. People who don't have a strong home base are doomed, I think that's what happened to the guy I was dating. Also something I wanted to tell you...When I was offered the free auditing, it was offered by my boyfriend, he was soooo thrilled and said, boy I wish I was in your shoes. He could sense how uncomfortable I was and quietly and sternly did not like no for an answer. He hugged me and said he would never do/suggest anything that would hurt me...I said I did not want to commit, but I would meet the auditor. We drove right then to a class V org (which is in Tampa). Everyone was so nice and my boyfriend was explaining to me the orders of the church. I met the lady who was to audit me and she had a blank expression in her eyes, it was sooo weird. There was no soul behind those eyes. That, of course, alarmed me, but for some reason, I said I'd come back on Sunday. Then! my boyfriend wanted me to watch a video, it was weird, it was on LRH, filmed in the sixties. Firstly LRH frightened me, secondly the screen seemed to move (like it had a hypnotic effect), so I didn't look at the screen. My boyfriend and another other guy that was sitting in the lobby were totally sucked in to it. This is when I knew I was in a bad bad scene.
Angels....definitely one on my shoulder. Funny thing the course my ex-boyfriend is taking is PTS course, which means Potential Trouble Source, a person is a potential trouble source when they are in between Scientology and suppressive people. I am a PTS, and indeed a great class project for these people. It's all becoming clearer. Too wild!