Scientologists settle death suit

A 7-year-old wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of Lisa McPherson against the Church of Scientology reached a surprise settlement this week, ending one of the most fiercely contested and enduring legal battles in Pinellas County history.

The out-of-court agreement ends the last remaining legal threat facing the church after the widely publicized 1995 death of McPherson, a Scientologist who died after 17 days in the care of church members in Clearwater.

Terms of the settlement, reached after several days of mediation in a St. Petersburg law office, were confidential.

"It's over," said church spokesman Ben Shaw. "We look forward to the future and carrying out our mission of helping people attain spiritual freedom."

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/29/Tampabay/Scientologists_settle.shtml

My friend had everything going for him before getting mixed up with those people. From what I was told by his family and from his letters, they essentially gutted his personality, told him he needed $30,000 to advance in the program and "routed him out." He was a basketcase afterwards but not for long. Within weeks he had committed suicide.

the ability to think for one's self, and the ability to function as an individual without the guidance of L. Ron Hubbard, I'm sure he'll continue.

The Lisa McPherson story was a tragedy. It ruined not only her life, but several others, not least among them the people that helped support her family financially throughout the legal proceedings, all of whom were targeted and attacked by the so-called church of $cientology.

Tom Cruise? Is John Travolta?

I once read that the reason Kirstie Alley never made a guest appearance on Frasier, was that Scientology says all psychiatry is bunk, so she can't appear in anything that portrays shrinks in a positive light.

Gee, a philosophy in which one of the central tenets is to never listen to a psychologist. I wonder why that is?

These people really make me sick.

Oh, man. There has to be some explanation for this. Is it possible that they create social stratas in that religion and treat them differently?

Along with that chick that plays Dharma on Dharma and Greg.

You can also count the lady that does the voice of Bart Simpson.

valued celebrity "strata", recognizing the important propaganda value of cultivating these people. No living in poverty and working your fingers to the bone to turn over all your money to the church for Tom Cruise!

Seemed to come from Hubbard's WWII exposure to counselors treating what we now call PTSD by getting soldiers to recall horrific repressed memories from battle. Find a memory, get the soldier to talk about it, un-repress it, follow it, explore it under safer circumstances and Bingo! instant results.

So Dianetics has a strong element of truth in it that gets a lot of people hooked. Some of the 'co-auditing' and 'self-auditing' systems developed by ex-scientologists have a lot of therapeutic value. Basically attempts at amateur psychotherapy by getting people talking about whats inside. Get people to talk about those things that usually force their mind to change the subject, 'don't want to think about it' subjects, the subjects that yield a reflexive 'I don't know' (translation - Part of me refuses to think about that). Usually good stuff.

Possibly the Scientologists who wandered downtown Manhattan counseling after 9-11 did a real public service since the basics of their 'system' are actually useful for PTSD. I hope they didn't hook too many into their 'scientology religion' scam though.

the Church of the Subgenious is a much better buy.

"Pull the wool over your own eyes." J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, High Epopt of the COTS.

<http://www.subgenius.com/>

. . . here is a link to the story of Xemu, the core belief of Scientology. This is the story that you are not told until you reach level three:

http://www.dulac.ca/cookdocs/13.html

Are all Scientologists. As are Edgar Winter and Isaac Hayes...

http://www.phatnav.com/wiki/wiki.phtml?title=List_of_Scientologists
(how did I exist before Google?)

Sharon Stone is on their list. She only took some classes when she dated Mimi Rogers ex-husband, but she was never a member. She studies Buddhism but says she still believes in God.

I've never heard of Courthey Love being associated with $cientology, although as screwed up as she is, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd tried it.

Sonny Bono was apparently a closeted Scientologist. Let's face it. He was elected as a REPUBLICAN representative. There is no way that would have happened if they knew.

for their $$$$$$. I once worked with a woman whose actor husband had been targeted by these people. They lured the whole family onto a yacht in a harbor near LA for a "weekend getaway." Then held them captive, playing all sorts of mind games with them. The woman and her daughter actually jumped off the boat and swam for help.

Other celebrities who are Scientologists are Lisa Marie Presley and her mother Priscilla. Lisa Marie sends her kids to scientology school, complete with scientology textbooks. It's a very bizarre cult, but one that loves wealthy members.

Tom Cruise, Leif Garrett, Kirstie Alley, Katherine Bell (JAG), Giovanni Ribisi (and his sister), Bette Midler's husband, Juliette Lewis, Jenna Elfman, Anne Archer, Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley, the list goes on

They have an army of lawyers to fight all their "enemies"(basically anyone who criticize them).The stars are usefull for pr and recruiting campaigns.:crazy:

I think the whole town is basically run by them- there is no criticism allowed. You go to downtown Clearwater and you will see a whole lot of people dessed alike (I think blue shirts, black slacks or skirt). And they play dirty as well. If there is bad publicitiy, basically they try to ruin the life, if not kill outright, the person doing the criticising. I find Scientology very, very disturbing. It seems to meet the very definition of a cult.

trappings of the flesh?

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/fishman/index2.html

See what all that cash buys you.