This Photo of a Scientologist Allegedly being Punished in the Desert is Chilling.
http://www.businessinsider.com/this-photo-of-a-scientologist-allegedly-being-punished-in-the-desert-is-chilling-2012-8
Karen de La Carriere, a former Scientologist who is now a dealer in Thomas Kinkade paintings, claims she experienced the punishment in 1982, at Clearwater. "For four months of my life I had to run around a pole. it's supposed to be a spiritual enlightening tool, theoretically," she said. She claims she was punished after being falsely accused of funneling money out of the church.
"Your knees start buckling, your ankles swell but ... you're made to do this 12 hours a day. Even if you're in pain or stumbling."
"The punishment ended when I claimed I had good wins, good enlightenment ... you have to write a success story ... saying all these great things happened to you, you're very, very happy and you want others to get the gains you had."
"I would have written anything to get off the program. That was the only way out."
Here's the church's full statement on this issue, from spokesperson Karin Pouw:
http://www.businessinsider.com/this-photo-of-a-scientologist-allegedly-being-punished-in-the-desert-is-chilling-2012-8
Karen de La Carriere, a former Scientologist who is now a dealer in Thomas Kinkade paintings, claims she experienced the punishment in 1982, at Clearwater. "For four months of my life I had to run around a pole. it's supposed to be a spiritual enlightening tool, theoretically," she said. She claims she was punished after being falsely accused of funneling money out of the church.
"Your knees start buckling, your ankles swell but ... you're made to do this 12 hours a day. Even if you're in pain or stumbling."
"The punishment ended when I claimed I had good wins, good enlightenment ... you have to write a success story ... saying all these great things happened to you, you're very, very happy and you want others to get the gains you had."
"I would have written anything to get off the program. That was the only way out."
Here's the church's full statement on this issue, from spokesperson Karin Pouw:
As anyone can see, it is obviously not “a
Scientologist being punished in the desert” and such a statement would
be defamatory. The picture shows a person running on a well manicured
running track in a lushly landscaped area. I even see a seating area
with what looks like wooden benches. The person running is participating
in a spiritual program which is part of the Scientology religion and
covered in our Scripture. Many members of the Church choose to do this
program voluntarily and for his or her spiritual fulfillment. This
particular picture has been floating around the internet for years and
is not news.
Your question reflects a lack of
religious tolerance that is, unfortunately, all too common in some media
sources. Scientology is a relatively new religion and, while our
religious practices are not as well known as other more established
religions, we are seeking spiritual salvation. We work hard to answer
common questions and put the information on our website at
www.scientology.org and also our media center at
www.scientologynews.org.
But back to the picture: there is no
story here and I suspect you are being told wild stories from a small
group of apostates who only seek to infect media with false and
sensational allegations in order to further their religious-hate agenda.
If you were given a picture of someone taking Communion from a Catholic
apostate would that be “a Catholic being punished through forced
feeding?” And would that be something the Business Insider would publish?
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