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Phil and Willie Jones versus Scientology: The real story of how the billboard came to be

 On Thursday, we published an account by Derek Bloch describing part of his experience in 2015 filming a television series about Scientology ‘disconnection’ that has yet to receive an airdate. When he saw what Derek had written, Phil Jones contacted us, asking to post his own experience with the unaired ‘Disconnection’ series and how it []

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Scientology ‘dead agents’ our own Rod Keller as it pursues more illegal activity in Mexico City

 Rod Keller continues to watch Scientology try, illegally, to build a new “Advanced Org” in Mexico City, and now the church is starting to play []

Jon Atack: The biggest thing L. Ron Hubbard got wrong about Buddhism

 Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. For more than three years he’s been helping us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on []

Bryan Seymour takes a Scientology field trip, and we’re the better for it

 Our man in Australia, TV journalist Bryan Seymour, sent us a dispatch from one of our favorite places on earth, and we’re happy to share it with you.

Perhaps the best thing about the decade I’ve spent reporting on Scientology is the people I’ve met, many who have become []

Derek Bloch on fighting Scientology ‘disconnection’ in an unaired TV series

[Derek Bloch at HowdyCon in Denver with Cathy Schenkelberg and Willie Jones]

We first wrote about Derek Bloch at the Village Voice in 2012, and he’s been a pretty constant presence here since then. You probably know his story — that he was kicked out of the Sea Org for being gay, and then his family []

Paulette Cooper at 75: Still unbreakable, and still Miss Lovely

 We had dinner with Paulette Cooper in Manhattan a few weeks ago, and it felt once again like we could never keep up with her. The woman has so many things going on, we don’t know how she keeps track of it all. []

The Rathbuns hire a lawyer, and Ray Jeffrey answers questions about his legal salvo

[San Antonio attorney Rich Reynolds]

We spoke to Ray Jeffrey yesterday about the petition he filed on July 5 along with Elliott Cappuccio and Marc Wiegand, asking the Bexar County District Court to order that their former clients, Mark “Marty” Rathbun and Monique Rathbun, sit for depositions and turn over financial records. []

RAY JEFFREY TO JUDGE: ORDER RATHBUNS TO TURN OVER FINANCIAL RECORDS AND TESTIFY

[Attorney Ray Jeffrey; Marty and Monique Rathbun]

One of our court watchers in Texas stumbled on a stunning document: On July 5, Monique Rathbun’s former attorneys filed a petition in a San Antonio court, asking for an order to compel their former clients, Monique and Mark “Marty” Rathbun, to submit to depositions and turn over detailed []

Scientology shifting front group strategy — it’s all about kids, kids, kids

 Rod Keller keeps a close watch on Scientology’s numerous front groups, and today he tells us about a new group []

Janis Grady’s new book on life in Scientology: Jon Atack’s take, and an excerpt

 Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. For more than three years he’s been helping us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on []