S01.E07: Enemies Of The Church

[ZoloftBlob]

"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?

[DangerousMinds]

14 minutes ago, 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?

These "beliefs" are one reason why I can't take any religion seriously.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, SiobhanJW said:

http://tonyortega.org/2016/08/15/former-scientology-mouthpiece-tommy-davis-is-settling-into-his-new-role-as-hollywood-exec/

Looks like he is doing just fine. 

Thanks for the update!  I understand Packer very recently pulled away from CO$ again.  Will have to check up on how the Ratner film project is progressing.

I agree with those in Tony's blog saying Tommy is trying to land a whale to get himself back into DM's good graces.

[TheGreenWave]

1 hour ago, tvsoothesthespirit said:

I think the show's decision not to speak derisively about the OT III stuff is well founded. The point isn't that people believe crazy stuff -- that's easy to write off. The point is, the members of Scientology are being abused and, it seems, have signed over their free will to the organization.

I was kind of disappointed that Leah won't give up the legal challenge idea. Legal challenges are expensive and they can backfire.

IMHO, that money might be better used to persuade people to leave the CO$, or better yet, not join up. The sunlight this show, books, and documentaries have recently shed is a huge help to this.  I think most members are of the "public" type. They're hemorrhaging money into the organization. If their heads can be turned, that would be a huge start.

For the more indoctrinated, inner circle members (are there many of these at this point?), maybe create safe havens where people leaving Scientology can go, hand out leaflets with helpful information about leaving the church, staff 800 numbers for members to call if they need help, create a rescue force to patrol outside various Orgs to help when people leave and are pursued, etc. Have to do it while the iron is hot, though, before public interest wains.

When Scientology can no longer sign new members, when members' kids can see a way out, and when members start leaving, the organization will stop bringing in money.

All of the above activities will also drain money from coffers as Scientology fights a war on several fronts. Kudos to this show for making me think about this stuff!

COMPLETELY agree with every word you wrote.  I felt bad when she and Mike were in the car and she was implying that, unless there was a legal challenge, then all of their work has been for nothing.  WRONG!!!  Preventing people from entering into such a cult or having current members realize that they will not be shunned by non-CO$ people in the real world is a hugely important message.  Establishing safe havens is a great idea and, yes, this has to be done like NOW.  I didn't even realize that others had written books or done documentaries on CO$ in the past - and didn't really take interest until "Going Clear" and when Leah left and exposed things from an insider celebrity's perspective (even though she didn't suffer anything like what the interviewees did).  Because of their show, I now know more than I ever did before about these horrible practices and I am encouraging others to watch it.

[Ananayel]

It seems a lot of what Co$ does skirts right up to the edge of what's legal, and sooner or later they'll cross the line. At minimum, stalking and harassment, possibly defamation. Get all the legal ducks in a row so that when they cross, the lawyers are ready to go. Give them a taste of their own medicine.

I have wondered several times if there is a underground network of sorts to help those who have blown learn to function in society and build their lives, much like the ex-Amish have.

I need a second season, and I need for it to get into the dirty details. I need two episodes (at least) on what an epic turd LRH was in all aspects, and I need for his quote about the way to getting rich is to start a religion to be the opening and closing cards. There should be an episode on why exactly the e-meter is useless bs. Treatment of children should be covered extensively. Comparisons should be drawn between the things that Scientology says are "good" and show how they can be found in many other sources and programs. I read or heard somewhere (maybe Ron Miscavige's book) that the things that work about it aren't unique to Scientology, and the things that are unique to Scientology don't work. Any harassment Leah, Mike and the crew have to deal with as a result should also be covered.

I know it seems strange to say that they should take the gloves off, considering how damaging I feel this series was. But it seems it's really just the tip of the iceberg.

[Wings]

18 hours ago, tvsoothesthespirit said:

 

I think the show's decision not to speak derisively about the OT III stuff is well founded. The point isn't that people believe crazy stuff -- that's easy to write off. The point is, the members of Scientology are being abused and, it seems, have signed over their free will to the organization.

I was kind of disappointed that Leah won't give up the legal challenge idea. Legal challenges are expensive and they can backfire.

IMHO, that money might be better used to persuade people to leave the CO$, or better yet, not join up. The sunlight this show, books, and documentaries have recently shed is a huge help to this.  I think most members are of the "public" type. They're hemorrhaging money into the organization. If their heads can be turned, that would be a huge start.

