Chris Shelton - Critical Thinker at Large - YouTube channel

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/RMRLnx6qcDI[/video]

Critical Q&A #4
Originally posted on YouTube on April 5, 2015

The fourth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video:

(1) I'm guessing that you're YouTube blog has exploded in popularity after the Going Clear documentary appeared on HBO this week, kudos to you for keeping this conversation going. I'm becoming obsessed, this unraveling is and will continue to be super fascinating! Question: The comment has been made online that Cults don't often "end well". Do you fear, or suspect that as this "Church aka Cult" goes over the cliff, that members will drink the proverbial Kool Aid, take up arms or (fill in the bad ending blank here).
(2) I'm a never-in and have a question for you. Some time ago I was contacted by Scientology trying to update their mailing list. I politely told the woman she had the wrong person and good bye. Then the harassment started. Calls at all hours, texts, etc. I scoured the blogs for information and advice. I finally just blocked numbers and didn't answer any unknown calls. I also turned my phone off at night. Here's the thing: I went from someone who didn't have an opinion about Scientology (sure Tom Cruise is weird, but he's also an actor and you expect a bit of oddity) to someone who now is working to eliminate a dangerous cult. So here is my question: Why didn't Scientology go away when they had confirmation that they had the wrong person? By their own admission the person they were looking for was in another city.
(3) I'm a huge fan/follower of your YouTube channel. In your opinion, why aren't the police or the FBI looking into Scientology's torture claims more thoroughly or raiding the Gold Base and rescuing all the parishioners? And why aren't ex-Scientologists that were physically abused by David Miscavige moving forward with assault and battery charges? I mean the government has task forces for anti-human trafficking and child abuse. Why do you feel Scientology and David Miscavige are so untouchable?
(4) I enjoy your YouTube channel. I've watched a lot of videos from you and other ex-Scientologists. I have many many questions...but here's one for today. Can they enforce / have they enforced the so called "freeloader debt"? Is that something they use to scare people thinking about leaving? Or have they ever actually taken someone to court to recover these alleged debts? If so, has a judge or jury (of non-Scientologists) ever awarded the Church money from ex-parishoners? And can a "billion year" religious contract be enforced?
(5) Great videos, Chris. I often think that the dismantling of the church will be achieved not by anger but by kindness. Your unique brand of thoughtfulness and charity is an inspiration.Here's a question for you: If Hubbard were to return to planet Earth today, what do you think he would make of the church's current state? What changes, if any, do you think he would make? And what would be the first thing he would say to David Miscavige?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/5PcV9gL4rzA[/video]

Critical Q&A #5
Originally posted on YouTube on April 19, 2015

The fifth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video:

