Summary: Ms. Hill describes growing up within the inner echelons of Scientology. How, at first, she was fully indoctrinated (brainwashed, as she later called it), but after much emotional abuse she realized the church was not for her. She became an advocate for those who also escaped the inner echelons of Scientology, which (if her description is accurate) can only be described as a cult.
My Thoughts: This book was an eye-opener for me. I try not to call any religion a cult, even though I read Dianetics at one point and felt that it was very silly indeed. But if Ms. Hill’s descriptions are accurate (I also tend to take the descriptions of former members of churches with a grain of salt), Scientology is indeed a cult. And a fairly abusive one at that. I enjoyed listening to Jenna’s journey from indoctrination to disillusionment, and was emotionally involved in whether she would escape with any semblance of a family life.
I think that I need to be careful of bias. As I think that you know about me, I generally do not bash religions. But when I hear that one is abusive I tend to believe the story. Of course I would like to hear both I sides. I also wonder if there are many folks who left the religion who are not so negative about it but just decided that they did not believe any more.
I believe that she, herself, was abused. I just reserve judgement about others until I hear their stories.
Didn’t mean to send yet…got distracted by a screaming child. I’ll finish later.
So, I believe her story, as far as the abuse to herself went. But her claim that this was universally happening to others wasn’t substantiated enough. She heard about it, but didn’t see it. To evaluate better, I’d have to read more. As far as believing former members if churches go, I see too many completely incorrect claims about the doctrine of Catholics claimed by former Catholics that I wonder how they could possibly have been Catholic and believed that. I believe in the abuse that happens within the Catholic Church, but not that there are churches that teach completely incorrect doctorine For instance, that Catholics believe Mary is God and Jesus is not…that is simply not what Catholics believe, and if they believed that, it was out of their own misunderstanding.