 

I applaud her seeking legal advice.  There is no other way to take them down.   

 I doubt any Scientologist could be lured away with money and that could cause legal problems.  Bribing is frowned upon.  :^) 

Child labor laws and no education may be the place to start.  Taking away their tax exemption could happen down the line after more is exposed.   I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to hear what her plan is with the attorney. 

The hole, and "prison" in So CA, the fortress where Shelly is being housed.  There is so much going on that is illegal it stuns.  

Ortega estimates only about 10k clams exist.   The power DM thinks he has may not be as grand as we have been led to believe.  He rules his subjects but beyond that, all he can do is harass.

It is possible a team of lawyers are willing to take this on pro bono.  It would be a huge reputation boost to say the least.  Who wouldn't want to hire a lawyer that took COS down.  Many famous attys have landmark cases in their portfolio.  It puts them on the map and of course their future fees will reflect that.  

Safe havens are necessary, certainly.  When it comes tumbling down, places for them to go is crucial.  

Edited January 12, 2017 by wings707

[Wings]

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

[Arwen Evenstar]

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

no education may be the place to start.

Doubtful, since the State of Texas Supreme Court set a precedent in finding for a family whose religious beliefs were so entrenched in end time prophecy, they believed educating their kids was a waste of time.  They wouldn't even homeschool their children.

FWIW, information on Xenu is available for free for the morbidly curious among you.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu

It got too bizarre, even for me, so that's saying something.

[Vicky8675309]

1 hour ago, 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

this is particularly interesting

"The U.S. State Department says that human trafficking occurs when a captor uses “force or physical threats, psychological coercion, abuse of the legal process, deception, or other coercive means to compel someone to work.” It is considered irrelevant whether the victim consents to the arrangement, such as the billion-year contract signed by members of the Sea Org. 

In the U.S. the main statute under which human trafficking charges can be brought is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which establishes severe penalties for human traffickers, with no statute of limitations. Amendments to the Act allow captors to be prosecuted under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute."

Edited January 11, 2017 by Vicky8675309

[green]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Aside from the bonus AMA episode next week this was the season finale, right?

I thought A&E announced a finale episode for the week after the Reddit extra one next week.  In other words, there should be 2 more episodes to view.

[3girlsforus]

22 minutes ago, Vicky8675309 said:

this is particularly interesting

"The U.S. State Department says that human trafficking occurs when a captor uses “force or physical threats, psychological coercion, abuse of the legal process, deception, or other coercive means to compel someone to work.” It is considered irrelevant whether the victim consents to the arrangement, such as the billion-year contract signed by members of the Sea Org. 

In the U.S. the main statute under which human trafficking charges can be brought is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which establishes severe penalties for human traffickers, with no statute of limitations. Amendments to the Act allow captors to be prosecuted under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute."

I've been wondering about this for a while now. Lawsuits are good but I want to see these guys in criminal court, not just civil. I wonder what the burden of proof is for the FBI to take action if they don't have a current victim complaint. No one currently in the Sea Org is going to voice a complaint. It reminds me of the FLDS. Even when they did a raid and we know for sure there are underage brides and physical abuse, they weren't able to do anything. They have been a able to prosecute specific men when someone escapes, but nothing to shut down the practice all together. I know there are legal differences but I wonder if it will be just as difficult to make criminal cases against these guys. What seems obviously wrong doesn't always transfer in the court. 

To me, claiming to provide medical care for someone with psychiatric issues but instead putting them in what amounts to solitary confinement with no treatment seems like it should be illegal. But it doesn't appear to have garnered charges. Ugh. 

[shelley1234]

How great that the public outcry caused the FBI to cancel that sham of an event.  Awesome.  It does show that calling and making a stink can work and it should continue to happen as much as possible.  I give all credit to Rinder on this one.  He was posting that event all over twitter and asking people to call and voice their outrage.  

[larapu2000]

I will watch every moment, every special, and buy every product advertised during this program if they can just keep making more.  

I find it amazing that not only is Mike Rinder in the same room as those journalists, but that he considers them FRIENDS now.  That's incredible.  

[Giselle]

Boyfriend has been watching with me. He didn't know how deep the crazy went. This series has been an eye opener for him.

[3girlsforus]

1 hour ago, shelley1005 said:

How great that the public outcry caused the FBI to cancel that sham of an event.  Awesome.  It does show that calling and making a stink can work and it should continue to happen as much as possible.  I give all credit to Rinder on this one.  He was posting that event all over twitter and asking people to call and voice their outrage.  

