Jump to content

Sea Org

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sea Org
Sea Organization
Formation1967
FounderL. Ron Hubbard(Commodore)
HeadquartersGold Base,California (Church of Scientology headquarters)
Location
LeaderDavid Miscavige(Captain)
PublicationHigh Winds
Parent organization
Church of Scientology
Formerly called
Sea Project[1]: 90 
Part ofa serieson
Scientology
PAC Base, Los Angeles
  • General
Controversies
More

TheSea OrganizationorSea Orgis the senior-most status ofstaffwithin theChurch of Scientologynetwork of corporations, but is not itself incorporated. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Sea Org was started asL. Ron Hubbard's private navy, and adopted naval uniforms and ranks.[2]: 263 [3]: 124 Today, all Scientology management organizations are exclusively staffed with Sea Org members.[4]The Sea Org maintains strict codes for its members, beginning with a symbolic billion-year pledge of service toScientologyupon initiation.[3]: 125 David Miscavige,the leader of Scientology, is the highest-ranking Sea Org officer with the rank of captain. The rank of commodore is permanently reserved for the late L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology.[1]: 139 Some ex-members and scholars have described the Sea Org as atotalitarianorganization marked by intensive surveillance and a lack of freedom.[3]: 125 

In a 1992 memorandum by theChurch of Scientology International,the following information was provided to theInternal Revenue Servicewith regards to nature of the Sea Org:[5]

[The Sea Org] does not have an ecclesiastical organizing board or command channels chart or secular existence such as an incorporated or unincorporated association.[...] Although there is no such "organization" as the Sea Organization, the term Sea Org has a colloquial usage which implies that there is. There are general recruitment posters and literature for "The Sea Org" which implies that people will be employed by the Sea Org when in reality they will join, making the billion year commitment, at some church that is staffed by Sea Org members and become employees of that church corporation.[...] The Sea Org exists as a spiritual commitment that is factually beyond the full understanding of the [Internal Revenue] Service or any other but a trained and audited Scientologist.

History

[edit]

The Sea Org was established on August 12, 1967, byL. Ron Hubbard,the founder ofDianeticsandScientology,initially on board three ships, theAvon River,theEnchanter,andHMS Royal Scotsman.Hubbard later rechristened the three vessels to theDiana,theAthena,and theApollo.The Apollo served as the flagship, or simply called "Flag", and Hubbard was referred to as Commodore.[1]: 93 [6]: 26 

In 1971, the Sea Org assumed responsibility for the delivery of the upper levels of its auditing and training, known as theOperating Thetanor "OT" levels.[7]: 46–47 In 1981, under the aegis of theCommodore's Messenger Organizationled by David Miscavige, Sea Org members dissolved theGuardian's Office(GO) and assumed full responsibility for the church's international management, later reassigning the GO's duties to theOffice of Special Affairsin 1983 during the corporate restructuring of the Church.[8]

It moved to land-based organizations in 1975, though maritime customs persist, with many members wearing naval-style uniforms and addressing both male and female officers as "sir".[9]In 1985, the church purchased a 440-foot (130 m)motor vessel,theFreewinds,which docks inCuraçaoin the southern Caribbean and is used as a religious retreat and training center, staffed entirely by Sea Org members.[10]Sea Org members make a lifetime commitment to Scientology by signing a billion-year contract officially described as a symbolic pledge.[7]: 53 In exchange, members are given free room and board, as well as a small weekly allowance. Sea Org members agree to strict codes of discipline, such as disavowingpremarital sex,working long hours (on average at least 100 hours per week)[11]and living in communal housing calledberthing.[12]They are allowed to marry, but must leave the Sea Org if they have or want to raise children.[13]

Background

[edit]
L. Ron Hubbardfounded theChurch of Scientologyin 1953 and the Sea Org in 1967.
See also:Scientology beliefs and practicesandSpace opera in Scientology

