Blog: Sitting In Judgment - 2013-02-16
Sitting In Judgment February 16, 2013,
In December 2012 I posted an essay on this blog suggesting that judgmentalism is a negative trait that Scientologists ought take care to curb. This blog is frequented in the main by former members of the church of Scientology who still consider themselves Scientologists. These are people that have been out of the organization for years and who profess that Scientology ought not be used to control and dominate the lives of others. Nonetheless, a popular counter-position posted in response to my essay was that 'labeling, and judgmentalism, is just fine in and of itself – the only problem with such practice is inaccuracy of the labeling.' Even years after their participation in the organization, many Scientologists considered a judgmental attitude a positive virtue provided it is done in keeping with their own standards of accuracy. The most zealous proponents of that idea resorted to ad hominem attacks on me for raising such issues, and ultimately disconnected from me.
I do not contend that the labels Scientology promotes usage of are inaccurate or harmful provided they are used in a professional manner as initially intended upon creation. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard created numerous constructs against which the mind, spirit and human condition could be understood and improved. He observed and recorded gradient scales ranging from horrendous, painful conditions all the way up to beautiful, joyous conditions. The scales are invaluable when used by professionally trained Scientologists to help move people up those conditions. But, just like any other field of the mind and spirit – including psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and other religions and systems of spirituality – the moment one takes the diagnosis and treatment or practice scheme out of the hands of trained, responsible practitioners and applies it casually and inexpertly in the field of day to day human relations, disaster is close to inevitable.
Imagine a friend telling you that you are an obsessive compulsive disorder case – in all seriousness - , and thereafter treating you as leprous until you conformed with that friend's standard of acceptable behavior. How long would you tolerate that friend in your proximity? Not for long I suspect. Scientologists – regardless of levels of training – are encouraged to apply their own, equally judgmental, labels to others and apply them in life.