There's a quote from the lecture Org Board And Livingness: "If we don't express the function on the org board, it will be worn unknowingly by everyone." One of the things left off every org board we know of is the position of historian. And given that it was always left off the org boards, we've all been wearing the hat. Perhaps it's time we put that hat on our collective org board and let someone else wear it.

That was our thought a few months ago, when we decided to inaugurate the Scientology History Project.

With this project, there were a couple of things we wanted to accomplish. First, there are a lot of gaps in most people's knowledge of the history of Scientology. For example, how many people remember "Tech Correction Roundup" from 1978? If you came into Scientology some time after that, you may never have heard of it. And how much do you know about how the technology progressed from 1950 to 1960? If you never did the Basics, you might not have a clue.

So one point of the History Project is to fill in gaps like that. To have a repository of all the little details like that which have gone into the make-up of the subject of Scientology.

The second point to the Scientology History project is to, as far as is possible, run out the group engrams of Scientology. There are quite a number of those. We need to fill in the lost details of those incidents, and provide a place where people can go and get the truth, so far as we can discover it.

And so we decided to take on these tasks. Naturally, we realized we couldn't do it alone. We knew we'd need the help of the overall Scientology community. Meantime we could put up a website to hold the information we find, and get a start on filling in the blanks and fleshing out the whole picture.

And we've done that. Our website repository isn't flashy and it doesn't have a lot of content at the moment. But we'll be adding to it day by day, and with your help, getting at the little details and finding time, place, form and event on a lot of points.

You'll never know most of the people directly involved in this project. That's by design. First, it keeps us from being unduly influenced by the various sub-groups and personalities in the Field. Second, we're not in this for the fortune and fame, if there ever is any. We're here doing this job because it needs doing, and we happen to be interested in it. Third, it keeps us elusive when it comes to the long arms of the Church of Scientology. And sooner or later, they'll probably get around to targeting us. That's what happens when the bad guys realize you're standing on the corner telling the truth.

We are not associated with the Church of Scientology in any way. Nor are we associated with any group in the Field, though some of us may be members of Field groups. Although we are Field Scientologists, we operate independently of both the Field and the Church. You wanted an unbiased history of Scientology? That's how you get it. At least that's how you try to be unbiased.

Will there by bias at the History Project? We hope not, and we'll be trying our best to ensure we start and remain that way. If you suspect otherwise, you're welcome to let us know.

By the way, it's worth noting that we are not the "History of L. Ron Hubbard" project, nor the "History of the Church of Scientology" project. We are the "History of Scientology" project. Keep that distinction in mind.

Our main site is http://scnhistory.org, where we have our bylaws, glossary, and other similar material. The history itself is at http://scnhistory.org/history/. We don't charge for access and we don't restrict your use of our content. If you want to quote us in your blog or elsewhere, feel free. You can also link directly to our articles, if that's your preference. And we have a pretty nifty glossary on the main site, free for your use.

Come visit us, leave a comment if you like, and if you have details about an event, let us know. Above all, please use us as a resource.

Cheers,

Paul M. Foster for the Scientology History Project