Scientology actress Jenna Elfman fully stoked by church’s new expansion push!

 
We’re still getting some interesting bits and pieces out of Scientology’s recent New Year’s event and the claims made by church leader David Miscavige. During the event filmed on December 16 in Los Angeles but shown in the rest of Scientology’s facilities on December 31 Miscavige made the announcement that Mexico had recognized Scientology as a religion.

We were also struck by the photo you see above, when Miscavige called up many Scientologists to the stage who had qualified as “Power FSMs” (Field Staff Members) — and the church website explains that these were folks who had signed up 100 or more people on Scientology’s “Bridge to Total Freedom” in the past year. FSMs recruit new people into Scientology and are paid a percentage of what those new members pay for courses. Power FSMs can make a very lucrative living.

The website also made this claim: “This year further saw an unprecedented four individuals achieve the status of Elite FSM, recognizing their achievement of having helped 1,000 people onto and up the Bridge.”

Hey, that’s a pretty big number. Recent defectors have estimated for us that there are only about 20,000 active Scientologists left in the world at this point. But Miscavige is claiming that just four people were responsible for bringing more than 4,000 new members into the fold.

And one has done even better. According to a photo on his Instagram account, Andrea D’Agostini was named a “2X Elite FSM,” which implies that he was personally responsible for bringing 2,000 new members into Scientology in the last year.

To celebrate that, he posted this photo of a banner he was given…

 
We’ve highlighted a couple of people who celebrated D’Agostini’s achievement: Vic Tipnes, who we’ve encountered before, and actress Jenna Elfman.

“YESSSSSSSSSS. Y.E.S. Yes. And more YES,” she posted.

Hey, as long as Jenna is excited, it has to be good, right?

Well, we thought we’d check with an expert, former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder, and he threw some cold water on Jenna’s parade…

“Those numbers, like every number in Scientology, are completely fake,” Rinder tells us. “They get up to all sorts of tricks. You know D’Agostini goes around doing ‘reg’ events for the Freewinds full time. He is effectively a full time reg. The ‘Power’ and ‘Elite’ FSMs pad their numbers in a lot of ways: They count every person they have ever selected if they did anything that year. They hold ‘seminars’ and charge $10 and count everyone who attends as a ‘start.’ That sort of thing in every permutation you can imagine. Miscavige ignores the obvious falsehood. He wants more people on stage this year than last and doesn’t care how they get there. It’s ridiculous that D’Agostini (or anyone else) brought 2,000 ‘onto the Bridge’ — the entire Scientology network in the US probably had less than 2,000 people start on real auditing or training in the last year (not counting ‘Free Personality Analysis’ or ‘Intro Lectures’).”

Spoilsport.

 
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Chris Shelton and Karen Pressley

Says Chris: “In my Sensibly Speaking Podcast this week, I had Karen Pressley on board to discuss the 80+ books that have been written since the 1950s about Scientology by former members, journalists, academics and more. We discuss how these books have come out and when and what affect they have had on Scientology overall. I think many people will be surprised to learn about some of this history and about some of the books they’ve probably never even heard of. Enjoy!”

 
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Make your plans now!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 6, 2018 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 can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2017), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

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 | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