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| It's Here! And Why Part 2is So Darn Important! |
Scientology is one of the scariest cults I have ever studied. I mean, it's downright terrifying.
Parents give up their children to a compound where they work 100 hour work weeks that include heavy labor - from lifting boulders out of creeks to repainting and redecorating Tom Cruise's hangar and home.
These children are then allowed to see their parents once a week, for a half an hour on Sunday when they are ages 4-10. Around 10 or 12, they usually don't see their their parents for years as they continue to work their labor-intensive weeks - without pay (wellll - when they are an adult, they might get $50 a week at most for those 100 hours.)
But Scientology's bunkers full of children who are malnurished, uneducated (no education beyond the cults' teachings is provided) and all the rest that happens if they happen to drop something or make any minor mistake, like misspelling a cult term... oh! it's so frightening... all of this is just 1% of what this cult does to its members.
But it doesn't stop there.
Violence, hate crimes, set-ups, false arrests and fraud - that's what one can expect from Scientology when they decide to leave.
What does any of this have to do with WCS? Two things.
First, Lisa McPherson.
LISA MCPHERSON
It hurts to type her name. Lisa was one of us. She came from Country and crossed over when the two communities combined in the mid 90's.
Do you remember when she died? I do. Everyone dancing back then remembers her. When she became ill, it began the: Dance Because You Can movement. And then she died. And no one, when you ask them, can really tell you why.
Until you read the news in Clearwater, Florida. 1995. It was later revealed that Scientology spent $30 million dollars covering up her cause of death. Those involved at the hospital ended up resigning. But her pictures tell it all.
And she was one of us. And she was one of them. The member of one of the most dangerous cults today. (There have been many trusts, lawsuits, memorials and even books about our Lisa. She even holds four entire chapters in one of the most famous books on Scientology: Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology.)
FAIR GAME
Second, the way Scientology treats its members who either 1. leave Scientology or 2. disagree with how the CEO interprets Hubbard's (the striking sociopath who started Scientology on a dare at a bar) writings - is one of the things that proves Scientology to be a cult.
Anyone who does either of these things is called "fair game," which means you're now required to break the law and use the courts and law enforcement to attack, invade and destroy them. Not only that, but they are also "disconnected"-which means no one else in the cult is allowed to see, contact or engage in anyway with them, even if they are family.
Now. Does any of this sound familiar to you??? Any of this ring a bell? Have you experienced any similar threats, warnings or harassment for your beliefs and/or actions regarding Pure WCS or Abstract?
When Leah Remini left Scientology and talked about them on Dancing with the Stars, here are some of the statements Scientology released about her:
"It comes as no surprise that someone as self-absorbed as Leah Remini with an insatiable craving for attention would exploit her former faith as a publicity stunt"
"She was on the verge of being expelled for her ethical lapses."
"She was upset because no one in the Church was calling her or her family."
"This is the accurate side of the events she now is spinning, which are absurd, insulting and motivated entirely by a desire to grab attention."
Again, sound familiar, anyone? It's practically VERBATIM what the Cult of WCS has posted about me and my writings, time and time and time and time again - year after year - with almost every release I write.
And, guess what? Her responses sound exactly like mine too:
"I'm not trying to bash anybody, and I'm not trying to be controversial. I just want people to know the truth."
That's right, Leah. I just want people to know the truth.
Don't you?
PART TWO:
TELLING THE TRUTH
Help others learn the truth about the West Coast Swing community. Part 2 of the Welcome to WCS series covers the other two groups newcomers will run into when entering the dance: the old-time pure WCS dancers and the Abstract Improvisation cult.
And I think you can agree with me - we have a moral and ethical responsibility to warn people ahead of time about the Cult of WCS. I wish we could have done the same for Lisa. But you can do the same for others.
Love,
Katherine