(1) What an excellent video - I would urge anyone still in to watch it - there can be no harm in listening to someone who has actually been a Scientologist for many years give his perspective on the church. What I always find hard to understand is how any Scientologist can accept being told not to watch, listen or read things that may challenge Scientology doctrine. Surely this is all part of gaining personal freedom, which is what Scientology is supposed to be about. How does any Scientologist reconcile that, as a member? I ask because when I did the Dianetics course, I got downgraded for thinking for myself. I was told only to write what it said in the book. I instantly stopped doing any more courses because I realized that I was therefore not going to be allowed to be self-determined, and I saw this as hypocrisy because I was told Scientology was all about making you more self determined.
(2) Aaaand I thought of another question/issue - non CO$-related - that I'd love to hear you tackle. In the pagan/Earth-centered traditions, there's been some influx of some truly stupid, mentally damaging ideas lately, such as the "Law of Attraction" (where everything - good or bad - that happens to you is due to the "vibrations" of your thoughts) and the even more sickening conceit that we choose our parents in some "between life" station - which is a direct slap in the face to anybody born into adverse circumstances. Care to tackle the wooly thinking of the New Age Sheeple? my simple, tree-hugging religion is going down the toilet due to these infectious ideas...
(3) Great idea for the new series. Your vast font of knowledge and insight is perfect for the Q&A format. My question has to do with the OT III mythology -- in accord with LRH's "scientific" findings, when a body thetan is audited off a Scientologist's body where does it go? Does it fly around looking for another body to leech onto? Does it have a preference for Scientologist or wog bodies?
(4) Love watching your videos Chris well done. I found you due to my somewhat obsession with learning everything there is to know about Scientology. I've never studied LRH or his writing but I find cults very interesting and perplexing. My question is more about faith in general. Do you think organized religion, whatever it may be is helpful or more hurtful to our society? I think spirituality is important for our souls. I'm not going to tell people what they should or shouldn't believe but from my viewpoint organized religions are hypocritical and use faith to further their agendas, and have lead to the death of millions. I'm curious to hear what your opinion might be...
(5) Hi, Chris. There is a video somewhere of you and a woman in your SO uniforms getting out of a car and walking. I think this was during a raid on a Church of Scientology. Wondering what your thoughts were at the moment? Crazy m-fers? Ignore them? Just a bunch of SPs? Hmmm, wonder what they're so upset about? etc.
(6) Here's my question: Would you say that you were brainwashed when you were in Scientology? I mean the literal definition of brainwashed. If so, how were they able to brainwash you, when you are clearly an independent thinker and very logical and analytical??? I know you wanted to help people. But it had to be more than that.
(7) Weren't you in Minneapolis when the Ideal Org there opened up? What was the thinking behind acquiring such an ENORMOUS building (a former museum, if I recall correctly)? Didn't it
seem suspicious when the org did not start filling up with thousands of public eager to go "up the bridge"? I would think it must be very discouraging for a handful of staff to be rattling around inside a massive structure...

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/7740UnlY4YQ[/video]

Recovering from Scientology
Originally posted on YouTube on April 29, 2015

Recovering from Scientology and other destructive cults is no easy task. I've had some degree of personal success with this and thought I'd share some of what has helped me so that maybe it can help others too.

In this video, I mention that there are many resources available to help people break free of the constraints from an enforced belief system like Scientology. This is by no means a complete list but here are some of those resources:

The Underground Bunker - http://www.tonyortega.org
Ex-Scientologist Message Board - http://www.forum.exscn.net
Operation Clambake - http://www.xenu.net
Something Can Be Done About It - http://www.mikerindersblog.org
Ask the Scientologist - http://therealaskthescientologist.wordpress.com
Scientology Money Project - http://www.scientologymoneyproject.com
The Secrets of Scientology - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/
Ex-Scientology Kids - http://www.exscientologykids.com
Moving On Up a Little Higher - http://www.markrathbun.wordpress.com
My own blog - http://www.mncriticalthinking.com


Ex-Scientologist-written books:
Blown for Good by Marc Headley
A Piece of Blue Sky by Jon Atack
Counterfeit Dreams by Jefferson Hawkins
Leaving Scientology by Jefferson Hawkins
Controlling Minds by Jefferson Hawkins
Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill
My Billion Year Contract by Nancy Many
Memoirs of a Scientology Warrior by Mark Rathbun
The Complex by John Duignan
Abuse at the Top by Aimy Scobee
L Ron Hubbard: Madman or Messiah by Bent Corydon


Other books on Scientology:
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright
Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman
The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper
The Unbreakable Miss Lovely by Tony Ortega
The Church of Fear by John Sweeney
Bare Faced Messiah by Russel Miller


Materials by Cult Experts and others:
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
Combating Mind Control by Steve Hassan
Freedom of Mind by Steve Hassan
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
Cults In Our Midst by Margaret Singer and Robert Lifton
Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism by Robert Lifton

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/wPH2_M4oSXk[/video]

My History in Scientology
Originally posted on YouTube on May 8, 2015

This is a talk I gave to the Tri-State Freethinkers Association in Union, Kentucky on May 6, 2015. I cover how I got involved in Scientology, what it is and how the organization operates as a destructive cult.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/7VT6X3rvRV4[/video]

Critical Q&A #6
Originally posted on YouTube on May 24, 2015

Here now is the sixth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video:

