S01.E07: Enemies Of The Church

[Wings]

Been rabbit holing this morning.  It is very possible that they/we are closer to Cos' demise than I thought a few days ago.  Next thing I foresee, DM will disappear.  Certainly his ducks are lined up to bolt/hide when the time comes. Never will he show up in court, he has many places to hide and goon guards to ensure he will never be found. Oh the irony!  Doesn't matter, without him it is done.  What will Tom do?  LOL! 

 Positive thinking on my part may be at play but  I am noticing more people saying Leah's book/series opened their eyes.   HBO is re rerunning Going Clear this week. 

Old videos contain recent remarks in the comment section, even ones that are years old. 

 

* note to self, step away from your computer.  

Edited January 12, 2017 by wings707

[AZChristian]

The Celebrity Center in L.A. apparently offers classes on how to stand out in auditions . . . a worm on the hook in Hollywood.

[Rlb8031]

58 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

My guess (and this is just a guess) is they do a lot of recruitment on college campuses where alot of people are particularly vulnerable.  Many are away from home for the first time in their lives.  Many are facing increasingly difficult challenges.  Many probably do get caught up in the false promises of changing the world.  

It's where I plan to go when I start my own cult to find Vic...followers.

I think that the height of their recruiting was in the late 60's/ early 70's when there were a huge group of folks looking for enlightenment, and then a groundswell again in the 80's during that Dianetics campaign that was referenced in an earlier episode. I think that the bulk of their membership now are 2nd and 3rd generations, and folks like the Reisdorf's who are CO$-adjacent due to old family ties. It wasn't lost on me that everyone in this documentary was a 20-30+ year member of the church. We didn't meet any <10 year folks, unless you count the Reisdorf boys who seemingly were in the church officially for only a handful of years. I don't see them doing huge membership events like they showed in this week's episode (I believe that was filmed in 95) anymore. 

[Wings]

15 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

The Celebrity Center in L.A. apparently offers classes on how to stand out in auditions . . . a worm on the hook in Hollywood.

I would love to see the enrollment from 5 years ago compared to now.  

[DangerousMinds]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

True, but I'd be interested to know what the current recruitment numbers look like. Is anyone actually joining Scientology these days? Or is the entirety of their membership people who've been in for life? Nobody with a TV or internet access these days would join the CO$ if they took 2 seconds to look into it. So this show doesn't really need to scare off people from joining so much as it needs to help people get out. And, more hopefully, to end the abuse within the organization.

Somebody will, eventually. 

I don't know. I personally can't understand why anyone these days would join any cult or crazy fundie religion, but they still do.

[Wings]

5 hours ago, aamankwah said:

Here is the petition I started. Guys, share it. 

https://www.change.org/p/irs-have-the-irs-review-the-church-of-scientology-s-tax-exempt-status?recruiter=24122075&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

Bringing this forward.  

[Meadow]

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

It is very possible that they/we are closer to Cos' demise than I thought a few days ago.  Next thing I foresee, DM will disappear.

That's my gut feeling, too.  My guess is that DM will get wind of an impending FBI or IRS raid... or the cops will bring in Shelly for questioning and he will bolt for the Bahamas, where he has been stashing funds for some time.  When that happens, the whole house of cards collapses.

[AndreaK1041]

36 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Bringing this forward.  

W/R/T petitions on Change.Org, use the search function to search for Scientology and you will find others like this. Others have the same good idea! It might be best to find the most popular ones.  I remember something like this also when Going Clear first aired.

[Wings]

16 minutes ago, Meadow said:

That's my gut feeling, too.  My guess is that DM will get wind of an impending FBI or IRS raid... or the cops will bring in Shelly for questioning and he will bolt for the Bahamas, where he has been stashing funds for some time.  When that happens, the whole house of cards collapses.

They will find him easily in the Bahamas.  I doubt he can hide for long.  

[ramble]

Is it wrong that the thought of DM bolting, the entire house of rotten cards tumbling down, and tiny Tommy Cruise being left lost and confused thrills me? I mean I love the idea of this destructive, money-grubbing cult falling apart, that's a given, but I'm enjoying a true moment of glee imagining Cruise alone without his beloved mini-dictator buddy. 

[MamaMax]

On 1/11/2017 at 3:45 PM, wings707 said:

Interesting to think COS may be guilty of human trafficking.  

http://tonyortega.org/2017/01/08/talking-to-the-fbi-agent-who-cancelled-her-talk-at-scientologys-mecca/#more-36812

I really hate it when blogs like this don't date the entries. I starting clicking around and was getting aggravated, since I couldn't tell what stuff was recent. 

