On February 25, I participated by Zoom in a conference hosted in Paris by the International Center for the Study of Eurasia. The conference theme was “Nation State and the New Transnational Forms of Religious Consciousness.” Talks were to be under seven minutes, so depth and details were correspondingly limited. I titled mine “Exceptional Hypocrisy: The US’s International Religious Freedom program.” ((https://gerryarmstrong.ca/exceptional-hypocrisy-the-uss-international-religious-freedom-program/))
Pro-cult, and pro-hypocrisy, sociologist Massimo Introvigne has now published an article in his online magazine Bitter Winter black PRing the ICSE conference and the participants. His diatribe, titled “Russian Repression of Religious Minorities Promoted in Paris,” is principally an attack on Russian cult expert Dr. Alexander L. Dvorkin. Introvigne, who has been black PRing Dvorkin for years, subtitled his article “The notorious Alexander Dvorkin and some of his friends claimed they are those who are persecuted—by the U.S. and Bitter Winter.”
Introvigne devoted a few words to lie about me personally:
Playing the anti-Western and anti-American card is common in Russia, but what is interesting is Dvorkin’s attempt to sell his toxic merchandise in the West. He came to the conference accompanied by some minor sidekicks, including Gerry Armstrong, an American anti-cult activist who in 2014 wrote to Vladimir Putin calling him a victim of “massive Western campaigns” of “black propaganda,” and asking Russia to intensify its persecution of Scientology.
Introvigne does not identify the “toxic merchandise” he says Dvorkin is attempting to sell in the West. Introvigne also does not say how my participating in the conference helps sell this unidentified “toxic merchandise.” Introvigne is using the common black PR technique of shameless innuendo.
I did not accompany Dvorkin to the conference any more than I accompanied any of the other ten or so participants. I doubt that Dvorkin and I got within eight thousand one hundred ninety-some-odd kilometers of each other during the conference.
Introvigne’s clear intent is to trivialize me when he calls me Dvorkin’s “minor sidekick.” I don’t recall anyone previously ever referring to me as someone’s “sidekick,” minor or otherwise, but here it’s not a bad role. For Introvigne, it’s a black PR failure. The Bible, although my KJV does not contain the word, names a number of venerable sidekicks: Moses had Aaron, David had Jonathan, Paul had Barnabas, and Jesus had a dozen. Now Dr. Dvorkin has Gerry Armstrong.
Introvigne calls me an “American” as if it’s a slur. I’m actually a dyed-in-the-wool Canadian, and have been my whole life. It’s true I’m a North American, but have never claimed to be a mere American. I have stated that I am a Canadian in sworn and publicly available declarations and affidavits, and even publicly posted images of my Canadian passports. ((http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/writings/historical/passport-1971-01-25-2-3.html )) In my 2014 article, which Introvigne links to and lies about, my first words were, “When growing up in Chilliwack, British Columbia.” Further on in the article, referring to the date I published it, I wrote, “It is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.” Introvigne has pretended ignorance of voluminous evidence and then not scored a black PR point.
The Scientologists have deliberately mislabeled me an American for many years, notably in Russia, because this serves their global black PR purposes. To vilify me as a criminal, they claim I’m “an American citizen, hiding from American justice in Canada.” Based on this black PR, on a covert operation they staged to con the court, on manufactured evidence, and on false testimony, last fall they attempted to get a California court to issue an arrest warrant against me. I recently wrote an article explaining why and how the Scientologists concocted and ran this unlawful arrest warrant scheme. ((https://gerryarmstrong.ca/any-time-of-the-day-or-night/)) Introvigne, whom the former head of the cult’s dirty tricks arm, the “Office of Special Affairs,” has admitted being on Scientology’s payroll, forwards the Scientologists’ black PR.
I am not, as Introvigne says and means, an “anti-cult activist.” Over the last fifty-two years, I have had certain experiences and acquired certain knowledge of Scientology, its inventor and dictator L. Ron Hubbard, Scientologists, and their collaborators like Introvigne. My experiences and knowledge that are societally valuable, and often legally important, concern Scientology-related lies, fraud, abuse, and criminality. I am a long-term victim of those evils. I am an activist, specializing in Scientology. My activism consists primarily of telling the truth about my experiences and knowledge. The Scientologists have gone to extreme and criminal lengths to silence me about these God-given experiences and knowledge.
