Commonly abbreviated to SP, this is a Scientology term for a person, usually an ex-Scientologist, who publicly opposes the Church of Scientology or in other ways irritates the hierarchy.

Once a person has been declared SP by the Co$, Scientologists are no longer allowed to speak to or associate with that person, even if s/he is (or rather was) a friend or family member. This is known as disconnection.

Many ex-Scientologists and critics of Scientology regard an SP Declaration as a recognition of their efforts to reform the church.

Scientology's own definition of "suppressive person", taken from their FAQ and from USENET posting; 1-3 is from the FAQ on their website, the rest from a USENET posting of an unabridged definition. (Note that "antisocial" here has it's own meaning within Scientology):


What does "suppressive person" mean?

A suppressive person is a person who seeks to suppress any betterment activity or group. The suppressive person, also called an antisocial personality, works to upset, continuously undermine, spread bad news and denigrate other people and their activities. While it has sometimes been said that a Suppressive person is just anti-Scientology, the fact is they oppose anyone doing better in life. Such people are not always easy to identify, however, they can be known by specific characteristics:

  1. He or she speaks only in very broad generalities. "They say..." "Everybody thinks..." "Everyone knows..."
  2. Such a person deals mainly in bad news, critical or hostile remarks, invalidation and general suppression.
  3. The antisocial personality alters, to worsen, communication when he or she relays a message or news.
  4. A characteristic, and one of the sad things about an antisocial personality, is that he does not respond to treatment or reform.
  5. Surrounding such a personality we find cowed or ill associates or friends who, when not driven actually insane, are yet behaving in a crippled manner in life, failing, not succeeding.
  6. The antisocial personality habitually selects the wrong target. If A is the obvious cause, the antisocial personality inevitably blames B or C or D.
  7. The antisocial cannot finish a cycle of action. The antisocial becomes surrounded with incomplete projects.
  8. Many antisocial persons will freely confess to the most alarming crimes when forced to do so, but will have no faintest sense of responsibility for them.
  9. The antisocial personality supports only destructive groups and rages against and attacks any constructive or betterment group.
  10. This type of personality approves only of destructive actions and fights against constructive or helpful actions or activities.
  11. Helping others is an activity which drives the antisocial personality nearly berserk. Activities, however, which destroy in the name of help are closely supported.
  12. The antisocial personality has a bad sense of property and conceives that the idea that anyone owns anything is a pretense, made up to fool people Nothing is ever really owned.

In other words, the people who oppose the Church of Scientology do so because they are evil (or deluded by such people), not because they have any honest complaints with it. "Don't need to listen to both sides of the story, those anti-Scientologists are just trying to keep you from achieving happiness!" Bleh.

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