Editing Free Zone (Scientology) (section)

== Free Zone groups ==

=== Ron's Org ===

Bill Robertson had been a [[Sea Org]] member with the Church of Scientology on the flag ship ''[[Apollo (Scientology)|Apollo]]''. In the early 1980s, Robertson left the Church and founded Ron's Org, a loose federation of Scientology groups operating outside the Church. Headquartered in Switzerland, Ron's Org included affiliated centers in Germany, Russia, and other former parts of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freezone.org/cbr/sector9/e_fzdecr.htm |title=The Free Zone Decree |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416224032/http://www.freezone.org/cbr/sector9/e_fzdecr.htm |archive-date=2007-04-16 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ronsorg.com/bill-robertson |title=Captain Bill Robertson a.k.a. "Captain Bill" and "CBR" |website=ronsorg.com |access-date=April 20, 2024}}</ref>{{r|lewis2013|pp=262-4}} Robertson claimed that he was channeling messages from Hubbard after the latter's death, through which he discovered [[Operating Thetan|OT levels]] above the eight being offered by the Church.{{r|lewis2013|p=265}} Although Ron's Org founding members were formerly part of the Church, many later Ron's Org members never had any prior involvement with the Church.{{r|lewis2013|p=269}}

=== Advanced Ability Center ===

{{Main|Advanced Ability Center}}
[[David Mayo (Scientology)|David Mayo]] founded [[Advanced Ability Center]] in the Santa Barbara, California area. Mayo had been the highest-ranking technical officer in Scientology, but was removed in the early 1980s by [[David Miscavige]]. Several years of harassment and litigation followed. In 1985, the Church of Scientology succeeded in getting an injunction against Mayo selling Scientology services, and in 1986 the center went bankrupt and closed.{{r|reitman|pages=157-8}}

=== Marty Rathbun ===
{{Main|Marty Rathbun}}

Marty Rathbun rose in the Church of Scientology to the post of Inspector General of the [[Religious Technology Center]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rtc.org/en_US/mark-rathbun.html |title=Mark Rathbun Inspector General Religious Technology Center |publisher=[[Religious Technology Center]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050904200333/http://www.rtc.org/en_US/mark-rathbun.html |archive-date=2005-09-04}}</ref> He defected in 2004 and disappeared for several years before reappearing and offering to provide Scientology auditing services.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tom Cruise's confessions mocked at Scientology parties |work=MSN NZ |publisher=MSN New Zealand Ltd |date=May 9, 2010 |url=http://entertainment.msn.co.nz/blog.aspx?blogentryid=644319&showcomments=true |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526192347/http://entertainment.msn.co.nz/blog.aspx?blogentryid=644319&showcomments=true |archive-date=May 26, 2010 |quote=Since defecting from the Church in 2004, Marty has made a career out of providing counselling and auditing services to other former Scientology members.}}</ref> Reitman called Rathbun's activities a "virtual church" because of the sermonizing on his website.{{r|reitman|page=361-3}} He audited people in his home in Texas, and coined the term "Independent Scientology".<ref name="ortega2017">{{Cite web |title=Memories of a Scientology warrior: Marty Rathbun's curious career as church rebel |first=Tony |last=Ortega |author-link=Tony Ortega |date=March 14, 2017 |website=The Underground Bunker |url=https://tonyortega.org/2017/03/14/memories-of-a-scientology-warrior-marty-rathbuns-curious-career-as-church-rebel/}}</ref> But then years of [[Fair game (Scientology)|fair game]] harassment followed. In 2013, Rathbun stated he was "no longer a Scientologist, independent or otherwise", and Rathbun's wife filed a suit against the Church of Scientology in 2013.{{r|ortega2017}} After winning several legal bouts, the case was dropped in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/news/another-scientology-lawsuit-meets-a-strange-abrupt-end-in-texas-8424797 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610042105/https://www.houstonpress.com/news/another-scientology-lawsuit-meets-a-strange-abrupt-end-in-texas-8424797 |archive-date=June 10, 2016 |title=Another Scientology Lawsuit Meets a Strange, Abrupt End in Texas 
|last=Wray |first=Dianna |work=Houston Press |date=May 25, 2016}}</ref> Rathbun then started to criticize other prominent former Scientologists, including making videos against them which appeared in Church of Scientology advertisements, leading strongly to the conclusion that Rathbun had made some agreement with the Church.{{r|ortega2017}}

=== Haifa, Israel ===

In 2012, a Scientology center in [[Haifa]], Israel, defected from the Church.{{r|lewis2013|p=264}}

=== Others ===

As well as these organizations, there are also small groups of Scientologists outside the Church who meet informally.{{r|lewis2013|p=265}} Some avoid establishing public centers and communities for fear of legal retribution from the Church.{{r|thomas|p=11}} There are also Free Zone practitioners who practice what Thomas calls a "very individualized form of Scientology",{{r|thomas|p=96}} encouraging innovation with Hubbard's technology.{{r|thomas|p=107}}