Questions for Scientologist Elisabeth Moss — from former Scientologists

Recently, Daily Beast reporter Marlow Stern interviewed actress and Scientologist Elisabeth Moss. Marlow has written some good Scientology stories over the years, and he’s no pushover. So we were glad to see that he took the opportunity to ask Moss not one but three questions about Scientology.

Unfortunately, she finessed each of them, and managed to say almost nothing about Scientology itself.

Here’s one non-answer, for example: “The things that I truly believe in are the things that I’ve mentioned, and I think that they’re very important. I think people should be allowed to talk about what they want to talk about and believe what they want to believe and you can’t take that away—and when you start to take that away, when you start to say ‘you can’t think that,’ ‘you can’t believe that,’ ‘you can’t say that,’ then you get into trouble.”

Well, points to Marlow for trying, but it’s a shame that he let himself get rooked so badly and didn’t follow up with better questions or at least try to get her to stop dissembling. (The only thing the interview really scored points on was that when he asked her about Scientology’s homophobia, she answered that she wasn’t homophobic, which most people took to mean that she acknowledged Scientology’s reputation for gay-hating. We have a feeling she didn’t mean it that way, but whatever.)

Anyway, we thought what might be fun would be to provide the next entertainment reporter who actually talks to Moss a list of real questions about Scientology that she could not so easily slip away from. So we turned to some former church members for their thoughts on what a reporter might ask a Scientology celebrity.

“In Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard says a Clear has perfect memory, perfect eyesight, and perfect computation ability. If you’re a Scientology Clear, can you please repeat this question back to me in reverse?”

That’s a fun one from Phil Jones, who left Scientology and now isn’t allowed to see his two adult children, Mike and Emily, because they’re Sea Org members who have “disconnected” from him and his wife Willie.

Phil had some other interesting questions that reporters might ask Scientology celebrities when they get a chance.

— Since Scientology wants to eradicate all of psychiatry, does it have an alternative to take in all the patients who would be put out on the street?

— Since Scientology, per policy, won’t allow another Scientologist to report another member to the police, would you call the police anyway if you saw another Scientologist committing a crime, and thus violate Scientology policy?

— As a celebrity, are you comfortable being treated well knowing that Sea Org members live in squalid conditions and are basically signed into indentured servitude working 100-hour weeks for virtually no pay, and no time off?

— It’s been proven in court that Scientology continues its practice of Fair Game and ruthlessly attacks those it considers critics. Do you agree with the Fair Game practice?

Another ex-Scientologist, Heather Ruggeri, told us that she thinks it’s difficult to come up with any question that a Scientology celebrity would answer honestly.

“No matter what you asked Moss she would have been so drilled into the response she could wriggle out of anything,” Heather says.

We also heard from Sylvia DeWall, who gave us a really eye-opening question for Scientology’s celebrities, or really any Scientologist that you might run into. Next time you do, try this one out on them.

“L. Ron Hubbard claims to have killed Colonel William Prescott in 1775 in the Battle of Bunker Hill in a past life, making himself an enemy of the American government from that moment on. However, Colonel Prescott didn’t die until twenty years later from natural causes. Anyone who has ever listened to the Congresses has heard his claim. How can one continue to believe such a liar? Wouldn’t you doubt everything he says after reading such nonsense?” Sylvia asks.

Sure enough, during the “State of Man Congress,” held during the first days of 1960 in Washington DC, Hubbard did make that claim, that in a past life he had killed Colonel Prescott in the “Battle of Breed’s Hill” — which is where most of the fighting took place in what we remember as the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.

I remember vividly when I charged up Bunker Hill – just – what’s this all about? I was going to withhold that. No, my overt act against the American government comes about with killing your favorite general, fellow by the name of Prescott, in the Battle of Breed’s Hill, 1775. I wasn’t even a combatant.

The rebels made the mistake of killing a friend of mine who was part of the British troops. Well, that’s a long story, but it was an overt act. Every once in a while when I think of those stories in Time magazine I say, “Well, Ronnie, you deserved it.” All explained – all explained.