Wait, what event? I think I missed something. 

[Meadow]

I tell you what... If I was being stalked they'd be following me as I went to Cabella's to buy a handgun and then to the range to get well trained and finally to the post office or government agency to pick up my concealed carry permit.  I wonder if they are extra cautious when they Fair Game someone living in a Castle Doctrine state?

[PrincessSteel]

I for one totally believe Leah about her reasons for not discussing the OT III materials... a college friend of my ex-husband's was a fairly serious Scientologist. After he reached OT III level (which we all now know to be the 'Meet Xenu!' level), he told me very gravely that I would die if he discussed it with me. I was game--couldn't begin to imagine how a conversation could kill me. He refused on the grounds that he was too ethical to endanger me. Decades later I realize that I might indeed have been in danger of dying...from laughter. Oh, and the deeply ethical nature of this guy somehow failed to keep him from leaving his wife and child for a 17-year-old intern at his company. 

[RedheadZombie]

As usual, the "church's" statement regarding Brandon was laughable.  He escaped in a car owned by his mother.  No CO$, "escaping" is what your parishioners do when they climb a spiked and razor-wired fence to get away from your amoral, soul destroying cult.  We all know you put more effort into holding people in than you do keeping them out.

[NurseGiGi]

It appears that our very own government has aided and abetted Scientology by recognizing them as a church.  There are so many things that churches can get away with all under the guise of religion.  Children aren't being properly educated because "religion".  When you don't have an education and you're being paid pennies while working 36 hours at a time you just don't have many options for surviving in the outside world.  Several former members have stated that they stayed because they had nowhere to go.  And no skills to earn a living.  Very sad and upsetting.  

It's terrifying that one organization has so much power.  They have a billion dollars (or so they say) and legal teams to fight but so do other companies and they're held responsible for their actions.  Why isn't Scientology?  And why aren't they being investigated?  Since they're tax exempt can't they be audited? They took away LRH tax exempt status once before because they found out he was using the money for personal reasons.  I don't know.  It seems as though a ton of money must be passing through some politicians hands for them to be so protected.

I agree that Tommy Davis is still a scientologist and is trying to rope that billionaire back into the fold.  David Miscavage (can't remember how to spell his name) is a horrible horrible person.  And I will never again watch another Tom Cruise movie.

[green]

5 hours ago, shelley1005 said:

How great that the public outcry caused the FBI to cancel that sham of an event.  Awesome.  It does show that calling and making a stink can work and it should continue to happen as much as possible.  I give all credit to Rinder on this one.  He was posting that event all over twitter and asking people to call and voice their outrage.  

Huh?

[abstractstuff]

The sound effects after commercial breaks remind me of playing Nintendo.

[PrincessSteel]

5 hours ago, larapu2000 said:

I will watch every moment, every special, and buy every product advertised during this program if they can just keep making more.  

I find it amazing that not only is Mike Rinder in the same room as those journalists, but that he considers them FRIENDS now.  That's incredible.  

Word! Having semi-followed this stuff for years, it was oddly moving to see Rinder and Sweeney sitting across a table from one another. 

[laprin]

COS is really going to be dissappointed when they learn those childish attack letters have improved the standings of everyone associated with this show. I would never have classified myself as a fan of Leah Remini, but now, I'm completely team Leah.  She is the definition of bad-ass,  and I have no doubt little Davey regrets poking her. 

[cheezewiz]

Great episode this week.

I was reading a whole lot of blogs and forums from ex-Scientologists and came upon a funny video called Miscavige's Last Stand.  There's quite a few videos of this nature, but I found this one to be the best.  Hope you guys enjoy.

[Pollock]

6 hours ago, green said:

Huh?

 

10 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

Wait, what event? I think I missed something. 

http://www.mikerindersblog.org/fbi-wtf-are-you-thinking/

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

[DangerousMinds]

11 hours ago, PrincessSteel said:

I for one totally believe Leah about her reasons for not discussing the OT III materials... a college friend of my ex-husband's was a fairly serious Scientologist. After he reached OT III level (which we all now know to be the 'Meet Xenu!' level), he told me very gravely that I would die if he discussed it with me. I was game--couldn't begin to imagine how a conversation could kill me. He refused on the grounds that he was too ethical to endanger me. Decades later I realize that I might indeed have been in danger of dying...from laughter. Oh, and the deeply ethical nature of this guy somehow failed to keep him from leaving his wife and child for a 17-year-old intern at his company. 

