For several months we’ve been following the drama surrounding the Jones family, which has been ripped apart by Scientology’s policy of “disconnection.” Phil and Willie Jones are former members of the Church of Scientology, and they are prevented from seeing their grown children, Mike and Emily, who are each members of Scientology’s “Sea Organization.”
Phil and Willie have made a stir with their attempts to see their children, and they raised money to put up a billboard in Hollywood asking Scientologists to called their loved ones in defiance of disconnection. Twice, they’ve signed contracts with billboard companies who each caved under pressure from Scientology and declined to put up the billboard. The Joneses are now looking for a third company to take their business. In the meantime, we had received reports that Emily, who works for Scientology’s Author Services Inc. and its imprint Galaxy Press, has been working sci-fi conventions to push L. Ron Hubbard’s 1982 book Battlefield Earth and other works. ASI even put out a notice about which conventions where Emily would be working. Phil saw an opportunity and took it. Here, we’ll let him tell the tale…
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen or heard from our daughter Emily. This has been agony for both Willie and me. There has been no chance for us even to get a message to her. Then, recently we found out that Emily was going to be at Comic Con in Salt Lake City. A friend very kindly offered to go and pass along a note to Emily.
Our friend went to Comic Con to deliver the message. When they observed Emily in the booth, they noted that John Goodwin, her husband, wouldn’t let her wander more than two feet away from him at any time. They felt he was very controlling of her and that she didn’t look happy at all. They said more than once how unhappy Emily looked and how controlled by her husband she was even before our friend approached her. Emily got married last year sometime. We weren’t even told and only heard through the grapevine that she was married.
After our friend waited a while, Emily finally left the booth and went out into the aisle. Our friend approached her and asked if she was Emily. “Yes,” she said. Our friend handed her the note and said, “This is from your parents.” The look on Emily’s face was shock and dismay, but she did take the note. She then turned to give the note to her husband, too afraid to open it. Our friend then left right away before any of the men from the booth could come out and confront them. They weren’t sure if Emily opened or read the note or not.
I hear this and it just makes me sad. I hear that our kids are suffering abuse and feel so helpless. This is the reason we fight this disconnection practice by Scientology. It’s not just the disconnection issue but the abuse that goes on that our kids, and so many others are subjected to. And it is abuse.
— Phil Jones
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Bonus items from our tipsters
Easter at the Fort Harrison Hotel! It’s a time when Scientologists celebrate Jesus escaping between-lives implanting on Venus and his thetan re-entering his meat body after three days of “death.” The dude just didn’t want to jump into a new baby yet, and instead restimulated his experiences living as a large anthropomorphic rabbit on the planet Farsec who laid colored eggs for a living. Or something.
Actual caption: “Ian and Jeremy both just had the first session on Survival Rundown together! As you can tell they are blown out!”
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 28, 2016 at 07:00
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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