(1) You talked about what parts of Co$ would need to go and you talked about Xenu in this episode (Critical Q&A #1). I just wondered if you think the Scientology genesis myth would also need to go. Because, among all the atrocities the "church" commits I find that story mostly harmless (ironically) and even kinda cute. As far as genesis myths go it's not even in bad company. All of those are kinda out there.
(2) One thought has occurred to me as I watch your and others' videos. "Scientologists" are referred to often without distinguishing whether they're public Scientologists or Sea Org members. Clearing this up is most helpful to those of us who were never in Scientology and have learned the culture from the internet. For example, as you answer the question about being trolled, it would be interesting to know whether they're Sea Org directed by their superiors, if they're public members that feel the need to engage you even though they're not supposed to read entheta on the internet, or if they're 'hired guns' like the PI's and lawyers they use to go after apostates. It's possible you don't know, but it would be interesting to have your opinion.
(3) Hello there. Is there a difference between the treatment of Sea Org, staff, and just general members?
(4) I think this is a major thought of most of us who follow you & others. We now know that they have $1 billion, we can estimate that they have about 30,000 active members in the USA. Surely these 30,000 excluding the whales are going bust, so how long before Scientology hits terminal decline? As a business model they cannot survive, their costs will only ever increase whilst more & more blow the exit rate can only become more rapid. The financial decline can only accelerate at an alarming pace as Miscavage has to keep up his fake front at huge cost. Many thanks & best wishes.
(5) At 12:34 on the Xenu story, you state that it was "spiritual selfs" or "thetans" in Scientologese, not aliens, that were transported to earth. In Scientology it's stated that the thetan has "No mass, no wavelength and no location". Ehm, how do you get something with no mass or location into an ice cube to put into a plane to drop into a volcano. Also, were there refreshments on the flight, maybe something salty to go along with the alcohol and glycol?
(6) I have not yet watched "going clear", but have watched the BBC documentary, some of your videos, David Mango's videos, etc. What I still simply do not understand is what the "wins" are, and what the positives and successes are that hook people. Clearly there must be some, as the "tech" does seeminly win over intelligent and accomplished people. I really need to understand, as I suspect that we are all at risk. It seems that it must be some incredible and impressive gains to cajole people into accepting the extortion and manipulation. Thank you so much for your candor.
(7) Hi Chris. I am wondering about the history of forced abortions and the Sea Org's "No pregnancy/children" policy. This seems to contradict the twisted logic of the cherch. I would think that they would overwhelmingly welcome, in a ghoulish sort of way, members who wwre born onto the cherch and were under the cherch's power from day one. Is there some purpose behind the policy as it stands now or is this just another illogical f**k-up by these idiots?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/50mReCnUf0I[/video]

Critical Q&A #7
Originally posted on YouTube on May 31, 2015

The seventh installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video:

(1) Can you tell us when did Scientology start being a "church"? Was it after the IRS investigations?
(2) Hi Chris, I really enjoy these Critical Q&A videos. Here is my question: when you informed the Church of Scientology about your decision to leave the Sea Organization, were you required to pay the freeloader's debt? Is it something that's legally enforceable? What will happen to those who decide to leave and yet refuse to pay up, aside from being declared suppressive persons? Thanks.
(3) Wow Chris, I really admire you for this useful and nice way to give answers on this bloody matter. Here my question: can u share with us your reaction once discovered, through the books on him, the real life of LRH? Personally that was the KEY factor that changed my viewpoint on the whole matter.
(4) Chris you mentioned that people in Scientology sometimes have euphoric experiences. So the question I have is, is it realistic to expect people to walk away from a source of euphoric pleasure? How often does this happen? Is it realistic for people to think they can pursue that activity/activities outside the church? What church activity produces that affect? Is "affect" the correct word there, or do i want effect? hehe
(5) Hey Chris, you've mentioned several times some opinions on David Miscavige, do you think he believes in Scientology or is he just a conman running a racket? LRH was quoted by James Randi as saying religion was a good way to get rich quick, do you feel he came to start believing his own lies as Scientology grew? Love the vids and love the rational perspective on CofS criticism!
(6) Any thoughts on career choices as you move forward? Perhaps additional education or coursework?
(7) Chris, I always see a keyboard at the edge of the screen - can you play? If so, do you have any plans to dismantle the corrupt power structures of Scientology via the power of musical theatre? I think that could be very effective. Possible song ideas:

