OT VIII

OT VIII is the highest current course and level in Scientology. Collectively, the OTs are referred to as Operating Thetan course materials. OT VIII is known as "The Truth Revealed".

"This Solo-audited level addresses the primary cause of amnesia on the whole track and lets one see the truth of his own existence. This is the first actual OT level and brings about a resurgence of power and native abilities for the being himself. This may be done at the Flag Ship Service Organization only."^[1]

Until April 2008 the "Flag Ship Service Organization" operated aboard the Freewinds, a church-owned seagoing cruise ship staffed by the Sea Org.

Versions of OT VIII

Various outlines purporting to describe New OT VIII have been provided by ex-members who have completed the course, such as Ariane Jackson and Michael Pattinson. Jackson has described the course as having two parts: a preparatory e-meter drill, followed by a review of Scientology: A History of Man and an examination of previously identified past lives to find out which ones are false. According to Pattinson, the course included an affirmation from L. Ron Hubbard that "now he [Pattinson] knew who he wasn't, and was interested in finding out who he was."^[2]

Fishman version

In August 1995, Arnie Lerma posted the Fishman papers on the Internet. The posting contained disputed portions of OT VIII, including an exercise for communicating with animals and plants, and a passage depicting Jesus Christ as a "lover of young boys and men ... given to uncontrollable bursts of temper and hatred." Church of Scientology lawyers have asserted that the OT VIII documents posted by Lerma are fake; defectors like Lawrence Wollersheim insist they are genuine.^[3]

Wikileaks version

On March 24, 2008, Wikileaks placed what it claimed was a complete set of OT levels on their site, including a version of OT VIII not previously publicly available. The Church of Scientology objected that posting this information on its website is clear violation of copyright. However, Wikileaks did not remove the documents and claimed the documents were authentic. Subsequently, Swiss-based bank Julius Baer asked a US court to shut Wikileaks down. But the bank eventually dropped its case, after Judge Jeffrey S. White said that a shutdown was barred by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.^[4]

References

1. ^ Church of Scientology International. "Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart". http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/Part02/Chp06/img/grdchart.gif. Retrieved 2008-03-22. 
2. ^ Pattinson v. Church of Scientology et al., US District Court for the Central District of California, 1998
3. ^ Prendergast, Alan (1995-10-04). "Stalking the Net". Denver Westword News. Village Voice Media. http://www.westword.com/1995-10-04/news/stalking-the-net/full. Retrieved 2011-08-10. 
4. ^ Metz, Cade (2008-04-08). "Scientology threatens Wikileaks with injunction". The Register. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/08/church_of_scientology_contacts_wikileaks/. Retrieved 2008-04-10.