Fair Game (Scientology)

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The term fair game describes a practice introduced by the Church of Scientology in 1967 , which describes the sometimes rigorous handling of its internal and external enemies or critics . One year after its introduction, L. Ron Hubbard's guideline was withdrawn on October 21, 1968, although this only referred to the use of the word fair game , the practice itself is still used today.

For the English-speaking area, the Foster Report counted a total of 29 fair game attacks against critics or opponents for the years 1966 to 1970. Since the 1970s, government agencies, officials, media and individuals have been targeted. In doing so, u. a. Scientology programs for covert infiltration of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and implemented by US government agencies as part of Operation Snow White . The actions themselves are said to have been carried out within the Scientology organization by the Guardian Office (GO) and, after the restructuring in the 1980s, by the Office of Special Affairs (OSA).

In the late 1980s, during an appeal hearing in the Lawrence Wollersheim vs. Scientology Fair Game as a core practice and that this should be protected as a religious form of expression as a result.

historical development

L. Ron Hubbard

After L. Ron Hubbard published his book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health in 1950, not only did he sell 55,000 copies in two months, but he also attracted a large number of reviewers and critics.

L. Ron Hubbard wrote in 1959 the secret manual of law ( Manual of Justice ) that only the Office of Special Affairs (OSA - Office of Special Affairs) know and top officials of Scientology: People attack Scientology: I never forget. I always pay back with the same coin until the point balance is balanced.

On March 1, 1965, L. Ron Hubbard coined a term for cracking down on Scientology's enemies: Fair Game (" fair game "). A real Oppressive Person or Group [have] no rights , Hubbard said.

On October 18, 1967, Hubbard drafted a Scientology Policy Letter entitled Penalties for Lower Conditions , which detailed the term fair game and the appropriate procedure.

The letter of law dated October 18, 1967, dealt with various states as they are used within Scientology. While the first three paragraphs were primarily intended for internal use, the fourth paragraph applies both internally and externally: Enemy: Apply rule for Oppressive Persons. Free wild. May be robbed of its property or injured (in any way by any Scientologist) without any disciplinary consequences for the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued, lied to or destroyed.

On October 21, 1968, over a year later, the term fair game was withdrawn by Hubbard: The practice of declaring people to be fair game is discontinued. Fair game may no longer be part of any ethical order. It harms us in public. [The new rule] does not mean that any policy on dealing with Oppressive Persons will be lifted.

controversy

The Scientology Organization today denies the use of the fair game practice, pointing out that its use was discontinued in 1968.

Frank K. Flinn, a former Franciscan who taught at Maryville College in St. Louis before going freelance as a consultant in religion and theology, repeatedly testified as a Scientology consultant. In court, Flinn said, when asked about the fair game practice of Scientology: Almost all religious movements are initially tough on their opponents , over time they become more lenient.

literature

  • Sir John Galway Foster: Inquiry into the Practice and Effects of Scientology . Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1971.
  • Janet Reitman: Inside Scientology - The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, New York 2011, ISBN 978-0-618-88302-8 .
  • Hugh Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion . New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 .
  • Lawrence Wright : In the Prison of Faith: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Interior of a Modern Church . DVA, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hugh B. Urban: Secrecy and New Religious Movements: Concealment, Surveillance, and Privacy in a New Age of Information. In: Religion Compass. ISSN  1749-8171 , pp. 66-83.
  2. ^ Hugh Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 , Chapter 3, p. 109: L. Ron Hubbard, October 21, 1968, HCO PL Cancellation of Fair Game .
  3. ^ John Sweeney [2013] The Church of Fear, Inside the Weird World of Scientology, Silvertail Books , p. 17, UK, ISBN 978-1-909269-03-3
  4. ^ Hugh Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 , Chapter 3, p. 109: Declaration by Vicki Aznaran, April 4, 1994.
  5. ^ Peter W. Edge: Legal Responses to Religious Difference. Kluwer Law International, The Hague / The Nederlands 2002, ISBN 90-411-1678-8 , p. 417.
  6. ↑ Russell Miller: Bare-Faced Messiah - The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard. Silvertail Books, 2014, ISBN 978-1-909269-14-9 , chapter 21.
  7. ^ Hugh Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 , p. 112.
  8. ^ Hugh Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 , p. 109.
  9. ^ Newsweek. Issue 36, August 1950.
  10. ^ Hugh B. Urban: The Rundown Truth: Scientology changes Strategy in War with Media. In: Religion Dispatches. March 18, 2011, [1] , accessed August 8, 2014.
  11. ^ Hugh B. Urban: The Rundown Truth: Scientology changes Strategy in War with Media. In: Religion Dispatches. March 18, 2011, [2] , accessed August 8, 2014.
  12. ^ Hugh Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 , Chapter 3, p. 109: L. Ron Hubbard, March 1, 1965, HCO PL Ethics, Suppressive Acts, Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists, the Fair game law.
  13. ↑ Lawrence Wright: In the Prison of Faith. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 , p. 334.
  14. ^ Hugh B. Urban: The Church of Scientology - A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14608-9 , Chapter 3, p. 109: L. Ron Hubbard, October 18, 1967, HCO PL Penalties for Lower Conditions .
  15. ↑ Lawrence Wright: In the Prison of Faith. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 , p. 334.
  16. ^ L. Ron Hubbard, HCO Policy Letter, Oct. 18, 1967, Penalties for lower Conditions
  17. ↑ Lawrence Wright: In the Prison of Faith. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 , p. 335.
  18. ↑ Lawrence Wright: In the Prison of Faith. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 , p. 332.
  19. ↑ Lawrence Wright: In the Prison of Faith. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 , p. 335.