Their idea of "ethical" appears to be very very different from most of ours.

[aamankwah]

On 1/10/2017 at 11:40 PM, HunterHunted said:

I'm not even sure that charging members $100K is legal without a nondisclosure agreement. I feel like they mentioned having them sign a bunch of forms before they revealed the secret. Like if that doesn't give you some indication that this is sketchy, I don't know what would.

I thought of 3 things when watching this:

1. We need a change.org petition to have the IRS reconsider the tax exemption;
2. A Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for members of the production crew who might be harassed and defamed by Scientology; and
3. Change.org petitions to Google and Bing to have Scientology smear sites appear lower in the search results when searching for Leah, Mike, or any of the other individuals who decided to speak out against Scientology on this program.

Yo! I'm so down with the IRS petition! They need to review the tax exemption! The CULT of Scientology is too com

 

On 1/10/2017 at 11:40 PM, HunterHunted said:

I'm not even sure that charging members $100K is legal without a nondisclosure agreement. I feel like they mentioned having them sign a bunch of forms before they revealed the secret. Like if that doesn't give you some indication that this is sketchy, I don't know what would.

I thought of 3 things when watching this:

1. We need a change.org petition to have the IRS reconsider the tax exemption;
2. A Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for members of the production crew who might be harassed and defamed by Scientology; and
3. Change.org petitions to Google and Bing to have Scientology smear sites appear lower in the search results when searching for Leah, Mike, or any of the other individuals who decided to speak out against Scientology on this program.

You! I'm so down with the IRS petition. They need to review the tax exemption! The CULT of Scientology is too complacent! They think they are safe and the gov won't come after them! Also it is disgusting to me the lengths they would go through to tear down and destroy someone. That poor journalist from the BBC. He questioned his sanity! That smug bastard who got him to snap and telling him he sounds loony talking about Xenu. You know that shit is true! My God! The Reisdorfs I feel bad for especially the son. What he did was wrong but it was just a window. Not a hate crime. Their suit is so ridiculous.

[RHJunkie]

While I was aware of Scientology, I had no idea what it really was other than it's association with celebrities. Remini's public break from the church is really what got me looking into it. I would binge walk youtube videos of her interviews talking about her split from the church and I'm really glad that she decided to do this show. Absolutely riveting stuff...but in a depressing way because these are real people and real lives that are being conned by a church leadership that seems to care more about money, power and control.

I'm curious what the sales pitch is for Scientology when the church doesn't share their core tenants...which in itself is so strange to me that no one thought it a red flag that they have to PAY in order to just to get access to their scriptures and they're conveniently broken up into different stages that requires you to dish out money each time. It's fascinating how brainwashed people can be...I know it happens and Hubbard is certainly not the first person in history that has done so, but how do celebrities in particular ignore the claims against the church? It seems like hypocrisy that you defend the church because of their proponents in place of making yourself a better person and making the world a better place, but you turn the other cheek when you see behaviour from the church that is contrary to such beliefs. How you defend stalking and publicly shaming people for simply leaving the church? Isn't that the behaviour that forces people to speak out against the church which then leads you to complain about it being hate speech? And their statements are so redundant and seemingly lacks any credibility,

[aamankwah]

20 hours ago, juliet73 said:

I don't excuse Brandon's behavior, but I think the punishment was extreme considering the circumstances. Due to the "church's" neglect, they should be thankful he didn't do anything worse in his state of mind.

Being locked in a room for days, weeks, etc is obviously the wrong solution. Solitary confinement has been proven time and again to cause sane people to go crazy.  I can't imagine the harm it would do to someone who already has a pre existing mental illness. 

I wonder what LRH thought about dentists? From the looks of his teeth, he didn't believe in them either. 

I loved that Leah called Mike Rinder a dick! Ha! 

My mum and I make fun of his teeth every week. Good Lord, you think after all that money he conned out of people he could have gotten them fixed!

[HunterHunted]

9 hours ago, laprin said:

COS is really going to be dissappointed when they learn those childish attack letters have improved the standings of everyone associated with this show. I would never have classified myself as a fan of Leah Remini, but now, I'm completely team Leah.  She is the definition of bad-ass,  and I have no doubt little Davey regrets poking her. 