• I Get A Kick Out Of Xenu.
• Audit Takes Two
• Under The Sea (Org)
• Do I Love You Because You're A Level 8 Operating Thetan

It took me 18 minutes to come up with those. Thank me at the Tony Awards.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/l6gaUNYK5pc[/video]

What is Critical Thinking?
Originally posted on YouTube on June 4, 2015

What is critical thinking and why is it important for everyone to learn and be able to use it? I attempt to answer these and other points about critical thinking here.

There are some great resources where you can learn a lot more about critical thinking and how to do it:

(1) http://criticalthinkeracademy.com
(2) https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/wi-phi/critical-thinking
(3) http://criticalthinking.org
(4) http://skeptic.com
(5) http://web.randi.org

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/5Fl62HzUWoM[/video]

Critical Thinking #8
Originally posted on YouTube on June 7, 2015

The eight installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions taken up in this video:

(1) You have previously discussed 2 big catalysts for your departure from the Church in 2012: the intense push for fundraising and ideal orgs, and the fact that you were required to tell so many lies in the normal course of your daily life. Were there were any other points during your years in the Co$ that you seriously considered leaving, but ultimately chose to stick it out? Thanks!
(2) I must not invalidate a person's experience: alien close encounters, near death visions, etc. I can not use what they tell me because it lacks empirical proof. Could you talk about the social and cognitive aspects of this dissonance?
(3) Do you think Shelly Miscavige discarded her body and has joined LRH on New Arcturus?
(4) Hiya Chris! Did it bother you or your friends in the "church" to be reg'd over and over,or to have to buy the basic books again because Miscavige said that there was a flaw in the translation?
(5) I have a question: did you notice any notable differences between American Scientologists and foreigners? I am asking that because as a Polish person the CoS seems just so quintessentially American to me. Thank you in advance and wish you good luck
(6) What do you think is the reason DM doesn't want to add members like Hubbard seemed to want to do?
(7) Some people need direction and they reach for direction in all different avenues of life. Some people join the armed forces, some join organizations that will guide them and direct them. Do you think that is a lot of the reason for the Sea Org? I know some want to clear the world or make it better but do you think one of the reasons this cult has survived so long is just because of people who strived to be directed, found Scientology who is good at it, then that's all she wrote?
(8) Hi Chris, thanks to you I know now why Scientology is as despised and hated as it is. My question however is: You've mentioned before how you are not an Atheist and have touched briefly on your beliefs but I was just curious as to what your spiritual beliefs encompass. Is it just merely deism or does it go beyond that? Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful day/evening (whenever you read this)
(9) Did you get a feeling about any satanic suggestions or ant-god in your moving through the levels at Scientology?
(10) What kind of fiction do you like to watch and read?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/A_bk8hKG1U8[/video]

Critical Thoughts: The 3 Most Important Words in Critical Thinking
Originally posted on YouTube on June 11, 2015

A new series on my channel of short critical thinking "PSAs". What are the most important words in critical thinking that open up the door to all learning and knowledge?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/tWYl08-QqlE[/video]

