By Ruth Lorenzen
In the Church of Scientology, there is much ado made about written policy. "L. Ron Hubbard wrote this policy. It's tried and true. It's workable. It works for us. No one can operate on policy contrary to this. This is what will make us grow and survive as an organization. Use it. Never alter it. This is the word of God (L. Ron Hubbard)."
That's what the average Scientologist is told. They believe it. They think that the organization and its entire staff operate on this. They believe they are helping the organization if they follow the proper written policy and report alterations, non-compliance, or badly applied policy to the appropriate higher-up or department.
The second idea given a Scientologist is "If it isn't written, it isn't true". This used to mean that an order needed to come "in writing". It also means that if L. Ron Hubbard didn't write it, it just isn't true. It supports the first idea that there is written policy that needs to be applied unaltered, and that that is the only policy there is.
But that's not true.
Remember when you went to school, or you joined a club, or you were hired on to a new job in a new corporation? Remember that you had to observe the behavior of the new group so as to learn the way that organization or group operated? You do this observation task because most groups don't have a written manual about how they operate, so you have to glean the policies and procedures (the game rules) by observing how things actually are in that new group. Anyone who doesn't do this observation task and learn the new game rules is destined to falter badly in the school of hard knocks.
People drop their guard and check their observation skills at the door when they get into Scientology because it's hammered into them right at the beginning that the entire organization operates on written policy. "Here it is, see it, touch it, read it, operate on it!" You believe that things are going to be sane and smooth and organized in that new group because everything seems to be out in the open and easy to find the new ‘game rules'.
But you'd be wrong. And most people getting into Scientology don't see what I'm going to tell you now.
There is unwritten policy in the Church of Scientology — also known as "the hidden data line". There are procedures and methods which are not written down, which are applied faithfully by staff members of many Churches of Scientology across the world. The manifestations of the unwritten policy appear over and over again. It has manifest for decades. This odd and unwritten policy is unwittingly described by ex-Scientologists in their online writings complaining about how the Church of Scientology doesn't operate on their own policy.
On the contrary, the Church of Scientology operates absolutely on "its own policy". It just never wrote down those game rules for you to read. Without you knowing those game rules, you have been set up for failure from Day One.
The unwritten policy and procedures and methods are learned by every staff member (well… every one who stayed any length of time) by observing and experiencing life on staff in Scientology. The unwritten policies are drilled into the staff member daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, repeatedly and without ceasing. Just like the new kid on the baseball team, just like the fresh from college new hire, the new Scientology staff member will "learn" the unwritten policies of their new organization whether they realize or not that they're learning a whole different behavior pattern from what dear L. Ron Hubbard wrote down in green ink.
Once you stand back to observe, you can actually come up with the patterns of the unwritten policy. It's not hard to write a policy book about how the Church of Scientology operates. Just observe staff members in more than one Scientology organization. Observe Scientology "public" (non-staff) who operate on Scientology unwritten policy in their own businesses or lives, mimicking what they've learned in their own local Church of Scientology. Observe who gets along well within the organizations and who does not, who is always being sent to "the Ethics Department" and is in trouble, and who seems to never get into trouble ever.
You find that almost one for one the people who have read the written L. Ron Hubbard "administrative and management technology" and who are trying to apply it in real life, and who try to enforce others to apply it ‘standardly' (without alteration), these are the ones who are having difficulty with their local Church of Scientology. These are the ones who are considered "out-ethics" and troublemakers.
On the other hand, observe those proceeding on Scientology's "Bridge to Total Freedom". Most of these people have not read even a smattering of the reams of L. Ron Hubbard administrative writings. These are the "professional pc's". These are the people who have paid their money to get the Scientology counseling (called ‘auditing') and are not those who train.
Or you will indeed find some of those who are sly and keen folk who know how to observe the real rules of the game which includes pretending to operate on written policy while actually operating on the unwritten (real) policy. That is the only real survival method in Scientology. Knowing the unwritten rules in the Church of Scientology is the only way to survive unscathed in that game.
So the next time someone tries to debate you about what Scientology policy is, just know that any real intellectual debate is next to impossible. There are two sets of policy and they are usually contrary to each other. Both sides of the debate are true. Both sets of policy are being applied. And one is senior to the other. Guess which one that is?
The unwritten policy, of course.
Copyright 2008 Ruth Lorenzen. You may freely link to this article on my website, but may not reproduce it on your own website or a message board. Permission is granted to download and print this article for the purpose of viewing, reading and retaining for reference. Any other copying, distribution, retransmission or modification of this article, whether in electronic or hard-copy form, without express prior written permission by me is strictly prohibited.