39 minutes ago, ramble said:

Is it wrong that the thought of DM bolting, the entire house of rotten cards tumbling down, and tiny Tommy Cruise being left lost and confused thrills me? I mean I love the idea of this destructive, money-grubbing cult falling apart, that's a given, but I'm enjoying a true moment of glee imagining Cruise alone without his beloved mini-dictator buddy. 

What would happen to all the real estate? Didn't they say that's how the Church hides it's money? By buying tex-exempt real estate? Who would get it if the church went down?

[toodles]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

The Celebrity Center in L.A. apparently offers classes on how to stand out in auditions . . . a worm on the hook in Hollywood.

I wonder how much THAT costs?  These people don't miss a trick.

[toodles]

2 hours ago, wings707 said:

Bringing this forward.  

I signed.  I considered putting this on my facebook page, but this is the kind of post that starts a firestorm on my feed.  I will spread the word though.

[Arwen Evenstar]

52 minutes ago, ramble said:

Is it wrong that the thought of DM bolting, the entire house of rotten cards tumbling down, and tiny Tommy Cruise being left lost and confused thrills me? I mean I love the idea of this destructive, money-grubbing cult falling apart, that's a given, but I'm enjoying a true moment of glee imagining Cruise alone without his beloved mini-dictator buddy. 

Cruise actually COULD play Miscavage in a movie about Scientology...their resemblance to one another is uncanny. 

I almost want to take a shower every time I look at David Miscavage...he's so oily and smug and reminds me of a slimy eel.

[shelley1234]

I remember Leah saying she did feel Scientology classes and her training gave her confidence in auditions and probably did help her book jobs.  She just felt she knew more and was better than the other people sitting in the chairs and so her confidence translated to booking jobs.

[pinguina]

I had to watch this week's episode twice!   

Brandon's story was awful.  Having a mental illness or problem is difficult enough in the "real" world but being told/shown that in the cult it was brought on by "your unrecognized/declared crimes" - I just can't process it.  How terrible to know that there is something wrong with you and feel as if you are not in control but being told you do have control. Plus denying you help.  I know that psychiatry is still a work in progress, just as all medical processes are (because new things are being discovered or recognized) but come on! In other religions/churches help is offered/given when it is needed without an expectation of $.  But this is Scientology - a made up religion that implies that it is Christian based by using a cross on their buildings.  Which by the way offends me deeply.

The stories that the reporters shared were eye-opening.  Although when one of them (the one who did Scientology and Me) said it made him happy to be a part of something that made the cult uncomfortable, it made me laugh.  The sheer doggedness of their efforts to show everyone what  this cult really represents is astounding to me.  Living with the cult's tactics day after day, year after year and not crumble is a testament to their strength and search for honesty.  To see them across two people who lied to them in the past and now consider them friends - wow!

I really hope that everything that has been exposed will resonate with others as well as agencies that can do something about it.

[Tiger]

On 1/11/2017 at 2:29 AM, Vicky8675309 said:

practicing medicine without a license! That's illegal but I'm sure they would find a way around it. They claim brain disorders don't exist (or something like that)....I can't wrap my mind around this!

I love when Leah "in my opinion that is practicing medicine without a license". I then shouted "it's not your opinion Leah, it's a fact". If the IRS wont do anything maybe some medical board/assoc/org will.

5 hours ago, DrSparkles said:

I think the advent of the interwebs has also helped slow down recruitment, esp among celebs. GOOGLE me bitch! ;)

I also loved in the promo for nexy week when Leah told viewers to 'Google it for yourselves'.

1 hour ago, toodles said:

I signed.  I considered putting this on my facebook page, but this is the kind of post that starts a firestorm on my feed.  I will spread the word though.

Be warned, some $cieno may come after you on your social media.  A few days ago, I posted something about Miscavage on Insta, and the next morning someone had left some bizarre comments on every single picture I've ppsted on it going back almost two years.

My friends, family, colleagues, and I have had a hilarious time reading them.

[MelissaMinion]

29 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Be warned, some $cieno may come after you on your social media.  A few days ago, I posted something about Miscavage on Insta, and the next morning someone had left some bizarre comments on every single picture I've ppsted on it going back almost two years.

My friends, family, colleagues, and I have had a hilarious time reading them.

Ooh, is it wrong that I really want to do that now?

