Here is a work in progress, which should be helpful in discussing the Corporation of Scientology's policy of disconnection.

 

Paragraph A of the License Agreement of the Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors/Field Auditors (Marks), L. Ron Hubbard's "writings and recorded spoken words with respect to SCIENTOLOGY applied religious philosophy and the organizations formed for the purpose thereof" are the Scientology Scriptures.

 

These quotes are from the irrefutable "Source," meaning I have been able to track down and verify the references (and provide them to you in the bibliography) in the many L. Ron Hubbard books published by the Corporation of Scientology themselves in 2007, as well as Hubbard Communications Office documents and lectures given by L. Ron Hubbard. Most if not all of these can be found in university and public libraries around the world, as well as online. I will update this as I find other reliable sources.

 

Thanks again to the anon who provided me with the actual books, hard bound and in the factory wrappers. I have finished my first reading of all 18, and will soon be beginning more in-depth study.

 

Unfamiliar terms:

 

PTS: (Potential Trouble Source) – a person “…intimately connected with persons (such as marital or familial ties) of known antagonism to mental or spiritual treatment or Scientology” [Ethics. p. 201]. “All sick persons are PTS” [20Apr72]. A scientologist whose statistics are down is PTS (or SP) [Ethics. 260]. The PTS is ALWAYS connected to a Suppressive Person [20Apr72].

 

SP: (Suppressive Person) – a person of known antagonism to the Church of Scientology [Ethics. p. 201], its Tech, its founder, management, or their corporate goals [Ethics. pp. 309-315]. This would include most if not all ex-members and critics [Ethics. p. 311.], as well as the majority of the secular mental health field (aka “psychs”) [Ethics. p. 264].

The first four quotes are usually used by scientologists (if they will admit disconnection exists) to claim it is no different from divorce or excommunication and that it is always the individual's choice.

"A Scientologist can become PTS by reason of being connected to someone that is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. In order to resolve the PTS condition, he either HANDLES the other person's antagonism (as covered in the materials on PTS handling) or, as a last resort when all attempts to handle have failed, he disconnects from the person. He is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person.
"With our tech of handle or disconnect, we are, in actual fact, doing nothing different than any society or group or marriage down through thousands of years."
[10Sep1983.]

"A Scientologist can become PTS by reason of being connected to someone that is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. In order to resolve the PTS condition, he either handles the other person's antagonism (as covered here and in full on the PTS/SP Course) or, as a last resort when all attempts to handle have failed, he disconnects from the person. He is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person.
"With our tech of handle or disconnect, we are, in actual fact, doing nothing different than any society or group or marriage down through thousands of years."
[Ethics. p. 206.]

"WHEN DISCONNECTION IS USED
"An Ethics Officer can encounter a situation where someone is factually connected to a suppressive person, in present time. This is a person whose normal operating basis is one of making others smaller, less able, less powerful. He does not want anyone to get better, at all.
"In truth, an SP is absolutely, completely terrified of anyone becoming more powerful.
"In such an instance the PTS isn't going to get anywhere trying to "handle" the person. The answer is to sever the connection."
[10Sep1983.]

"WHEN DISCONNECTION IS USED
"An Ethics Officer can encounter a situation where someone is factually connected to a suppressive person, in present time. This is a person whose normal operating basis is one of making others smaller, less able, less powerful. He does not want anyone to get better, at all.
"In truth, an SP is absolutely, completely terrified of anyone becoming more powerful.
"In such an instance the PTS isn't going to get anywhere trying to "handle" the person. The answer is to sever the connection."
[Ethics. p. 208-209.]

The next quotes clearly show the CoS teaches disconnection and believes it works, but now it takes the disconnection out of the hands of the individual and puts it in the hands of someone else:

“The bare fact is that disconnection is a vital tool in handling PTSness and can be very effective when used correctly.
“Therefore, the tech of disconnection was restored to use, in the hands of those persons thoroughly and standardly trained in PTS/SP Tech.”
[Ethics. p. 207.]

 

“The person is asked if anyone is invalidating him or his gains or Scientology and if the pc answers with a name and is then told to handle or disconnect from the person, the good indicators come in promptly and the person is quite satisfied.”

[Ethics. P. 190.]

How does L. Ron Hubbard recommend you go about disconnecting?

“HOW TO DISCONNECT
“...move to a ...new location. He need not write any sort of “disconnection letter”...”
[Ethics. p. 209.]

“He should disconnect and, if he wants to inform the SP... he may write a letter of disconnection... The letter would be inspected by the Ethics Officer... and copies kept for the PTS person's own Ethics File and pc folder.”
[Ethics. p. 209.]

“One discovers that an employee... is an SP... the PTS fires him and that's the end of it right there!”
[Ethics. p. 209.]

The following quotes show that religious progress is unavailable, actually denied to those who don't disconnect when told to, and that doing so marks them suppressive, so now other scientologists must disconnect from the PTS (now SP) scientologist.