Critical Thinking #9
Originally posted on YouTube on June 14, 2015

The ninth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video are:
(1) After all these years of ex members coming forward with their own horror stories, I would like to know why the government has not stepped in to investigate this criminal organization. Do you have any insight into why and how they are still allowed to abuse it's members.
(2) I have read about a dozen LRH books on Scientology from the early 50s such as Scientology: A History of Man and Have You Lived before this Life? and I've done videos making fun of them because each book is spectacularly stupid. Did you read any of them when you were a Scientologist and if so, how did you avoid seeing the idiocy his books exude on every page?
(3) Is it true that you were a member of the cos for 27 years?
(4) Hi Chris, thanks for the excellent videos and for being so balanced and grounded. Question: Do you have any idea, experience or evidence as to the involvement of the Intelligence Community in Scientology? What about the fact that the FBI has never really done much about the organization, using the excuse that they cannot do much about a religious organization, while they bulldozer other small religious communities? Much bruhaha has been made about the fact that David Miscavige is on a CIA informant list, which may be real or not. Some people have suspected that Hubbard was a sheep-dipped naval intelligence officer and that Scientology is a social experiment. What is your take?
(5) Hey Chris. What is your opinion on OBE's and past life experiences? I have/had both with me and some of my pc's. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
(6) I'm curious to know how you and other ex-Sea Org members go about finding work when you get out? It must be especially hard for folks who have been in for many years. Not only do you have to reexamine and redefine yourself and your beliefs (I can't imagine how much of a mind-f*** that must be), but you're going from a situation where your living expenses were paid for in exchange for your servitude, to having to provide for yourself in the real world. How do you go about writing a resume or filling out a job application when you spent the last 17 years in a cult? AND After so many years in Scientology, what difficulties did you face, if any, transitioning to a non Scientology life?
(7) Chris, how long does Scientology have left, in your opinion? Will they survive this scrutiny?
AND do you think Miscavige even sees the Church existing after he's gone? Could he imagine anyone else in control?
(8) Hi, Chris. Since leaving the COS, have you pursued psychiatry? Without naming names, in general what do former Scientologists' think of psychology, since the church deems it evil?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/3afjGwwRSDc[/video]

The Most Dangerous Trap Cults Spring on You
Originally posted on YouTube on June 19, 2015

There is a mental block that every cult and mass movement instills in their members which keep them from seeking out new information and which close off their ability to observe what is right before their eyes. This serves to keep members obedient and in their place and is one of the most dangerous threats to a person's personal freedom and ability to think.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/dBBzklMIhdc[/video]

Critical Thinking #10
Originally posted on YouTube on June 20, 2015

The tenth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions in this video are:
(1) Do you think most staff members are there to truly help a person spiritually or is it more about the stats and how much money or sales they can make? I always wrestle with that question and would like to think they are there to help. I've heard other people say they don't care at all about people in general and it's all about the $$.
(2) I was in $cientology a long time ago, and only recently realized it was a cult. I don't remember much about the thought control that apparently went on, I just remember reading a lot. You've talked perhaps to many others. Do you know of a book that would be good to read, or a person I might talk to, just to ferret out any effects it has had on my thinking? I am fine, just thought I should do it.
(3) I was never 'in' but have taken a huge interest in seeing the Co$ go down and you are doing a great job in helping that happen. My question is, did you start doing this (or do you still do it) primarily to help others get out and stop people from taking those first tentative steps to get in? Or do you think it's as much for your 'recovery', if that's the right word? In other words reconciling the who you are now with the guy who was 'in' for so many years.
(4) Why don't all you ex-scientologist get together and create an organization to meet the needs that all drove you to it in the first place? It could also be a place to which current members could escape. It would be a skeptical organization, an intellectually honest organization, an open organization that would embrace the scientific method of gaining knowledge.
(5) I have a tough question for you: When you were in the Sea Org, did you engage in the atrocious behavior that you now attribute to the entirety of the Sea Org? Just wanted to know if this organization had a negative affect on your own personal morality. I wonder if most people who are otherwise decent people would sink to levels of depravity and cruelty like we have heard about in the SO. Thanks Chris, you rock!
(6) With whom does the guilt/blame for Scientology lie? LRH? Miscavige? Is it to be apportioned among all the members of Scientology somehow? Does it lie with Scientology itself, as something somehow distinct from actual people? Is there no guilt involved anywhere?
(7) Atheist don't think or say there is no God, that's an anti-theist. Atheists think there is not enough proof for them to believe in a god, so you're actually an atheist but you don't know what it is so you claimed not to be one and to be an anti-theist agnostic... agnostic just means the research of knowledge, you can be a theist or atheist and be also agnostic, it really doesn't mean much...
I don't see how being atheist, meaning, not having a religious belief, is a religious belief. Please explain.. or did you not get the fact that being atheist doesnt mean you don't believe in God, it means that you fail to see proof of it... But of course atheist all have their own beliefs on god... and that's a different thing altogether...