[toodles]

1 minute ago, MelissaMinion said:

Ooh, is it wrong that I really want to do that now?

If the $ciento come after my media, well so be it .  I feel like it's the right thing to do.

[Tiger]

20 minutes ago, MelissaMinion said:

Ooh, is it wrong that I really want to do that now?

On a throwback-Thursday picture that was a modeling shot I did about 10 years ago before I discovered food trucks, this person wrote that "this picture is evidence that you are a male prostitute that does drugs and dropped out of school in 8 grade".  Another which was my favorite Bible verse was "evidence that I have a mental disorder".  

I'm surprised I wasn't accused of being "glib".

For the record, in the picture I have pants on and am barely lifting my shirt. I also have a PhD in applied mathematics.

Edited January 13, 2017 by Tiger

[Snappy]

3 hours ago, ramble said:

Is it wrong that the thought of DM bolting, the entire house of rotten cards tumbling down, and tiny Tommy Cruise being left lost and confused thrills me? I mean I love the idea of this destructive, money-grubbing cult falling apart, that's a given, but I'm enjoying a true moment of glee imagining Cruise alone without his beloved mini-dictator buddy. 

I cannot like this enough! Just as an earlier poster, I refuse to watch anything with Tom Cruise in it, or buy anything with him on it. He is the slimiest celebrity out there, and that's saying a lot, because it's an endless cesspool. I would get such satisfaction watching the smug look on all those celebrity endorsers do Co$ being replaced by one of shock when the house of cards comes tumbling down. I must admit, Travolta doesn't bother me because while he will answer questions and defend it (proof you shouldn't drop out of high school kids), he doesn't walk around spouting dogma like Tommy Boy, Kirstie Alley, the Mastersons, etc. 

Glad to know I am not the only one intrigued and sucked into this vortex of finding out the truth about this cult.

[DrSparkles]

8 minutes ago, Tiger said:

On a throwback-Thursday picture that was a modeling shot I did about 10 years ago before I discovered food trucks, this person wrote that "this picture is evidence that you are a male prostitute that does drugs and dropped out of school in 8 grade".  Another which was my favorite Bible verse was "evidence that I have a mental disorder".  

I'm surprised I wasn't accused of being "glib".

Holy shit!!!!! I am intrigued and a little jealous!!!

[ParadoxLost]

19 minutes ago, Snappy said:

I cannot like this enough! Just as an earlier poster, I refuse to watch anything with Tom Cruise in it, or buy anything with him on it. He is the slimiest celebrity out there, and that's saying a lot, because it's an endless cesspool. I would get such satisfaction watching the smug look on all those celebrity endorsers do Co$ being replaced by one of shock when the house of cards comes tumbling down. I must admit, Travolta doesn't bother me because while he will answer questions and defend it (proof you shouldn't drop out of high school kids), he doesn't walk around spouting dogma like Tommy Boy, Kirstie Alley, the Mastersons, etc. 

Glad to know I am not the only one intrigued and sucked into this vortex of finding out the truth about this cult.

Read a list about celebrity scientologists and those that dabbled.  It seemed like Travolta was a way better recruiter of celebrities to Scientolgy than Cruise, Kirstey Alley or any of the Mastersons.

It started to read like he was recruiting on every set he ever worked on.

[spiderpig]

4 hours ago, ramble said:

Is it wrong that the thought of DM bolting, the entire house of rotten cards tumbling down, and tiny Tommy Cruise being left lost and confused thrills me? I mean I love the idea of this destructive, money-grubbing cult falling apart, that's a given, but I'm enjoying a true moment of glee imagining Cruise alone without his beloved mini-dictator buddy. 

I was watching the US Senate vote and getting very depressed.  Your post brought a big smile to my face.

[Wings]

2 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

I was watching the US Senate vote and getting very depressed.  Your post brought a big smile to my face.

Yeah.  This forum takes me away from the madness with its madness, that is removed from me!   My obsession is healing. Lol! 

[WInterfalls]

6 hours ago, wings707 said:

It is very possible that they/we are closer to Cos' demise than I thought a few days ago.  Next thing I foresee, DM will disappear.  Certainly his ducks are lined up to bolt/hide when the time comes. Never will he show up in court, he has many places to hide and goon guards to ensure he will never be found. Oh the irony!  Doesn't matter, without him it is done.  What will Tom do?  LOL!

