Disclaimer

Full disclosure: I've tracked the gradual roll-out of Milestone Two and signed up as an Associate Member. I agree with the objectives of the group and postulate their success.

Marty Rathbun

I'm unapologetically a "with LRH" Scientologist (Marty Rathbun's terminology). I've been through enough decades in Scientology that I've witnessed a number of instances where LRH had to pick up the pieces after some SP altered the technology or led Scientologists astray. It has always been every Scientologist's job to ensure such things don't happen, or if they do, they don't propagate any further. When LRH moved on, it very squarely became our job to monitor and call out abuses and alterations of Scientology. "Keeping Scientology Working" and "Safeguarding Technology" are now our job. And now that the Church can be counted upon to do the opposite, it doubly becomes our job.

Regular readers of this blog will recall that I've made Marty Rathbun the subject of a few posts, sometimes without mentioning him by name. Why? Because it became gradually clear to me that Marty was moving in the opposite direction of Ron's version of Scientology.

Marty says this was never a secret. And if you read the founding documents of his blog, you might agree. But this was not so clear for the first few years of his blog. Casual readers of his blog might mistake him for a "with LRH" Scientologist.

But at some point, he appeared to change course. At that point, I began to "target" him in my blog entries. I felt it necessary to sound the warning about him.

And you may have noticed I don't mention Marty much any more, even obliquely. That's because he's made it so clear where he's going, I don't feel it's necessary for me to say anything. He's damning himself by his own utterances.

Milestone Two

Predictably, there has been friction generated in the Field over the new Milestone Two group. They are a fledgling attempt to finally assert some organization in the Field without acting as overlords. The organization is voluntary and relatively inexpensive to join. They exist to support projects and activities which would be in concert with the objectives of Scientology (not the current Church of Scientology) and expand its reach outside the Church.

Let's take a look at Milestone Two.

• It's a volunteer group, with an inexpensive membership fee. If you don't want to join, you don't have to. No one's forcing you to have anything to do with them. You don't need their permission to survive.
• Membership can include anyone who agrees with their goals and purposes, including non-Scientologists.
• Their published intent and planned activities appear to be in the direction of promoting and expanding LRH's version of Scientology. This can only benefit the Field and the planet.
• The group has no connection with the current Church of Scientology. Always a good thing.
• Theoretically, the group could not force you to do or not do anything. Unless you're a member. And even then, I see nothing in the founding documents which can force you to take or not take any action, based on the dictates of the group. (Obviously, time will tell on this one. But the founding documents don't allow for it.)
• The group is just getting started. They have no track record. They may end up being a blazing success or a fizzling non-entity. It's far too early to know. You have plenty of time to decide whether their products match their intent. If you want to support them in their fledgling stage, you can. Or you can wait for real statistics to show up.

Given the above, why would anyone attack Milestone Two? You could go the rest of your life ignoring them, and succeed or fail, they'd have no effect on you at all. The only reason to attack them would be if you wished them to fail.

Marty versus Milestone Two

Perhaps also predictably, a loud note of dissent has been sounded by Marty Rathbun in his blog entry of 20 June 2013: The Way Out Is Not The Way Back In.

In the above blog entry, Marty besmirches the reputations of the founding members of Milestone Two, and attacks the principles on which the group is founded. Oddly, he doesn't allow the same ad hominem attacks by commenters to that post.

Whether the founders of Milestone Two are as depraved as he makes them out to be, I don't know. For all I know, Marty could be lying. And frankly, I don't care. Their products will tell the tale. What's more important is Marty's attempt to run down the founding principles and potential members of the group.

For a long time, my position on Marty was that he was probably simply misguided, caught up in the guilt of his own overts and dragging around a lot of unhandled problems. My wife was less sympathetic. She came to believe early on that Marty's intent was impure. I have to say that, after this latest attack, I have come to agree with her.

I could be wrong. I hope I am. But virtually everything Marty has said in the last few weeks or months appears to indicate that he wishes "with LRH" Scientologists and Scientology itself harm.

You're welcome to draw your own conclusion. That is mine.

My Bias

When I was a member of the Church of Scientology, I didn't defend its crimes and shortcomings. I spoke out. That's probably why I had so much "justice" leveled at me.

Although I am a member of Milestone Two, I do not and will not defend the group if I feel they are wrong. As is appropriate in any group, I will attempt to make changes through internal channels. If this fails, I will attempt to do so through more public means. I would expect any member to do the same. And I would hope that those in charge of Milestone Two would expect nothing less from their members.

If we expect whatever becomes of Scientology to last on this planet, we all must be vigilant and vocal in ensuring our groups and our activities are clean and adhere to the basic principles laid down by LRH.