They used Brandon's Tarasoff letter as evidence that he is unstable and not to be trusted. The Tarasoff case created a duty for mental health professionals (psychiatrist, psychologist, masters level social worker, advanced practice nurses with mental health concentration) to warn police or individuals if in a patient in their care has articulated a threat to injure or damage a person or entity. According to to the letter Leah read on air, Brandon's psychiatrist indicated that Brandon had articulated specific threats to Scientology. They actually used a letter from his psychiatrist to discredit him. Hypocrites!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarasoff_v._Regents_of_the_University_of_California?wprov=sfla1

[rhys]

I don't know where to post this so if it needs to be moved, that's great.

What happens to Sci folks who need other types of medical care? Broken bones, cancer treatments, insulin, etc. We read that Jett didn't have proper care & also that one woman's brother's melanoma was cured in Sci. Is that it? No care? What would happen if Cruise or Travolta came down with a chronic illness that could be managed or cured?

[DangerousMinds]

I have no doubt that Cruise, Travolta, etc are getting any and all medical care they need. As for the average person, I assume they are too, mostly, as long as they have health coverage.

[Wings]

To be continued, is curious.  Is that saying, more on this in the next episode or, my fight will continue? 

She will not mention what the plan, if any, will be with the lawyer.  She doesn't want to alert DM to specifics.  He would have time to "fix" some things. Namely getting rid of the gulag in south CA and make some changes to the place where Shelly is being kept.  This begs the question why show her visiting one in the first place?  

There is so much he cannot fix I suppose going in with guns blazing is the only way since this is televised.

Edited January 12, 2017 by wings707

[3girlsforus]

Rinder's daughter claimed in the letter she wrote about him that his son had melanoma and given 3 months to live but that it was cured by Scientology. But several people here  pointed out that the discolored skin under his eye in the interview looked very typical of melanoma surgery. They seem put forth the idea that a good Scientologist can cure himself but they do go to doctors. I think they are probably also pretty careful to be sure relatives of high profile critics. They will be more likely to get medical help for Rinder's son because if he were to die without proper medical care it would be a huge media story. 

That said, they don't do medical care for any kind of mental issues. 

[aamankwah]

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

[Almost 3000]

28 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

I have no doubt that Cruise, Travolta, etc are getting any and all medical care they need. As for the average person, I assume they are too, mostly, as long as they have health coverage.

I think that's the answer. Those living under CoS care like SeaOrg members probably get minimal medical intervention. CoS doesn't seem to care much at all about young kids or the elderly and the level of extra care and its cost of those two groups is probably one of the reasons.

[sigmaforce86]

I wish there were more specifics about Brandon's case.  I know with the "three strikes" law some judges said what certain people did on their second or third offenses didn't match the jail time they were forced to give but they had to anyway because that law required it.  So in Brandon's case were the judges hands tied or could there have been leeway for the prosecutors to lower the charge based on amount of damage done and pleading mental illness.  I also wonder how the letter Brandon and his lawyer got from CO$ was worded and did they or could they have shown it to the court - it seems to me it would be at least an admission that the church didn't take the damage as seriously as they said they did when they pressed charges.  But I wondered if it could have been considered extortion (even though there's no money involved) or coercion or tampering - I'm reaching here but there has to be something out there; I mean if I tell the police something like so-and-so broke the windshield on my car but then I contact so-and-so and tell him I'll drop the charges if he says my ex-husband put him up to it that can't be legal can it?

I do want this show to go on - I've never been one for "reality" TV but it's so interesting and bizarre and you really feel for the people she talks to; it's one show that's so engaging an hour feels like just 15 minutes.

Edited January 12, 2017 by sigmaforce86

[Trace]

Speaking of Travolta, I have a vague memory of his young son passing away.  Does anyone remember the specifics?

[WescottF1]

4 minutes ago, Trace said:

Speaking of Travolta, I have a vague memory of his young son passing away.  Does anyone remember the specifics?