According to Hubbard, much of the galaxy, including Earth (known as "Teegeeack" ), was ruled tens of millions of years ago by the Galactic Confederacy. The confederacy was controlled by a tyrant namedXenu,who was eventually overthrown by a group within the Galactic Confederacy known as the "Loyal Officers". Religious scholarHugh Urbanwrites that the Sea Org is modeled after these Loyal Officers.[3]: 124 Urban also describes the Sea Org, with the naval uniforms and ranks, as an idealized re-creation ofHubbard's own World War II military career.He also states that the Sea Org is reminiscent of the "Soldiers of Light" in Hubbard's science fiction story collectionOle Doc Methuselah.[3]: 124 The publicized goal of the Sea Org is to "get ethics in on the planet".[3]: 125 

AcademicStephen A. Kenthas argued that at least part of the reason for the establishment of the Sea Org was that the Church of Scientology's practices encountered resistance from the AmericanFood and Drug Administrationand theInternal Revenue Service,as well as from the governments of theUnited Kingdom,Australia,andRhodesia.Sailing on the high seas meant the church could escape their attention.[14]

In 2000 the number of Sea Org members was listed at around 5,800.[7]: 53 Most Sea Org members reside in church complexes in Los Angeles, Clearwater, Copenhagen, London, Saint Hill, and Sydney, with some at smaller centers or on assignment elsewhere.[7]: 53 According to reports filed with theAustralian Charities and Not-for-profits Commissionin 2022, the Church of Scientology Religious Education College Incorporated, Scientology's UK arm, claimed to have a total of 700 "volunteers" (including Sea Org) across Saint Hill, London, Manchester, Birmingham and other UK organizations.[15][failed verification]

According to scholar Susan Raine, Hubbard created the Sea Org as a "kind of space navy, melding [sci-fi] space ideas with Earthbound naval ones." Hubbard biographerJon Atackrecalled a confidential Sea Org executive directive that claimed that governments of the world were on the verge of collapse: "The Sea Org would survive and pick up the pieces."[16]: 21 

Structure

[edit]

Sea Org Dayis August 12, during which ceremonies are held to commemorate the achievements and contributions of Sea Org members, and when rank and promotion ceremonies take place.[17][18][19][20]

High Windsis the magazine of the Sea Org. The first issue was released on Sea Org Day 1980.[21]

Estates Project Force

[edit]

All new recruits are required to complete compulsorynovitiatebefore they are allowed to join the Sea Org, which has been described as aboot camp.[22]During this phase, known as the Estates Project Force (EPF), recruits are not considered to be full Sea Org members. They are required to address all members as "sir", regardless of rank, and must run everywhere instead of walking.[23]Married couples are separated for the duration of the EPF and are not allowed to have private or intimate contact with each other.[citation needed]

While on the EPF, recruits are assigned an intensive daily regimen divided between five hours of manual labor and five hours of study and indoctrination known as "Product Zero". Scientology courses that are required to complete the EPF include:[24][25]

  • Basic Study Manual,an introductory course inStudy Technology,a simplified version of theStudent Hatcourse.
  • Introduction to Scientology Ethics,a basic course inScientology ethics and justice.
  • Basic Sea Org Member Hat,a course on the basics of membership in the Sea Org and what is expected.
  • Welcome to the Sea Org,a series of taped lectures originally given by L. Ron Hubbard in October 1969 to new recruits.
  • Personal Grooming Course,a course on personal hygiene.

The EPF does not have a definite schedule. A recruit graduates the EPF as soon as all the required courses have been completed and upon successfully undergoing a mandatory "7A Security Check", they are then allowed to join the Sea Org as full members.[23]Sea Org recruits verbally agree to an 18-point code or pledge as part of a swearing in ceremony. Members formally reaffirm their acceptance of this code annually on August 12, the day when the organization was founded.[7]: 54–56 

Ships and land bases

[edit]
See also:Church of Scientology § Bases and campuses
The church's cruise ship, theFreewinds,staffed by Sea Org members

