jef@lbl-rtsg.arpa (11/07/85)
From: jef@lbl-rtsg.arpa
[from the Los Angeles Times, via the San Francisco Chronicle]
SCIENTOLOGISTS SCRAMBLE TO KEEP SECRETS
Los Angeles
Documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times show that members of the
Church of Scientology believe that mankind's ills were caused by an evil
ruler named Xemu who lived 75 million years ago.
Scientologists have been trying to prevent the release of the
documents, which they consider secret and sacred, and about 1500 church
members crammed three floors of the Los Angeles County Courthouse on
Monday, effectively blocking public access to documents.
Nevertheless, the Los Angeles Times had already obtained access to
the documents, which were submitted as part of a civil case brought by
former Scientologist Larry Wollersheim, before lawyers for the
Scientologists requested they be sealed.
Wollersheim charges that the organization defrauded him by promising
him higher intelligence and greater business success through Scientology
courses that cost thousands of dollars.
In arguing to keep the court documents sealed, the church has told
its members that it could be physically and spiritually harmful for them
to learn about the upper levels of Scientology before they have mastered
the preparatory courses. Scientology attorneys have argued that disclosure
of the material violates the group's religious freedom.
Scientology is widely known for its use of "auditing," a form of
one-to-one counseling in which a lie-detector-like instrument called
an E-meter is used to help a person erase negative experiences, supposedly
freeing him to achieve his full potential.
The group bases its beliefs on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, the
reclusive science-fiction writer who in the early 1950s published the
best-seller "Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health."
What is rarely discussed, however, is Hubbard's secret teachings,
which disclose his thoughts on why mankind has been plagued by problems
through history, the topic of the disputed documents.
Generally, the documents suggest that a major cause of mankind's
problems began 75 million years ago, when the planet Earth, then called
Teegeeach, was part of a confederation of 90 planets under the leadership
of a tyrannical ruler named Xemu. Then, as now, the materials state, the
chief problem was overpopulation.
Xemu, the documents state, decided to take radical measures to
overcome the overpopulation problem. Beings were captured on Earth and
on other planets and flown to at least 10 volcanoes on Earth.
The documents state that H-bombs far more powerful than any in
existence today were dropped on the volcanoes, destroying the people
but freeing their spirits, called "thetans," which attached themselves
to one another in clusters.
After the nuclear explosions, according to the documents, the thetans
were trapped in a compound of frozen alcohol and glycol and, during
a 36-day period, Xemu "implanted" in them the seeds of abberant behavior
for generations to come. When people die, those clusters attach to other
humans and keep perpetuating themselves.
Before a Scientologist can learn about thetans and how to eradicate
them, he must go through a progression of costly programs.
For hours on Monday, Scientologists swamped workers in the clerk's
office with hundreds of requests to photocopy the documents.
Superior Court Judge Alfred L. Margolis, over strong objections,
had issued an order Friday making the documents public at 9 a.m.
Monday - on a first-come, first-served basis.
Scientologists, by snaking the line through three courthouse
hallways, made sure they were the only ones to buy copies of the
materials.
Shortly before noon, Margolis, at the request of Scientology
lawyers, resealed the materials, pending a hearing later this week.
Jeff Pomerantz, a Scientology spokesman, said the strategy was
intended to "keep the materials secure ... Religion is not supposed
to be disseminated from the courtroom."