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We have a new video today from Aaron Smith-Levin in his series, “Growing up in Scientology.” In order to help outsiders understand why Scientologists could dedicate themselves to chasing outlandish ideas about superhuman abilities, Aaron went all Matrix on us. Continue reading ‘Fundamentalist’ Scientology means chasing the ideal of Neo while turning your back on family
[Thank you, reader SeriouslyWTF, for this image.]Wow, it’s great to be back in Phoenix. Your proprietor spent some very important formative years of his journalism career here in the Valley of the Sun, and it’s great to see that despite some new trolley tracks, a freeway shooter, and some new coats of paint, the place essentially remains the same. In other words, gorgeous. Continue reading Back where it all started: Hoping to see you in Phoenix to talk Scientology then and now
Your proprietor is a bit under the weather, and we’re traveling, but we didn’t want to leave you without something to chew on today. Luckily our source came through again and pointed us in the direction of yet another Scientology video gem that has previously been unseen outside of the church. Continue reading Another rare Scientology video leaks, and this time we see its long vanished president
[Alex and Anne Gibney and Tom DeVocht at the Emmys last night]
What a night for Alex Gibney and his documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. Not only did the film win the Emmy for outstanding documentary, but Gibney also won Emmys for writing and for directing. We brought you some of the scene last night at the awards ceremony in downtown Los Angeles. After the win, we asked people who took part in the film for their reactions to the awards sweep for Gibney. Continue reading Paul Haggis, Lawrence Wright react to Alex Gibney’s Emmys sweep for ‘Going Clear’
 The “Creative Arts Emmys” are being held today at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, and we’re looking forward to finding out how many trophies Alex Gibney’s Scientology documentary Going Clear takes home.
It has some stiff competition — some of it from its own network, HBO — and the event won’t be televised for another week. But we’re hoping our correspondents on the scene will let us know what’s happening. Continue reading ‘Going Clear’ wins Outstanding Documentary Emmy, also for writing, directing
 As the Daily Beast reported recently in an excellent piece, a government-funded study has been going on for several years in Maryland that is measuring the effect of Scientology’s “detoxification” regimen on veterans with Gulf War Syndrome. The study isn’t actually testing L. Ron Hubbard’s quack theories for how his sauna-and-niacin plan is actually supposed to work (as Jeffrey Augustine recently laid out in all of its goofiness). Instead of putting Hubbard’s way-out ideas to the test, the study is only asking its subjects if they feel better after getting some exercise and the sauna treatment.
But even with that low bar to get over, Scientology, it turned out, tried to rig things in its favor. Continue reading US Army catches Scientology ‘detox’ study rigging results, government document shows
 On August 28, we told you that Indianapolis attorney Jonathan Little and his firm had scored an interesting victory against Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon. San Francisco federal district judge Edward M. Chen called for a trial in a class-action lawsuit that Little and others had filed on behalf of former patients of Narconon centers in California.
Continue reading Another trial ordered against Narconon as Scientology derail attempt mostly fails
Captain David Miscavige is back! On Sunday, we showed you rare footage of what a Scientology “Maiden Voyage” event looks like inside the church’s private cruise ship, the Freewinds. We had located video of the opening night presentation by Miscavige in the 2006 edition of the celebration. And now, we’ve struck gold again — we found the video for night two! Continue reading David Miscavige: Scientology saved the universe from its ‘reverse point’ in 2006
We hope you had a relaxing Labor Day weekend. We combined our holiday with a little work, and the whole thing left us exhausted. But thankfully, our friend Karen de la Carriere came through for us yet again. Continue reading More proof (from Scientology) that it’s never been a better time to be a Scientologist!
It was late summer 2005. That much our sources agree on. It might have been late August, or it might have been early September. But it was a full ten years ago, say our eyewitness sources, that Shelly Miscavige vanished. Continue reading TEN YEARS GONE: Shelly Miscavige, the wife Scientology’s leader wants us to forget
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