Thursday, December 29, 2022

(11) Scientology and NXIVM - Parallels and Plagiarism

 Scientology and NXIVM - Parallels and Plagiarism




Influences on NXIVM beliefs and practices, sourced from Natalie et al (2019), rendered in the mode of W.S. Bainbridge, e.g. Bainbridge 1978. |NXIVM teachings drew upon diverse influences, including Ayn Rand ("parasites"), L. Ron Hubbard ("suppressives"), Milton Erickson's hypnosis, Isaac Asimov's science fiction, Rudolf Steiner, Tony Robbins, and neuro-linguistic programming. NXIVM incorporated elements of multi-level marketing and practices from judo, with colored cloth for rank and bowing.

This is the eleventh post in a series that examines the book Scarred: The True Story Of How I Escaped The Cult That Bound My Life by Sarah Edmondson.

I recommend reading these posts in sequential order and have listed them in order to make reading them in order easy.

Unless noted otherwise, all quotes used in this series are from that book. 


"Before we had started the Five-Day, we signed a form promising we'd keep the text, materials, and curriculum private, and together we recited NXIVM's twelve-point mission statement. In it, we declared ideas such as that we are all interdependent; that for each of us to be successful would contribute to the development of a " better world; a world free from hunger, theft, dishonesty, envy and insecurity"; that under any circumstance, we would never choose to be a victim."  (Scarred page 39)

As I've pointed out before, Scientology requires members to sign numerous legal agreements that are probably far more extensive and restrictive than those of NXIVM. Several blogs and websites have covered them in detail including The Scientology Money Project and The Underground Bunker.


Ronald Hubbard, Scientology founder

The twelve-point mission statement of NXIVM is a reference I posted in the third post in this series.

I can repost it here and compare the points with quotes from Scientology doctrine.

Twelve-point Mission Statement

By Keith Raniere

1.  Success is an internal state of clear and honest knowledge of what I am, my value in the world, and my responsibility for the way I react to all things.

2.  There are no ultimate victims; Therefore, I will not choose to be a victim.

3.  I am committed to be successful. I understand each of us must raise ourselves – and thereby raise all others – as all others raise us. This is interdependence.

4.  Success, in my own right is my earned success. True success can not be stolen, copied or received by happenstance. I will not masquerade as  successful by these methods or by any other. I will earn my success.

5.  Tribute is a form of payment and honor. It is to giving credit where credit is due. I will use the tribute to uphold others beyond my petty likes and dislikes. As a result, I will define my self and my true contribution to humankind.

6.  Successful people do not steal and have no desire or need to steal. I will not steal anything. I will always earn what I need and desire. Copying without permission or tribute is not the highest form of flattery, it is theft. Theft is also taking or receiving something without fully earning it; it is always at the expense, no matter how small, of others.

7.  Inner honesty and integrity are the highest human values and the foundation of human psychology. All other values arise from them. I will never trade my integrity or inner honesty for any other value. It is never worth it.

8.  The methods and information I learn in ESP are for my use only. I will not speak of them or in any way give others knowledge of them outside ESP. Part of the condition of being accepted into ESP is to keep all its information confidential. If I violate this, I am breaking a promise and breaching my contract, but more importantly, I am compromising my inner  honesty and integrity.

9.  True success is never at the expense of others. As a successful individual, I will never envy another's success. I will rejoice because I realize that the success of others raises me up just a little bit more because I am also part of the human team. The actualization of human potential by anyone is a tribute to all team humankind. If others are successful, I will protect their success against those who envy them. I pledge to purge myself from all habits that are based on parasite and envy-based habits, and replace them with habits of effort and interdependence.

10.  I will unreservedly accept the success I have earned. I will accept no more and no less; this is accepting with integrity. I will give unreservedly to those who have earned it; this is giving with integrity. I will accept with integrity as easily as I give with integrity. To not accept what I am worth, or what I have earned, is to devalue myself and thereby all others.

11.  People control the money, wealth and resources of the world. It is essential for the survival of humankind for these things to be controlled by  successful, ethical people. I promise to ethically control as much money, wealth and resources of the world as possible within my success plan. I will always support the ethical control of these things.

