Scientology's Civil War

 




 
 
I just saw the new movie Captain America Civil War. It has been called the best superhero movie ever by many fans and critics. It put in perspective several issues including the relationships between Scientology critics.

If you have read comic books over the last thirty years and seen most of the comic book movies some things become apparent. If you study the Scientology cult you almost certainly come in contact with critics. You can get help, advice, information and support from Scientology critics very often.

Very often Scientology critics end up organizing informally into different groups and camps. Some people end up at ESMB or the Underground Bunker or in a group on Facebook or at Marty Rathbun's blog or Mike Rinder's or at independent Scientology sites.

Some people go to several of those places and enjoy them all. Fine with me.

In Scientology we were taught to see the world in black and white terms. We saw people usually as pure good or pure evil. We put large groups into these extreme categories.

In analyzing the cult experience several experts including Jon Atack noted that Scientologists are emotionally at about age 12. This is because at adolescence we usually rebel, become skeptical and begin independent thinking. None of which is acceptable in a cult like Scientology. Cults require extreme obedience, faith and loyalty which young children have toward parents. The authoritarian nature of cults demand this mindset. The cult also requires magical thinking which children are far more open to than adolescents or adults.

So we spent years at the emotional maturity level of twelve year olds. In comic books for decades a rule was followed that stories could be recycled every few years as it was assumed that kids who were boys read comics from about seven to eleven years old. The theory was the boys would get interested in girls by age twelve and stop buying comics.

So nothing was written for anyone over twelve. Now comic companies have learned that loyal comic readers stick around for life and written more mature stories.

In the old comic stories simple ideas ruled. The good guys all were virtually identical and got along with everyone who wasn't evil. The bad guys were  simply evil and good people naturally opposed them. Easy peasy.

In the Marvel Comics movie Captain America Civil War things aren't black and white. Some good guys strongly disagree. They are still relatively good. After all they don't rob, rape or murder people. They have basic human decency and have saved the world a few times.

But they break up into camps with different views on important issues they can't ignore. They end up fighting.

That's closer to real life, by a lot.

In my job I know guys I don't want to hang out with. Sometimes one will be friends with someone I respect. I don't throw a fit or attack the person I respect. I just accept it.

In the Scientology critic community people can form up and pick sides, but unlike the people in Civil War we don't have to arrest, attack or defend each other.

I certainly don't want to have the entire critic community turn into a few isolated and hostile enemy groups that have devolved into being belligerent and petulant with each other.

I am not saying that has happened. I am saying I don't want it to happen. And it doesn't have to.

If we accept that a good person can disagree with another then we can support any positive acts by other critics. If your conscience guides you to object to something I won't tell you not to. But if there really isn't a good reason to insult someone who is trying to help people or has helped people in the past what is the use in doing it now ?

But if you want to fight you can. But unlike in the movies our problems won't go away if we punch each other and team up to fight a villain.