In 1967, the Church of Scientology purchasedHMSRoyal Scotsmanwhich they renamed theApollo,which was used as the Sea Org'sflagship.In 1975, the church sold the Sea Org's ships and moved the organization to land bases around the world, which as of 2003, were operating in Clearwater, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City,Saint Hill Manorin the UK, and Sydney, with smaller offices in Budapest, Johannesburg, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, and Toronto.[7]: 53 

In 1987, they purchased a ship,La Bohème,which they renamedFreewinds.OT VIII,the highest auditing level of Scientology currently available, is exclusive to theFreewindsand can only be undertaken there. The ship also hosts various courses, seminars, conventions and events throughout the year, including the annualMaiden Voyagecelebration.[26][1]: 284 

Billion-year commitment

[edit]

According to Hubbard, the Sea Org's mission is "an exploration into both timeandspace ".[3]: 124 Sea Org members act as goodwill representatives and administrators of Scientology; all policy and administrative posts in the church's key organizations are held by Sea Org members.[7]: 49 Sea Org are housed in communal housing, which they callberthing,and receive a basic allowance of about $50 per week.[13]

In accordance withScientology beliefs,members are expected to return to the Sea Org when they are reborn; the Sea Org's motto isRevenimus,( "We Come Back" ).[16]: 175 Members must therefore sign a symbolic billion-year commitment, pledging to "getethicsin on this planet and the universe ".[3]: 125 The church contends that the agreement is not a legally binding contract and is merely a symbolic demonstration of the dedication members are expected to give to the organization, and that they are free to leave if they wish. After signing, members report to the Estates Project Force, the Sea Org's induction program;J. Gordon Meltonwrites that members may take several years between signing the commitment and attending the induction. Once induction is completed, the final decision to join is made.[7]: 54 

Members who leave the Sea Org are issued a "freeloader's bill", retroactively billing them for any auditing or training they have received. Although the bill is not legally enforceable, these Scientologists may not receive services at any Scientology organization until they pay the bill and perform an amends program.[27]

Marriage and family

[edit]
See also:Scientology and abortion,Scientology and sex,andCadet Org

From the early 1970s to the start of the 21st century, the children of Sea Org members were often placed in theCadet Org.Sea Org members may marry one another but are not permitted to marry outside the organization; extra-marital sex is also prohibited. Couples with children must leave the Sea Org and return to other staff positions within the church until the child is six years old; thereafter the children are raised communally and allowed to visit their parents in the Sea Org on weekends or about an hour a day.[28]Children of members have themselves joined the Sea Org when they came of age.[7]: 57 Several former members have said they were advised (or even forced) to have anabortionwhen they became pregnant to avoid being sent to lower organizations. Scientology presents itself as opposed to abortion and actively speaks out against it in its publications.[29][30][31]

Rehabilitation Project Force

[edit]
Main article:Rehabilitation Project Force
Sea Org members performing manual labor on the Rehabilitation Project Force

The Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) was created in January 1974 as a system of work camps set up by the Sea Org, intended to isolate and rehabilitate members who have not lived up to the church's expectations, have failedsecurity checks,or have violated certain policies. RPF groups are located within Sea Org facilities, and there are no locks on the doors.[7]: 65 

Many ex-Sea Org members have reported gruelling treatment. On the RPF, one works eight hours of physical work six days a week, such as painting, plumbing, and upkeep of grounds. The work may involve teaching the member a skill such as carpentry. Members also spend five hours a day studying with an auditing partner.[7]: 65 Former Scientologist Jon Atack argued, inA Piece of Blue Sky(1990), that treatment of Sea Org members in the RPF was a "careful imitation of techniques long-used by the military to obtain unquestioning obedience and immediate compliance to orders, or more simply to break men's spirits..."[16]: 206 One former member,Gerry Armstrong,said that during his time in the Sea Org in the 1970s he spent over two years banished to the RPF as a punishment:

It was essentially a prison to which crew who were considered nonproducers, security risks, or just wanted to leave the Sea Org, were assigned. Hubbard's RPF policies established the conditions. RPF members were segregated and not allowed to communicate to anyone else. They had their own spaces and were not allowed in normal crew areas of the ship. They ate after normal crew had eaten, and only whatever was left over from the crew meal. Their berthing was the worst on board, in a roach-infested, filthy and unventilated cargo hold. They wore black boilersuits, even in the hottest weather. They were required to run everywhere. Discipline was harsh and bizarre, with running laps of the ship assigned for the slightest infraction like failing to address a senior with "Sir". Work was hard and the schedule rigid with seven hours' sleep time from lights out to lights on, short meal breaks, no liberties and no free time...

