The Birth of a Scientologist: a silent affair 

a translation of the frist version from my article
"Geburt eines Scientologen: eine stille Sache"
by Joe Cisar




Even as childbirth begins for a baby being born into the Scientology System, it is already making its first acquaintance with the questionable ideologies of L. Ron Hubbard, the Founder of the Scientology organization.
 

"Maintain silence in the presence of birth to save both the sanity of the mother and the child and safeguard the home to which they will go.  And the maintaining of silence does not mean a volley of "Sh's," for those make stammerers."

L. Ron Hubbard, "Dianetics", Chapter X, "Preventive Dianetics", page 193

This instruction, as are all instructions in Scientology, is not something "historical," "out-dated" or "symbolic." . Scientologist Kelly Preston brought both her babies into the world this way.

Evaluation of this Instruction

An experienced obstetrician (a senior doctor) said of Hubbard's instruction:
This quote is illogical.  A human is a social being, dependent upon his environment from the start.  Doesn't the baby hear its mother's heartbeat while still in the womb, along with her voice and the noises in the environment, not only pleasant but unpleasant, and then everything is supposed to be silent at birth?  That would be scary indeed!

Development of hearing in unborn children

In the 17th to 20th weeks of pregnancy the«child's ears perk up», its ability to hear has already developed and it reacts to music and loud noises.
From the 25th to 28th weeks of pregnancy, the acoustic ability of perception continues to develop - babies at this age can hear the heartbeat of the mother and take in an increasingly greater share of their environment.  They can "eavesdrop" on voices, routine sounds and music, even if all this is muffled by the amnion fluid.  Music, especially, is enjoyed.  Most babies develop a taste for classical.  Mozart and Vivaldi are two favorites.

Many pregnant women start having conversations with their babies long before birth. Their thoughts and feelings accompany the medical-biological development of the unborn.

A beautiful birth

Many babies around the world are born according to the recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) without becoming stutterers. Just as important for the long-term health of mother and child is the mental condition at birth, for which the mother-to-be receives support, encouragement and, if necessary, comfort.

Music, for instance, can have a very positive influence on the experience of birth for mother and child.  The birth atmosphere in the environment of the mother-to-be and the newly born should radiate with sociableness and comfort and human warmth.

Lonely after the Birth....

"Next, the delivery itself should carry as little anaesthetic as possible, be as calm and no-talk as possible and the baby should not be bathed or chilled but should be wrapped somewhat tightly in a warm blanket, very soft, and then left alone for a day or so."
HCO [Hubbard Communications Office] Bulletin of 20 December 1958, "Processing a new mother" by L. Ron Hubbard.

Evaluation of this Instruction

The first hours after birth provide for recuperation, along with the first perceptions and acquaintances of the mother and child.  It is the first moments after birth that the mother most dearly feels for her child when she holds it for the first time in her own arms, so is it supposed to taken away from her again to lie alone by itself for a day?  In the first minutes of life for a new person, there is nothing more important in the world than for the mother and child to observe, touch and feel in fascination, by which they can find their own ways of welcoming each other.  From the time it is born, the baby already demonstrates socially binding conduct like crying or clinging in protest when it is taken away. Development begins right after birth and there is a need to form a closeness with a bonding person. The resulting bond lasts for a long time, sometimes for a whole life.

In the instructions described above, newborns unfortunately have less harmonious experiences with their mothers. Methods of behavior such as putting the child off by itself, or not paying attention to it, which are signs of human baseness and rejection, show the children that their binding behavior is either undesired or not understood - that is the message they get right after birth.
 
A newborn baby already knows many things.  It can cry, sneeze, swallow, suck its thumb, grab its mother's fingers, drink milk, and it uses all its senses.  Because a baby, from the moment of its birth onwards, is capable of learning, its development is, naturally, influenced by the attention and love in the environment.  Besides that, infants vary as much as adults do.  Some learn certain things very quickly while others may need a little more time.  However, every individual, from the moment life begins, needs human warmth and the loving comfort of a mother and family.

Additional reading:

"A Thetan assumes a baby's body usually about the time it takes its first breath."
L. Ron Hubbard:  "Have You Lived This Life Before?" page 50

 
 
 

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Scientologische Babykost

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