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 Laura DeCrescenzo (center) with Marc and Claire Headley as word emerged that Scientology’s motion for summary judgment had been defeated The Church of Scientology has already demonstrated that it will go to extraordinary lengths to fight and derail the lawsuit filed in 2009 by former Sea Org member Laura DeCrescenzo. Just to contest an order to turn over evidence in the lawsuit, for example, Scientology filed multiple appeals — even petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court — but was ultimately forced to fork over the 18,000 pages of documentation which bolstered Laura’s case that she was manipulated as a child worker of the church, including being compelled to have an abortion at 17. Continue reading Scientology asks for psychiatric examination of Laura DeCrescenzo in forced-abortion lawsuit
 Now that Scientology has re-jiggered its Bridge to Total Freedom, by golly, there’s no holding it back. And next stop on its crusade to take over the world is a new “Ideal Org” in Taiwan.
Our tipsters came through again this week with a great collection of new Scientology mailers and fliers from around the world. At Saturday’s grand opening in Kaohsiung, Taiwan it looks like a fine time was had by all. We’re still waiting to hear if Scientology honcho David Miscavige made the scene. In this photo, a local dignitary appears to be on screen leading the festivities… Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Scientology Gets Ideal in Taiwan
Yesterday, Lori Hodgson was seen on Inside Edition making a surprise visit to her son, Jeremy Leake, in Austin.
This isn’t the first time Lori has attempted to see her son in Texas after Jeremy and his sister Jessica both “disconnected” from their mother following her defection from the Church of Scientology. In May, she also traveled from California to Jeremy’s workplace to confront him, as we reported then. This time, she brought along a camera crew and flagged down her son in the parking lot of the motorcycle shop where Jeremy works, Woods Fun Center. According to the television program, the cameras held back as mother and son had a lengthy conversation… Continue reading Lori Hodgson and her son Jeremy: What you didn’t hear on Inside Edition Advertisement
 Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous “volcano” TV ads in the 1980s. He’s told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he’s helping us understand the upside-down world of Scientology “ethics.”
Where are you taking us this week, Jeff? JEFFERSON: Last week, we looked at the first half of Chapter 7, all about the Suppressive Person. This week, we’re taking a look at the second part of that chapter, Potential Trouble Source, or PTS. THE BUNKER: Walk us through the concept of PTS and why it was first devised. Continue reading How Does Scientology Take Over a Mind? Jefferson Hawkins Tells Us About “PTS”
We have a stunning announcement to make. Silvertail Books is bringing back into print the book which revealed for the first time the true life story of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Bare-faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard by Russell Miller was first published in 1987, after a long legal battle between its original publisher, Michael Joseph, and the Church of Scientology. The book’s original US publisher, Henry Holt, became mired in legal problems after a series of lawsuits in the American courts, and the book was never properly published here. Continue reading RUSSELL MILLER’S BARE-FACED MESSIAH, BACK IN PRINT IN FEBRUARY!
 A week from today, on December 11, the next dramatic chapter in Monique Rathbun’s lawsuit against Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, will take place in the Comal County courthouse in New Braunfels, Texas.
In August, Monique filed the lawsuit, accusing Miscavige of orchestrating a years-long retaliation campaign against her husband, Mark “Marty” Rathbun, that had the effect of subjecting her to harassment, surveillance, and distasteful pranks. Miscavige argued back in something called a “special appearance” that he has nothing to do with the state of Texas and should be let out of the lawsuit. That jurisdictional question has been scheduled to be heard on December 11. Continue reading TEXAS SHOWDOWN: Can Monique Rathbun Get an Order to Depose Scientology Leader David Miscavige?
One of the more exciting results of Scientology’s new product release was the slick new E-meter that all church members will now be expected to purchase, and for the low price of only $5,000! We asked the one person who probably knows more about this device than anyone else to give us the lowdown on its history — welcome back to the Bunker, Marc Headley! Continue reading Scientology’s Shiny New Mark Ultra VIII E-Meter
 Claire Headley is taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. She and her husband Marc were Sea Org workers who escaped from Scientology’s International Base in 2005. She spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Go here to see the first part in this series.
And now we come to it. After taking us all the way up from the bottom rung of Scientology’s “Bridge to Total Freedom,” Claire Headley has brought us to the most legendary level of all, Operating Thetan Level Three. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard claimed to have nearly died learning its secrets. He warned that anyone unprepared for it would catch pneumonia and perish. Before we dive into those secrets ourselves, we wanted to ask Claire and her fellow tech expert Bruce Hines about expectations. Continue reading Our Experts Prepare Us for the Wall of Fire — Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level Three!
 If you live in Southern California, you know there are some wonderful traditions that help define the calendar.
One of them is not the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Cheesy and lame, this embarrassment of a holiday procession is an afterthought even in Tinseltown. But Scientology rarely misses an opportunity to be a part of the event, and it didn’t disappoint this year. Thankfully, one of our helpful far-flung correspondents was on the scene and snapped a couple of photos for us. Continue reading Here Comes Scientology, Here Comes Scientology, Right Down Hollywood Boulevard!
 On Sundays, we enjoy revealing to you the latest mailers and fliers that our tipsters have forwarded to us. We call it Sunday Funnies after the weekly ritual that dear Grandad enjoyed in this thing they used to call a “newspaper.”
This week, we have lots of items from around the world. So grab a cup of coffee, throw that tab of butter on a stack of pancakes, and enjoy Sunday morning as we learn about the new ways Scientology is begging for money. Up first: We’re having flashbacks to May, when the last Scientology “Ideal Org” was opened in Portland, Oregon, and our man Mark Bunker was on the scene. We asked then which city would be next in line for a grand opening, and we suspected the next Ideal Org dedication might take place in Taiwan. We were right, but we had no idea it was coming up so soon! Continue reading Scientology Sunday Funnies: Fundraising Mailers Galore!
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