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Oh, dear. I’m afraid I shocked you a little bit. I’m afraid I shocked you a little bit. You know, there were other people in the world besides Americans and British at that time. Yeah, there were. There were other people in the world. There were people from Saxony involved. And I was simply an observer from the Elector of Saxony’s government to tell him whether or not he should send Hessians over. And I said, “Yes.” Of course, that wasn’t an overt act until an old schoolteacher, the life just before this one, points a finger at me and tells me what bad people the Hessians were and how horrible it all was, and it upset me. And I wasn’t – I wasn’t actually cognizant of the fact that I had pulled an overt act right up to that time. Because it was my opinion that the Hessian regiments that were captured and gobbled up by first Benedict Arnold and then George Washington were the only ironworkers and artisans the country ever had imported into it. And it was to them that they owe most of the present industry, you know? But I – nobody was there to give me the gen on this sort of thing.

No, I didn’t have anything to do with either side, basically, but I did get mad and I’ve paid for it since, so I hope you’ll forgive me. I wonder how many wars you have to win for a country in order to pay off an overt act. I’m working on my third or fourth now.

So you see, in a past life, Hubbard remembered that he was a member of a foreign government who inexplicably decided to enter battle and kill a beloved American warrior known (perhaps apocryphally) for instructing his men to hold their fire until they could “see the whites of their eyes.” And ever since then, Hubbard has been hounded by the US government and its meddling media for this 1775 incident. (In Scientology, it’s a cherished central motif that your current problems are really sourced to things you did in past lives, some of them millions or billions of years ago on other planets.)

Only, as Sylvia points out, it didn’t happen. Prescott wasn’t killed at the battle. He died 20 years later, in 1795.

And Hubbard here was selling Scientology as an infallible process backed up by the readings of an electronic device, allowing you to go back in time and re-experience moments in your past lives. This wasn’t supposed to be stuff you imagined or dreamed up. If Hubbard said he took part in the Battle of Bunker Hill on behalf of the Saxony government, it was because he had actually lived it and Scientology processing had allowed him to recall it in perfect detail.

So Sylvia brings up a good point. If he was so wrong about that, doesn’t it undercut everything he was about? Here, listen to Hubbard describe it in his own words. Is this the greatest mind of the age, revealing the secrets of his real existences in ages past, or a crank making things up on the spur of the moment for a captive, fawning audience?

 
Well, we don’t know if Elisabeth Moss or any other Scientology celebrity will ever be asked about L. Ron Hubbard’s nutty claims, but we’re sure glad Sylvia brought this one up for us all to enjoy.

 
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HowdyCon 2019 in Los Angeles

THURSDAY NIGHT OPPORTUNITY: This year’s HowdyCon is in Los Angeles. People tend to come in starting on Thursday, and that evening we will have a casual get-together at a watering hole. But we also want to point out that Cathy Schenkelberg’s “Squeeze My Cans” will be running at the Hollywood Fringe, and we encourage HowdyCon attendees to see her show on Thursday night, June 20. Tickets and more dates available here.

Friday night June 21 we will be having an event in a theater (like we did on Saturday night last year in Chicago). There will not be a charge to attend this event, but if you want to attend, you need to RSVP with your proprietor at tonyo94 AT gmail.

On Saturday, we are joining forces with Janis Gillham Grady, who is having a reunion in honor of the late Bill Franks. Originally, we thought this event might take place in Riverside, but instead it’s in the Los Angeles area. If you wish to attend the reunion, you will need to RSVP with Janis (janisgrady AT gmail), and there will be a small contribution she’s asking for in order to help cover her costs.

HOTEL: Janis tells us she’s worked out a deal with Hampton Inn and Suites, at 7501 North Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, (818) 768-1106. We have a $159 nightly rate for June 19 to 22. Note: You need to ask for the “family reunion” special rate.

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] David Miscavige turns 58 today, and we’re celebrating with tales of birthdays past
[TWO years ago] Scientology leader David Miscavige turns 57 today — what’s your birthday greeting?
[THREE years ago] A STAR IS BORN: Scientology attorney Monique Yingling steals the spotlight on ’20/20′
[FOUR years ago] https://tonyortega.org/2015/04/30/as-scientology-crumbles-read-the-dreams-its-members-are-still-chasing/
[FIVE years ago] Scientology leader David Miscavige turns 54 today — Hip, hip, hooray!
[SIX years ago] The Scientology Method: Drill, Baby, Drill!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 30, 2019 at 07:00

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Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, 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, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

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