Scientology - Family Disconnection
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Disconnection
Disconnection is one of The 'Church' Of $cientology's policies. Like many of this organizations techniques, it seeks to isolate scientologists from the outside world - In particular, from their friends and family.
If a friend or family member of the Scientologist in question is critical of Scientology, they are considered 'Suppressive Persons'(often abbreviated as SP). If you associate with somebody who is a 'suppressive person', then you, just by being around them, become a 'potential trouble source'(PTS). If you continue to associate with these people, not only will it damage the progress of Scientologists around you, but it will hinder YOUR progress towards enlightenment - up the 'Bridge to Total Freedom', as it's called.
These individuals are under tremendous pressure to disconnect from their auditors, higher ups, and peers.
A direct quote from the policy, as written by L. Ron Hubbard(founder) himself:
"A Scientologist can become PTS by reason of being connected to someone that is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. In order to resolve the PTS condition, he either HANDLES the other person's antagonism (as covered in the materials on PTS handling) or, as a last resort when all attempts to handle have failed, he disconnects from the person. He is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person."
The following dictates 'When Disconnection Is Used':
"An Ethics Officer can encounter a situation where someone is factually connected to a suppressive person, in present time. This is a person whose normal operating basis is one of making others smaller, less able, less powerful. He does not want anyone to get better, at all...."
Translated into wog(non-scientologist)-talk, this quote details that anybody who is a critic of Scientology is CLEARLY just a bully(because who in their right mind would DISAGREE with the teachings/policies/actions of Scientology?)
It continues:
"In truth, an SP is absolutely, completely terrified of anyone becoming more powerful. "In such an instance the PTS isn't going to get anywhere trying to "handle" the person. The answer is to sever the connection."
Typically, a family member will receive a letter(or, in some cases, a phone call), from their loved one, in which the scientologist will say that they never want to see their relative again. They say in no uncertain terms that they will not take telephone calls from them, meet them, or read their letters or emails, and that they have completely excluded them from their life. The effect of this policy on families is, of course, devastating.
Disconnection In Action
Karin Pouw, spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology, issued the following statement in response to claims made in Andrew Mortons book, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography.
"Does Scientology encourage their members not to speak to their family if they don't support the religion? This allegation is not only false, it is the opposite of what the Church believes and practices."
When questioned on Disconnection, Church members react in one of two ways; They either deny it exists completely, or state that disconnecting has nothing to do with Scientology - That it's a personal choice. “…nobody is going to buy that, there are way too many destroyed families for that to be true,” says Jenna Miscaviage-Hill, niece of David Miscaviage(current leader of Scientology). Pouw's statement prompted Jenna to respond, by detailing her own experience with the disconnection policy:
"As you well know, my parents officially left the Church when I was 16 in 2000. I, having been separated from them at the age of 12 and thoroughly engulfed in the beliefs of the Church since birth decided not to go with them...Not only was I not allowed to speak to them, I was not allowed to answer a phone for well over a year, in case it was them calling me…She goes on to say:…I can name at least 5 friends off the top of my head who's family members are not allowed to speak to them without being themselves ousted from the Church and prevented from communicating with other members of their family and even their children still involved in the Church lest THEY too be ousted!"
Steve Keller details the disconnection of his son:
"It said, in part: "I understand and respect your desire for information on [Scientology] and understand that it may take some time for you to draw your own conclusion on the matter...I do not, however, wish to remain in communication with you until you have reached a conclusion ... Your association with individuals actively opposing Scientology is detrimental to my own progress on the path that I have...chosen."
In 1966 UK newspaper the Daily Mail quoted a disconnection letter from Scientologist Karen Henslow to her mother:
"Dear Mother, I am hereby disconnecting from you because you are suppressive to me. You evaluate for me, invalidate me, interrupt me and remove all my gains. And you are destroying me. "I [unreadable] from this time consider myself disconnected from you and I do not want to see you or hear from you again. From now you don't exist in my life."
Kendra Wiseman, daughter of the chairman of the Citizens Commission of Human Rights(see Scientology Front Groups), was disconnected from her parents in 2005. Of the incident, she writes:
"Suddenly, I became absolutely furious that I was having to debate for my parent's love. To barter for their respect, and negotiate for their participation in my life. The us-against-them mentality of Scientology, and the black-and-white nature of the disconnection policy result in this kind of "join the fight or get out of the way" type of attitude. I guess that's what happened for me. They'd already agreed to disconnection."
There are hundreds of Disconnection stories, told my ex-members and "SPs" all over the world. Regardless of where they're from, they all end the same devastating way.
Reconnection
On April 12th, 2008 Anonymous protested yet again outside Scientology Organizations worldwide. The theme of this protest was reconnection(see Operation Reconnect). Anonymous members educated the public about the policy, and urged disconnected Scientologists to reconnect with the families they left behind.
Relevant Websites
Scientology disconnect policy destroying families
Scientology®: The ‘Practice of Disconnection’ - A detailed study
What is "disconnection?" - Frequently Asked Questions (In the church's own words)
This content has since been removed and the link is to an archived copy of the page
[1] - The niece of Scientology's leader speaks out against Disconnection in this heartfelt letter.
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