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/y9RHdjs-vok[/video]

Critical Thoughts: Belief vs Fact
Originally posted on YouTube on June 21, 2015

Why are human beings seemingly so bent on tearing the world apart and refusing to understand and tolerate each other? Is there anything that can be done about this?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/3MbXmjxc3Os[/video]

Critical Thinking #11
Originally posted on YouTube on June 28, 2015

The eleventh installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions answered in this video:

(1) Hubbard, in many of his writings, talks about a fair exchange being necessary between his org and the students as the foundation of good business practices but since COB took over, this idea has been purged. How do the "in" folks square the circle on this inconsistency? There must be some mental gymnastics at play ... am I missing something? Thanks for all you do!
(2) Since we already know that Scientology is a fraud, and that organized religion in general is not positive, what would you suggest to someone who wants to expand his spiritual horizon, but does not want to delve heavily into philosophy books?
(3) Do you think media literacy (including scientific literacy), skepticism, and mixed with understanding things about psychology helps to keep out of cults like Scientology? This besides critical thought or free thought.
(4) Chris the bit of this video that I found most interesting is your account of investigating the life of LRH and the absurdity of the OT materials and your resulting sense of betrayal. From chatting with indies, they seem to still hold LRH and his tech in high regard, and focus on the evils of David Miscavige's administration as reasons to blow. Do you think this is the primary difference between those who blow completely and those who soft-land in the Freezone or other indies? I hope you can answer this since I heard some sirens in the background and worry that the OSA is coming to get you for making too much sense.
Update: On Reddit I've learned there are some who blow who are aware of LRH's real life story, yet choose to continue working the tech as independents in spite of LRH embodying all the flaws his tech was supposed to solve. I wonder if you have some insight into this, since it seems to require superhuman levels of compartmentalization, or cognitive dissonance.
(5) Thank you for the new videos! My question: What kind of training in Scientology did DM? Which tech and admin training did he do and do you know and his case level? Sorry for my English, I am Swiss ;-).
(6) Have you had any repercussions or dirty tricks, that you are aware of, done on you yet?
AND Have you had anybody follow you or try to intimidate you? Or have you been sued?
(7) Hubbard was a con artist, liar and insane...I wonder about the God thing. In that episode of Oprah when Cruise is interviewed at his Telluride home, Oprah point blanks asks him if he believes in God and Cruise responds "Yeah, i believe in God." Was he lying or was he telling the truth, meaning he believes in God or a god but he just doesn't pray or worship him/her/it....
(8) Thank you for the effort you put into answering our questions. I have a little cartoon that runs through my head about some of our fundamentalist brethren. It goes like this, "Sure, I'll come down and hold your tin cans if you'll come and handle our snakes". Having said that, are you aware of any efforts made by Scientology to infiltrate the Southern "Bible Belt" states?
(9) Hey Chris, again I show my gratitude for your loyal and obedient service. Next I would like you to discuss the power of conspiracy theory in mind control. Tell us exactly what conspiracy theories we would have to believe to really bite hook line and sinker. Thanks again.
(10) Does the brainwashing come solely from auditing or does the peer pressure culture also
play a role? If DM doesn't audit is he brainwashed?
(11) Chris, will the recent article in the LA Times regarding the surveillance on Ron Senior penetrate the Scientology bubble? How can anyone hear that a man was willing to have a person working for them sit and allow his father to die? Can people continue to believe that everyone is lying and DM has not done anything wrong? I was never in CoS so I can see him for the little, greedy punk he is.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/BvEq6Gp1nT8[/video]

A Summary of Scientology
Originally posted on YouTube on July 2, 2015

What is Scientology really? After 27 years of experience in it as an active member and now being out of it for 2 years and learning so much more, this is my short summary of what L. Ron Hubbard was really doing, why it has such a bad reputation and why it deserves that reputation.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/ewkHt8aJFP8[/video]

