Scientology working to improve its image

As reported by Hugo Stamm in the Zurich, Switzerland Tages-Anzeiger of August 5, 2002,

Scientology's headquarters in Zurich used to receive praise on a regular basis from its American parent organization for sending a steady flow of euro-dollars from Zurich in the direction of the USA. Then the world-famous psycho-cult began making headlines. A number of adherents were caught in con games and Scientology business people were declaring bankruptcy.

The big Scientology center had to move from the prestigious Badener Strasse to the edge of town.

Scientology's image took a beating, and this was reflected in its membership figures. This was a crisis for the Zurich organization, and it forced them to re-think their politics of aggression and take corrective measures to polish up their image. Scientology boss Juerg Stettler is seeing to it that his people no longer squeeze their customers like they used to. Customers are no longer counseled to take out loans for tens or hundreds of thousands of franks. The loans were often given by Scientologists themselves backed by banks, and financial losses in the millions occurred.

Although, as Stamm stated, Scientology is today treading lightly in Zurich, nothing much about its totalitarian indoctrination system has changed. The courses still cost an arm and a leg - one hour at the highest level can cost 1,000 franks. And the staff are at the grindstone for up to 70 hours a week. In return for their services they get spending money.

The Zurich Scientologists are also using new methods to lure in new members, like tele-marketing. They check names off in the white pages whose numbers they dial to ask them, for instance, what they would do to improve their lives. They try to draw people into personal conversations and to sell them Scientology books. Not everybody they talk to are aware they are speaking with Scientologists.

Discovering door-to-door

Scientologists are discovering how to go from door to door like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. They knock on doors and try to sell books. It is not clear what sort of permit they have to do that.

One 17-year-old apprentice was taken in by the Scientologists, although he had already heard about them.

He had bought a booklet and filled out the survey in back, which contained the 200 questions of Scientology's personality test. It wasn't until he was given the evaluation for the test that he realized what he had gotten himself into. "Being caught like that by the Scientologists really burned me up," he said in retrospect, and further stated that his test showed him negative in 9 of the 10 areas, with 7 points almost at the bottom. If he would have taken the test seriously, he might have thought he was anti-social, depressed, neurotic and unstable. Results like these are used by the Scientologists to create anxiety in people about themselves, upon which the cult's white knights will gallop in to save the day by offering them Scientology courses.

The unemployed as customers

Recently the Scientologists have gotten a permit to operate a stand on Bahnhof Strasse. They battled for this privilege through the court system up to the federal level.

To polish their tarnished image, the Scientologists have also been organizing public relations events, such as clean-the-parks campaigns. Besides that they have put up a big billboard by the sidewalk where their new organization is with the seductive message that the unemployed will immediately receive a job. To create good-will, Scientologists sometimes pass out roses in the surrounding area. When Scientology moved into the new quarters, they had promised not to solicit for customers on the streets, but now residents are complaining about getting Scientology advertisements in the mail, sometimes twice a week. The Scientologists have also tried to get shopowners to put their books on display in their businesses.

Though they may find themselves in dire financial straights, the Scientologists don't skimp on expenses when it comes to celebrating. Recently the organization held a celebration in the Grand Hotel Dolder, where Swiss Scientologists were to be honored by their American parent organization for their services -- meaning money. But those who thought that the Americans wanted to reward their Zurich staff for their hard labor don't know Scientology. Admission was 325 franks.

--- Similarity of words between the above and the original article, including quotations, is usually, but not always, a coincidental by-product of paraphrasing - for non-commercial use only - visit http://cisar.org

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