Is Scientology breaking the law?

Allegations of fraud by Scientology

Excerpted from http://www.scientology-lies.com/re.cgi?http://home.icon.fi/~marina/1stpersn/wwhit01.htm . Please see that page for the full text.

Emphasis added in red . Editorial comments, when added, are in purple .


Wayne Whitney describes taking the (fraudulent) personality test, viewing a video full of lies about Hubbard's life, being told that Scientology help would only cost $2500 (it ultimately cost him over $150,000), and being promised that Scientology would cure his physical injury

I had NO idea what I was getting into when I first walked in their front door. By writing my story I'm hoping to show that Scientology is DEFINITELY NOT what it claims to be. I'm hoping to show how they take the very "buttons" and unwanted reactions they promise to clear you of and then turn right around and use them to control and exploit you. I'm hoping to show how they take all a person's good qualities and turn right around and use them against you. I'm hoping to show EXACTLY how they were able to take ME for a ride until my rational mind finally said enough is enough and saw Scientology for what it really is.

After a few minutes my sister was hustled off and I was ushered into a little room where they had me take this "free" personality test. I filled it out as honestly as I could. This took about an hour.

While my test was being evaluated they had me watch a video that praised Hubbard. I began to have thoughts like, "Hey this seems like a really great guy. Look at all the things he's accomplished in his life. Look at all the books he's written. Look at all the medals he's received. WOW!" When presented with the actual facts years later I came to the conclusion that these claims had all been lies. At the time I didn't know this.

By this time they had created the effect they wanted in me. They had softened me up. They had made me receptive. Now I was primed, ready for the sales pitch. It was then that I was brought in to see "THE REG" (the sales person). This was to be my first (of many) encounters with Amy.

When we first walked into her office I noticed that she didn't even look at me. She seemed preoccupied. It seemed rather odd because everyone else had seemed so friendly. We sat down at her desk. She immediately pulled out the results of my personality test and quickly went to work. She started by pointing out all the places where I scored "low." In no time she had me talking about my "ruins," areas in my life that I thought could be improved. This was no challenge for her because, as I said, I walked into the building with my defenses down. I still believed that she had good intentions for me. I trusted her. Everything I brought up she replied with, "Scientology auditing can fix that." She explained how auditing could fix everything, that it could bring my personality graph all the way up to the top of the chart.

It was here that she suddenly dropped the first bombshell. She said, "If you don't get auditing all these things down here (pointing to the lowest items) will only get worse." Then she launched into this thing called the "dwindling spiral." She explained that I would come back life after life and that if I didn't get auditing all my ruins would only continue to spiral downward.

She then started rapidly talking about these things called the "bridge," the "grades," the "bank" and the "state of clear." She talked in a blur. She wasn't making any sense to me. I became very confused. When I am confused I tend to go a bit blank, I become somewhat dazed like in a trance. I kept asking direct questions to clear up my confusion and try to understand what she was talking about. For the life of me I could not get a straight answer out of her. I thought to myself at the time that she was just a very poor communicator. I now believe she was doing it on purpose. I've experienced how this technique when applied repeatedly to me REALLY CAN knock out my analytical, rational mind. I didn't know any of this at the time.

After several hours of this constant, rapid barrage of confusing outflow she finally mentioned something called the Life Repair Program. She said I needed to sign up for it right away. She said, "Wayne, I can see your really reaching for the bridge. This program will handle everything you said you wanted handled. All it will cost you is $2,500." I asked, "Is that ALL everything here will cost me?" She replied in a very definitive voice, "YES, that's all."

In a rapid-fire way Amy kept constantly stirring up all my subconscious fears, desires, needs and pain. She kept promising me that Scientology would definitely cure my physical injury. She kept promising me that Scientology would provide all the things that I felt I needed or wanted. At the same time I experienced her constantly knocking out my rational mind, the mind that was trying to analyze what was going on. In normal life most of this kind of stuff stays submerged and I deal with each thing as it comes up, usually in the most rational way I know how. In this environment I was prevented from doing that. Here she was stirring me up without letting ME be at the controls. THAT'S HOW SHE GOT ME TO ACT SO UNCHARACTERISTICALLY!

Even after she broke me down this far I STILL had a few more reservations.

I knew my pain was a constant distraction. Because of that I didn't feel that I would be able to make any real commitments so I asked her, "Will my injury cause any problems for me going up the bridge?" She replied with, "Oh no! You just pay me the $2,500 and then 'rocket up the bridge.' You'll go 'clear' in less than 6 months. Scientology will definitely handle all the pain your in. It won't be a problem at all."

I finally asked her, "Are you sure your telling me everything? I don't want to sign up for all this and then not be able to live up to your expectations. I want everything to be out in the open so there are no misunderstandings here. If you have any hidden expectations that you're not telling me about they will only cause problems later." She replied, "Oh no, I've told you everything."

STILL a little reluctant (and hoping to buy some time to think) I explained that I didn't have any way to pay her right then. She said, "Don't worry. You can use one of these." She opens up her top draw and pulls out a blank check. She said, "You can just write a counter-check against your checking account. It won't be a problem at all. We do this all the time."

With my one last excuse shot to pieces I thought to myself, "If $2,500 is ALL it will cost me, I can afford that. Look at all I'll be getting in return. Besides, my sister has been praising this 'tech' ever since she appeared at my door the night before. There MUST be something to it. Surely she wouldn't get me involved in anything she didn't really believe in." Still with some reservations but feeling like I didn't have a leg left to stand on I reluctantly signed the check. Amy grabbed it from me and practically ran out of the room.

I had NO IDEA that signing that ONE counter-check would eventually end up costing me over $150,000 and nearly everything I owned.

At the beginning I believed that my auditor and I would start my Life Repair Program and that we would just keep going back in session until I got the results they promised. I believed this because Amy had given me the impression that we would. When I handed over that first check to Amy I had no idea that they were going to charge me BY THE HOUR and that if they didn't deliver what they promised that I would HAVE to keep paying them more and more money until I finally DID attest to whatever they wanted me to. If I had known THAT Amy never would have gotten that first check out of me. I had paid for RESULTS, not worthless "stats" for them.

This page was last updated on May 8, 1999.