Subject: Brainwashed - A Bristol man man is suing an organisation which he claims taught him to lie and reject his family - 1994
Front page article : The Bristol Journal - UK
BRAINWASHED
http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/england/bristoljournal.htm
29th April 1994
"BRAINWASHED"
Bristol man to sue cult for over UKP10,000
By Emily Compston
A BRISTOL man is suing an organisation which he claims taught him to
lie and reject his family, whilst charging him over UKPo7,00 for the
pleasure.
John Simpson, aged 24, (not his real name) is a former member of the
controversial cult of the Church of Scienlology or Dianetics, as it is
otherwise known.
He finally escaped last month after seven months in the group.
If you had quizzed him last year about his involvement with
Scientology, he would probably have told you a few "acceptable
truths".
He explained: "For example, if your parents ask you how much you have
spent on Scientology courses and you don't want them to know that
you've spent UKPo2,00, you would say'more than UKP500'. They taught us
to say that they were acceptable truths."
WARNING
John, of Headley Park, is neither stupid or naive and yet within a few
months he was spending every weekend at the cult's UK headquarters in
Poole, taking part in self-improvement and PR courses.
In all, he spent over UKP 10,000 on courses andis now warning other
Bristolians about the cult which is currently promoting itself in the
city.
The cult boasts famous pupils such as film stars Tom Cruise and John
Travolta.
According to John, one of the reasons he was first attracted to the
centre in Poole was because of the people. "The people there were
intelligent, there were dentists, architects, lawyers and these are
the kind of people that Scientology want. They are bright and have
inquiring minds."
Within an afternoon he had signed up for a UKPo90 Success Through
Communiation course and he returned the following weekend.
He says the techniques used by the centre to enrol candidates are
subtle.
"I went into an office and had an interview. I really thought they had
my best interests to heart. By about 2am I was tired, I had work the
next day. They kept on saying 'just a few more minutes', but it was
more like an hour."
By the time he had set off back to Bristol, in the early hours of that
September morning, he had parted with a further UKPo400 an was
enrolled in another two courses.
John was elated - he felt more confident and his life became a cycle
of work in the week and intense sludy at Poole at the weekends. Soon
John was learning the Scientology language. He stopped having chats
with his friends, but instead was in 'com' (communicating) with them.
His parents began getting worried around December last year, but any
attempts to talk to their son ended in an argument and tears - "never
mine" wrote John a few months later.
In desperation they sought help from an ex-Scientologist Gary Fryer
who is now committed to. 'exposing' Scintology for what he believes it
really is.
PERSUADED
John was persuaded to visit him too and slowly he came oul of his
~brainwashed' slate and began to question all he had learnt.
John left the church in March and managed to persuade five olther
people to leave.
"I'm not very popular tbere, I have cost them around UKP5o0,000 alread
and I could cost them millions if I persuade any others to leave." He
is now suing the church for over UKP 10,200 -the amount he spent,
after loan interest, on courses at Poole.
A couple of months ago, he was paid a visit by an American private
investigator, employed by the church to discredit members of the
anti-Scientology fraternity.
"I applied scienlology to every side of my life. I really went for it.
Now I just want to get other people out of it."