Cribbed from Wikipedia:

In 2009, Travolta's son, Jett, died at age 16 while on a Christmas vacation in the Bahamas.[47][48] A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure.[49] Jett, who had a troubled history of seizures, reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease at the age of two.[50][51] Travolta confirmed speculation that his son had autism and suffered regular seizures and immediately made his public statements while giving testimony after a multimillion-dollar extortion plot against him in connection to his son's death.[52] After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges and has credited his immediate family and Scientology with helping him survive the death of his son and in moving forward with his film career

[Giselle]

14 hours ago, NurseGiGi said:

It appears that our very own government has aided and abetted Scientology by recognizing them as a church.  There are so many things that churches can get away with all under the guise of religion.  Children aren't being properly educated because "religion".  When you don't have an education and you're being paid pennies while working 36 hours at a time you just don't have many options for surviving in the outside world.  Several former members have stated that they stayed because they had nowhere to go.  And no skills to earn a living.  Very sad and upsetting.  

It's terrifying that one organization has so much power.  They have a billion dollars (or so they say) and legal teams to fight but so do other companies and they're held responsible for their actions.  Why isn't Scientology?  And why aren't they being investigated?  Since they're tax exempt can't they be audited? They took away LRH tax exempt status once before because they found out he was using the money for personal reasons.  I don't know.  It seems as though a ton of money must be passing through some politicians hands for them to be so protected.

I agree that Tommy Davis is still a scientologist and is trying to rope that billionaire back into the fold.  David Miscavage (can't remember how to spell his name) is a horrible horrible person.  And I will never again watch another Tom Cruise movie.

Agreed.

I've refused to watch TC movies since the late 80's (he's always creeped me out) but have added any movies and TV shows with known Co$ actors. JT, KP, GR. Why put money into their pockets and ultimately the cult's?

Just found out another actress is a member. Good bye Orange is the New Black.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Giselle

[Trace]

37 minutes ago, WescottF1 said:

Cribbed from Wikipedia:

In 2009, Travolta's son, Jett, died at age 16 while on a Christmas vacation in the Bahamas.[47][48] A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure.[49] Jett, who had a troubled history of seizures, reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease at the age of two.[50][51] Travolta confirmed speculation that his son had autism and suffered regular seizures and immediately made his public statements while giving testimony after a multimillion-dollar extortion plot against him in connection to his son's death.[52] After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges and has credited his immediate family and Scientology with helping him survive the death of his son and in moving forward with his film career2

Yeah because his film career is what matters the most!  What the actual hell!

[AndreaK1041]

I have recorded this twice, and both times the satellite went out from ~30-45 minutes in the episode.  I tried a third time and hopefully Xenu didn't strike me down yet again!

[diana]

This is what my DVR is showing for supposedly a new episode for Jan. 24.

Heretic

Tue Jan 24 10:00 - 11:03 PM | 1132 A&E HD   

Leah shares her own personal story of association with the Church of Scientology, including learning of it at an early age, becoming a celebrity and opinion leader, and developing misgivings about the Church and eventually leaving it.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, Trace said:

Yeah because his film career is what matters the most!  What the actual hell!

I had to read your quoted line twice.  Travolta's never been regarded as a supreme intellectual, but what?

Edited January 12, 2017 by spiderpig

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Why Did It Take Leah Remini: Scientology And The Aftermath So Long To Bring Journalists Into The Conversation?

And more questions sparked by 'Enemies Of The Church'!

[Sew Sumi]

4 hours ago, aamankwah said:

My mum and I make fun of his teeth every week. Good Lord, you think after all that money he conned out of people he could have gotten them fixed!

He was too busy hiding from the IRS on his ship for decades. Then, when he was finally forced to dock the Apollo, he went into deep hiding. Even Miscavige didn't know where he was for a time towards the end. I forget the name of the couple that Miscavige tricked into finding the location of the higher-level OT documents (which turned out to be nothing but gibberish in the end, thus OT VIII is all they got), but they were the only ones who really dealt with LRH near the end. I doubt they could have smuggled in a dentist or even a doctor (he was in pretty shitty health) without someone finding out and blabbing about it. 

Edited January 12, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[iMonrey]

Quote

Preventing people from entering into such a cult or having current members realize that they will not be shunned by non-CO$ people in the real world is a hugely important message. 

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.

Quote

Everyone has a breaking point, and when you destroy people's families, and ruin them physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, etc., you should count your lucky, crazyass stars that one of them hasn't shown up somewhere with a gun.

Somebody will, eventually. 

[Chaos Theory]

11 minutes 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.

 

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.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[DrSparkles]

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

[TheGreenWave]

14 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Is anyone actually joining Scientology these days?

Check out the link I posted on "Rabbit Hole" - I think that there are only because it does appear to be "self help" driven (but def not in huge numbers, I would think)