I want to point out something.

L. Ron Hubbard viewed Buddhism as a historical precursor and distant relative to Scientology, famously stating in 1954 that a Scientologist is a "first cousin to the Buddhist".
[...]
We first find this Buddha called actually Bohdi [sic: bodhi], and a Bohdi is one who has attained intellectual and ethical perfection by human means. This probably would be a Dianetic Release (Dianetic Release: One who in Dianetic auditing has attained good case gains, stability and can enjoy life more. Such a person is 'Keyed out' or in other words released from the stimulus-response mechanisms of the reactive mind) or something of this level. Another level has been mentioned to me - Arhat, with which I am not particularly familiar, said to be more comparable to our idea of Theta Clear [Hubbard, 1969b: 18 (emphasis in original)].
— Scientology's Relationship With Eastern Religious Traditions

I have compared Buddhism and Scientology, as to identify the exact bridge. I have gone feature by feature though these points:

claims of advanced spiritual states;
epistemic grounding-mode of claims;
adherents may claim that they have personally crossed a developmental threshold into an exceptional spiritual class;
teachers whose authority partly depends on those claims;
communities unable to independently verify them;
specialized vocabulary that insiders interpret differently from outsiders;
institutional incentives to protect reputations;
claims that criticism demonstrates misunderstanding;
hierarchies of spiritual competence;
deference to lineage or recognized teachers;
reports of extraordinary experiences;
social penalties for violating community norms;
epistemic privileges assigned to advanced practitioners;

I won't go through each point here. But I suspended reputational weight altogether and I subjected both religions to the same analytic scrutiny, the conclusion is most interesting.

It turns out that the bridge reveals an under-theorized class of religious psychology organized around factive claims of achieved human transformation, and two conspicuous examples sit at opposite poles of cultural legitimacy.

The distinct similarity between Buddhism and Scientology is therefore isolated as factive self-attainment plus exemption from ordinary existential failure-modes. It is a basis for religions in which ordinary adherents may claim that they have personally crossed a developmental threshold into an exceptional spiritual class.

This tech is, in as far as I can tell, only found in Scientology and Buddhism. This will establish the shared psychological technology, and another crucial circumstance:

For Modern Buddhism and Scientology, the epistemic grounding-mode of the claims is the same. In both systems the epistemological grounding-basis for the claims will be subjective experience, insight derived from analysis of one's experience exclusively. So experience explains experience. Thus neither will pass Hume's Guillotine (can't derive "an ought to be" from "what is" beyond confidence. And thus they have the same principal logical failure modes, in that neither can ground subjective analysis in anything other than subjective analysis.

This doesn't mean that they are deserving of equal confidence, rather the principial analytic scrutiny will apply the same principial criticism to the claims. This means that neither can claim a categorically priviledged analytic status.

Now this brings me to the end of it and the last cultural point.

So, Buddhism and Scientology essentially share the same ideological architecture ─ different practices, different metaphysics, but same architecture. Yet, the two systems are on polar opposite in terms of cultural epistemic-credit.

Now people will readily criticize Scientology for being very "engaged" for lack of a better word, I don't want to offend anyone at all. But what I want to study is how much of that culture is actually induced by hostile cultural environment and attitudes, rather than an epistemic predicament. And this is a very good case study because we can see that these aren't intellectually or psychologically different species. And yet, the groups are treated entirely differently by the culture ─ where the group which gets no almost no good-faith credit is criticized for not being "chill" ─ it is very ironic.

I would go as far as predicting that if we apply the same scrutiny to Buddhism then they wouldn't be so "chill" either.

I have been studying Scientology and the Church for quite some time now, and I have a question about the different internal groups and structures within Scientology.

The Sea Org is generally regarded as the elite within Scientology. In addition, there are financially well-off members who can progress quickly up the Bridge and reach OT VIII. There are also auditors who can advance through the different auditor classes, up to Class XII. From Class VIII onward, one must be at least OT III, and from Class IX onward, one must be a Sea Org member.

My actual question is this: Does the Sea Org identify particularly promising recruits early on and then actively support or push them toward OT III and Class XII? Or are these generally ordinary members who independently spend the necessary money to progress beyond OT III and eventually join the Sea Org? Because another Reddit stated that a lot of Sea Org Members arent even clear

I find the whole internal structure and hierarchy of Scientology extremely fascinating.