12.  A world of successful people will undoubtedly be a better world indeed; a world devoid of hunger, theft, dishonesty, envy and insecurity. People will no longer try to destroy each other, steal from each other, down each other or rejoice at another's demise. Success, ethics and integrity are co-inspirational. I pledge to share and enroll people in ESP and its mission for myself, and to help make the world a better place to live. End quote by Keith Raniere


Keith Raniere, NXIVM leader


I can take each point one by one and give a Scientology quote for comparison.

1.  Success is an internal state of clear and honest knowledge of what I am, my value in the world, and my responsibility for the way I react to all things.

Scientology has the following definition for responsibility:

"Full responsibility is not fault; it is recognition of being cause.


Rationalization is wholly an attempt to shunt responsibility. Whatever occurs to one is actually his own responsibility, as the student will realize as soon as he re-evaluates the factors involved and as soon as he sees the enormous effect of this process." (Advanced Procedure and Axioms, Ronald Hubbard)


2.  There are no ultimate victims; Therefore, I will not choose to be a victim.

Scientology as pointed out above contains the idea that you are responsible for EVERYTHING that happens to you, no matter what, where, why, or how. 

When one is new the additional idea that one is an immortal spiritual being is introduced. The claim is that one has existed for a half eternity and descended from being a God with your own universe, that you entirely created and controlled by your own decisions, down over endless eons of trillions or quadrillions of years through several other universes down to being a human being on earth.  Pandeterminism

It goes on to claim you gave up your power and awareness gradually over long periods and are only vulnerable now because you are making yourself vulnerable. This is introduced as an explanation for things like violence and abuse as a child

It is an idea common to many earlier cults and associated with Gnostic ideas. 

3.  I am committed to be successful. I understand each of us must raise ourselves – and thereby raise all others – as all others raise us. This is interdependence.

"Pandeterminism full responsibility for both sides of a game." (Scn 0-8, p. 119, Ronald Hubbard)

This has the similar vague idea that somehow one person being successful makes others successful, but by most measures of success this is not reality. If you make a million dollars or a billion dollars it doesn't help most of the people in the world, who are poor by the way. It's a strange magical thinking that is easily debunked by a little observation. 

In the moral guide The Way to Happiness Ronald Hubbard gave several precepts of a moral code including notably Flourish and Prosper. This is certainly advocating an effort to be successful in people. 

4.  Success, in my own right is my earned success. True success can not be stolen, copied or received by happenstance. I will not masquerade as  successful by these methods or by any other. I will earn my success.

In the moral guide The Way to Happiness, Ronald Hubbard gave several more precepts of a moral code including Do Not Steal and Don't Do Anything Illegal and Try to Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You


5.  Tribute is a form of payment and honor. It is to giving credit where credit is due. I will use the tribute to uphold others beyond my petty likes and dislikes. As a result, I will define my self and my true contribution to humankind.

In the moral guide The Way to Happiness, Ronald Hubbard gave several more precepts of a moral code including Try to Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You.

 Additionally Scientology has many practices that include acknowledging Ronald Hubbard as the source of Scientology and, well frankly, the savior of humanity.


6.  Successful people do not steal and have no desire or need to steal. I will not steal anything. I will always earn what I need and desire. Copying without permission or tribute is not the highest form of flattery, it is theft. Theft is also taking or receiving something without fully earning it; it is always at the expense, no matter how small, of others.

In the moral guide The Way to Happiness, Ronald Hubbard gave several more precepts of a moral code including Don't Do Anything Illegal and Do Not Steal.


7.  Inner honesty and integrity are the highest human values and the foundation of human psychology. All other values arise from them. I will never trade my integrity or inner honesty for any other value. It is never worth it.

Scientology has many doctrine that are similar to this.

The Way to Happiness is similar in many ways. Be Worthy of Trust and Fulfill Your Obligations are precepts that obviously fit this.

The code of honor by Ronald Hubbard is presented in Scientology:

"Never desert a comrade in need, in danger or in trouble.


Never withdraw allegiance once granted.


Never desert a group to which you owe your support.


Never disparage yourself or minimize your strength of power.


Never need praise, approval or sympathy.


Never compromise with your own reality.


Never permit your affinity to be alloyed.


Do not give or receive communication unless you yourself desire it.


Your self-determinism and your honor are more important than your immediate life.


