NY Times = Merchants of Chaos

ARIEL KAMINER, New York Times writer, recently visited the Church of Scientology on West 46th Street in New York City. She tried to look into the church as JOsEphine PUBLIC, but was shown the door as soon as they found out she was a reporter.



But why, you ask? Because Scientology holds a certain disdain for journalists. Thanks to a WWP entry, we don't have to go to the Scientology site to get this information.

Scientology regards journalists in general as "merchants of chaos," as seen in this excerpt from Scientology's own web site:

"There are those who could be called 'merchants of chaos.' These are people who want an environment to look very, very disturbing. These are people who gain some sort of advantage, they feel, if the environment is made to look more threatening.

"An obvious example can be seen in newspapers. There are no good news stories. Newspapermen shove the environment in people’s faces and say, 'Look! It’s dangerous. Look! It’s overwhelming. Look! It’s threatening.' They not only report the most threatening bits of news, but also sensationalize it, making it worse than it is. What more do you want as a proof of their intention? This is the merchant of chaos. He is paid to the degree that he can make the environment threatening. To yearn for good news is foolhardy in a society where the merchants of chaos reign."

Ariel recalls towards the end of her visit, "...the instructors exchanged a few whispers, then asked everyone to leave for a short break. As they exited, a man in a tan suit entered, and extended his hand to me. He was the president of the New York chapter. Apparently while I had been studying, someone had been Googling. He complimented me on my articles in The New York Times. And my adventure in the press-shy Church of Scientology came to a halt. He was very polite, even inviting me back for a tour. But after a few minutes, he escorted me out..."

I believe she had just encountered John 'i thmell puthay' Carmichael. Apparently, John's nose must be on the fritz, because there's no mention in the article of what he was smelling at the time, and he didn't pick up the scent of a reporter right away. I'd get that checked out, John. You might be loosing your OT powers.

British Undercover: Hidden Camera in Church of Scientology [5 parts]
Britain's "The Big Picture" goes undercover inside the notorious world of Scientology.