2018 | The Underground Bunker

Joy Villa’s Scientologist husband shamed into dropping elephant skin bags from luxury line

[Thorsten von Overgaard and the photo dropped from his site]

The photography website PetaPixel is reporting that Thorsten von Overgaard, a wealthy Danish photographer, got into hot water with his fellow camera enthusiasts when he offered super-luxury camera bags made not only of alligator skin but also elephant […]

Scientology’s greatest lecture of all: It’s finally time we look closer at Xenu in all his glory

[L. Ron Hubbard, surrounded by the crew of the Apollo]

Over the last few months, we’ve made an occasional series out of bringing you Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in his own words. On its new television network, Scientology itself has a program it calls “L. Ron Hubbard: In His Own Voice,” but that’s the safe […]

Spinning cars, self-healing cuts — more ‘OT’ ghost stories from Scientologists

Every once in a while, we like to remind readers what it is that keeps Scientologists committed to going up the “Bridge to Total Freedom,” a pursuit that takes years of expensive auditing, brutal interrogations, and extortionate pricing. […]

More proof that L. Ron Hubbard really did want Scientologists to consider him the Antichrist

Last night, we heard from our old friend Steve Hall after he read our interview with Justin Craig, who claims to be the returned L. Ron Hubbard. During our interview, Craig/LRH denied that the infamous “Original OT 8” materials were […]

Scientologists, gullible? Would they fall for a felon saying he’s the returned L. Ron Hubbard?

[He is risen?]

Secrecy is one of the things that most makes Scientology what it is. Although we know plenty about the origins of Scientology, its underlying materials, and much of its controversial history thanks to countless media exposes and court cases and defections, Scientologists themselves are still very tight-lipped about what Scientology is and how […]

Scientology’s space opera ideas aren’t just for the upper levels, as one key early book shows

Rod Keller reminds us that space opera is not just for the upper levels in Scientology, and it’s actively part of what Scientologists learn today, as much as David Miscavige wants to promote a more businesslike, self-help […]

Another Scientologist runs for office in Nevada — but her campaign says she’s not a member

The other day we told you that Brent Jones, a Scientologist who served as a legislator in Nevada for one term, 2015-2017, is now running for lieutenant governor in that state. […]

Returning to Clearwater with a Miscavige cutout and memories of the Lisa McPherson Trust

[Jeff brought a life-size cutout with him, that card]

Way back in 1999, we wrote a story for the Phoenix New Times about a local resident who was getting the full “Fair Game” treatment from the Church of Scientology. Jeff Jacobsen was a knowledgeable church critic who had alerted the world to the plight of a […]

Why Scientology has no business pontificating on mental health — a discussion

Whether it’s about the shocking way people have been treated at a remote Tennessee facility, or the infamous death of a woman in Florida, for years we’ve been writing about Scientology’s poor record of handling the needs of the mentally ill. Now, Chris Shelton and Sunny Pereira are beginning a series of discussions specifically about […]

A new academic book takes apart Scientology and pop culture, and the apologists hate it

We have to apologize to University of Alberta Professor Stephen A. Kent. He sent us a copy of his newest book ages ago, and we simply haven’t had time to do more than leaf through […]

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