In his article, Introvigne wrote that he does “not use the notion of ‘sect’ and ‘cult,’ and believe[s] such categories do not serve any useful scientific purpose.’” Instead, he and other destructive cult-collaborating “academics” lump every cult or sect, destructive or benign, murderous or spiritual, into what they call “new religious movements,” or “NRMs.” “Cult” is not intended to serve a scientific purpose. It is an understandable, useful, common language term.
“Cult” is a noun that can be further modified to create a definition that approaches scientificity. Scientology, for example, is a wealthy, dishonest, secretive, dangerous, vindictive, power-seeking, intelligence-obsessed, satanic, luciferian, extremist, religious cult. Since Hubbard claimed to have started it in 1938, Scientology is an eighty-three year old, wealthy, dishonest, secretive, dangerous, vindictive, power-seeking, intelligence-obsessed, satanic, luciferian, extremist, religious cult. It makes no difference to describe or define Scientology as a new, wealthy, dishonest, secretive, dangerous, vindictive, power-seeking, intelligence-obsessed, satanic, luciferian, extremist, religious movement.
Introvigne’s terms “anti-cult” or “anti-cult movement” are no more scientific than “cult.” He uses them as pejoratives as surely as “cult” can be pejorative. So can “church” be a spit word. I am not in whatever “anti-cult movement” Introvigne is talking about. I might be friends with someone who identifies as being in such an “anti-cult movement.” We might attend the same conference, just as I have attended conferences with Scientologists who hate me and seek to silence or destroy me; but I am not in that fellow conference attendee’s “anti-cult movement.”
I have spoken publicly about my Scientology-related experiences and knowledge; I have testified over seventy days in Scientology-related legal cases; I have protested with other folks outside Scientology buildings; and my wife Caroline and I maintain websites that make available extensive Scientology-related materials. If there is an “anti-cult movement,” its members very well could do much the same sort of thing, but that does not make me in their movement, or they in mine, if I had one.
What I do or communicate might make a difference to movement members, or their activities or goals, but that is the same as for Introvigne’s “pro-cult movement,” or even movementless people like myself. I am not in any “anti-cult movement.” I have always understood that black lives matter, and I obviously have said that publicly. I cannot think of anyone of any other color whose life mattered more. I am not, however, a member of the Black Lives Matter movement.
There is a somewhat organized “Scientology opposition,” and I have read quite a bit of discussion over the last several years about it having “leaders” and who these “leaders” are. I have opposed Scientology, it could be said, in that I have opposed the Scientologists’ lies, fraud, abuse and criminality for close to forty years. There was a time when I considered I was in a “Scientology opposition,” and even felt at times as if I was quite alone in my opposition. What could be called the “Scientology opposition,” however, was largely taken over by people who in important ways were serving the Scientologists’ purposes, and hated me personally, and I had to reject any membership or affiliation with that group.
It is a goal of virtually every intelligence agency or apparatus to control, or even become, its own opposition. This is accomplished by intention, infiltration, manipulation, skulduggery and other espionage skills. Scientology’s head and his lieutenants depend on intelligence, and spend enormous sums on their covert operations and operators. Scientology has an organized and active intelligence apparatus, and the whole organization functions as an intelligence-gathering and intelligence-employing cult. The Scientologists successfully burglarized or infiltrated over a hundred US State and Federal offices. The Scientologists and their collaborators completely took over the Cult Awareness Network, which was an important participant in the “Scientology Opposition.” Now the Scientologists and their collaborators have pulled off a broad and dominant controlled opposition to themselves.
“New religious movement” is just as unscientific as “cult,” and so are the terms “religious” and “religion.” They are neutral terms; a religion can be charitable or godly, or it can be antisocial or deadly. People’s Temple started in 1954, Aum Shinrikyo in 1984, and Islamic State in 1999. They are all newer than Scientology, and are all religious movements. The Infinite Way movement or the Foundation for Inner Peace are also new and also religious, although they might deny it, but, by all reports, they are peaceful, sincere and forgiving. The “academics’” “new religious movement” ploy conceals the evil they are paid to defend among the good that need no defense.
Hubbard established Scientology with a cult business model, indeed a destructive cult business model. His successor David Miscavige has maintained that destructive cult form. Scientologists could change that, but they haven’t. Being a dishonest, secretive, dangerous, vindictive, power-seeking, intelligence-obsessed, satanic, luciferian, extremist, religious cult has made them wealthy. All the Scientologists and all the academics insisting that Scientology is not a cult, and smearing the thinking people who call it a cult, indeed a destructive cult, do not change it from being a cult.