I said that to my brother the other day.  He was asking do you think they would arrest DM and I said no I think he'll pull a Hubbard and head off to sea with all this money he almost certainly has stashed away and let everyone else deal with the fallout.  And yeah poor little Tom left all alone as the last supreme being.  

[zxy556575]

6 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

I don't know. I personally can't understand why anyone these days would join any cult or crazy fundie religion, but they still do.

From what I've heard, they're getting more new converts internationally, especially from South America and Russia. I don't think it's a huge number, but for quite a few years they've been bringing in immigrants to staff U.S. facilities. It's one of their legal vulnerabilities because of possibly breaking immigration and human trafficking laws.

Russia has been antagonistic towards Scientology so it would make sense that some gung ho members may be predisposed to leave. Wikipedia has a list of which countries recognize Scientology as a religion.

[Maelstrom]

5 hours ago, MamaMax said:

I really hate it when blogs like this don't date the entries. I starting clicking around and was getting aggravated, since I couldn't tell what stuff was recent. 

FWIW, the posts are dated at the bottom of each entry, and usually in the web address as well.

Tony has a post up today stating that hate sites attacking the Reisdorfs appeared during the airing of this ep. This "church" never ceases to disgust.

[Wings]

58 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

FWIW, the posts are dated at the bottom of each entry, and usually in the web address as well.

Tony has a post up today stating that hate sites attacking the Reisdorfs appeared during the airing of this ep. This "church" never ceases to disgust.

Thank you and fuck wow. Appalling.

[mjstrick]

Although other episodes were more overtly emotional, and I'm a sucker and cry every single time, this episode is the one that gave me a stomachache and a lump in my throat to watch. Listening to Brandon rather matter-of-factly tell his story was just heartbreaking. I hope he continues to get the help he needs and I wish him luck in the future. And yes, I'd hire him in a hot second. In the many many years that I've had this fascination with this cult, I've developed a bit of a crush on Tony Ortega. He's such a bad ass and so are the others. I have so much respect for what they're doing. My 15 year old son and I have taken to saying, "I swear to L Ron Hubbard" all the time lately. Even he sees what a whackadoodle "religion" this is.

[aamankwah]

18 hours ago, wings707 said:

Bringing this forward.  

Thank you! Please if you can, post it on any social media sites you are a member of. We really need to spread this now while interest is high.

16 hours ago, toodles said:

I signed.  I considered putting this on my facebook page, but this is the kind of post that starts a firestorm on my feed.  I will spread the word though.

Thank you for signing! May I ask why it would start a firestorm? Do you have some friends who are Scientologists? Please do spread the word!

14 hours ago, MelissaMinion said:

Ooh, is it wrong that I really want to do that now?

I was a little concerned about that when I created it but I don't care, I have done nothing that they can use against me. Unless they bring up my ADHD and call me mentally disturbed.

[aamankwah]

13 hours ago, Tiger said:

On a throwback-Thursday picture that was a modeling shot I did about 10 years ago before I discovered food trucks, this person wrote that "this picture is evidence that you are a male prostitute that does drugs and dropped out of school in 8 grade".  Another which was my favorite Bible verse was "evidence that I have a mental disorder".  

I'm surprised I wasn't accused of being "glib".

For the record, in the picture I have pants on and am barely lifting my shirt. I also have a PhD in applied mathematics.

Wow. So petty. Who has time to do something like that though?

[savannah1985]

Does anyone have any specific information about Marty Rathbun going back to the "church", are there news sites that have reported on this?

[funky-rat]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 11:59 PM, fountain said:

I felt bad for Brandon.  I don't really think shattering a window is that huge a crime.  I think his larger issue in life (compared to the felony) is that he is bipolar, which presents many challenges.  If I were hiring and he said "look up my felony, I threw a hammer through a COS window", I would get it.  With more and more exposure and Brandon leading with what he felony was for, I am sure he will be okay.  He also still has his parents and one brother for support.

It's not, but because they can call themselves a "church", it can become a hate crime.  Normal churches would take pity on a mentally ill man, and would likely not press any charges.  They'd either ask for the family to pay for it, or work with the person to get them help, and have them work off anything they did.  They mentioned Methodists on the show.  They'd not only not sue you, they'd pray for you, and try to find you help.  They'd let you work off your debt (they helped me when I needed it, and we worked off what we "owed" them - and even that was optional - I was told that I was under no obligation to pay them back), and then hold a pot luck to celebrate when you were feeling better, and when everything was resolved.  Because, you know, that's a NORMAL church.

