If you could change something about the Church of Scientology, what would it be? The mid to late 1970s was a time I would like to have changed. If we'd spotted the activities of the Guardian's Office, a few bad hats who managed to get into upper management and the sabotage of David Mayo earlier then we'd be in much better shape now. Many of the complaint against the Church stem from that time and were caused by people who were thrown out of the Church in the early 1980s. However, the long-term effects of their actions were still being felt into the late 1980s. Ex-members who where around in the mid to late 70s and early to mid 80s and who fell foul of the above mentioned people are the core of those who attack the Church. If we'd spotted the problems earlier then that core of attackers would not exist now. The poor sods still think the people who run the Church now act the same as those we threw out almost 30 years ago. It's sad that they can't separate the past from the present.
What do you wish Hubbard had done better? Developed study tech earlier.
Or what do you wish upper managemnt would do now that you think would make things better. I wish they'd make the new videos easier to embed. Many of the videos on the YouTube Scientology Channel can now be embedded, but not all and it took a while before the embed feature was turned on. The "share this video" feature on the Scientology Video Channel is disappointing.
I realize this post is a little old, so if you don't get to this comment, I understand.
Could you tell me if the new "Basics" are "easier" to read? I had read something along these lines (the language had been "cleaned up") when the "Basics" were first announced, but I have yet to be able to find a new copy at my local bookstore.
Yes the new Basic books are easier to read. This is for several reasons: - the fonts used and formatting make the text clearer. - Editorial errors in compilation, where chapters were run together or put in the wrong sequence have been corrected. - Grammatical and punctuation errors introduced by the original editors have been fixed. E.g., the book "Science of Survival" had huge sentences that went on and on because the editor used semi-colons instead of periods. - Other editorial errors, such as including whole sections that the author had rewritten, have been fixed. - Numerous other editorial errors have been fixed so that stuff that made no sense before makes sense now. - On the positive side, each book now has a huge glossary of hard-to-find terms, English words, expressions, idioms, etc.
Those are some of the many things that make the books easier to read.
If you are interested you can go into any Scientology Church or Mission and ask to see the video of the event that introduced the Basics. It goes into the fixes in detail and is actually very interesting, even if you are not a Scientologist.
I think I'll check out that video, when I get the chance.
I'm interested in eventually owning a set of Scientology texts, but I was deterred by some of the original formatting, punctuation and grammar as you mentioned, in some books it was quite poorly edited.
I've seen a text in LRH's own hand, and it was far, far clearer.
10:52 PM
[Image] I just heard that as of a couple days ago, full packages of basic Scientology books have been sent out to 84,140 libraries all over the world. That means just 16,766 libraries remaining to have covered the entire world for those languages the books are currently available in.
So if you want to find out what Scientology really is you can go down to your local library and get a book.
The books I recommend for people new to the subject are:
Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science - covers how the basic discoveries of Dianetics (science of the mind) was made. What earlier knowledge was used and what wasn't, etc. It's a fascinating journey and a great intro to the subject. Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health - from basic principles to exactly how to use it to help yourself and others. This is called "Book One" by Scientologists because it is the book that introduced the subject to the world. This book requires a bit more time and effort to read than Evolution of a Science. Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought - covers the basics knowledge and wisdom of Scientology. Learn about the basic principles and how you can use them to improve your life and the lives of others. Scientology: A New Slant on Life - essays by L. Ron Hubbard that cover the subject and how to use it in your life. You also get an insight into Ron's own viewpoints on life and how to deal with it.So go to your library or click on the links above and buy online.
"Basic Scientology Books in Public Libraries"
5 Comments -
Hi,
I was wondering,
If you could change something about the Church of Scientology, what would it be?
What do you wish Hubbard had done better?
Or what do you wish upper managemnt would do now that you think would make things better.
Best,
C.D
9:46 PM
Thanks for your questions CD,
If you could change something about the Church of Scientology, what would it be?
The mid to late 1970s was a time I would like to have changed. If we'd spotted the activities of the Guardian's Office, a few bad hats who managed to get into upper management and the sabotage of David Mayo earlier then we'd be in much better shape now. Many of the complaint against the Church stem from that time and were caused by people who were thrown out of the Church in the early 1980s. However, the long-term effects of their actions were still being felt into the late 1980s. Ex-members who where around in the mid to late 70s and early to mid 80s and who fell foul of the above mentioned people are the core of those who attack the Church. If we'd spotted the problems earlier then that core of attackers would not exist now. The poor sods still think the people who run the Church now act the same as those we threw out almost 30 years ago. It's sad that they can't separate the past from the present.
What do you wish Hubbard had done better?
Developed study tech earlier.
Or what do you wish upper managemnt would do now that you think would make things better.
I wish they'd make the new videos easier to embed. Many of the videos on the YouTube Scientology Channel can now be embedded, but not all and it took a while before the embed feature was turned on. The "share this video" feature on the Scientology Video Channel is disappointing.
4:52 PM
Hello,
I realize this post is a little old, so if you don't get to this comment, I understand.
Could you tell me if the new "Basics" are "easier" to read? I had read something along these lines (the language had been "cleaned up") when the "Basics" were first announced, but I have yet to be able to find a new copy at my local bookstore.
Many thanks,
Joe
12:57 AM
Hey Joe,
Yes the new Basic books are easier to read. This is for several reasons:
- the fonts used and formatting make the text clearer.
- Editorial errors in compilation, where chapters were run together or put in the wrong sequence have been corrected.
- Grammatical and punctuation errors introduced by the original editors have been fixed. E.g., the book "Science of Survival" had huge sentences that went on and on because the editor used semi-colons instead of periods.
- Other editorial errors, such as including whole sections that the author had rewritten, have been fixed.
- Numerous other editorial errors have been fixed so that stuff that made no sense before makes sense now.
- On the positive side, each book now has a huge glossary of hard-to-find terms, English words, expressions, idioms, etc.
Those are some of the many things that make the books easier to read.
If you are interested you can go into any Scientology Church or Mission and ask to see the video of the event that introduced the Basics. It goes into the fixes in detail and is actually very interesting, even if you are not a Scientologist.
9:53 PM
Thanks, Grahame,
I think I'll check out that video, when I get the chance.
I'm interested in eventually owning a set of Scientology texts, but I was deterred by some of the original formatting, punctuation and grammar as you mentioned, in some books it was quite poorly edited.
I've seen a text in LRH's own hand, and it was far, far clearer.
10:52 PM