jon atack, family and friends

An astonishing series of revelations about Scientology's abuse of its members. Mike Rinder describes his arrival on Scientology's flagship the Apollo at the tender age of 18. Sent from Australia for management training, after handing over his passport, he found he'd been traded in a typical case of Scientology's human trafficking. Conditions for the "elite" Sea Org under Hubbard's direct control were deplorable. As Mike says, the former cattle hold which had become the men's dorm was like "the black hole of Calcutta" and the food was "garbage". Mike was tasked with "baby-watching" the first victim of the Introspection Rundown (on which Lisa McPherson later died), which Hubbard claimed would cure insanity. Mike was also the only Scientologist left on the island of Madeira after the notorious "rock festival", where locals hurled bricks and cobblestones at the Apollo, and was lucky to escape with his life. links: ex-Scientology kids: http://exscientologykids.com the Aftermath Foundation: http://theaftermathfoundation.org

s Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrant join the ranks of infamous child abusers such as the Duggars, the Turpins, and Lori Vallow, Jon and Spike have some news - the Franke/Hildebrant case is part of a much larger pattern, where, as Voltaire did not exactly say, those who believe in absurdities will commit atrocities. Simply put, when the parents espouse extreme beliefs, it is the children who suffer the most. #rubyfranke #8passengers #exmormon Note: due to Spike being bedridden with Covid shortly after the filming of this episode, she was not able to find the specific clips mentioned in this discussion. However, most, if not all, of them, can be found in these videos: Mormon Stories deconstructs the Connexions/ Moms of Truth videos Jodi Hildebrant's nibling speaks out other links: News coverage of the story The Portugal sex abuse scandal The story of Lisa McPherson Peper Harrow documentary: part one part two aftermath

Sinners in the hands of an angry god The change.org petition to stop the Franke family abuse And, because we need a bit of something light, Spike's budgies

Jon’s opening talks from the legendary 2015 Getting Clear conference. Jon gives an overview of Hubbard’s own history – including his involvement with ritual Sex Magick – and the creation of Dianetics through the early years of Scientology. Including an interview by Stephen Jones with Hubbard biographer Russell Miller. Jon gives some surprising answers to questions about the founder of Scientology, including how many of the Dianetics and Scientology books did Hubbard actually write? Did Hubbard steal the Dianetic technique from psychiatrists? Why did Hubbard sell the rights to Dianetics to Don Purcell for one dollar? Why did Hubbard register the Church of Scientology secretly, and why did he register the Church of American Science (the “mother church”) and the Church of Spiritual Engineering? Are the Scientology upper levels an aspect of ritual magic?

You can rent the complete set of lectures from this important conference on vimeo, here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/gettingclear

Mike Rinder joins Jon again to answer some viewer questions and address L. Ron Hubbard's problematic relationship to the truth. They also discuss how the feeling of certainty keeps the members of many destructive authoritarian groups from asking questions, considering that the leader might be wrong, or even leaving the group.

links:

to Jon's paper "the possible origins for Dianetics and Scientology": http://home.snafu.de/tilman/j/origins6.html?fbclid=IwAR3-V34IOIp8GcbWyOk_jdRtuMEV2S4NiA_m-igR0O17DNAvn7A79uK8IdQ#F63

and the accompanying video: https://youtu.be/VGQXQaiLa2A

eminent psychiatrist Steven Moffic has recently published a self-eulogy in Psychiatry Times. He talks with Jon about the benefits of assessing your own life. Both agree that 'enlightenment' may be the wrong goal in life and that our relationships with others are paramount. Dr Moffic mentions recent work on long-term grief and post-traumatic growth. Jon brings up the cultural context of attitudes toward death and the work of the founding psychologist William James with the societies for psychical research and James's vital idea of 'feelings of knowing' that supplant the need for evidence and lead to false 'certainty' which can leave us vulnerable to demagogues who proffer 'certainty' in times of chaos. Dr Moffic - known affectionately as Dr Jazz - also explains his attire for the audience, in response to a question on their last broadcast. Steven's self-eulogy Rick Hall Muscle Shoals documentary