Critical Q&A #12
Originally posted on YouTube on July 5, 2015

The twelfth installment of my question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions answered in this video:

(1) During 2008-2010, Anonymous protests were relatively frequent and popular worldwide. Would you describe what it was like being in the church during this movement? Have you picketed Scientology churches since leaving?
(2) You have talked about the abuse of power in Scientology. Most of the other documentaries and web casts about Scientology, and any cult / mind control organization talk a lot about the abuse of power. The kind of abuse that pops up all the time in ANY organization where someone has power over someone else. The kind we hear about in sports programs, the military, corporate boardrooms, summer camps, high schools, colleges...Sexual harassment. Ex-members talk about all the horrible degrading things L Ron Hubbard, David Miscaviage and/or their Lieutenants manipulated and pressured them into doing. But none of them ever say what I kept expecting them to say. They never bring up anyone trying anything sexual on them. Has this happened in Scientology?

(3) I've seen this 'pattern' that CoS has with overwork/tiredness, a false veneer, separation from children, etc, throughout other harmful groups even in mainstream society. Do you notice these similarities? Also, it seems to me that generally people in CoS put on a happy facade and that in a way, they're not allowed to express freely what they feel. Could you please share in your opinion what the general culture in Scientology was like?
(4) There are a couple of different definitions for atheism floating around right now, and some self-identified atheists can get pretty butthurt if you try to use a definition other than their favorite. I can totally appreciate your desire to not step in the middle of that. I'm not really happy with your use of the word "knowledge", though. The implication that you must have absolute certainty in order to claim knowledge doesn't really fly with my understanding of skepticism/rationality. To a skeptic, "certainty" is practically a swear word, innit?
(5) I know you have said you achieved the state of Clear during the years you were in. I have been curious though as to why you never reached or achieved any OT Levels. Was it because of a common reason I've heard about, that members in the Sea Org are just so busy with 'upping their stats' and working the majority of their time, that they just don't have any extra time to spare for themselves, going up the Bridge? Or did you just not have the desire to do those actions?
(6) Love your videos. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I noticed that a number of exes struggle with a duality of some type of recovery or continuum thereof (shame, guilt, anxiety etc) and arrogance. The former is not unexpected. What I am often surprised by is a seemingly arrogant attitude many exes carry whether newly out or decades later. Now, certainly this is not unique to this group, but I wonder if this is something that is a residual effect of the church's insistence that Scientologists are a new species and the only ones who can save the world. Will you speak to the duality and possible resolution of this dichotomy?
(7) My question to you is when Scientologists are being audited how far back have you heard a Scientologist remember? CO$ have a billion year contract so I would assume there are some real tales told. Did you ever get audited and have a past life
memory? Why is it so hush hush about these past lives, I noticed that it is a no no in CO$ to speak of these (or maybe I am wrong). Glad you enjoyed Toronto and I hope to attend next year.
(8) Scientologists - both former and current - seem to all be very comfortable with letting the profanities fly freely. Have you noticed the same thing or am I imagining it? Did it just end up that way for no clear reason?
(9) I have heard people comment that they were afraid of loosing their eternity if they left. Other than these comments I had not heard scientology mention salvation, eternity, just personal betterment, increased personal power etc. How does losing
ones eternity come in? What specifically makes people think they are saving the world, what do you see in the organization that makes you think you are saving the world?
(10) Chris....you're out now. You're free. I'm sure you have a job, branching out into other topics and subjects, etc. Now that your life has clearly moved on...what do you notice the most (comparing your former Sea Org life to now)? Your freedom?
Your daily routine? Perhaps friends or financial?