When one young woman ordered into the RPF took the assignment too lightly, Hubbard created the RPF's RPF and assigned her to it, an even more degrading experience, cut off even from the RPF, kept under guard, forced to clean the ship'sbilges,and allowed even less sleep.

— Jon Atack inA Piece of Blue Sky[16]: 206 

Ranks

[edit]
Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
Sea Organization No equivalent
Captain Commander Lieutenant
commander 		Lieutenant Lieutenant
(junior grade) 		Ensign
Rank group Warrant officers
Sea Organization
Warrant officer Midshipman
Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
Sea Organization No insignia
Chief petty officer Petty officer
first class 		Petty officer
second class 		Petty officer
third class 		Able rate Swamper

Analysis

[edit]
Interview of someone who joined the Sea Org at 16 years old

Several scholars, writers and former members have compared the Sea Org to a paramilitary group.[32]InTom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography(2008),Andrew Mortondescribed it as a "fraternal paramilitary organization", and wrote that members are instructed to readThe Art of Warby GeneralSun Tzu,andOn Warby GeneralCarl von Clausewitz.He wrote that Scientology leaderDavid Miscavigecreated an elite unit within the Sea Org called the "SEALs", named after theUnited States Navy SEALs,who receive better lodging, sustenance, and uniforms than other Sea Org members.[33]

