Expert: Matt - 11/2/2009

Question
What are the flaws of Scientology in it's current state?

Because you mentioned earlier that it does indeed have flaws, I am assuming you're a scientologist who believes in the tech, but doesn't mind taking a step back and ovserving it from an objective perspective to the best of your ability. Would you agree with my estimation?

Answer
Hi, Mike.

I went back through my previous answers to questions, in search of where I said that Scientology has its flaws. The closest I could find was this:

"No organization is perfect and Scientology is certainly no exception. Organizations staffed and run by men will always be prone to the follies of man."

This was what I stated in response to someone who was asking me about a specific indefensible incident that had occurred many years ago. Specifically, what I was trying to communicate was that people, individual people, had made mistakes or done things which were wrong, and that those wrong actions deviated from what a Scientologist should have done. Basically, just because this one person or persons did something wrong, doesn't make Scientology or Scientologists guilty as a whole.

I am a Scientologist, though I wouldn't describe my adherence as "belief in the tech," as you put it. Rather, I'd say I have experienced the fact that using Scientology in my life has helped me to survive better. And to use your words again, "taking a step back and observing things objectively to the best of your ability," is exactly how L. Ron Hubbard encouraged people to evaluate Scientology for themselves.

And now to the meat of your question. It seems as though what you are asking me to do is to list aspects of Scientology of which I am critical. I feel this falls outside the realm of my duties as a volunteer expert on Scientology. I am here to answer questions about Scientology specifically, not to share my personal opinions about it. I am willing to share my personal opinion when it helps to clarify an answer, or when it is relevant to a specific question I am answering about Scientology, but in this case I feel the question is too broad and would need to be more specific.

If you'd like to pose a follow-up question, please feel free. I will always to my best to give an honest, prompt response.

Matt