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 5:36 AM, Arwen Evenstar said:

All I can say is that I'm riveted. Can't say I knew much about Scientology before this, other than maybe they were a little weird, but wow, just wow--I had no idea just how insidious, pernicious, and messed up this whole institution is.

First of all, a church tells you who they are and what they believe in up front, and you are free to come and go as you please. If you decide it's not for you and you decide to go somewhere else, you don't get stalked and followed, and don't make you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to belong and acquire knowledge.This place is a cult, and a very far reaching, scary, and dangerous one that turns friends and families against one another. 

Sadly, for years, Leah and others believed they were making a difference and doing good, and I get that it must have been hard for her to denounce something she was committed to 24/7/365. Just glad that she got to leave along with her mother, husband, and daughter. They have got courage to call this institution out for what it is. I'm still cringing from what I've learned already.

I can't imagine the guilt that they carry, knowing they thought they were doing the right thing.  Yeesh.

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 6:56 AM, shelley1005 said:

Just being mentally ill doesn't make you not responsible for your actions.  It's a very high bar to be found not guilty in that regard.  It's too bad he wasn't offered some kind of Mental Health Court to have the felony dropped to a misdemeanor.  The way he talked about maybe getting it changed to a misdemeanor let me think that maybe there is something like that going on.  I doubt he can appeal the conviction.  There are also very few avenues there.  

However, I just hope he continues to work on getting well.  He still clearly isn't out of the forest.  

Yes, Leah calling Mike a dick for Fair Gaming people was awesome.  All of this is so horrible, so sometimes they just have to joke and laugh.  And I love the idea that Mike and the group of reporters are now actual, legit friends.  I mean...what a kick in the pants to Scientology!   In the Going Clear documentary, Mike talked with Sweeney and basically told him the ways they were psychologically messing with him.  It was so interesting to watch him lay it out to the person he (and Tommy) were doing it to.  

No, but it can make you be recognized as disabled, and that carries a whole other set of regs, laws, etc.  Mr. Funky was considered temporarily disabled for 90 days due to crushing depression and anxiety.  He could have had more time, but he felt that it's an ongoing thing, and sitting at home longer than 90 days was not going to help.  His late mother was Bi-Polar/Manic Depressive, and when she was in full-on manic mode, she did some scary stuff.

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 11:44 AM, shelley1005 said:

Scientology isn't the only religion that doesn't follow treatments for both physical and mental disorders.  Some believe that pray works.  Some believe an exorcism will take away mental defects.  Some believe essential oils.  I think it's all pretty wackadoodle, but Scientology isn't alone in that.  

True.  Mr. Funky worked for Fundies once, and they wouldn't let him take time off work to go see psych.  They told him he needed Jesus, and prayer, and to come see the owner on his lunch break because she was a "Christian counselor - had classes and everything" - sure.  He had a breakdown while working there.  They fired him.  I got an attorney.  That got him paid until he could find another job.

20 hours ago, wings707 said:

Been rabbit holing this morning.  It is very possible that they/we are closer to Cos' demise than I thought a few days ago.  Next thing I foresee, DM will disappear.  Certainly his ducks are lined up to bolt/hide when the time comes. Never will he show up in court, he has many places to hide and goon guards to ensure he will never be found. Oh the irony!  Doesn't matter, without him it is done.  What will Tom do?  LOL! 

 Positive thinking on my part may be at play but  I am noticing more people saying Leah's book/series opened their eyes.   HBO is re rerunning Going Clear this week. 

Old videos contain recent remarks in the comment section, even ones that are years old. 

 

* note to self, step away from your computer.  

He'll just take up on Freewinds with his bestest buddies, and pull an ElArrAich by staying in international waters.

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 2:40 PM, ZoloftBlob said:

"I think the show's decision not to speak derisively about the OT III stuff is well founded." Sure, because if you give any religion the South Park treatment, it will sound pretty nonsensical and stupid. Really, if break it down, Mormons really believe there were golden tablets that just disappeared in like the 1800s. A significant portion of the US believes virgins can give birth and that a carpenter rose from the dead and didn't feast on the flesh of the living. Xenu and the interplanetary war and all that is as plausible as Indigo children and alien abduction but why twist the knife in a way that would instantly allow the church to claim to be victimized?

To be fair, not all Christians believe the literal translation of most of the Bible.  I trust noted scholars who freely admit that translations aren't always correct, and those who wrote what was being translated could be doing the old "I caught a fish THIS BIG" kind of thing.  Many do - especially Fundies, and more old-order denominations, but I look to it more as a guide for living, not necessarily the exact thing that happened.  And if that makes me a heathen, then I'll have friends when I get to the afterlife.