I am not anti every cult, and I am not anti every “new religious movement.” I am not anti every Scientologist. In truth, my activism, my telling the truth about my Scientology-related experiences and knowledge, despite their hating and victimizing me, is in great part to free them from the lies, fraud, abuse, and criminality they are subjected to and participating in.
I am anti Scientology lies, fraud, abuse, and criminality. It is clear that Introvigne is anti me and is pro Scientology lies, fraud, abuse, and criminality. I am anti being silenced or destroyed. The Scientologists Introvigne serves have paid millions to achieve those criminal goals of silencing or destroying me. Introvigne presents as pro those goals.
The greatest evil of Scientology, I believe, is its “Suppressive Person” doctrine, or “SP” doctrine. It underlies the cult’s extremist character, teachings and actions, and makes it a hate group. I recently wrote a declaration to briefly describe the SP doctrine and its relevance to Russia’s “Extremism” laws. ((https://gerryarmstrong.ca/declaration-of-gerry-armstrong-march-29-2021/))
The Scientologists’ application of the SP doctrine is widely known by the infamous euphemism Hubbard dubbed it, “Fair Game.” The goal is to silence or destroy people declared to be SPs. SPs are almost universally not “suppressive” at all, but are commonly honest persons, or “HPs.” Fair Game constitutes a criminal conspiracy against persons and rights. I am resolutely anti SP doctrine and anti Fair Game. I have been a declared SP and Fair Game since 1982. Introvigne is pro SP doctrine and pro Fair Game.
Theologically, Scientology is a form of Satanic Luciferianism, which I am anti. Introvigne, a “sociologist of religions” and knowledgeable about religion and Scientology, cannot but be pro Satanic Luciferianism. I am anti Antichristianity. Scientology is pro Antichristianity, and Introvigne is pro Scientology.
Regarding black PRing Russia President Vladimir Putin, I wrote in my 2014 letter to him:
You obviously know propaganda and black propaganda when you hear or see it, and you are the target of a massive western campaign. It is in part what I recognize as black or untrue in our North American propaganda about you that made me think of writing you directly. ((https://pravoslavie.ru/75577.html))
What I wrote was true in 2014 and is true today. I have observed and studied western media for many years, and I recognize a lot of the black PR that I see or hear. I am in the West, and I am anti black propaganda that the US and other western nations generate. I see no legitimate reason for it. It is very dangerous, presaging and pre-justifying conflict, even all-out war. Non-western nations’ black PR of western nations, where I am sequestered, is no justification for our black PR. Identifying and protesting western black propaganda as what it is, commonly goes by “whistleblowing.”
As Introvigne was publishing this black PR in his Bitter Winter magazine, US President Biden personally uttered a most maleficent attack on Mr. Putin, declaring that he has no soul. I will write Mr. Biden directly about this because of how wrong and antichristian his “no soul” blasphemy is. I am mentioning it here, however, because it so clearly shows how high, and low, western black PR on Mr. Putin and Russia goes.
Of course he has a soul, or technically is a soul. We all have, or rather are souls. All our souls are created by God in His own image. Mr. Biden can no more pronounce away Mr. Putin’s soul than he can pronounce away his own. What Mr. Biden, a professing Catholic, said was not just black PR and an indefensible lie, but irreverence toward the sacred. Every soul is sacred, and no one but God can take it away.
Introvigne’s assertion that in my letter to Mr. Putin I asked “Russia to intensify its persecution of Scientology” is a ridiculous perversion of my language and clear intent in what I wrote. I said nothing about intensifying any persecution of Scientology, or about persecuting the Scientologists at all. What I suggested was education. What I offered were “my experiences and knowledge.” Whom I offered these to were Russia’s “educators and lawmakers, and anyone else they might help.” I offer these to every country’s educators and lawmakers, including the US’s, and to anyone else my experiences and knowledge might help, including the Scientologists.
The only thing I asked for, and not from Mr. Putin or Russia, but from God, were His blessings on whatever we might do together. It isn’t necessary to ask, of course, because His blessings are not absent on any good we might arguably do. At that time, in 2014, I viewed things a bit differently, and probably thought it would help Mr. Putin and others understand where I was coming from, and couldn’t hurt. Relevantly, refuting Introvigne, I was not asking Mr. Putin or all Russia for anything.
