Is Scientology having second thoughts about destroying families?
One of our correspondents sent us a very interesting new dispatch, and we want to emphasize that this is just a single data point from one individual. They themselves cautioned us that what had happened was so unusual, they were struck by it and wanted us to know about it.
A briefing occurred recently at a Scientology facility that we are not going to name in order to protect our correspondent’s identity.
What we can say is that an official with a high rank in technical matters was addressing a group of Scientologists, and asked them about the state of their communications with members of their families that are not Scientologists.
Our correspondent said the group responded with the usual thing, that they apply the “good roads, good weather” policy, and speak to their non-Scientologist family members maybe only once a year or so.
To their surprise, those present were told that this was the wrong thing to do, and that they should try to communicate more with these family members, that they are not Suppressive Persons, and that they should reach out to them more often.
“I think what is going on is that they are starting to recognize that family disconnection is really bad PR for them, and they can’t continue to ignore it,” our correspondent tells us. “They are trying to come up with some handling for it. This kind of change in direction only happens by direction from the very top.”
Is our correspondent jumping to conclusions after only a single incident? Or is it possible that a sea change is occurring and ex-Scientologists and never-ins could perhaps begin hearing more often from their family members still in the church?
Could David Miscavige finally be reversing himself on the awful policy of Disconnection that has ripped apart so many families?
Well, as we say it’s only a single data point, and we’d need to see a lot more evidence to convince us that a real change was happening.
But we’d like to hear from other readers who may have heard something similar, or who may be hearing from their Scientologist family members again.
Bonus items from our tipsters
A reunion for Scientologists who ran around a pole?
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CRRD, they only got the third letter wrong by three steps.
On the "write home" campaign:
Depending on the venue, this may not be anything new. We were often told to keep in touch with our relatives, encouraged to write letters etc. at the Int Base. Not because anyone in management wanted us to reconnect, just to cut down on the wellness check requests. Once in a while a frantic parent decides to write to the one in charge and somehow gets through. Then we all get told to send more maddeningly vague good roads, good weather letters to the folks.
Always reminded me of summer camp. How to make your parents absolutely certain you are in a cult - send a letter that says nothing about you or your spouse and rattles on about stuff nobody actually cares about.
We will know something is up if Mark Headley ever hears from his sister, or Mike from his daughter.
In reality they would be a lot better off if they simply discovered an extra semicolon in the disconnection policy and dumped it in the trash. I think, going from memory, that it even says "This mainly applies to people on the fringes of Scientology, not to the average person" or some such.
Hubbard always contradicted himself, and it is not like Islam where the latest version always applies. Dave could fix the issue with the stroke of a pen and the ring of a phone if he wanted to. But in his fantasy world the ones who left are the evildoers, deserving all blame for his mistakes. He cannot soften his approach without shattering it.
My initial guess is that it's probably a PR action and it's only to give the appearance of ending the disconnection policy. I doubt if it's legitimate but even if it is, the damage is already done. Scientology's always had a well deserved bad reputation and it will never improve.