Scientology Cruise Ship Under Quarantine

Clearly the dark space lord Xenu is at it again. The cruise ship Freewinds, which is owned by the Church of Scientology and used for religious retreats, is currently under quarantine in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia because a passenger with a case of measles was discovered onboard.

"Given the highly infectious nature of measles, along with the possibility that other persons onboard the vessel may have been in contact with and are now possibly infectious due to this disease, a decision was made not to allow persons to disembark," said Merlene Fredericks-James, the island's chief medical officer.

She added that the infected patient was a female crew member and that the ship was the Freewinds -- a 440-foot (134-meter) vessel the Church of Scientology says is used for religious retreats and is normally based in Curacao.

The ship asked for 100 doses of measles vaccine, which Saint Lucia authorities are providing at no cost, with the patient under observation. The church, founded by science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard in 1953, did not respond to requests for comment. Its teachings do not directly oppose vaccination, but followers consider illness a sign of personal failing and generally eschew medical interventions.

Tony Ortega, who runs a blog about the group, told AFP: "When a Scientologist gets a cold, they would be asked to write an essay about who they think that is against the church that is making them sick. "They would definitely be interrogating that person and they would punish that person because when you're sick like that, in Scientology, it's always your own fault."

It also should be pointed out that Scientology is explictly opposed to psychiatric treatment, on the grounds that anybody suffering from mental illness should just go for a bunch of Dianetics auditing to overcome their "engrams" and/or "body thetans." The only reason everybody doesn't do that is the corrupt psychiatric establishment is suppressing the work of the greatest man who ever lived, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

None of that necessarily means that the infected crew member is an anti-vaxxer, as a few early reports suggested. It is possible to still get measles even if you are vaccinated, the odds are just a lot lower. It is true, though, that continuing to believe in Andrew Wakefield's study linking autism to the MMR vaccine when Wakefield himself admitted that he made the whole thing up is perilously close to mental illness territory these days. I would suggest any Scientologist who does should get themselves to an auditor at once.