If you are as interested in the downfall of Scientology as I am, then I encourage you to read anything and everything by Village Voice editor, Tony Ortega. The guy is brilliant and spends a great deal of his journalistic energy on bringing down Scientology. He has a great, but very long article about Marty Rathbun and the torture he has gone through the past five months because of the attack first policy of Scientology. Marty and some of the other recent defectors from Scientology are starting to have a serious effect, because the defectors are the rich people. If no one can afford to buy all the programs and services then the house of cards will come tumbling down. You get the feeling that all it will take is one spark and then Scientology as we know it would be no more. I don't care what religion you practice, I just don't think its right to make people have to pay to succeed in your religion, and if they try and leave, to hunt them down and make them come back. I don't think it is right to make someone sign a billion year contract to work for free and control their lives. I don't think it is right to split parents from their children forever just because a parent leaves the religion. Anyway, I hope you have a chance to read Tony's article.
Reading the Village Voice is how I got to know about those Children of Scientology, then that New Yorker piece showed up and closed the deal for me.
ReplyDeleteIf it is said that the FBI is looking into all these complaints of kidnapping, slavery, child abuse, free labour, and a whole long list for which anyone would've been prosecuted by now and sent to prison, how come nothing is coming out already?
Could it be true that most LA is in Scientology's pocket, even some very deep but well placed politicians?
Travolta and Cruise must revolt and run away together. This will definitely explode the church.
For those who want to quickly skim through Paul Haggis' experience on how he came to leave Scientology (Paul Haggis is a well know Hollywood film and tv Director, and was in the highest levels of Scientology, here's the link in the New Yorker:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_wright
Wow. I grew up in Corpus, mentioned to my dad not long ago about Rathbun being there, of all places.
ReplyDeleteIf the police and the newspaper (not a hardhitting place) have already publicly said they know what's going on, I think he might actually end up ok.
Corpus is just a large small town, and if the officials decide they don't like the publicity, they'll sick the cops on the Squirrel Busters. If I were him, I'd be demanding that they get assembly permits, or some bullshit. Maybe they can out-beauracracy them :)
Good stuff! The Scientologists fascinate me, but yeah, I'd like nothing better than to see the whole thing crumble.
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget touring the Scientology Center in Washington DC, in the veeeeery expensive Dupont Circle neighborhood. It really shows what a cult of personality it is; there's a pic of L. Ron Hubbard in EVERY room, and I mean including short hallways and bathrooms. The latter being HIGHlarious, I think.
I need to start a religion. Science fiction writing isn't earning the way I'd hoped it would.
ReplyDeleteMs Snarky, that's why L. Ron Hubbard did it. He was famously quoted as saying that "if you really want to get rich, start a religion."
ReplyDeleteBest news I have heard all day! Maybe Katie can escape with Suri. I cannot believe they get rational people to do some of the things they do. But, isn't brain washing, complete control, seperation from family and friends, etc the very definition of a cult? : (
ReplyDelete@figgy
ReplyDeleteI know, I was being silly and channeling L Ron. : )
Slightly OT- BG removed a "solved" from her page....it involved a certain actor who sports a toupe...
ReplyDeleteBigMama - ? BG... oh blind gossip. right?
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with Enty and everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI say "Bring them folks down!"
Hope we get to read that soon and I hope it make headines, not buried in the back.
The headline made me giddy. I will definitely have to set aside time for Tony's article.
ReplyDelete@BigMama, BG has done that before as well as censor comments. $$$$$
ReplyDeleteScientology is NOT a religion. IT'S A CULT.
ReplyDeleteYou've got to be a huge fucking moron to ever get involved with these fuckers. I feel sorry for kids who are born into that loony bin.
Religion is the greatest ponzi scheme in history. I would be delighted to see Scientology and some other religions come crashing down. People can be spiritual without having to dole out their earnings to 'God', 'God' being the people at the top laughing all the way to the bank, or diamond mine, or meth dealer, and so on.
ReplyDelete