PAUL BURKHART INTERVIEW

Leah and Mike met with Paul Burkhart, a former Sea Org member and Ideal Org architect.  

Leah - First we want to know who you are and how long you were in the Sea Org? 
Paul - I was in the Sea Organization for, um, about three decades.  I actually got in to renovations, so that was one of my big buttons for getting into the Sea Org.  I was already a Scientologist and had been  for about 4 years, um, but, you know, the orgs back then were not really nice, and they weren't until way up into the 2000s, when the Ideal Org program really became a thing. 
Leah - So at the time, you're a full-on Scientologist, dedicated Sea Org member, being tasked with "We want you to build these Ideal Orgs for us."
Paul - Yes, my job was to do what's called a space plan.  These Space Plans often took months and months and months to get approved by David Miscavige.  They were gone over with a fine tooth comb.
Mike - and by him? 
Paul - By him personally. 

Paul - Mr. Miscavige saw to the establishment of the International Landlord Office and personally supervises the development of each Ideal Org, overseeing building selections, design, space planning, staff training, and all the myriad details that make Scientology Church ideal.
Leah - Asking about what?, a couple of $100,000? ---
Paul - We're talking about up to $300,000 just for the planning.  Overall between the building purchases, all the construction, the uniforms for the staff, anywhere from I would say, $8 to $30 million for each of the Ideal Orgs.  There were over a hundred different Orgs, we were trying to do -- make into Ideal Orgs. 
Leah - So, who is paying for that?
Paul - So, it varied on each Org.  Some times the local Org would do everything.  A few like Seattle.  They did it by fundraisers, every penny, you know -- every one should be doing -- this and -- that. 
Mike - Paul, tell us a bit about these fundraising practices. 
Paul - I was in the fundraising office quite often.  I would see all of these types of books that they would study on how to fundraise.  So, they knew it all, the standard techniques.  And what seemed to work the best for a Scientology fundraising was these crazy themed events.  You know, where its pirate week or whatever they could come up with.  So, people are already kind of a wild and crazy mood, when they go in. 
Leah -  One of my last meetings with Dave Miscavige, before I actually left the church, I said, Dave, why don't you at the next event ask who is going broke because of their religion -- Dave, just ask that question. -- he goes -- okay, anyway, let me just show you the plans that we have for another Ideal Org, and he laid out these huge plans.  Beautiful books with all of these beautiful pictures. 
Video shows, "Seattle's Ideal Org: Delivering the Future!  Contribute to it!  
Leah - What made you leave Scientology? 
Paul - Two things really.  It was the fact I was working on this Ideal Org, which wasn't working.  We were making empty buildings, and also I had a cell phone with internet access that I wasn't suppose to have.  So, I started looking at and reading other things.  And then I eventually went to the personnel department and told them, Hey this is a dead end.  This whole church isn't going anywhere.  It's just gonna become a kooky, crazy, crazy almost evil cult.  That's what it had developed into. So, I bailed.  Tammy Lundeen came down from International to interview me, and she asked be about Leah leaving, cause your thing was going public at that time.  And like, was I leaving because you were leaving, or something like that. 
Leah - Uh, wha -- that's weird.  
Paul - Yeah, it was really weird.  She kind of brought it up, kinda subtlety, you know, have you  -- did you hear about this?  And was this -- you know -- She's being handled, or something like that. 
Leah - She's being handled!
Paul - Yeah!
Mike - They did a good job, they handled the h-- out of you. 
Leah - They made me realize that I actually do have the rank to be asking about Scientology.

Leah - Have you ever heard of a Church -- a place calling itself a church - that is saying to the parishioners, "You need to live below your means, because that's really not  -- important.  But what's important is that you not only pay for your services, but then go in debt for our fancy buildings.  "insanity".  They continue to solicit their members to contribute to the Ideal Org program, building the Ideal Orgs, which are empty buildings, to show the public how they are expanding.  

Leah continues - How can it be a church, and not teach of a higher being, you don't study the Bible, but books written by L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer, who taught you can live forever, you are immortal, you will never die, and then he dies of a stroke.  David Miscavige says, Hubbard reached his potential.  He finished what he set out to do.  He reached the highest level of OT.  If this is true, amd Hubbard was healthy, why did Hubbard die of a stroke? 

The Church of Scientology is a cult.  It became more of an "evil" cult after it's Founder L. Ron Hubbard died on January 24, 1986.  In Scientology, which Hubbard said was a church, but wasn't, it was a business, you are taught not of a higher being, but in yourself and you can heal yourself by controlling your mind over sickness.  You are taught you are an immortal being that won't die.  (Which that in itself is a lie.)