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/CuXfe77Qb7g[/video]

The Fake Science of Scientology: Purification Rundown
Originally posted on YouTube on July 8, 2015

Scientology is supposed to be the "science of certainty" but how much science is really there? L. Ron Hubbard was a con man and he used pseudoscience to convince his gullible and uninformed followers that he was a scientific genius who knew more about physics, molecular phenomena, biology and physiology than any actual trained professional, despite the fact that Hubbard not only had no formal education in these subjects but in fact had flunked out of high school and college. Here I break down the pseudoscience behind the dangerous Purification Rundown, a drug detox program the Church of Scientology offers to this day.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/h6zyx3k74Og[/video]

Critical Q&A #13
Originally published on YouTube on July 11, 2015

My question-and-answer video show, where I take up questions subscribers and commenters have asked me in my videos and answer them as best I can. Questions this week:

(1) What would the world look like if Scientology succeeded in "clearing" the planet? What kind of reality could that possibly be, and how does it compare to their stated goals for a "cleared" planet? What do they claim they're going for, and what would really happen? What is the payoff? What happens if everyone alive is a Scientologist?
(2) The late Christopher Hitchens (A personal hero of mine) often stated that one of the reasons why he became an American citizen was that the USA is the only western democracy that has a separation of church and state in its very constitution. He was however, also one of the first to notice and comment upon the paradox that religion seems to saturate everything in America. This includes, but is not limited to the news, politics, legislation etc.
As a former cult member, you more than most I would suspect, know that people are motivated by beliefs and ideas. Therefore the fact that religion seemingly saturates everything, including your highest public office, does this concern you?
(3) What do you mean by "sexual identity extremists"? I'm very curious what that means for you and what you think about it.
(4) Why do Scientologists use so much made-up jargon instead of perfectly good words from the million-word English language? (And if the answer is "because LRH did," then my question is the same, only about him.) Best reason I can think of is something like this: I've noticed that when authors write self-help/pop-psych/business motivation books, the content is often mindless fluff, filled with no new insight. To disguise that, they do something similar, by making up new names for concepts that have been around forever, sometimes creating so many names that they actually add a glossary in the back. Do you think Scientologists do that to disguise the empty mess that is their message?
(5) I live close to the Pasadena org and always wonder if I met a Scientologist, what question can i make (without offending them)? How they are saving this 'sector' of the universe? Or, should I just leave it alone and smile as I walk by? I feel like I should say something to make them think for themselves but I feel it's useless.
(6) Chris, my brother of Reason, I love your efforts and appreciate that you take the time to do this right, I am a huge fan. This has to be the weirdest question so far...
What does Scientology smell like? I know that sounds silly but at its best, football smells of fresh-cut grass and airborne chalk-powder, maybe some stale beer in the stands and roasting hot-dogs. At its worst football smells like sweat, dirty socks, and dried blood. Can you give us the visceral and olfactory experience of both ends of this spectrum in regards to the culture of Scientology?
(7) So did you not know that LRH was married more than once? what did you know about his private life when you were still in?
(8) Could you please clarify for me the Church of Scientology position and belief system concerning abortion? If L Ron Hubbard stated in Dianetics that people could suffer considerable negative emotional fallout from the time when they were a fetus, caused by hearing their parents arguing, how can abortion, or the strong consideration of abortion, not also have substantial negative consequences for the fetus/person? When is the soul believed to enter a fetus in Scientology? If the soul is considered to be present from the point of conception, then what happens to the soul if the fetus is aborted? Do Scientologists believe the soul passes onto another fetus? If this is the case does that new fetus/person still experience negative emotions from being aborted in a past life?
(9) How many copies of "Road To Freedom" CD have you purchased and listened to over the years? Does Scientology convince you that those songs are for real? That is surely the WORST album ever recorded.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/HMfRFOVij0M[/video]

Goals for my Channel
Originally posted on YouTube on July 14, 2015

An update for my subscribers or anyone else interested about what I'm doing with YouTube, where I want to go with my channel and an announcement about my new Patreon account.

 

[Chris Shelton]

[video]https://youtu.be/R_c5T6DutEI[/video]

The Value of an Open Mind
Originally posted on YouTube on July 15, 2015

A key component of critical thinking, if not the most important element, is having and keeping an open mind. I don't mean so open that your brains fall out, but certainly not being so fixed or rigid that we close our minds to new possibilities and ideas. I explain in this video why this is so important.


Barbara Drescher's article: http://www.skeptic.com/insight/why-smart-people-are-not-always-rational/