Lawrence Wrightwrote inThe New Yorkerin 2011 that the Sea Org used small children drawn from Scientology families for what the article described as forced child labor. The article described extremely inhumane conditions, with children spending years in the Sea Org, sequestered from mainstream life.[13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdReitman, Janet(2011).Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.ISBN9780618883028.OL24881847M.
  2. ^Miller, Russell(1987).Bare-faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard.Henry Holt and Company.ISBN0805006540.OL26305813M.
  3. ^abcdefghUrban, Hugh B.(2011).The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion.Princeton University Press.ISBN9780691146089.
  4. ^Davis, Derek; Hankins, Barry (2003).New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America.Baylor University Press. pp.48–49.ISBN0918954924.OL3572139M.
  5. ^Church of Scientology, Nov. 23, 1992: Third Set of Responses to the IRS in support of Scientology's application for 501(c)(3) tax exemption.
  6. ^Melton, J. Gordon(2009)."Birth of a Religion".InLewis, James R.(ed.).Scientology.Oxford University Press.pp. 17–34.doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331493.003.0002.ISBN9780199852321.OL16943235M.
  7. ^abcdefghijkMelton, J. Gordon(2002). "Chapter 3: A Contemporary Ordered Religious Community: The Sea Organization". In Davis, Derek; Hankins, Barry (eds.).New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America.Baylor University Press.ISBN0929182642.OL3572139M.
  8. ^Owen, Chris (August 1997)."Scientology's Secret Service 2. The Guardian Office (1966-83)".Operation Clambake.Andreas Heldal Lund.RetrievedJuly 8,2013.
  9. ^Reitman, Janet(February 23, 2006)."Inside Scientology".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on April 30, 2009.
  10. ^Burke, Daniel (May 4, 2019)."Here's what happens on Scientology's cruise ship, the Freewinds. It sounds pretty intense".CNN.
  11. ^Ortega, Tony(July 4, 2012)."Scientology's Own Promotional Material Attests to 15-Year-Olds in the Sea Org".Runnin' Scared.Village Voice.Archived fromthe originalon January 8, 2014.
  12. ^Headley, Marc (2009),Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology,BFG Books, p. 358,ISBN9780982502204,retrievedJuly 8,2013
  13. ^abcWright, Lawrence(February 14, 2011)."The Apostate: Paul Haggis vs. the Church of Scientology".The New Yorker.
  14. ^Kent, Stephen A.(2001).From Slogans to Mantras: Social Protest and Religious Conversion in the Late Vietnam War Era.Syracuse University Press. pp. 111–112.ISBN0815629486.OL15521204M.However, the less lofty reason behind Hubbard's establishment of the Sea Org was that he had encountered opposition in the United States from the Food and Drug Administration and the IRS, from the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, and Rhodesia, and from various media sources around the world, which motivated him to set sail on the high seas and thereby escape the control of any nation-state.
  15. ^Church of Scientology Religious Education College Incorporated Financial Report 2021(PDF)(Report). Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission. September 16, 2022.RetrievedMay 8,2023.
  16. ^abcdAtack, Jon(1990).A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed.Lyle Stuart Books.ISBN081840499X.OL9429654M.
  17. ^@Scientology (August 12, 2015)."Today we celebrate Sea Org Day, to commemorate the achievements and contributions of all Sea Org members everywhere!"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  18. ^"Religion, Belief and Culture in our Community"(PDF).Cumbria government. 2019.
  19. ^Hill, Jenna Miscavige.Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape.William Morrow and Company.pp. 95–96.ISBN9780062248473.OL25424774M.
  20. ^Westbrook, Donald A. (2016). "Researching Scientology and Scientologists in the United States: Methods and Conclusions". In Lewis, James R.; Hellesøy, Kjersti (eds.).Handbook of Scientology.ISBN9789004330542.
  21. ^High Winds.Issue 2 (1980).
  22. ^Pesta, Abigail (July 6, 2012)."Scientology's Sea Org: A Story of Escape for Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise".The Daily Beast.Newsweek/The Daily Beast LLC.
  23. ^ab
  24. ^Ottman, Martin (April 19, 1996)."Affidavit of Martin Ottmann (19 April 1996)".RetrievedNovember 13,2020.
  25. ^Schless Pressley, Karen."Joining the Sea Org".RetrievedNovember 13,2020.
  26. ^Palmer, Brian (December 1, 2011)."What Do You Do on a Scientology Cruise Ship?".Slate.RetrievedMay 29,2015.
  27. ^Farley, Robert (June 24, 2006)."The unperson".St. Petersburg Times. Archived fromthe originalon June 4, 2011.
  28. ^Welkos, Robert W.; Sappell, Joel (June 26, 1990)."Defectors Recount Lives of Hard Work, Punishment".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2008.
  29. ^Kent, Stephen A.(1999)."Scientology -- Is this a Religion?".Marburg Journal of Religion.4(1).University of Marburg:1–56.doi:10.17192/mjr.1999.4.3754.RetrievedJune 30,2006.
  30. ^"The Sea Org / Cadet Org".Exscientologykids.September 27, 2012.RetrievedAugust 17,2015.
  31. ^Lattin, Don (February 12, 2001)."Leaving the Fold: Third-generation Scientologist grows disillusioned with faith".San Francisco Chronicle. Archived fromthe originalon March 12, 2008.
  32. ^
    • Dawson, Lorne L(2006).Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements.Oxford University Press. p. 38.ISBN0195411544.OL72434M.Members of the paramilitary Sea Org sign billion-year contracts of absolute loyalty and service to the highest leadership of the Church of Scientology.
    • Squires, Rosie (November 29, 2009),The L. Ron scandal,Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia),The Sea Org is like a military organization. You live in cramped quarters, are served food in the cafeteria area and you basically work from 8:30 in the morning through to 11:15 at night. (former member Aaron Judge)
    • Cooper, Anderson(December 2, 2005)."Inside the Church of Scientology".Anderson Cooper 360°.It's very much a military organization. You wear a uniform, there's saluting, marching, standing at attention.
  33. ^Morton, Andrew(2008).Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography.pp. 126, 135–137.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sea_Org&oldid=1239637118"