A plea for compassion and control

Mark W. Heaney, 06 Sep 1995

From: snipe@starburst.cbl.cees.edu (Mark W. Heaney)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: A plea for compassion and control
Date: 6 Sep 1995 01:39:09 GMT
Message-ID: <42iu3t$2bt@gamera.cbl.cees.edu>

Please bear with me for a minute ...

I wanted to remind everyone just before the protests begin, that the average Scientologist is NOT THE ENEMY. They are victims of the "Church" as much as Arnie or Dennis are. In fact in a couple of years they will probably be much like Dennis and Arnie are now. Wounded, angry, but a little wiser and stronger. The people you run into at the orgs WILL feel hurt by the presence of picketers outside. They WILL feel persecuted, and if we let the people running the orgs twist around what we are doing, it will tighten the hold that the "Church" has on it's victims. We must remember to keep a glove on the fist. Therefore I implore on bended knee for everyone to try to follow some simple guidelines:

1. Do not start confrontations with Scientologists walking into and out of the orgs. They have every right to visit their "Church" without being hassled. If they wish to make conversation, then converse in a friendly manner. If they initiate a confrontation then they should be confronted with facts and documentation. If possible, do not let them goad you into anger, be prepared to 'hand off' a "Church" official who is getting to you to a calmer fellow protester. Don't be concerned with "winning" the meeting or you are sunk.

2. Most of the people going into and out of the orgs will be vulnerable people looking for help, if you can, offer it in as supportive a manner as possible. Things to do include refer them to publicly available counseling, books that will help them understand what is being done to them, and their families.

3. You will be able to tell the "Professional" Scientologists easily. They will be the ones 'hatted' to interact with the protesters. Allow them to make examples of themselves, don't let them make bad examples of you. Remember, they are "Clears" or higher, let them dig their own graves, PR-wise. If you can, find out if they are Mission-holders or FSMs and remember if they are, this is their bread and butter, convince then that it won't last and they will blow.

4. Control your anger. Many people have been building up rage against the "Church" since the raid began. We are all looking to "strike a blow" in retaliation. Think long, and think hard about what your motive for being at the protest is. Don't let anger make you a violent-seeming "suppressive" or you will be reinforcing the "Church"'s strangle-hold on its members.

5. Keep a calm head, a friendly smile, and a helping hand out to the Scientologist looking for a way out and you will be offering an example of good people showing a concern over the management of the "Church" of Scientology. It will be hard for the average Scientologist to ignore happy, healthy, helpful people who are against the "Church".

6. Do not attack people's beliefs. No matter how much documentation you have you will not convince them. If you feel like educating low-level Scientologists about Xenu, that's fine. If you want to use info from the OT levels to explain the beliefs of the "Church" to passers-by, OK. Don't expect to convince anyone that what they have already "experienced" is false, that's something they must learn for themselves.

Now, I apologize if I seem to be heavy-handed in my advice, but I want everyone all around the world who will be in the protests to accomplish the most good for the greatest number of PEOPLE, including NORMAL PEOPLE who have been TEMPORARILY duped by the coercive machine of the "Church" of Scientology.

If anyone has any information for how dedicated, true-believing Scientologists can get in touch with the Free Zone, please share that information with folks who are going to be at the protests. It would be a great victory to lure even a few people away from the draconian "Church" into a free society where they can believe and practice whatever they damned well please like the rest of us.

Let's have a good, successful, attention getting demonstration.

Climbing down off my soapbox,

Mark
Devout Agnostic, KoX, and Zombie Drug Lord wannabee
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