Review Detail

HEAVY (aka crush) regging at every event makes one feel guilty for not donating to pay for everything that the slick marketing videos and layouts use to lure you in. Lots of events are disguised as something else which always end with a request for a donation. Go ahead and see how many events that you get invited to and then see how many of them do NOT at some point ask you to up your membership status or make a donation by the end. I myself was invited to these and initially not knowing they were really fundraisers went because I wanted to meet people and learn more. Boy was I wrong! When I mentioned this to my registrar he explained "That was a mistake, you should not have been invited." What?!

Note: I am not against donating to this or any church per se, however, it is one thing for a person to donate out of a sense of wanting to help and support their community from an internal drive and passion, while it's quite another thing to be pressured for more money at every turn with ads, while entering and exiting an org, and even through the mail and phone, until you finally donate just to get these people off your back! Yes, I get that it's a new religion and "needs to build" unlike many other established religions, but with reportedly over 1 Billion - yes it starts with a B - in assets, I am pretty sure that the Church of Scientology isn't hurting too bad anymore. And they could in fact lower their rates on all their items and services which would actually bring in more public to help - or at least pay their staff and the Sea Org members a decent living wage but intentionally choosing not to as helping staff, SO and public is not the real intention of the current management.

Furthermore, if the original lifetime HASI rate was really $30 in 1954, then if adjusted for inflation then this should be around $260 in 2014 not $5,000 as that is almost a 2,000% markup!! While $30 may not make sense anymore, the annual $500 rate should more closely reflect a lifetime rate to protect against inflation for many, many years down the road. But again, like everything in the current church management it is far over priced, not meant to help and one sees little in exchange for this, other than a certificate and a request to up your membership to the next level.

Source: http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm

And the "savings" are almost nonexistent - both in terms of the monetary value and salvation of others. (See under "cons" below in terms of the myth of saving 10% on items once taxes are applied).

As for IAS funds actually helping people, if one buys into the PR propaganda fed church members in the videos then one also believes that it actually makes a difference in the world somewhere. I have friends who work for the various non-profits partnered with the Church of Scientology, and they make very little money, work extremely long hours, and have told me that they feel more overwhelmed than ever! Yet I haven't seen any media articles that are outside of the church stating that the IAS, Church of Scientology or their related groups have made any difference or help, when it should in fact be turning the tide based on the promotional materials. (Though of course "everybody knows" that the media is suppressive that's the "real reason"). Let's not forget that these videos are often used to stir people up against a multitude of enemies - psychs, news media and other groups that are perceived as enemies but who in reality probably don't think much about the Church of Scientology other than as a joke or as a nuisance. So all of this adds a sense of urgency in the events to donate but also is very misleading (and if you have done the False Purposes Rundown, then you know that this is an old, but extremely effective tactic done by true Suppressive People who confuse, obfuscate and mislead a being with overwhelm and then give false stable datums for them to act on - if you agree to latch onto them of course. This to me is all the more evidence that the IAS and David Miscavige are suppressive or at least corrupted by their very nature).

There is some hope - If you made the mistake of recently donating and are still within your 6 month "trial membership" (which is odd as one is a member of Scientology by virtue of declaration, practice, study and investigation of materials rather than by a monetary basis let alone being a "trial member") then you can cancel now and get what you gave back. Just keep calling and writing in explaining that you are due a refund due to being a "trial member" and unhappy with the service and keep records of all communication.

Then keep the money and use it for far less expensive services in the indie field, or at the very least invest in yourself and take care of your health, pay off your debts and do what matters to you most in your life.