Marty Rathbun is a former high ranking Scientology member who left the church. He writes a really good blog about his time with the church. In one of his latest entries he says that when he was auditing Tom Cruise back in 2001 when Tom was divorcing Nicole Kidman, he was ordered to videotape the sessions by David Miscavige. He says that the sessions were recorded without Tom's knowledge but that David wanted to see exactly what was going on and that Tom's return to the church was the most important thing.
You would think the sessions would be kept secret, but, according to Rathbun, the sessions were actually shown by Miscavige at parties he would have at his house. Oh, how I would love to see those tapes.
"DM regularly held court with others in his personal lounge...while sipping scotch whiskey at the end of the night," Rathbun says. " Miscavige would read Tom's overts and withholds from my reports to others, joking and laughing about the content of Tom's confessionals."
I'm guessing this has happened with more people than just Tom. Why anyone would join this thing remains a mystery to me.
Why people like Tom Cruise remains so loyal is a mystery to me....oh, that's right. He has to. They have the tapes.
ReplyDeleteHmmm I don't see Tom's bevy of attorney's sending any cease and desists to Miscavige any time soon.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or does anyone else find it hard to beleive that if this was being done 9 years ago, and was being shown at parties, that this is the first time word of it is getting out?
ReplyDeleteWhen is Rathbun's book coming out?
This almost makes me feel a little bad for Tom. Imagine that! He must be so needy! That poor little man!
ReplyDeleteit's awful as if my spy's tape was outed!
ReplyDeleteBwahahahaha! I just can't feel sorry for Tom at all. I would like all these Scientologists to be outed for the fools that they are (and my boss is a big one - who I wish would STFU about how we should all follow the practices of Scientology because we would be so much better than we are now).
ReplyDeleteOMG I just noticed Miscavige is actually SHORTER than Tom, damn I never thought you could find any man shorter than Tom. I think Prince is taller than Tom, lol
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of friend would do that?
ReplyDeleteLOL @ Montana. And what is with the salute?
ReplyDeleteThis is Scientology's M.O. This is how they got Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and so many others.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason this is surprising is that Tom and Miscaviage were reported to be like brothers and Miscaviage's power remains intact in the organization partly due to that relationship and Tom's money. There are couple excellent books on the history of Scientology that will blow your mind (a couple aren't published in the US because the "church" has blocked them!) Apparently Miscaviage usurped control of Scientology from a dying LRH and there are many who are still believers in the religion (or parts of it) like Rathbun who believe the whole corruption of the church is Miscaviage's fault. Rathbun, as far as I know, left the official church, but considers himself an "independent" Scientologist.
One of the reasons they target celebs is LRH made it one of the church's missions back in the 50's in order to get credibility with the public. He had a "hit" list that included people like Elzabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas etc.
A celebrity I know well is right now going through a personal crisis and through another celebrity who is Scientologist is being pressured to join. They already came on strong to someone else close to him; showed up at her house with auditing machines and everything. They are scary, scary people...at leaast the ones at the top. I've actually met some nice, seemingly normal Scientologists who seem to have taken what's good about the program (it starts out, at the early levels, just as basic self-help stuff, anyway) and left the rest. But they still scare the shit out of me. I think my friend is independent minded enough not to be swayed by them...but you never know.
Everybody has secrets, and they do use other means besides auditing (surveillance, private detectives, etc.) to find them out.
Here's why:
ReplyDeleteBRAINWASHING!!!
(I finally got the Firefox ad blocker to work, thanks to Mooshki and others who reminded me of the technique last week! I can now enjoy CDAN again without feeling awful every day).
@MM, that's probably why Tom likes to hang out with him! I was just over at the Scientology-cult.com site and the stories on the site are insane.
ReplyDeleteMiscavige looks like a mini(er?) Tom Cruise. That's part of the whole problem I have with the COS:
ReplyDelete-why the tapes?
-why the need to have someone follow your religion just because the're afraid to leave it?
-Why the secrets?
*they're
ReplyDeleteCruel.
ReplyDeleteLook at Tommy Boy in that photo. You can just see how seriously he takes this shit. Makes me chuckle.
ReplyDeleteJess: Money. Scientologists pay to be audited and to be told they're getting better. And if they try to stop giving money to the church, they can be blackmailed.
ReplyDeleteThat is, it survives completely by fraud and taking advantage of people with real problems.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind Scientology I just don't think it is a religion or. It should pay taxes like any other for profit self help orginzation does.
ReplyDeleteDisgusting.
ReplyDeleteDisgusting.
ReplyDeleteWith all the media attention and the countless stories villifying this "church" and its practices, it's amazing that anyone would still get involved with it. What kind of claim to sprituality can any organization have that uses blackmail, violence, aggresive confrontation, spying, etc., to protect itself and maintain its membership? As L. Ron said, "If you really want to make money, start a religion!" and that seems to sum up the entire ethos nicely.
ReplyDeleteAs L. Ron said, "If you really want to make money, start a religion!" and that seems to sum up the entire ethos nicely.
ReplyDeleteRight, Robert!
As I recall he said that shortly after the psychiatric profession blasted his "dianetics" theories. So he made it a religion instead.
all i can say kids, is read the Morton biography. MUST.