Introvigne is quoted, speaking about himself, in a “profile” featured in the Scientologists’ publication Freedom, which they use in great part to black PR their real, imagined, or causatively fake enemies.
I’ve followed the activities of the Church for 25 or 30 years, and I helped publish a 100-page book on the Church by the American scholar Gordon Melton [The Church of Scientology (Studies in Contemporary Religions, series volume 1), Signature Books, 2000]. I was the general editor. I have also participated in conferences about Scientology; the last was one year ago in Antwerp, Belgium.
So Introvigne, for many years, has been doing just what I have been doing: educating people – other educators, lawmakers, and anyone else who would listen – with our experiences and knowledge. This is what conceivably I suggested to Mr. Putin. Introvigne has his experiences and knowledge with which to educate his listeners. He was never in the cult, and he has been collaborating with the Scientologists for years, so his experiences relating to Scientology are very different from mine.
Introvigne represents the “scribes” of Matthew 23, and I represent the prophets. He educates in PR, white or black. I seek to educate in the unadorned truth, as close as I can communicate it. I also represent the class of persons the Scientologists call SPs, who are more accurately called HPs, a persecuted minority religious class who speak up honestly about their Scientology experiences and knowledge. The Scientologists, and their collaborators like Introvigne, black PR the education of people in the truth about Scientology as “persecution.”
Introvigne, and other “scholars,” accusing Alexander Dvorkin of “masterminding the worst Russian violations of religious liberty,” is deranged. I can see that Introvigne says it, but I have never heard such a thing from other “scholars,” no matter how much they might hate Dvorkin. This accusation is a lie, nasty black PR unsupported by facts, and dangerous. Who are these “scholars” uttering such madness? What exactly did they say? What are these “worst Russian violations of religious liberty?” When did they supposedly occur? And precisely when and how did Dvorkin mastermind them?
The US, or its Federal Government, or its Intelligence Community targeting Dvorkin for “masterminding “the worst Russian violations of religious liberty” is just as deranged, dishonest and dangerous as Introvigne’s personal accusation. Introvigne is claiming knowledge of what the relevant US officials are declaring about Dvorkin. All of them should speak up and confirm Introvigne’s claim or denounce it. His implication that I am participating in the worst Russian violations of religious liberty by supporting Dvorkin or as his “sidekick,” is also daft and dangerous.
Certainly in well-known cases, the actual persons who are masterminding whatever Introvigne is labeling as these “worst Russian violations” are the persons who are masterminding the activities or teachings that violate Russian law. Shoko Asahara masterminded the cult that sarin-gassed Japanese citizens. Violations of Aum Shinrikyo’s claimed religious liberty in Russia must be attributed to his masterminding. Russian criminal law has doubtlessly been established toward curtailing and restraining the kinds of activities that Aum Shinrikyo, a murderous cult, would call religious expression or religious exercise.
Similarly, Scientology’s leadership, with very high level political collaboration, is actually masterminding, and primarily responsible for the claimed Russian violations of the Scientologists’ claimed religious liberty. The leadership knows that what they are directing to be done or taught in Russia violates Russian law. Their terrible and indefensible SP doctrine and Fair Game violate Russian law. Scientology’s US-controlled leadership and their collaborators do not mention the policies and actions of the Scientologists they control that are being seen as violating Russian law.
The US policy for many years has been to condemn countries like Russia, which oppose the Scientologists’ antisocial or criminal actions, but not mention the Scientologists’ lies, fraud, abuse and criminality, nor mention the Scientologists’ victims. This is a facet of the US’s exceptional hypocrisy that I spoke about at the ICSE conference, which Introvigne black PRs. ((https://gerryarmstrong.ca/exceptional-hypocrisy-the-uss-international-religious-freedom-program/))
I hope educators and lawmakers grasp this irony: If it is accepted that Dvorkin “masterminded” the worst Russian violations of religious liberty; and if it can be determined what masterminding he actually did; then Russia would probably be shown to be the very paragon of religious liberty. From what I have observed, Dvorkin’s principal activity has been education, telling the truth about his cult-related experiences and knowledge. To the Scientologists and their collaborators, telling the simple truth they do not want told is a “High Crime,” the worst kind of violation of their religious liberty.