| dbo:abstract
|
- OT VIII or OT 8 (Operating Thetan Level 8) is the highest current auditing level in Scientology. OT VIII is known as "The Truth Revealed" and was first released to select high-ranking public Scientologists in 1988, two years after the death of Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. OT VIII is only delivered to members of the Church of Scientology in one place—aboard the organization's private cruise ship, the Freewinds, and is additionally available from independent Scientology groups. There are a few advanced auditors that are able to deliver the level to those who meet the prerequisites. The original version authored by Hubbard himself created a furor among Scientologists because of several claims he made that "horribly upset" early participants: he would return from the grave and, in a Messiah-like role, stop an impending apocalyptic alien invasion by the Galactic Confederacy, implying that the Historical Jesus was a homosexual and a pedophile, apparently identifying himself with the Antichrist, warning that someone attempting this auditing level without being prepared may spontaneously combust, and implying that this was the last OT level Hubbard intended to publish. The Church of Scientology asserts that the version of OT VIII provided in the Fishman Affidavit is a forgery, but numerous early participants, as well as Mark Rathbun, former Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), have confirmed the document is authentic, and its copyright is verifiable at the United States Copyright Office. The revised version the Church currently uses was not authored by Hubbard, and instructs participants to repeat the same courses in perpetuity, which is the current church policy. All of the above controversial claims made by Hubbard have been removed. Participants of the revised version described the course as having two parts: a preparatory e-meter drill, followed by a review of Scientology: A History of Man, and an examination of previously identified past lives to find out which ones are false. The course includes a claimed affirmation from Hubbard that "now [the participant] knew who he wasn't, and was interested in finding out who he was." The Church of Scientology describes the revised OT VIII as a "Solo-audited level [which] addresses the primary cause of amnesia on the whole track and lets one see the truth of his own existence. This is the first actual OT level and brings about a resurgence of power and native abilities for the being himself." According to Mike Rinder, the publication of OT VIII was a watershed moment in Scientology's history. The response by early participants who balked at its claims and left the organization as a result resembled the response to OT III when it was released. The church revised it into its current form after apologists were not able to stop the wave of departures it was causing. Its publication also coincided with the arrival of the Internet, which presented new challenges for the church. Vexatious litigation had been effective at preventing publishers from disseminating information critical of Scientology to the public, but the World Wide Web made it possible for individuals to publish information without needing a publisher. That information could then be seen by anyone with internet access. Departures accelerated as a result, and the church responded by increasingly isolating itself from the public. Rinder also stated that this marked the beginning of the policy of disconnection being used punitively as punishment for Scientologists who leave the church. This produced a culture of "captive" Scientologists: members that remain not because they are faithful to the tenets, but because they fear their families being broken up by disconnection if they leave the church. (en)
|
