http://ayjw.org/articles.php?id=3D515049

from The Association of Young Journalists and Writers

Strength in Numbers: The Recruitment Tactics of Scientology
By Jess Mosser

The human race distinguishes itself with a few defining qualities, not the least of which is faith. However, throughout our existence, the faith of others has been manipulated in nearly every fashion imaginable. From the crusades to televangelism to the newest trick of all: Scientology.

The exploits of L. Ron Hubbard's creation have been well documented in today's news scene and are now more recognizable than ever. On a daily basis, the world hears of unsuspecting victims being bankrupted by the quasi-"religion" after it offers enlightenment and delivers despair. A monster built on the shoulders of greed and deception, Scientology has spread to every corner of the globe. The scale of its growth raises the question, what is it that drives one to join a group such as Scientology?

Chuck Beatty was a member of the "Church" of Scientology for 27 years, beginning when he graduated from college in 1975. "Out of college I didn't know where I wanted to take my life," said Beatty. "There was a speaker that came to our school and warned us about the dangers of these alternative "religion" groups. Being somewhat rebellious, I decided I was very interested in Scientology."

After becoming heavily involved in the bureaucratic engine of Scientology known as a "Sea Org," Beatty become well-versed in the recruitment tactics of the cult. As he explains, this included the infamous Hubbard E-Meter, "They'd sit someone down and tell them to hold the two metal cans connected to the meter. Then they'd pinch the person. At that point the needle would move or something. The people running the test would explain that the needle movement was proof that the E-Meter could recognize pain."

Beatty, however, held more of an active position in the paper-pushing, quota-meeting side of Scientology. As Beatty explained, this side of the organization held a large role in recruitment as well.

"Recruitment takes up an enormous amount of effort on the whole org's part." Beatty even estimated that at least one third of each regional Sea Org was "dedicated to bringing in new members."

If all of this raw manpower wasn't enough, a strong "series of quotas" was applied to make sure recruitment remained a priority. "If you wouldn't meet these quotas a few weeks in a row then you could be punished. You might not be allowed to go to a movie with the rest of the staffers or you might have to do extra work, come in early. Stuff like that."

Dr. Brad Sagarin, an associate professor at Northern Illinois University, explains that for organizations like the "Church" of Scientology recruiting is most important. "Certainly in terms of resources- time, energy, money- large numbers is an advantage, as it is in almost anything else. They gain power by having larger numbers."

Dr. Sagarin also stresses the type of person a group like Scientology will designate for recruitment. "They oftentimes will target a person going through a life transition because they may be especially vulnerable," explains Sagarin. "An example of this could be a person going to college for the first time."

Dr. Sagarin is quite correct. People in their twenties make up around a quarter of Scientology's base and nearly two thirds of its base was introduced to its concepts in their early twenties or before. This statistic has driven many universities, including Sagarin's own Northern Illinois, to distribute literature warning students of the dangers surrounding various cults and mind-control organizations. However, the most important point that Dr. Sagarin addresses is the targeting of the vulnerable.

As sociologist Dr. Lorne Dawson writes, a person often holds three "predisposing conditions" that allow them to be easily recruited by cults such as Scientology. The first of which is the possession of "acutely felt tensions in our lives." The second holds that these tensions are looked at in a ""religious" problem-solving perspective," which will, thirdly, lead one to think of themselves as "a "religious" seeker." The combination of all these things create, in the opinion of Dr. Dawson, the perfect situation for one to join a cult such as Scientology. This is one testament the "Church" of Scientology takes to heart.

In the event of a natural disaster, Scientology is always willing to send representatives to provide aid.

After Hurricane Katrina, Scientologists were on the scene. Following the tragic tsunami in South Asia, Scientologists flock. Even following the attacks of September 11th, Scientologists could be found. Although these good will missions were not completely meant to be recruitment tools, one could not fail to notice the droves of people who had undoubtedly just gone through an enormous, life altering event. In addition to basic volunteer work, the Scientologist workers were willing to spread the teachings and writings of their founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

Directly following the September 11th attacks, many New York City firefighters were persuaded by a Scientology-based group to begin a detoxification program that required many of them to stop taking whatever medications they happened to be on at the time. For several of the men, this included antidepressants and blood pressure pills. This program is based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard and promises its followers that the toxins will simply sweat out of them on account of a diet of vitamins and frequent trips to a sauna. The very ideals of this program are drawn from Hubbard's book, "Dianetics," a staple in the library of Scientology. According to many conventional doctors, the practices of this program are nothing more than "quackery" with no proof of any results. Many others consider the program nothing more than a ploy to perpetuate the ideals of Hubbard and his creation, Scientology.

Hubbard's infiltration of the medical landscape doesn't stop there. The drug prevention program known as Narconon is used by many public schools around the country. Narconon is also based on the teachings of Hubbard and holds many sentiments in common with Scientology. However, Narconon also harbors many egregious inaccuracies. For example, it insists that drugs can remain stored in body fat, thus causing relapses in their effects. It also teaches its students that the remnants of LSD can be removed by taking Niacin supplements, a practice that has no reasoning or scientific grounding. Narconon also insists upon distrust of drugs as simple and common as aspirin. The use of any prescription drugs is something that is frowned upon in Scientology and leads one to believe that the purposes of Narconon and Scientology are one and the same.

In January of 2005, the California Department of Education recommended that the public schools of California not use the Narconon program. This action was based on a report by the California Healthy Kids Resource Center which cited the programs inaccuracies as "misleading" and "not scientifically accurate." The Narconon program is delivered in a lecture type setting that asks its audience to clap for L. Ron Hubbard at the end of each lecture, as a sign of respect. It's actions such as these that lead most to believe that Narconon serves as a tool of Scientology by exposing its ideals to the nation's youth.

According to Greg Wolfe, a media representative from the California Department of Education, the recommendation against Narconon has brought no criticism from the public. "I've received a lot of positive feedback from schools and the public saying they appreciate the report and its stance on Narconon."

The extent of Scientology's attempted influence doesn't cease here, however.

Over the past few years, Scientology has made an effort to pry into America's workplace. Consulting companies have sprouted up across the nation that are primarily backed by Scientology and its members. These consulting companies, such as Sterling Management

Systems, use its influence to attempt to convert many of its clients to Scientology. Sterling's website even brags about it's "Hubbard Management Technology." Sterling Management Systems is not alone though. The World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) serves as a type of club for any business pledging its allegiance to Scientology. These consulting firms typically charge a large sum to teach seminars on the ideas of Scientology and coerce the costumer into buying more courses. There have even been reports of WISE companies being hired by dentists before insisting to see a various patient's records to see if they were viable recruits for Scientology.

One such example of this is the story of Glover and Dee Rowe, a couple from Alabama who attended one of Sterling's seminars and was aggressively recruited by the "Church" of Scientology. "They were trying to control me," Mrs. Rowe told the Cherokee County Herald. The Rowes were able to escape the grasp of the cult and have since pursued litigation against the group that effectively held them captive.

The invasion of the workplace marks the newest and scariest of Scientology's tactics. However, if history is any indication it will hardly be their last.

Faith, although sometimes misguided, holds an inordinate amount of power. It can drive men to miraculous heights and persuade them to abandon everything under false pretenses. Whatever the circumstance, those who pledge their faith to Scientology will be certain to strive towards one, uniform goal...to recruit the masses, no matter the cost.

Jess Mosser

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