[aamankwah]

Guys, check out this website, it is a way to go to the IRS and file a complaint against the church of Scientology. We all should do a massive campaign of this.

https://scientologymoneyproject.com/2015/04/14/how-to-simply-and-effectively-report-the-church-of-scientology-to-the-irs/

[Vicky8675309]

36 minutes ago, aamankwah said:

Guys, check out this website, it is a way to go to the IRS and file a complaint against the church of Scientology. We all should do a massive campaign of this.

https://scientologymoneyproject.com/2015/04/14/how-to-simply-and-effectively-report-the-church-of-scientology-to-the-irs/

Interesting!

I read the following in the comments:

"Chris Thompson

November 12, 2015 at 7:23 pm

And Please Please Please remember to include The Church of Spiritual Technology on this list, not positive but its EIN may be 953781769.

To be effective, remember that CST is the owner of Scientology. It can simply close the CSI and reopen the following day under a new church name. 

Scientology will exist without tax exemption. However, removing this status puts Scientology squarely in the cross-hairs of civil court and that is a big step to unwinding the abuse."

[geekgirl921]

I've been thinking about the video that they have shown of Mike Rinder's daughter where she talks about how he was never around. It occurred to me what a weird complaint coming from someone in Scientology. Isn't that one of the basics of Scientology, that kids are "spiritual beings" that don't need their parents around? They just had her make the claim because they think that will bother people in the "real world".

[fastiller]

1 hour ago, funky-rat said:

It's not, but because they can call themselves a "church", it can become a hate crime.  Normal churches would take pity on a mentally ill man, and would likely not press any charges.  They'd either ask for the family to pay for it, or work with the person to get them help, and have them work off anything they did.  They mentioned Methodists on the show.  They'd not only not sue you, they'd pray for you, and try to find you help.  They'd let you work off your debt (they helped me when I needed it, and we worked off what we "owed" them - and even that was optional - I was told that I was under no obligation to pay them back), and then hold a pot luck to celebrate when you were feeling better, and when everything was resolved.  Because, you know, that's a NORMAL church.

I can't imagine the guilt that they carry, knowing they thought they were doing the right thing.  Yeesh.

No, but it can make you be recognized as disabled, and that carries a whole other set of regs, laws, etc.  Mr. Funky was considered temporarily disabled for 90 days due to crushing depression and anxiety.  He could have had more time, but he felt that it's an ongoing thing, and sitting at home longer than 90 days was not going to help.  His late mother was Bi-Polar/Manic Depressive, and when she was in full-on manic mode, she did some scary stuff.

<snip>

 

Even though you can't see what @funky-rat was replying to, it's not vital to what I'm going to add:

I'm very, very surprised that Brandon's lawyer didn't have him plead Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Defect/Deficiency.  

To the bolded section: it sounds as if Mr. F-R has moved passed his depression & anxiety.  If he has, that's wonderful to know, hope he keeps in that same direction; if he hasn't fully, I hope he does and that you are able to keep yourself in good mental shape.  It's a tough row to hoe (as I'm sure you know); you're  in my thoughts.

40 minutes ago, geekgirl921 said:

I've been thinking about the video that they have shown of Mike Rinder's daughter where she talks about how he was never around. It occurred to me what a weird complaint coming from someone in Scientology. Isn't that one of the basics of Scientology, that kids are "spiritual beings" that don't need their parents around? They just had her make the claim because they think that will bother people in the "real world".

Clear evidence that Co$ is FOS (full of $h!t).

[WInterfalls]

I am pretty sure I read somewhere on Tony Ortega's blog that Brandon plead guilty so my guess is that he accepted a plea agreement that would allow him to stay out of jail and possibly get the charges reduced or expunged in the future.  If that is the case I'm pretty okay with it.  But yeah I think the CO$ is a piece of crap for pressing hate crime charges and then saying if you blame Leah Remini we'll let you off.  Screw those guys. 

1 hour ago, geekgirl921 said:

I've been thinking about the video that they have shown of Mike Rinder's daughter where she talks about how he was never around. It occurred to me what a weird complaint coming from someone in Scientology. Isn't that one of the basics of Scientology, that kids are "spiritual beings" that don't need their parents around? They just had her make the claim because they think that will bother people in the "real world".

