This is all fascinating. I also stumbled across some things about Heidegger, 'house philosopher of the third reich' on this thread:
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board.culteducation.com]
Seems he believed language creates reality and the correct use of language can create "authentic" reality. Amongst other things. Heidegger is on the Quest reading list, by the way.
The history of ideas is interesting but the striking thing about Scientology is it seems to be the first organisation that used the combination of lgat ideas and lgat techniques together.
The techniques I'm thinking of are dyads (long periods of eye-contact with another person while sitting with a fixed body posture, a trance-inducing technique) and confession / "secrets" processes.
upsidedownnewspaper - do you know of any other organisations in history that have combined the ideas and techniques? Apart from - I guess you could say heidegger influenced Hitler and Hitler used a form of mass hypnosis - but is there anything else more specific in history?
It is also fascinating to see the pot calling the kettle black:
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In the realm of international politics, the gravest danger from "the psychiatrist" came from that profession's "hoping to place one of his ilk in a blackmail position behind every head of state" (Hubbard 1982a, p.2). In a fashion reminiscent of the Jesuits, Hubbard felt that psychiatrists had sought to obtain international political power by becoming the contemporary "confessors" and counsellors of the politically powerful.(5)
One of the biggest complaints I've seen against scientology in the limited reading I"ve done is that they get people to confess their secrets and keep records of these secrets. Then if people turn against Scientology the secrets are used for blackmail. Scientology auditors are the "contemporary confessors and counsellors of the politically (or at least hollywood-ly) powerful. Exactly what Hubbard accused psychiatrists of!
I haven't heard of secrets from lgat training being used to blackmail people, but I think the mere fact they have the secrets leaves people in a vulnerable position.
I am also curious about the history of confession and how this came to be used by Scientologists and lgats. Did they just copy from the catholic church? At points in history the catholic church also sold (what is the correct word?) - some kind of forgiveness points from god - for a fee. Religion confuses me; I thought the point of christianity was that you only have to ask Jesus for forgiveness yet catholic church is christian but expects you to go through a priest. Maybe someone could explain that, if it is not too off-topic.
And then there is the psychological side of conffession and absolution, where it fits in society in general and particularly a secular society?
And linked to all of that - the abuse of confession, where it seems some organisations deliberately instill guilt and shame so that people develop a need to use the organisation for confession.
I am thinking here not specifically of "secrets" processes in lgats but also the simple processes where people say what's wrong in their lives, then that gets turned into their responsibility (person choosing to be a victim or whatever) and surely that is a kind of absolution for any perpetrators in the room??? And what about false guilt for the victims?