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John Joseph, 1955-2014: A Scientologist, and a friend to the Underground Bunker

 We knew him only as “Plain Old Thetan.”

He began communicating with us during our Village Voice days, and quickly became one of our most productive and most trusted sources about what was happening inside the Church of Scientology.

On Thursday, Plain Old Thetan — whose real name was John Joseph — died after suffering complications []

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Scientology’s ‘Disconnection’ policy foiled as Jeremy Powers reunites with his family

 We couldn’t think of a more appropriate breaking story for Independence Day: Jeremy Powers, who we first wrote about more than two years ago, has ditched the Church of Scientology and was reunited yesterday with the family he “disconnected” from, including his grandmother, Edie []

German media: Scientology is essentially dead in Berlin

Two recent newspaper reports indicate that despite the opening of its “Ideal Org” in Berlin seven years ago, Scientology is essentially defunct in the city, with only about 130 members in a metropolis of more than 3 million.

Drawing from the most recent report from the country’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the []

Scientology litigation update: The Garcias respond, and the NAFC plays hardball

Squirrel Busters Ed Bryan and Joanne Wheaton on a boat in a 2011 video we’d like to see again

We’re trying to stay on top of a lot of different litigation involving the Church of Scientology that’s happening around the country. We’re fortunate to have numerous tipsters and legal experts who help keep us []

Rathbun: ‘Scientology never endorsed anyone where there wasn’t a clear self-interest’

Pam Bondi, Florida AG

On Sunday, we broke the news that Scientologists were holding a campaign fundraiser for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is running for re-election this year.

One of our tipsters had forwarded to us a mailer that was not meant to be spread outside the church, showing that several high-level Scientologists []

That time L. Ron Hubbard was hit by lightning while wearing full armor: It’s science!

Yesterday, in our Sunday Funnies, we showed you a flier (pictured, right) announcing a set of L. Ron Hubbard lectures that the folks at Scientology’s London Ideal Org claim were never previously released, and that would be on sale for £200.

“Ron talks about the anatomy of the body and gives a glimpse at one of []

Scientology Sunday Funnies: The Nancy Cartwright freak-out edition

Watch out! Nancy Cartwright is having some kind of naval restim and she’s reaching for your wallet!

Yes, it’s time for another wacky collection of Scientology’s latest mailers and fliers as the church tries desperately to find a new strategy to get members to actually come to events and open up a few more credit cards []

Scientology’s secret plan to take over the world — here it is!

Scientology has a plan to take over the world — would you be surprised to learn that it involves you sending them a lot of money?

We have another video that Scientology only intended its own members to see. It’s the latest appeal to members to send in cash so books can be sent to libraries []

Here’s a reminder of Scientology’s Cold War origins — L. Ron Hubbard on radiation!

We have another video that you normally can only see inside a Scientology “org.” It’s another “quote video” that the church uses to convince members to purchase L. Ron Hubbard’s lectures.

In this case, we have quite a doozy. It’s a clip from Hubbard’s December 1956 “Washington Congress on Anti-Radiation & Confront,” a set of lectures []

Scientology has a new recruitment video to get you to sign up for a billion years!

We have another video for you that wasn’t supposed to be seen outside the Church of Scientology. This one is a recruitment pitch for young Scientologists to join the Sea Organization — the church’s hardcore elite, who sign billion-year contracts and work 110-hour weeks for pennies an hour, with never a day off or a []