I don't know if anyone's has been watching this series that's being done by Leah Remini with Mike Rinder who used to be one of the Scientology executives involved in their policy of fair play.
This is a pretty exposing series from the abuses of David Mascavige who is the pope of Scientology, to the sheer money making aspects of this cult and how it works to siphon maximum money from their members. To the practices of the Sea Org the religion within the religion that has not only its own secret prison system to legalized slavery of its members to even worse things like enforced abortions and providing what is basically slaves to members like Tom Cruise
This series has had several interviews with high level members of this "Church" who escaped including Mark Headley and its wife Claire and Amy Scobee who was nearly driven insane after she left the church.
It also looks at the belief system and courses that they use to such $100's of thousands of dollars from their dedicated members.
Its a sober look at one of the most well thought out cults in the world and a good companion piece to other Scientology documentaries like going clear and books written by Jenny Mascavige and others.
As well if your going to watch this its a good idea to go to the Operation Clambake site which is run by former scientologists who try to help people escape.
The stories about the families that are broken apart are unbearably sad.
They are so cultish that it almost seems unbelievable that the American govt has done nothing about it. Billions of dollars can buy some pretty good lobbyists...one would think.
The stories about the families that are broken apart are unbearably sad.
They are so cultish that it almost seems unbelievable that the American govt has done nothing about it. Billions of dollars can buy some pretty good lobbyists...one would think.
Its a pretty vicious and condemning cycle.
They've got a lot of people in a lot of high places with virtually limitless resources.
When the IRS cracked down on them years ago the 'Church' of Scientology threatened to sue and litigate the Government into oblivion. They literally bullied the US Government into approving their tax-free religious status.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something. - The Dread Pirate Roberts
The stories about the families that are broken apart are unbearably sad.
They are so cultish that it almost seems unbelievable that the American govt has done nothing about it. Billions of dollars can buy some pretty good lobbyists...one would think.
They actually explained this in the last episode about Mark Headley who sued the church. Because of the first ammendment the government and the courts cannot entwine themselves in the religious practices. Basically the govenment feels that if you as a member of the religion don't like the practices of the religion (ie abortions etc) that you are free to leave your religion and go elsewhere for your spiritual needs and the government doesn't need to be involved.
Basically because of the first amendment religions can get away with odious practices and abusive practices because the ecclesial practices of a church are protected.
The only way that the government could intervene would be around the tax free status of the church, but there aren't grounds for a review of it as the Church seems to follow the letter of the law in terms of acting as a religion and a profit free structure.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
They've got a lot of people in a lot of high places with virtually limitless resources.
When the IRS cracked down on them years ago the 'Church' of Scientology threatened to sue and litigate the Government into oblivion. They literally bullied the US Government into approving their tax-free religious status.
The Church actually has its own inhouse intelligence services that successfully penetrated the FBI and the IRS and basically threatened not only to litigate and batter the IRS into submission but to also release all of the information that it had gathered from the IRS and the federal government.
They literally are their own nation state with their own version of the FBI, the CIA and a navy.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
They've tried to get Remini to stop with threats of legal action, too, but she says she will not stop. I give her credit because she cannot have the immense resources that they do.
I know that organized religion and theists are slammed a lot here and sometimes for good reason, but Scientology is a dangerous cult and business. I don't even like calling it a church because it's really a business that is very successful at bilking people out of their money and ripping families apart.
This is one of the reasons why I have an intense hatred for Tom Cruise. I am indifferent to other members like Kirsti Alley and John Travolta who are not as annoying but there may be no one else on the planet that I detest as much as Cruise.
I'm watching this series to the end, although I think they could achieve the same thing in fewer hours than this will take. Having said that, it's a great series and is compelling and, at time, quite intense in what it's doing to people who fall into their trap. It's so sad.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to MoneyGuy For This Useful Post:
She actually told Scientology to sue her so she can testify on the stand against them and try to call current members of the church to the stand. I believe she would also demand that Mascavige produce his wife publicly.
A lawsuit would blow the doors off of the church, the churches MO is to crush you with their resources, force a settlement and never get to the court room.
Tom Cruise is a dirtbag, he basically gets slaves from his own church to decorate his houses maintain his cars and act as his personal assistants.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
The Following User Says Thank You to CaptainCrunch For This Useful Post:
I've watched maybe 4 episodes, I suspect out of sequence but I don't think that matters.
It's so disturbing to hear and see how family's have been torn apart by this cult. Some of the footage of celebrities we already knew were Sci members were pretty eye opening. This really is an organization that needs to be toppled!