Your integrity to yourself is more important than your body.


Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today, and you can make your tomorrow.


Never fear to hurt another in a just cause.


Don't desire to be liked or admired.


Be your own adviser, keep your own counsel and select your own decisions.


Be true to your own goals." (Code of Honor, Ronald Hubbard)

8.  The methods and information I learn in ESP are for my use only. I will not speak of them or in any way give others knowledge of them outside ESP. Part of the condition of being accepted into ESP is to keep all its information confidential. If I violate this, I am breaking a promise and breaching my contract, but more importantly, I am compromising my inner  honesty and integrity.

The Way to Happiness and the numerous contracts in Scientology cover this point as well.

9.  True success is never at the expense of others. As a successful individual, I will never envy another's success. I will rejoice because I realize that the success of others raises me up just a little bit more because I am also part of the human team. The actualization of human potential by anyone is a tribute to all team humankind. If others are successful, I will protect their success against those who envy them. I pledge to purge myself from all habits that are based on parasite and envy-based habits, and replace them with habits of effort and interdependence.

The comparison here is one that is harder to make. Ayn Rand is reportedly the earlier source of the concept of "parasites" as it is used in NXIVM. Rand subscribed to the "Great Man" (and likely Great Women) theory of history and philosophy. This is an idea that Ronald Hubbard also supported, to a nearly absolute extreme. Keith Raniere also had aspects of it in NXIVM.

It goes, roughly, that history and human advancement and survival depend on individuals of exceptional qualities, sometimes intelligence, sometimes character, sometimes courage and these extra capable individuals are so necessary to the survival of everyone else that they should be put on a pedestal, admired and given free reign to do almost anything and in some philosophies that believe in Great Men they are seen as not accountable to their "lessers", which usually means everyone else.

The philosophies that advocate all or nearly all wealth, income, and political power be the sole province of Great Men usually disregard that the vast majority of people are doing the vast majority of actual labor in a society and they are essential to the survival of the society. The fact is that you can remove the alleged great men and humanity would still exist and survive but if you had just the great men as these philosophies define them and you didn't have everyone else the great men couldn't survive for centuries and would die out. 

The great man theory is embraced by many but not all cult leaders. Many, probably most, cult leaders see themselves as great men or women and see it as part of the justification for their lies, crimes, and abuses. 

Scientology notably shares the term suppressive with NXIVM and likely uses it in a very similar way. In Scientology Suppressive Persons are blamed for many things and once the organization labels a person as suppressive all members are expected to disconnect from the person and this is usually permanent shunning. NXIVM handles their critics in much the same way and discourages members from contacting critics or reading or watching any communication critical of the group or Keith Raniere, just as Scientology does. 

Just as NXIVM demands that members protect success so to does Scientology have this concept to a very extreme degree.


"Life bleeds. It suffers. It hungers. And it has to have the right to shoot its enemies until such time as comes a golden age." Ron Hubbard The Responsibilities Of Leaders HCOPL also found in Introduction To Scientology Ethics book


"the foremost law, if one’s ambition is to win, is of course to win."

Ron Hubbard The Responsibilities Of Leaders HCOPL also found in Introduction To Scientology Ethics book


"He doesn’t have to know all the bad news and if he’s a power really, he won’t ask all the time, “What are all those dead bodies doing at the door?” And if you are clever, you never let it be thought HE killed them — that weakens you and also hurts the power source. “Well, boss, about all those dead bodies, nobody at all will suppose you did it. She over there, those pink legs sticking out, didn’t like me.”

Ron Hubbard The Responsibilities Of Leaders HCOPL also found in Introduction To Scientology Ethics book


"always push power in the direction of anyone on whose power you depend. It may be more money for the power or more ease or a snarling defense of the power to a critic or even the dull thud of one of his enemies in the dark or the glorious blaze of the whole enemy camp as a birthday surprise."

Ron Hubbard The Responsibilities Of Leaders HCOPL also found in Introduction To Scientology Ethics book 

"In short, a staff member can get away with murder so long as his statistic is up and can't sneeze without a chop if it's down."

