Scientology set to release new courses aimed at children, despite High Court warnings

Scientology’s reclusive leader David Miscavige is set to release a swathe of new courses aimed at indoctrinating children, despite a UK High Court judge warning of the organisation’s attempts to “indoctrinate” the young and vulnerable.

At an event held at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida earlier this month Miscavige announced the unveiling of new courses based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard covering introductory Scientology concepts such as communication, the emotional Tone Scale and the Eight Dynamics. The conference was filmed, with Orgs around the world expected to announce the new releases at local screening events today.

Saint Hill, Scientology’s UK headquarters near East Grinstead, Sussex, held an “LRH Birthday Celebration Brunch” this morning with activities scheduled throughout the day and showings of the event taking place at 1.30pm and 4pm. To entice Scientologist parents to bring their children to the event, they have also advertised complimentary Mr. Whippy Ice Cream for all kids present on the day.

Perhaps most amusingly is one poster, which states “some events move the world foarward. This is one of them.” Foarward?

The decision to revamp Scientology’s courses for children is understood to have come as the Church faces a decline in its membership numbers. As a result of growing criticism in the press, documentaries and online Scientologists have struggled to recruit new people in recent years. The majority of those still involved with the group are understood to be second or third generation, raised in Scientology and faced with disconnection and excommunication from other family members should they choose to leave or speak out. The Scientology population is aging, with the majority of its mega donors such as Trish Duggan, Tom Cummins and celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta well into (or past) their 60s.

In 1984, High Court Judge Lord Justice Latey warned about Scientology’s efforts to recruit and indoctrinate children. “In my judgement [Scientology] is corrupt, sinister and dangerous. It is corrupt because it is based on lies and deceit and has as its real objective money and power for Mr. Hubbard, his wife and those close to him at the top.

“It is sinister because it indulges in infamous practices both to its adherents who do not toe the line unquestioningly and to those outside who criticise or oppose it. It is dangerous because it is out to capture people, especially children and impressionable young people, and indoctrinate and brainwash them so that they become the unquestioning captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living and relationships with others.”

The ruling also states “The objective of Scientology is to capture the child and its mind. The auditing – the processing – begins at an early age… I agree with Dr. Clark that Scientology training is training for slavery.”

In 1971, the UK government’s Foster Report also laid out concerns about the impact the practice of Scientology has on children. It states “The Government are satisfied, having reviewed all the available evidence, that scientology is socially harmful. It alienates members of families from each other and attributes squalid and disgraceful motives to all who oppose it; its authoritarian principles and practice are a potential menace to the personality and well-being of those so deluded as to become its followers, above all, its methods can be a serious danger to the health of those who submit to them. There is evidence that children are now being indoctrinated.”

In order to facilitate the new children’s courses, Scientology are also unveiling new course rooms in its Orgs dedicated to delivering services specifically for children. The details of the new courses are still unclear, but analysing posts made by Scientologists on social media after the event in Florida earlier this month appears to indicate two sets aimed at different age groups.

For younger kids, the courses include:

• How to be happy
• Honesty
• Start Change Stop
• Confront Drills
• Assists
• How the Mind Works
• The Eight Parts of Life
• Body, Mind, Thetan
• The Tone Levels
• A-R-C

And for adolescents, we can see courses with titles such as:

• 21 Steps to Happiness
• How Control Works
• Honesty & Survival
• Communication Drills
• How to do Assists
• Understanding the Mind
• The Eight Dynamics
• The Parts of Man
• The Tone Scale
• A-R-C Triangle

These topics cover some of the basic principles of Scientology’s belief system and appear to be a repackaging of concepts available in the Volunteer Minister booklets. The “new” courses, it should be noticed, are based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard – who died in 1986.

Scientology was rejected charity status by the Charity Commission in 1999 after it was found the church “does not benefit the public.”