I commend Leah for her courage. You can tell she doesn't give a crap how she is perceived on camera, she's pretty much just disgusted and angry the whole time, you can tell she's very rarely holding back. and she's a bit of a potty mouth.
The U.S. was founded and settled by fringe religious refugees from Europe, which is why they take their freedom of religion pretty seriously. Short of murder, people can do almost anything under the auspices of religion down there.
Scientology story. I'm wandering around Amsterdam stoned out of my head, as one does when they're 19, when someone on the street gives me a flyer and asks if I want to take a test to determine my mental potential. I say sure.
So he takes up into a well-appointed open office with a bunch of Dianetics books laying around and a few other guileless or bored passerby waiting. I had heard of Dianetics, but didn't know anything about Scientology at the time (few people did in the late 80s.) Next thing I know I'm writing a very long and in-depth test, kind of like a combination of those exams they used to give to students very three years and a Myers-Briggs test. I finish, and wait a long time for the results to come back. Long enough that my buzz has worn off and I'm starting to get a little annoyed.
Just as I'm about to leave, a business-like woman ushers me into her office. I'm ready for the pitch now, curious about what kind of flakey gibberish they're going to use to get me to sign up for Dianetics. The woman goes over a graph of my results, pointing to some very low scores in a couple categories (motivation and self-discipline, IIRC).
"Did you know you test very low in these categories?"
"No, I didn't." I take the bait. "So what can Dianetics do for me?"
She looks over the rim of her glasses at me and shakes her head. "Nothing. We can't help you. You can go now."
Looking back, maybe something showed up on my profile that indicated I would not be susceptible to their brainwashing. I don't know. But at the time I was pretty bummed at being rejected by a self-help business.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
Last edited by CliffFletcher; 12-28-2016 at 09:09 PM.
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to CliffFletcher For This Useful Post:
You can take the electric metal tube test at the Scientology church in downtown Vancouver.
I almost walked in there once. Cliff's story slightly reminded me of it actually.
I saw a sign that was for free psychological/personality tests. I have always wondered about what I'd be "categorized" as with psych/personality/intelligence exams. I Looked up. "Church of Scientology."
I almost walked in their once. Cliff's story slightly reminded me of it actually.
I saw a sign that was for free psychological/personality tests. I have always wondered about what I'd be "categorized" as with psych/personality/intelligence exams. I Looked up. "Church of Scientology."
Nope.
What part of putting your hands on an electrified metal tube did you take objection to?
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something. - The Dread Pirate Roberts
I've been loving the recent influx of scientology related material.
Louis Theroux's scientology doc was kind of muted but I think gave tremendous personal insight into some of the executives and how shattered they are mentally.
Going Clear was another fascinating view of the cult of scientology using a lot of their own promotional materials.
I think Remini's so far has been the best though because they give you the extended detail and context for the personal impact on these poor peoples lives.
How heartbreaking.
The Following User Says Thank You to Flash Walken For This Useful Post:
I visited Cape Town last year and we came across the Scientology chapter down there where they had this really really attractive girl working outside trying to get people to write the test. A friend of mine who has no scruples about anything (a lawyer by trade), starts asking how she got into the biz and she says that she had some bad life choices that she made while she was an aspiring actress trying to make it in Hollywood. Upon further questioning, it was revealed she was in adult videos specifically. So he asks her how Scientology changed her life, and she couldn't answer that simple question. But I'm sure their marketing ploy worked just fine and they signed up quite a few people because of the great marketing material up front.
What part of putting your hands on an electrified metal tube did you take objection to?
That's not where I was told the tube went...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoneyGuy
I am indifferent to other members like Kirsti Alley and John Travolta who are not as annoying
So you didn't watch Battlefield Earth then?
I've seen bits and pieces of this series. Good on Remini for standing up to this. I'm not big on religion in the first place but Scientology is just horrendous.
I have a friend who has other friends (who I don't know) who are apparently in Scientology. She was convinced by one of them to go to a "self help" event that ended up being an introduction / attempted recruitment of people into Scientology. I attempted to explain to her that the whole thing is a cult that does terrible things, and advised her to watch Going Clear. This was a few months ago.
Yesterday she told me that she went to their New Year's party and that "they're not as bad as everyone says, they do a lot of good for people. They showed a bunch of information at the party about all the good they do. It's like every religion, it has its bad moments, but I have friends in other religions like mormons and catholics and I don't judge them, I'm open minded and accepting of everything".
Apparently, they've got some very enticing methods that appeal to some people.
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
The Following User Says Thank You to CorsiHockeyLeague For This Useful Post: