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‘Ross & Carrie’ conclude their Scientology investigation by calling it ‘ridiculously creepy’

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Ross Blocher and Carrie Poppy wrapped up their podcast series on Scientology with a ninth and final episode, describing how ultimately they were found out as infiltrators and were shooed away from church events. But not before they had managed to take several courses, do some auditor training, and had attended both the New Year’s Eve and LRH Birthday events, two of the biggest Scientology happenings of the year.

The two Los Angeles podcasters are associated with the Center for Inquiry, which exists to debunk pseudoscience. In their show, “Oh No, Ross & Carrie,” the duo take on magical thinking by experiencing fringe beliefs for themselves. And over the course of their five year podcast, they say that they had constantly been asked, when are you going to take on Scientology?

They began their adventure in Scientology last year, and didn’t broadcast their first episode in February until they had been outed and were no longer doing courses. But in this final episode, Ross reveals that even after their shows had begun airing, they were still getting invitations from Scientologists to attend events. And that’s how he found himself at the LRH Birthday event in March at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

As usual, the story that unfolds is really fun to listen to. We’ll let you discover how their investigation wrapped up. We just wanted to point out that their shows were consistently great, and they filled in a gap in Scientology watching that we just don’t get from reading Scientology materials or interviewing ex-members.

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Scrupulously fair, Ross and Carrie admitted that they could only report what they saw, and couldn’t confirm what ex-Scientologists are saying about disconnection or Fair Game or the mistreatment of Sea Org workers. But what they did capture perhaps more brilliantly than anyone before them is simply how inane Scientology is.

Hearing their accounts of what it was like to take courses and try to negotiate Scientology’s weird rules and hyper selling techniques, it’s really hard to understand why anyone in Scientology doesn’t immediately see that they are marks in a very outdated con game.

As Ross observes at one point, if this group really were helping the world, that’s what they’d be talking about when they get together, and not constantly asking you for your information so you can be sold yet more expensive classes.

In the end, the duo summed up and measured their experience. Carrie pronounced Scientology “ridiculously creepy,” and on a creepiness scale of 1 to 10, gave it a 45.

Sounds about right.

 
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Bonus items from our tipsters

Speaking of creepy, here’s a postcard that CCHR of Florida is mailing out and that was forwarded to us by one of our readers. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is Scientology’s wacky anti-psychiatry front group. Florida’s Baker Act is the subject of debate there, but no one really needs to hear about it from Scientology, given its track record with mental health.

 
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Tom Cruise — deadbeat dad, or secret hero?

Once again, Star magazine is coming to the rescue of Tom Cruise, trying to counter his image as a weirdo Scientologist who for some reason is not spending much time with his daughter Suri.

Previously, Star published yet another cover story claiming that Tom was leaving Scientology. We thoroughly debunked this, posting numerous photographs showing that Tom is still showing up to Scientology events, and with his special Freedom Medal of Valor around his neck.

Now, Star is claiming that counter to the reports of Tom’s absentee parenting, he is, in fact, talking regularly with Suri, who sneaks phone calls to him. Star puts this down to an inside “source.”

But hang on, In Touch has a new report out, saying that Tom has now gone 1,000 days without seeing or talking to his daughter — more than two and a half years!

Both of these stories can’t be correct. So which one is telling the truth?

We’ll just point out one thing about In Touch. In 2012, Tom Cruise sued the publisher of In Touch and Life & Style for saying that he had abandoned his daughter. He settled that $50 million lawsuit the next year.

But here In Touch is, making the exact same accusation. And knowing the kinds of lawyers who would be advising In Touch, it’s hard to believe that the magazine would repeat that allegation following a bruising legal fight unless they were very sure of their sources.

In fact, we would be pretty surprised if they weren’t hearing from someone very close to Katie Holmes herself.

 
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HowdyCon dinner notices have gone out

More information about the June 18 dinner — the centerpiece of HowdyCon — went out yesterday to those people who had sent us emails confirming that they are attending. If you plan to attend HowdyCon and haven’t responded to us yet, please drop us an email soon at tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com.

No one will be admitted to the Saturday night dinner who is not on our list of respondents. This is a private affair, and will feature some amazing guests. If you want to attend, notify us very soon.

 
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3D-UnbreakablePosted by Tony Ortega on June 3, 2016 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

 

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