“…it is a Crime to be or become a PTS without reporting it or taking action or to receive processing while PTS. Further, as per Policies on Physical Healing, Insanity and “Sources of Trouble,” a PTS may not be trained.”

[Ethics. p. 202.]

 

“A Potential Trouble Source may receive no processing until the situation is handled.”

[Ethics. p. 309.]

 

“This means that a person who is PTS may not receive processing or training while PTS and it also means that they had better do something to handle their condition.”

[Ethics. p. 203.]

 

“To fail or refuse to disconnect from a Suppressive Person not only denies the PTS case gain, it is also supportive of the Suppressive—in itself a Suppressive Act.”
[Ethics. p. 209.]

 

“Any PTS who fails to either handle or disconnect from the SP who is making him or her a PTS is, by failing to do so, guilty of a Suppressive Act.

[Ethics. p. 318.]

 

“It is a SUPPRESSIVE ACT to deal with a Declared SUPPRESSIVE PERSON unless you are the named terminal to deal with the SP (i.e. Sea Org MAA). Per the above referenced PL, " continued adherence to a person or group accurately pronounced a Suppressive Person or Group by HCO" is a Suppressive Act.”

[SPD 28. p. 1]

 

“To deal with a Suppressive is a Suppressive Act.

“The above is unequivocal Church Policy.”

[SPD 28. p. 2]

Disconnecting from your loved ones can give you great relief and even save lives?

“If you were to weed out of your past by proper Search and Discovery those Anti-Social Persons you have known and if you then disconnected, you might experience great relief.”

[Ethics. p. 181]

 

“If you were to weed out of your past those Anti-Social Persons you have known and if you then disconnected, you might experience great relief.”

[Slant. p. 196]

 

“The technology of Disconnection is essential in the handling of PTSes. It can and has saved lives and untold trouble and upset. It must be preserved and used correctly.”
[Ethics. p. 210.]

And even more clear statements that not disconnecting when told will stop your religious progress cold:

“Auditing or training must not be continued over an unhandled PTS...”
[Ethics. p. 211.]

When “disconnection is validly indicated in order to handle the person's PTSness, it should be done exactly per PTSness and Disconnection.”
[Ethics. p. 214.]

“Any processing of the Potential Trouble Source is denied or illegal while the connection exists...”
[Ethics. p. 320.]

“A truly Suppressive Person or Group has no rights of any kind as Scientologists.”
[Ethics. p. 321.]

“If evidences of disconnection are given, the Committee of Evidence Findings and Recommendations and the Convening Authority... must remove the label of Potential Trouble Source from the Scientologist.”
[Ethics. p. 322.]

Is this going to be in my permanent record?

“Any HCO Secretary may receive evidences of disconnection or disavowal and... must place copies of such evidence in the Ethics File and in the CF (Central Files) folders of all persons named in them.”
[Ethics. p. 324.]

And some more confirmation from a few others among L. Ron's many works:

“If you were to weed out of your past those Anti-Social Persons you have known and if you then disconnected, you might experience great relief.”
[Life. p. 196.]

"There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale, neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the Tone Scale by unenturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes. The other is to dispose of them quietly and without sorrow."
[Survival. p. 183.]

 

“The principle of the contagion of aberration is broad in scope. One can observe in any group of men that one or two may be much more aberrated than the others. One can make the simple experiment of removing the one or two aberrated persons from the group and he will then see that the general tone level of the group will rise.”

[Survival. p. 241.]

 

Bibliography

[20Apr72]. Hubbard, L. Ron. HCO BULLETIN OF 20 April 1972 “Suppressed PCs and PTS Tech.”

 

[10Sep1983.]. Hubbard, L. Ron. HCO BULLETIN OF 10 SEPTEMBER 1983 "PTSness and Disconnection." (Note: It has been claimed by some that this HCOB was actually written by Robert Vaughn Young, and then attributed to LRH. This is not the view of the Church of Scientology, Church of Spiritual Technology, or the Religious Technology Center, all of which continue to attribute its origin to LRH, and thus is effectively the Scientological equivalent of canonical scripture.)

[Ethics.]. Hubbard, L. Ron. Introduction to Scientology Ethics. Los Angeles, CA. Bridge Publications, Inc. 2007.

 

[SPD 28.]. Scientology Policy Directive 28.  13 August 1982. Suppressive Act: Dealing With A Declared Suppressive Person. Church of Scientology International (unpublished work). 1982.

[Life.]. Hubbard, L. Ron. Scientology A New Slant on Life. Los Angeles, CA. Bridge Publications, Inc. 2007.

 

[Slant.]. Hubbard, L. Ron. Scientology: A New Slant on Life. Los Angeles, CA. Bridge Publications, Inc. 2007.

 

[Survival.]. Hubbard, L. Ron. Science of Survival: Prediction of Human Behavior. Los Angeles, CA. Bridge Publications, Inc. 2007.