Reddit mentions of Greatest Hits

I think the answer to this has varied over time. And as with other organizations, "What the folks in charge want" and "What people actually do" can vary quite a bit.

In terms of policy, anyone who considers himself a Scientologist is expected to actively proselytize, what /u/ellaraitch refers to as being a Field Staff Member. That's based on the accepted-as-fact premise that we all need to Clear the Planet, because it's going to hell in a hand basket, and scientology is the only thing that can save the world. And from that viewpoint it makes sense: If you think the world is on fire, you naturally believe that everyone should chip in to grab a bucket.

But many people, especially those enthusiastic about how much scientology changed their lives, go overboard. They drag their friends into the Org for a free seminar (and sales pitch), they never shut up about the subject, and they let their scientology experience replace their lives instead of improve their lives. In other words: They become the tiresome relative you see at Thanksgiving dinner who never shuts up about his obsession.

Yeah, I did that.

...Except, when someone is gung-ho on, say, a political attitude (to which everyone in hearing must agree or be branded as an idiot), nobody has to worry that Uncle Harry will stop talking to you once you say, "Shut up, already. We're not interested." There's no practice of disconnection because the relatives say, "I think you've gone overboard, and I don't want to hear about it any more." And it's no fun for the scientologist, either, who feels like the family he loves objects to something that has given his life more meaning. (I played a lot of "Father and Son" when I first became a Scientologist.)

In actual fact, most people get over that, "Have to shout about it" stage before they piss off their friends-and-family completely. Either that or they choose to hang out only with other scientologists, whom they don't see as critical of their involvement. Or they do bring in friends-and-family, and then later have to cope with disconnection when one or another of them leaves the Church; but nobody thinks of that at the time.

Let me set this in context: It's perfectly fine to hope/expect that someone will be so happy with services rendered that he will go out of his way to tell people how great they were. If you owned a restaurant, you'd sure want customers to go on Yelp and leave a wonderful review. There's some debatable line about how much it's appropriate for the restaurant to "encourage" this. If the service is that good, figure many business proprietors, you don't have to say anything; the burger was so good that I'll tell all my Facebook friends about it on my own recognizance. Other restaurants include a "Please like us on Facebook!" printed on the receipt; I've been to a few restaurants in Europe where you got free Wi-Fi once you Liked the restaurant's page.

The CofS takes a very hard-assed attitude about sharing one's appreciation of the services. In that context, if you didn't click LIKE it on Facebook, then obviously you were unhappy with the services you got or you don't really buy into the organization's goals.

My own response to my "OMG I can't believe how obnoxious I was" after I left the CofS was to shut up about my scientology affiliations completely. It wasn't until last year that I told one of my best friends that I'm an Indy scientologist -- after 25 years of knowing one another. I was just too worried what he'd think about me being involved with a bunch of nut jobs, and explaining that I do the tech without the organization was... way more involved than I ever was ready for.

In the last year I've gotten a lot more open about it. I rather expect that hesitation to go away (especially since I've learned that the friends in whom I do confide always think it's interesting rather than reprehensible), but it hasn't done so yet.

I can't speak much to the experience of someone who's still "in," though.