Glam for Xenu: When Scientology celebrities ruled the world

We want to thank Karen de la Carriere for digging out of her huge collection some pure, unadulterated apex-Scientology nostalgia for us all to see.

The era was right around 1990, when Scientology was at its absolute height — former top executives tell us the organization achieved its greatest expansion around that time, with about 100,000 active members around the world. (Scientology has never had the “millions” that it claims.) And not only was it larger then, despite the death of its founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1986, Scientology had managed with the help of its celebrities to attain a sort of corporate-training gloss and an undeniable influence on Hollywood, which was terrified of it.

And so was the IRS. In 1993, Scientology leader David Miscavige celebrated his greatest achievement when the church attained tax-exempt status after warring with the IRS for decades.

And somewhere in that period, the church put out a glam series of promos featuring some of its most famous celebrities. We knew you’d like to see them.

 
You don’t hear so much about Floyd Mutrux these days. Is he still a Scientologist? Let us know if you’ve heard something.

Maxine Nightingale was very active for Scientology in the early 2000s, not so much today. Keith Code came close to leaving a few years ago, we heard, but was lured back in after some heavy ethics.

Lisa Marie Presley and her mother were heavily involved in the early 1990s, but she subsequently pulled away from the church and then made a clean break in 2014. We believe that Priscilla also left at that time, but she has denied it in press reports.

Scientology has managed to hang on to some of its celebrities. Others are kids who grew up in it and weren’t famous yet in the early 1990s.

As Mike Rinder has pointed out, Chick Corea has now become the first of the Scientology celebrities to dip his toe into the waters at Scientology TV. Will others follow?

 
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Ron the Photographer: Scientology as Hubbard wanted it promoted

Among the things that Scientologists are expected to accept is that founder L. Ron Hubbard was unsurpassed as a genius photographer. But Mike Rinder, over at his blog, had some fun pointing out how goofy Ron’s photo compositions actually were, especially in a series he made that was intended to explain Scientology to the masses. On Saturdays we’re going through them as a public service. How did Hubbard believe the public should see Scientology?

 
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Leaked document of the day

From the Mace-Kingsley Ranch documents release comes this item.

In this Orwellian document, a Mace-Kingsley ranch resident has to write up his confessions and intentions in order to be allowed back into his own family.

July 1999

2nd Dynamic

To Darcy

1. My friends are my parents and my sister. Because they are my family and all of them want the best for me. Whether it means spending 10s of 1000s of dollars, or stopping their immediate life for me or losing their wife for a while, while she comes out here to help me, they will do anything to help out my future.

2. I have delivered quite an effective blow to the enemy of the group which was the valence I was taking on. Although not wanting to do Scientology or leave my life at home, I still decided to sign a paper to stay at the ranch. This was for my family. I also have done a huge sec check, O/W write ups, lots of conditions, my Purif, approximately 2,000 hrs of MEST work, and am now starting my TRs. Also, agreeing to do this ethics program. This will help me which I can see. Although I wanted to let my reactive mind take over and give up a million times, I still have always fought hard against it, well, tried hard for the most part. And I am still here today trying to take responsibility for what I did and totally win. And I never let myself be crushed by my reactive mind despite the danger of it.

3. The main damage that I think I am going to make up and that I’m making up is all the time I spent here with no help (but a once a week phone call and my own self-determinism), have gotten this far. There is no way I could ever make up the lost time and money, but I will pay my parents back the money in the future. I have battled with my own self a lot and have agreed to get on with my program and stay till I’m at least 18, even with all the reasons I have to give up. I also am going to help my parents out by staying off their lines.

(Addition) 3. I made up the damage especially by getting my PTS Type D lifted and mending all differences between myself and the ranch. I’ve also shown ethics stability and taken responsibility for past transgressions.

[part missing]

…when I’m being someone who only cares about himself and didn’t just do the program so that I could be helped which in turn would help out my family. The effective blow was to handle myself and my overts and to do the qual program I have. I wrote up my O/Ws to an F/N and also help others and did work on the subject of ethics.

3. I’ve also made up the damage by studying here and doing this program against all odds and even when I really wanted to go home. I did heavy MEST work, and a lot of it and worked very hard for hours with my mom and wrote up 40 pages of O/Ws.

…with the en-theta and only with the good news. I am going to be trustworthy. Although I’ll be an adult soon, I still will be ethical and do well so my parents will never have to worry. I am basically just going to have a happy and successful life which was all my parents ever wanted for me. And I think and hope that that decision will be enough to make up the damage to my parents.

4. With these conditions, I ask for you trust and agreement to let me re-enter the group as a family.

Approve
Mom
Dad
Darcy

 
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Source Code

“A god of this universe, an anthropomorphic god — and I hope that you understand me very clearly when I use this word ‘god’ loosely and even blasphemously, for the good reason that this thing g-o-d is something which man has set up in his image. And it is merely an ambition on the part of a thetan, it’s an effort, a co-effort on the part of thetans to have a playing field and so on. And there is, actually, beings above the beingness of this universe. There are beings, but they are not this anthropomorphic thing who is the jealous god, who has hate and vengeance and so forth, that happens to be above that level. And the jealous god, the most jealous god there would be, would be a god who would insist at all times that he must not be duplicated, even to the point of not using his name in vain. He mustn’t be duplicated. No graven images. His space, it’s all his space and so forth. And we go on this way. Interesting, isn’t it?” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 14, 1953

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“There is a big difference between the Hanas of the world and the new public who really don’t know the subject. Hana, and some others, who present themselves as long term Scientologists, worked with LRH, etc, who then bash the subject — I have no respect for them whatsoever or desire to help them as they are doing real damage to the uninformed. (After all, they must know, right?) And damage to me as the bad PR muddies up the general public image. No, they have placed themselves beyond receiving any help and their only course is to get their own ethics in and figure out what they could do to make up the damage.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Most animals have more of an affinity for their offspring than the average Scientologist.”

 
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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] Finally, L. Ron Hubbard’s first ‘Clear’ — Sonya Bianchi — found again after 68 years
[TWO years ago] He was Scientology’s most famous spy, then he turned witness and vanished. Now, here he is.
[THREE years ago] Nora Crest’s powerful new video: Why you can’t be gay in Scientology
[FOUR years ago] Who are those WISE guys? A tipster helps us get some names of Scientology operatives
[FIVE years ago] Another Scientology ambush, this time of Marty Rathbun with Louis Theroux present
[SIX years ago] Jon Atack: What we have here — in Scientology — is a failure to communicate
[SEVEN years ago] DOX: Florida Officials Fight Attempt to Hide Drug Rehab’s Scientology Connections
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Story of the Year: Cast Your Vote Now!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 14, 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)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | 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 | Shelly Miscavige, 14 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

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele