It is quite a task to give a complete and accurate record of this time track, and to put a reliable rendition of it together has not yet been successfully achieved.
However with the friendly permission of the publisher, we can present you the contents of the book “The Sad Tale of Scientology” by Eric Townsend which was written in 1985 – soon after the inception of the Free Zone. It gives a good historic summary of all what happened between 1950 and 1985 and casts some critical light on various developments. To us it seems rather unbiased, and it offers a good, neutral introduction in the matter.
Unfortunately no work of equal design exists for the time after 1983 (or if it does, please let us know!) Therefore we try to give a short review of the major events. Of course you are very welcome to contribute to it. Let us know when you think some other pieces should be included or if you find outpoints in this summary that should be corrected.
1982-83
“Purge” in the Church of Scientology. Many high-ranking and highly trained staff members as well as thousands of publics either leave the CoS or are ousted, many of which declared SP on unjust grounds in non-standard procedures. At the same time the highly successful network of “Scientology Missions” (or “Franchises”), where in many places Scientology was delivered with a lot of success (and administratively relatively independently) to a broad public is broken up.
1983
Captain Bill Robertson, formerly 2nd Deputy Commander of the Sea Org and Class VIII, together with other people founds the “OT Committee World Wide” with a goal to unite the forces of the scattered individuals that want to safeguard Scientology and enable it to be applied in freedom. The OTC WW from 1984 on holds yearly international conventions. David Mayo, formerly Senior C/S International, starts an independent delivery in his “Advanced Ability Centers”.
1984
Captain Bill Robertson founds the Ron’s Org. Soon he and David Mayo decide to go separate ways. In this and the following years, the Ron’s Orgs become an international network which delivers LRH technology and additionally OT levels above OT 8 which Captain Bill Robertson develops based on the LRH materials. Their meeting ground are the OTC WW meetings and conventions which after some time are visited more or less only by Ron’s Org members.
Mid to Late 80s
Many groups spring up in most of the countries where the Scientology Church has been operating. David Mayo and his AACs suffer under heavy legal attacks by the RTC and CoS; finally he is forced to go out of business.
1991
Captain Bill Robertson dies. Soon afterward different lines of development can be found amongst the Ron’s Orgs, some groups adhering more strictly to standard tech than others. In Munich, the “Free Zone e.V.” is founded as an association with the goal to promote independent Scientology.
Natürliche Heilmittel gegen Kopfschmerzen. Es wird zur Behandlung von Nilsteifheit eingesetzt. hollandpillen.com/zopiclon/ Hausmittel gegen Ohrenschmerzen Behandlung zu Hause Mittel gegen Ohrenschmerzen
1990s
Especially in the US, many groups try to escape the constant legal threat by creating new materials and technologies based on LRH’s writings. Amongst these are Enid Vien’s “Dynamism”, Alan Walter’s “Knowledgism” and many others, some of them growing to respectable sizes.
Mid 1990s
The internet gives a new boost to the Free Zone. The “Freie Zone e.V.” puts up a website which becomes one of the first major FZ web sites, offering all sorts of data and information on Scientology and the Free Zone. Together with the newsgroup “alt.clearing.technology” it becomes an important point of contact where independent Scientologists can take up contact with people of like ideas much easier than in the times before the internet.
1997
The Ron’s Orgs start to expand into the countries of the former Soviet Union and meet a strong interest with a consequent fast expansion. Soon more than 30 delivery units exist, the staff of which are trained under the auspices of Swiss and German Ron’s Org members.
2003
The last of the yearly OTC WW conventions takes place. Those Ron’s Orgs that insist on standard tech (the bigger part of the network) leave the OTC WW and form the Ron’s Org Committee to establish a stricter definition of what a Ron’s Org is. The OTC WW ceases to exist.
2004
The “International Freezone Association” is founded, a project to unite forces in the Free Zone and to preserve, protect and promote Scientology technology and philosophy.
2009
The STSS is founded to further the possibilities of independent Scientologists to follow their beliefs.