Every time I see that clip I think yeah BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE SEA ORG! She says her mom was there, but I don't actually believe that.  She was probably there more because they let one parent have more contact, but not like my mom was always around.  Even Mike Rinder has said he barely ever saw her as child because she was in the Sea Org daycare and he was always working. I have noticed he seems to focus all his energy on getting his son back and rarely mentions his daughter.  Maybe he just doesn't think she will ever be moved.  

[funky-rat]

5 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Even though you can't see what @funky-rat was replying to, it's not vital to what I'm going to add:

I'm very, very surprised that Brandon's lawyer didn't have him plead Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Defect/Deficiency.  

To the bolded section: it sounds as if Mr. F-R has moved passed his depression & anxiety.  If he has, that's wonderful to know, hope he keeps in that same direction; if he hasn't fully, I hope he does and that you are able to keep yourself in good mental shape.  It's a tough row to hoe (as I'm sure you know); you're  in my thoughts.

Clear evidence that Co$ is FOS (full of $h!t).

Mr. Funky is working through his depression and anxiety, and thanks for asking.  It wasn't his first breakdown, but we're hoping it's his last.  His work situation isn't ideal, but the problem is that there are very few ideal work situations.  He loves his job and he's very good at it - he just can't handle the boss, who is a jerk, and does questionable stuff, but corporate seems to like him for reasons not known to me or him.  The depression and anxiety snuck up on him and me this time - we had other stuff going on, and it just got pushed down.  So he compensated for it by letting his addictive personality take over (not drugs, and not alcohol hardcore, but he never quit working - ever - even on vacation, and some other things that don't seem harmful on the surface), and that all imploded in August.  He told his boss several times that he didn't feel well and that he wasn't sure what was wrong, and one day he made a comment about killing himself, and his boss panicked (don't get me wrong - I'm not excusing the comment - it was not appropriate and he knows that now) and locked him out of the office and called corporate, who said he met Federal criteria for being disabled, and they were giving him medical leave for up to half a year.  And I'm grateful for it - he needed that 90 days to work through a lot of stuff, and he's working with a 12 step group on his addictive personality, but he reached a point where he needed to get back in to his normal routine to start to learn what bothers him, and how to deal with it differently.  He still has good and bad days, but he's working through as best he can.  To correctly deal with mental illness is not a quick process.  Pills alone don't work in the long run, and for someone as damaged as he was by his mother, it's going to take some time to get to where he can let go.  I'm thankful for good insurance and good doctors too, because he's seen his fair share of bad ones over the years.  Another reason why this COS crap just upsets me so much.  It took us over a month to get him in to be seen by good doctors (he didn't want to go to the ER because he was afraid he'd be involuntarily committed because of the suicide comment) and I know how hard that month was for him.  I can't imagine what these poor people go through, being denied treatment and that whole introspection crap for people who have had a psychotic break.  My heart breaks for Brandon.  And I hope he's getting help and talk therapy from a good doctor.

[Neurochick]

23 hours ago, wings707 said:

Been rabbit holing this morning.  It is very possible that they/we are closer to Cos' demise than I thought a few days ago.  Next thing I foresee, DM will disappear.  Certainly his ducks are lined up to bolt/hide when the time comes. Never will he show up in court, he has many places to hide and goon guards to ensure he will never be found. Oh the irony!  Doesn't matter, without him it is done.  What will Tom do?  LOL! 

On a previous thread, I said, I believe DM will "disappear" and Tom Cruise will wind up heading the  CO$.

[fastiller]

(((( @funky-rat ))))

[TheGreenWave]

20 hours ago, pinguina said:

Brandon's story was awful

Not sure if you read the link I put in Rabbit Hole, but this is a quote from the article of the author and a friend going in and taking the CO$ personality quiz:

"While my friend sat with the aforementioned Andrew, he told her to stop taking her anti-depressants, because she wouldn’t be able to complete the church’s “Dianetics” course unless she was off any prescribed medication for at least 24 hours before taking the initial assessment. Andrew bragged that he had convinced a schizophrenic man the week prior to stop taking medication and to rely on the church instead. He kept pushing Scientology as a cure for mental illness because, he said, it can solve everyone’s problems without “making it up” like therapy and medication."

Frightening, scary, irresponsible stuff.

Just now, TheGreenWave said:

Andrew,

Sorry - for clarification, Andrew is the guy that gave her friend the E-meter audit and worked for CO$

[Ruprecht]

3 hours ago, savannah1985 said:

Does anyone have any specific information about Marty Rathbun going back to the "church", are there news sites that have reported on this?