HCOPL 1 Sep 1965 (reissued 5 Oct 1985) "Ethics Protection" Ronald Hubbard


"When people do start reporting a staff member with a high statistic, what you investigate is the person who turned in the report. In an ancient army a particularly brave deed was recognized by an award of the title of Kha-Khan. It was not a rank. The person remained what he was, BUT he was entitled to be forgiven the death penalty ten times in case in the future he did anything wrong. That was a Kha-Khan. That's what producing, high-statistic staff members are - Kha-Khans. They can get away with murder without a blink from Ethics.... And Ethics must recognize a Kha-Khan when it sees one - and tear up the bad report chits on the person with a yawn."

HCOPL 1 Sep 1965 (reissued 5 Oct 1985) "Ethics Protection" Ronald Hubbard


10.  I will unreservedly accept the success I have earned. I will accept no more and no less; this is accepting with integrity. I will give unreservedly to those who have earned it; this is giving with integrity. I will accept with integrity as easily as I give with integrity. To not accept what I am worth, or what I have earned, is to devalue myself and thereby all others.

The concepts here seem harmless but there's a catch. The group NXIVM and ultimately Keith Raniere define success who has earned what. That is the key to the whole thing. 

By agreeing to this principle at first a member isn't agreeing to much, after all they are deciding who has done what and what they deserved for themselves, just like any person does routinely. 

But the group members rapidly find out that continued acceptance by and membership in the group relies on accepting the decisions of higher ranking members. In the EMs you are guided to see their interpretation as acceptable, otherwise you have issues you need to work on.

In Scientology ethics a similar closed logic system exists that defines ethical behavior as behavior that helps Scientology and unethical behavior as behavior that disagrees with Scientology or opposes it.

Scientology further has "upstats" who are defined as helping Scientology tremendously and they are immune to criticism and exempt from any punishment for any moral violations by Scientology doctrine. 



11.  People control the money, wealth and resources of the world. It is essential for the survival of humankind for these things to be controlled by  successful, ethical people. I promise to ethically control as much money, wealth and resources of the world as possible within my success plan. I will always support the ethical control of these things.

Scientology has plenty of doctrine related to money and most of it is centered on getting members to give as much as possible and getting staff and Sea Org members to solicit as much as possible for the organization. While Hubbard ran the organization he hoarded the vast majority of income the group generated and David Miscavige has very similar practices in his turn..


"MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MORE MONEY.“ —   Ronald Hubbard "Principles of Money Management" (9 March 1972). Scientology Policy Letters

12.  A world of successful people will undoubtedly be a better world indeed; a world devoid of hunger, theft, dishonesty, envy and insecurity. People will no longer try to destroy each other, steal from each other, down each other or rejoice at another's demise. Success, ethics and integrity are co-inspirational. I pledge to share and enroll people in ESP and its mission for myself, and to help make the world a better place to live. End quote by Keith Raniere


"THE AIMS OF SCIENTOLOGY



A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.


First announced to an enturbulated world in 1950, these aims are well within the grasp of our technology.


Nonpolitical in nature, Scientology welcomes any individual of any creed, race or nation.


We seek no revolution. We seek only evolution to higher states of being for the individual and for society.


We are achieving our aims.


After endless millennia of ignorance about himself, his mind and the universe, a breakthrough has been made for Man.


Other efforts Man has made have been surpassed.


The combined truths of fifty thousand years of thinking men, distilled and amplified by new discoveries about Man have made for this success.


We welcome you to Scientology. We only expect of you your help in achieving our aims and helping others. We expect you to be helped.


Scientology is the most vital movement on Earth today.


In a turbulent world the job is not easy. But then, if it were, we wouldn’t have to be doing it.


We respect Man and believe he is worthy of help. We respect you and believe you too can help.


Scientology does not owe its help. We have done nothing to cause us to propitiate. Had we done so we would not now be bright enough to do what we are doing.


Man suspects all offers of help. He has often been betrayed, his confidence shattered. Too frequently he has given his trust and been betrayed. We may err, for we build a world with broken straws. But we will never betray your faith in us so long as you are one of us.


The sun never sets on Scientology.


And may a new day dawn for you, for those you love and for Man.


Our aims are simple if great.


And we will succeed, and are succeeding at each new revolution of the Earth.


Your help is acceptable to us.


Our help is yours."

Written by Ronald Hubbard in September 1965.

Scientology and NXIVM - Parallels and Plagiarism

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