Free Zone
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The Free Zone is the name used to describe the various individuals and groups who practice Scientology-derived beliefs and techniques in an environment free from the control of the official Church of Scientology.
In spite of the controversy surrounding the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, members of the Free Zone believe that the auditing process and other techniques used in dianetics and scientology offer genuine benefits.
The Usenet newsgroup alt.clearing.technology is used by members of the Free Zone to discuss their practices.
The name Free Zone was originally used only by the organization founded by "Captain" Bill Robertson in 1982 (now known as Freie Zone e.V or the Free Zone Association), but is now generally applied to all non-CoS Scientologists.
The Church of Scientology and the Free Zone
The Church of Scientology views "rogue" Scientologists with even more disdain than it does those who dismiss Hubbard's teachings outright. It refers to them as "squirrels" — a Scientology term which may be compared to "heretic", referring to persons who alter Scientology "tech" or practice it in a nonstandard fashion. A lot of "squirrels" were members of the Church, but were dismissed due to "unethical activities" ("unethical activities" being a catch-all phrase for any unacceptable behaviour).
The Church of Scientology has taken steps to suppress the Free Zone and shut it down when possible. It has used copyright law to attack the various factions of the Free Zone. Because of this, the organizations that comprise the Free Zone have avoided the use of officially trademarked Scientology words, including the word "Scientology" itself.
One basis for the notion that anyone has the right to freely practise according to the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, whether sanctioned by the Church of Scientology or not, is Hubbard's statement:
- "Dianetics is not in any way covered by legislation anywhere, for no law can prevent one man sitting down and telling another man his troubles, and if anyone wants a monopoly on dianetics, be assured that he wants it for reasons which have to do not with dianetics but with profit." —L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950)
Some Scientologists who are former or inactive members of the Church consider the Church to be a "squirrel group" because, in their opinion, the Church has altered and does not strictly apply the writings of L. Ron Hubbard.
Controversy over the origins of the word Scientology has given the Free Zone a way to contest Scientology's trademarks. The Free Zone has publicized a German book published in 1934 entitled Scientologie by Dr. A. Nordenholz (as opposed to Hubbard's Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, published in 1953), which they use as the basis of their challenge to Scientology's trademark claims. Because Scientologie was not written by Hubbard, they argue, the Church of Scientology is exerting unfair control over its practice, and it is attempting to enforce a monopoly. So far, legal efforts to challenge Scientology have failed; some believe this is due to the fearsome tactics used by Scientology's lawyers (see Scientology and the legal system for more details).
External links
- Freie Zone e.V (http://www.freezone.de/)
- Free Zone Churches Worldwide (http://www.icause.net/)
- Free Zone directory (http://www.freescientology.org/)
- Freezone AO International (http://www.fzaoint.org/)
- Freezone Scientology in Austria (http://www.ralphhilton.org/)
- Free Zone of America (http://www.fza.org/)
- FreeZone America (http://www.freezoneamerica.org/)
- alt.clearing.technology (news://alt.clearing.technology) newsgroup
- International Freezone Association (http://internationalfreezone.net/)
- Australian & New Zealand Freezone Association (http://FANZA.axdf.net/)
- The Truth About Tommy Thompson - Founder of ICAUSE (a Freezone Group) (http://www.whatstommyupto.com/)
- Free Zone Survivors (http://www.freezonesurvivors.to/)
- Freezone meters (http://www.cmeter.org/)
- The Compleat Aberree (http://www.aberree.com/) The Aberree - a 1950s publication on Dianetics, Scientology, and related topics