I'm no authority but I get the impression that he has not gone back to the church but has stopped being a vocal opponent of it (suggestions as to what happened include a financial payoff or some type of blackmail). 

[DangerousMinds]

10 minutes ago, TheGreenWave said:

Not sure if you read the link I put in Rabbit Hole, but this is a quote from the article of the author and a friend going in and taking the CO$ personality quiz:

"While my friend sat with the aforementioned Andrew, he told her to stop taking her anti-depressants, because she wouldn’t be able to complete the church’s “Dianetics” course unless she was off any prescribed medication for at least 24 hours before taking the initial assessment. Andrew bragged that he had convinced a schizophrenic man the week prior to stop taking medication and to rely on the church instead. He kept pushing Scientology as a cure for mental illness because, he said, it can solve everyone’s problems without “making it up” like therapy and medication."

Frightening, scary, irresponsible stuff.

Sorry - for clarification, Andrew is the guy that gave her friend the E-meter audit and worked for CO$

More proof that they have no clue what the hell they are talking about. Some antidepressants, like Prozac, have fairly long half lives and are still present in the system a week after taking the last one.

[TheGreenWave]

10 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

no clue what the hell they are talking about

And what I can't wrap my head around is even though Scientologists (those that are lured into it) have to know they are factually incorrect, they still double down.  So, these guys in the article that worked at CO$ are around 17.  You can't tell me that they don't know anyone in their lives that benefited from medication?? 

[Sew Sumi]

27 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

More proof that they have no clue what the hell they are talking about. Some antidepressants, like Prozac, have fairly long half lives and are still present in the system a week after taking the last one.

Not to mention that many anti-depressants/anxiety meds are controlled susbstances. Depending on the dose a person is taking, they would suffer some form of withdrawal symptoms in those critical 24 hours without meds. For example, one can't quit Xanax cold turkey; it must be tapered down. 

I don't expect your random garden variety $ceintologist to know this, and this is a case where ignorance can be very, very dangerous. 

[CatMomma]

4 hours ago, savannah1985 said:

Does anyone have any specific information about Marty Rathbun going back to the "church", are there news sites that have reported on this?

Marty Rathbun, as far as I know, has not returned to Scientology.  His current wife was never a Scientologist and I doubt she would EVER join the cult.

I personally believe he was paid.  His wife filed a lawsuit against the church, and she probably would have won because she was never a Scientologist.  I know some people believe the harassment finally got to him, but the fact that he attacked Ron Miscavige and defended David Miscavige against his father's allegations makes me believe he made some sort of agreement for money.  If it was about the harassment, he would have just stopped talking completely. David Miscavige will leave ex-Scientologists alone as long as they keep their mouth shut.

Interestingly enough, Discovery ID is suddenly airing episodes about Scientology. In fact, Marty Rathbun's story was just on a few days ago.  Leah is doing some good. I find it hard to believe it's just coincidence.

Regarding this ep, I was so angry and emotional watching.  I knew they were evil, but their actions took this to a whole other level.  I'm still baffled that the prosecutor even charged him with a felony.  

Edited January 13, 2017 by CatMomma

[Sew Sumi]

I saw this Rathbun episode the other day. I didn't even know I had that channel! I found it totally by mistake while channel surfing. It had a lot of the same footage we saw in the 20/20 expose. 

I think I kept the 20/20 episode on my DVR. I need a re-watch, because I thought it was made apparent that he'd returned to the "church." However, I could have easily misinterpreted it and am not averse to admitting I was wrong. Frankly, I hope I am. 

His deal was that he was still practicing the "religion" without benefit of the "church." Miscavige wants his money, not parishoners out there practicing out there on their own! 

As for Brandon's story, as a sufferer of bipolar, you need to be on meds. Even on them, they can stop working, as happened to me last fall when I fell into a crippling depression and again last month when I suffered a swing the other way. He needs to be under a doctor's care ALL THE TIME to adjust/change meds as needed to treat acute symptoms. I'm lucky in that I turn inward with this stuff, so I don't act out like he did, or if I do, it's in a different manner. 

I read Lois' letters in Rinder's blog, and Brandon's community service will be completed next month. I wish them well. 

Edited January 13, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[TheGreenWave]

10 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

as happened to me last fall when I fell into a crippling depression and again last month when I suffered a swing the other way

Hugs, Sew Sumi.  As someone who has had anxiety for decades (as some of my family members), for which I take medication, my heart goes out to you.