F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. - Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network - A Nonprofit Electronic Library & Archive


Getting Started

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What's This All About?
FACTNet Director Arnaldo P. Lerma's Call for Action
Arnie Lerma's response to Scientology's shocking raid of his home and seizure of his business computer equipment? Six action items you can safely undertake to fight for free speech and against coercive tactics. A good starting place for understanding the issues.
Kim Baker's "Coercive Tactics Series"
If you are new to the "Scientology v. the Net" controversy, this series is your best starting place. Written clearly and movingly for the non-Scientologist audience, Ex-Director Baker explains the issues, the tactics, and the dangers to free speech presented by the Church of Scientology. As Kim points out, we at FACTNET are NOT opposed to any system of beliefs, ideas, or religious views - but we are very concerned with the methods used to INDUCE people to accept a set of beliefs - we are opposed to coercive tactics, or any form of manipulation, overt or covert.

You can read Kim's own journey into, through, and out of Scientology.

Coercive Tactics #1: Interesting a Person in Scientology
The specific techniques employed to interest a person in Scientology, including L. Ron Hubbard's 1981, "How to sell Scientology to your friends."

Coercive Tactics #2: Hard Sell
Once you enter a Scientology "org" you find unremitting pressure to buy services.

Coercive Tactics #3: Never Ask the Public to Decide or Choose
How Scientology herds new recruits into ever more courses.

Coercive Tactics #4: No Verbal Tech
Once a new recruit begins more advanced courses they learn that they may not interpret, analyse, or discuss any of the writings of L. Ron Hubbard in any way.

Coercive Tactics #5: Scientology Is the Only Workable System
Scientology convinces new recruits that is is the only workable road to freedom on the planet.

Coercive Tactics #6: Doubt Is Non-Survival
Doubts about Scientology are either the mistake of the recruit -- or an "Ethics matter".

Coercive Tactics #7: If You Attack Scientology, Bad Things Will Happen....
The penalties for going "out-ethics" -- in other words, attacking the Church.

Coercive Tactics #8: Enemies, Enemies, Enemies
Devout Scientologists learn if they get sick, have accidents, or becomes moody, they are connected to an evil, suppressive person or influence. Often, it turns out to be a parent, a spouse, a child, a boss, or a social contact.

Coercive Tactics #9: Only Counterattack Handles
What to do with suppressive persons (SPs)? According to Church doctrine one must attack. "Any other course is death."

Coercive Tactics #10: We Can Investigate You, But You Can't Investigate Us
Scientology believes it has the right to investigate critics, but they don't allow any investigation of themselves!

Scientology's Enemies List
Competitive movements, religions, groups, and individuals that Scientology has declared "suppressives" -- eligible for no-holds-barred "dead agent" tactics.

The "Capricorn" Documents
"Capricorn" is a pseudonym for a well-known poster on alt.religion.scientology The Church is reportedly desperate to discover the true identity of Capricorn. Along with "Rogue Agent", "Capricorn" is said to be one of the keywords that Scientology technicians are searching for on the computers seized from F.A.C.T.Net 8/22/95.

In the Capricorn #1, the pseudonymous poster discusses Scientology's legal strategy, allegedly from a Church insider's perspective. Capricorn #2 alleges that the main motive of the Church's raids is not to enforce copyright infringement penalties, but to gather information on Church critics -- and silence them through harassing law suits.

Links to More Information
Although F.A.C.T.Net, Inc., can take no responsibility for the content of these links, these articles and sites have been recommended by numerous knowledgable sources on alt.religion.scientology. Many of the abstracts below are adapted from Dean Benjamin. Please advise us of any links that are no longer current.

Electronic Frontier Foundation
A full archive of important documents, including links to the Dennis Ehrlich defense fund and other important sites.
CNN's Scientology Page
According to Scientology critic Rogue Agent, this "isn't the most glamorous or informative web page, but it is CNN -- go check out." Rogue Agent should know whereof he speaks. According to Rocky Mountain News, 8/27/95, page 4A: "In a lawyer's office, computer experts are searching Wollersheim's computer files 24 hours a day, looking for key words that include the names of Wollersheim's lawyers and the phrase "rogue agent."
Ron Newman's Extraordinary Scientology Web Site
An excellent and ever-growing resource on the entire "Scientology vs. the Net" controversy.
Bob "Da Sloth" Bingham's Web site
Another introduction to the skeptic's view of the Church of Scientology. He also has a site that's more organized and has many more documents.
The Road to Xenu by Margery Wakefield
Author's first-person account of security checks, bullbaiting, living conditions of Sea Org children, the OT3 "wall of fire," the consequences of an Ethics condition, the RPF, having to disconnect from her father. Also of particular interest is the Time magazine cover article from 5/6/91: "Thriving Cult of Greed and Power." Excellent archive developed by Dave Touretzky.
Social Control within Scientology by FACTNet Director Bob Penny
Ever wonder how people get trapped by a cult like Scientology? A companion to Wakefield's Road to Xenu above, the ex-Scientologist author explains the mechanisms, explicit and subtle, by which Scientology subverts the independence of its members.
Anthology of stories by "ordinary" people
In particular, read FACTNet Director Kim Baker's moving account of her induction into, involvement with, and escape from a South African Org.
An Essay on Scientology by David Carter
An overview of Scientology's doctrine and "ethical" worldview, written for the outsider.
Affidavit of Andre Tabayoyon Filed in the Fishman/Geertz Case
Longtime, high-ranking Scientologist explains how the Church deals with critics and apostates: humiliation, starvation, imprisonment, and worse.
The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper
According to FBI documents, the Church of Scientology launched "Operation Freakout" against Ms. Cooper after her book was published. Among other "dead-agenting" tactics, they forged a bomb threat on letterhead stolen from her office, which led to her criminal indictment in 1973 (charges dismissed, 1975). Her reputation was not cleared, however, until an FBI raid in 1977 uncovered Church documents detailing the campaign against her.

Additional Pages We apologize for any omissions. Please send additional listings and details to factnet1@lightlink.com.

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