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Having in mind the failings of cultism and the failings of anti-cultism, but having also in mind the fact that both are distortions of genuine needs, I encourage the pursuit of a moderate and reasonable approach which I refer to as the third way. The third way aims at a factual and respectful criticism of cultic movements, and the pursuit of anti-cult ideals in a way that does not endanger Freedom of Belief and basic civil rights. |
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What I call the “3Rd way” is a different kind of approach to the cult/anti-cult issue. One that is lucid about the shortcomings of both sides, and attemps to bring facts and reason in the issue rather than buy into the propaganda of either side. A good example of that is the new FBI approach. The FBI relied on anti-cult information during the Waco crisis. It turned out to be a total disaster and an immense tragedy. They have since revised their basis and given a more serious ear to those anti-cultists dismiss as “cult apologists”. Their current approach, described in the "FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin", is now examplary when it comes to illustrate the “third way”. Indeed, while taking into account the potential danger of cults, they also discard typical anti-cult myths. The result is an approach that does not ignore the potential dangers that cults can represent, but also one that does not jump into hysterical and confrontational mode. It takes into account the genuine concern of all actors involved, and addresses the situation with realism and professionalism. In this section, thus, I attempt to reflect on elements which I consider part of the 3Rd way. It is made of the FBI report above, as well as a list of recommented scholarly papers available on line. It also contains a remarkably balanced magazine article in which Yours Truly is given his say; excerpts of posts from other ex-members who, like me, oppose both Scientology and critics; affidavits which you are not likely to find on critical sites and which sometimes give a very different view than the one critical sites feature; and excerpts of posts made by moderate critics and moderate Scientologists. It even features two exclusive web sites built by moderate Scientologists to express their view and which are hosted on my domain. Examples of newbies who quickly get to grasp the cultic nature of the critical movement and which are promptly rounded off as being “OSA spies” by critics are also featured. A quick review of various web sites is included as well. One in particular targets “Operation Clambake”, the leading web site when it comes to the critical movement. The review is in fact a summary written by a moderate Scientologists who had extensive interactions with critics from the Clambake forum. It is also featured on the web site in question, for which it was written initially. Finally, I web a few pages relating to the kind of reactions moderate critics and dissenters have had to face, me in particular, as well as the result of the eleven net-related court cases between critics and the CoS. Article from the Silicon Alley Reporter - Scholarly Papers on Line - Size - Wolf - Vicky Aznaran Peter Mante - Moderate Scientologists - Moderate ex-members - Moderate critics - Newbies - Stillwaters - E.J. - RonsAmigo - Links - A Critic of Operation Clambake - Attack on Dissenters - Baseless Accusations - IRC Channels - The Eleven NEt-Related Cases
Home - Site map - Search - What's New - Contact Disclaimer – 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.
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