We’ve had a pretty good relationship with the National Enquirer’s online sister publication, RadarOnline. It often jumps on our stories before anyone else, and can usually be counted on to provide a link and a shout out. We really appreciate it. And its own stories about Scientology have often been solid. But then, earlier this year, Jen Heger left the publication, and lately, well, Radar has been shoveling pure shit into Scientology cyberspace.
The latest piece it put out that’s getting a lot of notice is based entirely on a simple observation: Tom Cruise did not attend last week’s grand opening of a new “Ideal Org” in San Diego that was presided over by Scientology leader David Miscavige.
Now, here’s what you should conclude from that piece of information: Absolutely nothing. Miscavige always shows up at Ideal Org openings, and Tom Cruise almost never does. In fact, the only time we can remember Tom showing up at an Ideal Org grand opening was in Madrid in 2004. He wasn’t at the other 50 or so openings, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be expected at a second-tier city like San Diego. (Love the town, but it’s not a world capital.)
Radar, however, concludes the exact opposite, that’s it’s deeply meaningful that Cruise didn’t show up, and so therefore it’s evidence that Tom is drifting away from Scientology and his former best man.
In other words, Radar joins the list of other tabloid publications that keep predicting that Cruise is on his way out of Scientology, when we haven’t seen any convincing evidence that it’s the case.
It is true that Tom appears to have been a no-show at the 2016 IAS gala in England last October, but that event happened just a couple of days before Tom was opening his latest Jack Reacher film at a premiere in Beijing. So his absence from the IAS event doesn’t really say much.
Meanwhile, not only have we been documenting other cases when he’s showed up at events — and wearing his big medal — but also, two very significant recent stories suggest to us that Tom is as dedicated to Scientology as ever. First, he was actually asked about it by a brave journalist who dared to get in his face at a London movie premiere, and Tom described Scientology as his “beautiful religion.” And second, we found evidence that a developer has made plans for a mindblowing double-level penthouse with a nine-car private garage at a ten-story building right in the middle of Scientology’s “spiritual mecca” in Clearwater, Florida. And a church official told a local developer that the purchaser of the penthouse is Tom Cruise. The Tampa Bay Times picked up the story, as well as many others, and there’s been no denial from Tom or the church.
We’re still pretty confident that Cruise is a dedicated Scientologist. But even so, it would be shocking for him to show up at the San Diego opening. His absence does not mean what Radar is telling people it means. But already, the story is metastasizing all over the dumb sectors of the Internet.
And that’s just a few days after Radar put out a story about Scientology’s New Mexico vault site that we called the website’s “most fact-free story ever.” There are so many errors and misconceptions in this “story,” it would be difficult for us to add them all up. Whoever you are, winding Radar up with this garbage, you really aren’t helping.
There’s actually a very interesting story to be told about the Church of Spiritual Technology, the Scientology entity that digs vaults in remote locations for the storing of L. Ron Hubbard’s works so they can last in case of a civilization collapse. In fact, we recently provided the first drone footage of the New Mexico site, and we can tell you that the place has absolutely nothing to do with Scientology’s celebrities, including Tom Cruise.
No, Cruise and John Travolta and Kirstie Alley are not reserving space in these underground bunkers to ride out a nuclear holocaust, and no, information about these celebrities is not being stored there. Laugh at it if you will, but CST employees take seriously their mission to use these vaults for the storage of Hubbard’s “technology” — his written works and taped lectures.
As secure as these sites are, they are not “H-Bomb proof,” and none of them cost anywhere near $1 billion, as the Radar story claims.
Hey, Radar. There are so many great stories about Scientology out there, and so many significant events coming up. Why are you peddling pure bullshit?
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Jon Atack has a question for you
Jon Atack sent over a short item for us this week in the hopes of stirring up our comments section…
Hitler said that to control people you have to tell them a Big Lie. The Ronald (forgive me) said that for anything to persist it must contain a lie. Otherwise, it will just disappear or “as-is,” because the fundamental reality of the universe is – well – nothing.
Most of “auditing” is based upon the premise that the memories of trauma that restrict our reasoning, and our supernatural abilities, can be “as-ised,” or made to disappear, simply by perceiving or “confronting” their true nature.
In Hubbardology, the trillions, or perhaps quadrillions, quintillions or even nonillions of “thetans” all chant “space, particle, position” to pretend the universe into being. How we all came to believe the same crazy stuff is nowhere explained (do please correct me if I’m wrong).
I’m hoping that everyone who reads this will contribute their own idea of the biggest lie in Scientology to the comments section, after reading my own, probably not humble enough, opinion.
What is the Big Lie that allows Scientology to persist? I think that it is the redefinition of “reality.” Hubbard assured us that reality is an “agreement.” I disagree with this (though I still seem to be real), and I have been known to say publicly that the only time that reality is an agreement is under a hypnotic spell, but I’ve just found a statement by the eminent science-fiction writer Phillip K Dick that explains the position thoroughly: “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Now that’s what I call a technical breakthrough!
— Jon Atack
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Go here to start making your plans.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 26, 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, Kindle, and audiobook versions. 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