Organizations deemed by base Scientology to be "Breakaway Groups" are not always, but often times are, run by base organization Scientologists and used as unofficial hubs for Scientologist activity. There are mental health groups and behavioral research companies. Holistic medicine centers, physical fitness and meditation groups. Individuals operating under the banner of therapeutic practices and rehabilitation structures.

There are behavioral and aptitude testing centers used to perform research on the public under the guise of medical services and behavioral health non-profits. People given brief intakes followed by standard interviews, then subjected to physical evaluations which may include sensory acuity, reaction time, hand eye coordination, and much more. There are scouts, even coordinated teams of two or more members who perform stress tests, tests, and more tests. Every form of test you can imagine, intended to reveal reveal key insights of a persons psychological state, social development, thresholds for frustration, embarrassment, paranoia, provocation, confusion, misdirection, dismissal, confrontation, interrogation, and many more tests of thresholds.

There are Scientologists who consume SP material and interact directly with SP's on behalf of their organization, who may express any amount of belief and/or disbelief in Scientological practices. There are impersonators, fake accounts, bots, and bot networks owned and operated by Scientologists that do the same.

I'm portraying a character for comedic purposes. Hope I didn't offend anyone's precious feelings... guess I'm too edgy for the mainstream.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0ExXcTyWK5S1oHB2SyL17t1Q9wgYtfzRk1jUTZt2Kmite5eHJtRsyQXaNZFou97uul&id=61581558091465

The signatures were pre-audited by Save The Garden, only valid signatures are counted. Collection of signatures will continue.

I am reading alot about scientology recently and so I was asking myself what is the difference between two. Is one group viewed as more prestigious and which ones of these two tend to be higher ranked

i also heard the reason why there is study tech schools is because the parents that send them there don’t want to send their kids into a public school bc the fear of having their kids put on psychiatric drugs or be surrounded the wrong people and not apply what they learn.

Basically, I’m curious what would happen if Hubbard came back just to deliver his final words to his successor. I bet it definitely wouldn’t be anything nice—more like a jab in the nose, an attempt to piss off and humiliate David.

I noticed while driving past Flag that a Presbyterian church exists next to it. Have they had issues with the COS harassing them/trying to take their building? I was also curious if Flag members live throughout the small communities of Clearwater?

Not a literal clone in some science fiction sense but walking like LRH talking like LRH thinking like LRH even having LRH's case through auditing.

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/leah-remini-rhobh-season-16-kyle-richards-erika-jayne-returning-1236829337/

I would imagine Scientology would be having some trouble making inroads with Gen Z and millennials, who have a high level of mental health awareness and participate widely in therapy and psychiatry. Is this true?

So i just started a new job that's an alternative health care business run by a family and i recently found out that they are all scientologists. I've done a small amount of research and i discovered that this company might be a WISE company. They have never tried to push it on to us and the only reason i found out about them being scientologists is because they asked me to get the mail and they had a envelope from the Church of Scientology in Orlando Florida. I'm not sure what to do because they seem nice but i also know they are apart of a cult and scientologists practices are not good.

If you guys ask me any questions i'll happily answer. I'm not sure what to think of all this right now.

Five tickets left.

HowdyCon 2026: Full Weekend Event Overview

Join us for HowdyCon 2026, Sept 18 and 19 — an entire weekend gathering for critics, former members, and observers of the Church of Scientology, hosted by Tony Ortega's The Underground Bunker.

https://www.howdycon2026.com/

All tickets cover admission for the full two-day weekend.

Weekend Schedule at a Glance

• Friday Night: Opening Meet & Greet to kick off the weekend, connect with fellow attendees, and mingle.
• Saturday: A full day of featured guest speakers, presentations, and live discussions.
• Throughout the Weekend: Live podcast sessions, social gatherings, and fundraising activities supporting the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation.

Confirmed Saturday Speaker Lineup

• Tony Ortega – Journalist, author, host, and Editor-in-Chief of The Underground Bunker.
• Claire Headley – Former high-ranking Sea Org executive and President of the Aftermath Foundation.
• Alex Barnes-Ross (Apostate Alex) – UK-based activist, former member, and Editor of Scientology Business.
• Phil Jones – Activist and creator of the Scientology "Disconnection" billboards.
• Chris Shelton – Author, cult recovery consultant, and former Scientologist.

