Scientology critics like to present Charles Manson
as a typical Scientologist. Manson, however, only dabbled into Scientology
for a short time, alongside many other subjects.
Scientology had nothing to do either in the horrible murders he pushed his
followers to perpetrate. This does not prevent critics from presenting a completely distorted picture of the reality. This page provides
all the facts necessary to understand the situation in a correct
perspective.
When I read Bugliosi's book back in 80's, I
was very impressed by the fact that someone could "deprogram", in
gentle way, a couple of Manson's members. I was thus very surprised
to learn that this person, Paul Crockett, was someone interest in Scientology.
Technically, I would not qualify him as a Scientologist, contrary to
what Watson say. However, this feat is still remarkable. Note that
Scientology critics will completely omit this key fact in their
presentation.
"I never heard Manson mention
Scientology or The Process Church. He did meet up with a
Scientologist named Crockett in the desert. Crockett was
instrumental in deprogramming Poston and Watkins, and stood
toe-to-toe with Manson. This was the only mention of Scientology. I
remember them arguing back and forth for hours."
-- DESERT SHADOWS by Bob Murphy, page 28 (Bob
Murphy was superintendent of Death Valley National Monument during
Manson's arrest there in 1969) :
Paul Watkins grossly
underestimated the character of Paul Crockett. Born in Ada,
Oklahoma, of a minister father and a school teacher mother,
Crockett left home at 18 and joined the US Army Air Corps to
became a navigator. He flew 52 combat missions in the South
Pacific, and after his combat experience, began asking himself
serious questions about life and its purpose. With a parental
inspired thirst for knowledge, he became a reader, not only of
technical publications, but also of philosophy, theology,
religion, the Bible, history, energy and more. Crockett's study of
spiritual disciplines, including scientology, theosophy, and the
doctrine of Rosacrucians, gave him the ability to utilize selected
precepts for his arguments with Watkins."
Bugliosi:
Interestingly, Crockett uses the same
terminology to describe what he had done as Ted Patrick, with the
difference of course that Crockett didn't resort to violence, and
the further difference that gangs like Manson can only remotely be
compare to more innocuous cults or religions attacked by Ted Patrick
and his anti-cult cohorts.
While by all means what Crockett did was very
effective, insightful and even heroic, he seems a bit at lost to
explain the details of it:
Crockett even came up with some weird ideas
of his own:
Crockett, however, was again insightful in
predicting what would be Bugliosi's most important difficulty (and
indeed right when it came to direct conviction):
This web site is
NOT created by a Scientologist. It is created by a Scientology EX-MEMBER
who is critical of Scientology. However, this ex-member is ALSO critical
of the anti-Scientology movement. This does not make him a
Scientologist, nor a defender of Scientology.