ReplyDeletelol,nice subtle adverts there Enty!
ReplyDeletehow long before those leak? I am sure someone can get a lot of money for it...
ReplyDeleteITA with Jax. That Morton bio is a page-turner. I couldn't put it down. It also reveals a lot about Scientology.
ReplyDeleteOMG I might actually feel a wee bit sorry for ole Tommy boy on this.
ReplyDeleteBut a big part of me wonders why people do not pay attention to history.. Short men trying to rule the World never ends well.
How long before Tom Cruise leaves the COS and starts his own religion?
ReplyDeleteexactly susan! the stuff with his dad going to therapy really explains why he's so against it now. nutjob supreme.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like "auditing" is almost exactly like "therapy" with a psychiatrist. But of course psychiatry is a bad thing, and auditing is good. Whatever.
ReplyDeleteThis is some messed-up crap. Mscavige is a dangerous ass.
Would've been nice if Rathbun took a copy of the tape when he left the group.
ReplyDeleteWow, that Miscavige is indeed a very wee man.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Tom thinks about all this?
@JoElla
ReplyDeleteShort men trying to rule the World never ends well.
Excellent point. And these two have enormous chips on their shoulders to boot!
Now Enty, can we please have more posts so these two with the Napoleonic complex are no longer the first thing we see???
...and you just know that with that salute Tom is channelling the salute he learned for A Few Good Men. Remember, back before he was bringing the crazy?
ReplyDeleteHow long before they're on YouTube?
ReplyDeleteHell, I'll even go so far as to say I'd pay for it. (The ability to view the tapes that is...)
The Salute
ReplyDeleteLRH bought a cruise ship and started a part of Scientology called the "Sea Org." He was the Captain and wore a uniform and everyone on the ship ran around in uniforms saluting and saying "aye aye sir" and the whole thing ran like a naval operation on LSD. I believe it was because LRH was getting kicked out of various countries etc. so he felt safer on the sea; also I think it had been a fantasy of his as a kid to be a ship's captain (he had been a glider pilot)
Eventually the ship got sold (?), everyone moved back to dry land, but Sea Org members remained the elite of the Scientology elite. And they still go around saluting each other and using nautical terms, etc (and I think they still wear the uniforms). I'm sure TC was in Sea Org and that's probably what the salute is all about.
Personally, I find all religions strange (Mormonism being a perfect example), but in the competition of wacko religions, the CoS really beats out all comers.
ReplyDeleteSay what you wish about the Catholic Church, but I haven't any stories about them taping our confessions. Thank God!
ReplyDeleteWasn't there a recent blind about a celeb being blackmailed by a certain faction that they were committed to? It was believed to be Travolta. Could it be Tom? I feel sorry for Katie, it must be hell dealing with COS.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Co$ recruitment centre downtown and there are always Co$ members handing out phamplets and giving stress tests and anon. groups protesting them. The funny thing is, the cops usually hassle the anon protesters, even though they are on the other side of the street, on public property, and protesting peacefully. What they should do is hassle the Co$ for the techniques that they use in order to ensure that members rarely go astray.
ReplyDeleteis it just me or haven't any posts been added for 3 hours?
ReplyDeleteThat salute is just creepy even after reading the "explanation" from Hunter.
ReplyDeleteIt's just so Nazi-ish to me.
The reason it hasn't leaked before is that Miscavige has similar tapes on all the other people who were at his parties.
ReplyDeleteI'm still pissed at Travolta for not leaving after his son died. Apparently his reputation is still more important to him than his child was. :(
@ali, I don't like COS but it would be highly unethical and immoral if Rathbun had taken a copy or gave actual details of the confessions.
ReplyDeleteAnd what COS does is not unethical or immoral? Please.
ReplyDeletehunter, IIRC, you're very close. i believe elron had a long history of failure in the navy, but led everyone to believe he was a war hero and awarded many medals.
ReplyDeletehe established the sea org as his elite group and appointed himself "commodore" and designed uniforms for himself and his top people.
he was crazier than a bedbug, but apparently very charismatic, always a lethal combination.
there still are ships, the sea org still exists, and their rules for living are outrageous. miscarriage, as head of co$, is also head, or "commodore" of the sea org.
thus the military salute. oh, and i think that pic was taken at some ceremony where tommy boy was being crowned as "heir to the throne" or some other such nonsense.
xenu.net had/has exposed much of crap about the scios, and the guy that runs it is in the netherlands (i think) one of the countries that won't let the scios in, and he is safe from their lawyers.
i suggest y'all check out the site, read the boards. scary shit.
Oh yeah BB, of course, the "Commodore" not the Captain! No lowly Captain for Elron!
ReplyDeleteI remember about the Naval hero thing, too. He made up a lot about his past and then got to try and relive it once he had all the Scientology followers treating him like a God.
That's charisma for you!
I had no idea there were still ships!
Craziness, though you gotta admit, very creative in a way. That's what you get when a pulp sci-fi writer dreams up a religion!
Is Jesse James part of the COS? Him & Tom have the same salutes ...
ReplyDeleteboth losers.