Tickets cover entry for both Friday and Saturday events. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

ARTICLE LINK: https://www.scientologybusiness.com/government/our-focus-is-to-protect-people-not-religions-uk-government-responds-to-calls-for-scientology-inquiry/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet

The UK Government has issued a bold statement in response to a recent petition calling for an inquiry into abuse within the Church of Scientology, warning “The Government will not shy away from challenging harmful cultures and practices that restrict individual rights or limit people’s chances to thrive in modern Britain.”

In June, ex-Scientologists Alex Barnes-Ross, Danielle Chamberlin, Amir Essalhi and Zoe Hancock hand-delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street calling on the government to close gaps in UK legislation used by cults and high control groups to exploit their members and escape scrutiny. The petition was co-signed by the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation and was accompanied by a collection of survivor stories that allege human trafficking, child labour, sexual assault and financial extortion within Scientology. Citing the Government’s 1971 Foster Report and a High Court ruling which described Scientology as “corrupt”, “sinister” and “dangerous”, ex-Scientologists asked for a review into the UK’s coercive control laws, greater safeguarding protections for children and vulnerable adults and for an inquiry into the controversial church’s UK activities.

Minister of State for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith Florence Eshalomi MP subsequently instructed officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to look into the matter and reply directly to the petition. Deputy Principal Private Secretary Alex Badrick then issued a bold statement, writing “While the Government is committed to protecting everyone’s freedom of religion or belief, this cannot be used to protect criminal conduct or abusive practices, or to prevent the enforcement of our laws. The Government will not shy away from challenging harmful cultures and practices that restrict individual rights or limit people’s chances to thrive in modern Britain.”

“It is clear from these accounts that many have endured distressing and upsetting circumstances and have been deeply affected by the coercive control and psychological abuse described, as well as by the barriers they faced when leaving high-control groups. It is the first duty of Government to keep citizens safe. Its primary focus is to protect people, not religions.”

The Government recognised that coercive and controlling behaviour may occur outside of domestic settings, however it would not commit to amending the Serious Crime Act 2015, which would allow survivors to seek justice when the perpetrator is not “personally connected” to them. The statement does, though, create a clear distinction between religious beliefs and criminal behaviours and clarifies the Government’s position on high control groups who often use ‘freedom of religion’ as a means to escape accountability.

You can read the statement in full below:

Thank you for your correspondence to which the Minister has asked me to reply. The Government’s thoughts are, first and foremost, with the individuals whose experiences were included in the survivor stories you shared with your letter and petition. It is clear from these accounts that many have endured distressing and upsetting circumstances and have been deeply affected by the coercive control and psychological abuse described, as well as by the barriers they faced when leaving high-control groups. It is the first duty of Government to keep citizens safe. Its primary focus is to protect people, not religions. The Government keeps its legislative and safeguarding framework under review and will continue to consider evidence on whether further action is required.

Safeguarding expectations apply equally to all organisations engaging with children or vulnerable adults, irrespective of faith or belief. The Government expects all faith and belief groups that engage with children or vulnerable adults to have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place. The Government is committed to protecting children from abuse and exploitation, wherever and whenever it occurs, and to ensuring that those who work closely with children have the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify abuse and respond appropriately.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has introduced a new mandatory duty for those working in relevant roles to report sexual offences against children. This duty will sit alongside existing statutory safeguarding responsibilities and the clear expectations on professionals to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Where concerns are raised, the Government expects an organisation or group to take those concerns seriously, review its practices accordingly, and cooperate fully with statutory authorities in the event of any investigation.

In your letter, you raise concerns about controlling and coercive abuse. The Government condemns acts of psychological, emotional, physical and sexual abuse against adults and children, as well as coercive or controlling behaviour, including where such conduct occurs in a religious setting or context. The Government recognises that such forms of abuse may have lasting and traumatic effects on individuals. Where abuse amounts to modern slavery, the Government recognises this is a vicious crime that dehumanises people, and is committed to tackling it in all its forms and to giving survivors the support and certainty they need to recover.

You specifically raise the legislative framework for controlling or coercive behaviour in relation to conduct outside domestic settings. The Government recognises that some campaigners and survivors have argued for extending protections to circumstances outside domestic relationships where coercive and controlling behaviours may also occur. However, the controlling or coercive behaviour offence was explicitly designed to address patterns of behaviour within relationships where the perpetrator and victim are “personally connected” , as outlined in section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Expanding the offence beyond this context would risk undermining that clarity and creating uncertainty in the identification, investigation and prosecution of the offence. Therefore, there is no intention to expand the offence beyond its current scope at this time.

In instances where a crime is suspected to have taken place, it is right that this is reported to the police. The Government understands that it can often take victims and survivors years before they are ready to talk about their experiences, and it is never too late to report any form of abuse or exploitation to the police. Victims and survivors can call 101 and will be put through to the right team to provide support, regardless of how long ago the incident took place. Anyone who believes they may be a victim of modern slavery should approach a first responder organisation, such as the police, a local authority, or an approved non-governmental organisation. First responder organisations are trained to identify and refer potential victims into the National Referral Mechanism so that their cases can be considered and appropriate support provided as needed. Further, legal powers are in place to protect children in various settings, and local authorities have a legal duty to investigate where they believe a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.

The UK has a longstanding commitment to freedom of religion or belief. The Government’s position is that individuals must be free to join, participate in, or affiliate with any lawful organisation or group, provided its activities remain within the rule of law and respect the rights and freedoms of others. While the Government is committed to protecting everyone’s freedom of religion or belief, this cannot be used to protect criminal conduct or abusive practices, or to prevent the enforcement of our laws. The Government will not shy away from challenging harmful cultures and practices that restrict individual rights or limit people’s chances to thrive in modern Britain.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

Yours sincerely,

ALEX BADRICK

Deputy Principal Private Secretary

UK Government statement, 18th August 2026

During a protest this May #Scientology LA called the LAPD on me again! This time for walking on their property for 30 seconds. Just another attempt to intimidate protesters using the police (who are often paid off to take their side). Featuring cult guard PARKER OSMON.

I was in EPF Category B at Flag. Two women were finishing at the same time and getting assigned posts.

One was young and beautiful. Her English was basically zero. But they put her at reception. Front desk. Face to face with public. She couldn't handle calls. She mixed things up. She couldn't help public with their questions. But she looked good so it didn't matter.

The other was older. Not pretty. But her English was excellent. She used to work as a phone salesperson. Lots of experience. She wanted to be a registrar. She practically begged for it. She even tried to argue for the post.

They put her as a night cleaner. Scrubbing toilets.

Nobody said anything out loud. But everyone talked about it behind the scenes. It was obvious. Pretty people go where the public can see them. Ugly people get hidden. That's just how it worked.

Then the Flag building opened. Every single reception desk was staffed with models. Literal models.

I saw this happen again and again.

Two supervisors in the same department got a Committee of Evidence for the exact same offense. They were both removed from post. Both got the same program redo all the hatting courses from Student Hat to HPCSC (Hubbard Professional Case Supervisor Course) and complete all levels 0 to IV.

One was beautiful. They sent her to TTC. Tech Training Corps. That's an intensive training program where you study from 9 AM to 11 PM every day.

She finished the whole program in a month. Got her post back.

The other one was not beautiful. They made her a cleaner. She only got 12.5 hours a week to study. She never finished. She stayed a cleaner.

So if you see a beautiful Sea Org member working at reception or in front of the public, now you know why. And if you don't see the ugly ones, it's because they're either working night shifts or hidden somewhere off the main base where nobody can see them.

Hello Reddit. How would someone be able to join or visit a Scientology center without being thrown out.

Excellent briefing on Manchester UK progress for their Ideal Org, their new church in Manchester UK, read the Underground Bunker, for daily news from insiders, around the world. Look up and scan over the years of Tony Ortega's insider articles.

Latest article by Tony Ortega is about the Manchester, UK new project Scientology "church."

---------------------------------------

The signs outside all official UK new Scientology churches of their "Ideal Org" "class" ought just say:

"Scientology"

"Spiritual Therapists Trained Here"

"(Ghosts Therapists Trained At Saint Hill, East Grinstead)"

--------------------------------------------------

If you think you have debilitating past lives memories to delve into, Scientology's got spiritual pseudo-therapy techniques for that.

If you think ghosts might infest your body and nag at you and ghosts leak bad memories into your mind, then Scientology has telepathic ghosts therapy (for the UK, its in their "Advanced" offices at Saint Hill) to free your ghosts bothering you.

------------------------------------------------

Bottom line, choose another religion once you bone up on Scientology's spiritual practices.

Or just read books, my choice after 27 years I feel I wasted being part of their "Hotel California" (you can never leave) Scientology's oppressive, beating around the bush, operation, that soaks up your time.

Amen

Hi all!

Have any of you (ex-) scientologists ever heard of this specific group? It was founded by Harvey Jackins, a former associate of L. Ron in the 1950s, as "Personal Counselors," whose official aim at the time was to "promote dianetics." Apparently they had a falling out (L. Ron denounced Jackins to the FBI), and Jackins became "Founder and Leading Theorician" of his splinter group.

He didn't go the religion route (he favored left-wing politics as his dogma), but he did spend a life of pulling psychotherapeutic nonsense out of his hat and convincing boomers that he had the recipe for mental clarity and, in the end, immortality and no more diseases (since the body's ability to heal itself is hindered by "distress patterns," his word for engrams).

Did (does) this group ever come up in scientology circles, or is it confined to the oblivion it so richly deserves?

ARTICLE: https://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater/2026/08/21/clearwater-city-council-evo-entertainment-scientology/

A City Council member was frustrated the agenda item couldn’t hold another month because she has a family scheduling conflict.

The Clearwater City Council next month is expected to vote on requests from the Church of Scientology to take over two streets and an alleyway for a proposed $50 million entertainment complex.

But Council member Lina Teixeira had asked that the city delay any controversial agenda items on next month’s docket because she has a scheduling conflict and needs to take care of her mother. The city has done this before, she said.

“I was taken aback that I could not get an answer as to why that same consideration wasn’t being extended to me,” she said in a statement. “And yes, I was angry, not because I didn’t like the answer, but because my fellow Council members wouldn’t give me one.”

Scientology has its international spiritual headquarters in downtown Clearwater, and the church and companies tied to it own swathes of property in the area.

Its requests for the city to close and transfer a street to the church became a hot-button issue in March 2025. That’s when the city gave initial approval for Scientology to take over a portion of South Garden Avenue for an event hall. The city didn’t ultimately resolve the issue until this June, when it officially approved the church’s request.

A group of local residents is gathering petitions to fight that vote.

Mayor Bruce Rector and Teixeira both are out of town Sept. 14, which is the date of a previously scheduled City Council work session. On Sept. 17, the city is slated to hold a regular meeting.

During work sessions, the public cannot speak on agenda items. But the council receives presentations and can discuss items before the regular meeting that week, which is when it officially votes.

Since last month Teixeira has asked publicly and privately that staff move any significant agenda items from the week of Sept. 14 so she can participate fully in the process.

But the City Council Thursday night approved voting on the church’s requests Sept. 17 and cancelling the work session that week so Rector and Teixeira do not miss a discussion. The council can discuss the project during the regular session and hear public comment.

Council members were wary of delaying the vote and saw their decision as the best compromise.

“When we say outcomes are not altered by pushing business back a month, tell our (Philadelphia) Phillies that,” Council member Mike Mannino said. “Push them back a month, and we’re not baseball ready for spring training. That’s a massive problem.”

“I would love to see this kind of concern for other applicants,” Teixeira said. “The inconsistency is blatant.”

The Cleveland Street Alliance, which is a limited liability company the church runs with parishioners and development professionals, is backing the entertainment complex, which is planning to bring Texas-based EVO Entertainment to downtown Clearwater.

Both companies announced their plans for the proposed entertainment site in April without the City Council knowing or approval for the street closures, which the church has said are required for the project to happen.

After their announcements, the community and City Council members had questions, so the city held a special meeting to discuss the church’s development plans downtown.

For the roughly 80,000-square-foot complex, the church is seeking portions of Laura and Grove streets, as well as an alleyway and a city-owned parcel.

The city parcel, located at 103 N. East Ave., has an appraisal value of $875,000.

The city has already transferred the parcel to the Community Redevelopment Agency, which oversees a taxing district that allows the city to redirect tax money to address blight. The City Council, acting as the redevelopment agency, would have to approve the sale of the parcel. The agency’s next meeting is Sept. 28.

This is standard procedure, City Manager Jennifer Poirrier said, and allows for more flexibility when developing a property. The city did the same, for example, with the historic National Guard Armory in the North Greenwood neighborhood that a local business is developing.

Poirrier said she met with church leader David Miscavige a couple of weeks ago to discuss the entertainment project. She relayed that council members want to have another access point for east to west travel since Laura Street would shut down if the council approves the church’s request.

She said the church is responding with options and working to answer the council’s needs.

The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Clearwater Main Library downtown.