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Jon Atack on Scientology’s fundamental feature: the thousand-yard stare

Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the book for sale, and on Saturdays he’s helping us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and []

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‘The Factors’: Another video the Church of Scientology would rather you not watch

Our video source has come through again, sending us another “quote video” that is meant only to be seen inside a Scientology “org.”

As we learned earlier, many of these videos were created in order to highlight a portion of a particular L. Ron Hubbard lecture as new editions of his lectures were produced and []

Judge Waldrip grants Monique Rathbun’s discovery request, snubbing Scientology

Marty and Monique Rathbun

It’s another victory for Monique Rathbun in her harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige: Comal County, Texas Judge Dib Waldrip has granted her request for a continuance so she can gather more evidence to refute Scientology’s anti-SLAPP motion. A new hearing on the matter []

High crimes and misdemeanors: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s bizarre criminal code

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 []

Leah Remini talks briefly about Scientology on Access Hollywood, says very little

Leah Remini talked about Scientology this evening on Access Hollywood, interviewed by her friend Holly Robinson Peete, and managed to say virtually nothing more than she already has.

Holly told Leah that she had been very public and honest about the transition and that she handled it gracefully. What was it like going through that and []

Cheese from Scientology’s mecca, raspberries from Éire, and a Puerto Rican dessert!

While we wait for word of legal happenings in Texas, we have a few fun items to tide you over today.

One of our tipsters sent us another issue of the Fort Harrison newsletter, the house organ of Scientology’s mecca in Clearwater, Florida. This is our second issue, and already we’re charmed by the upstat []

Being and nothingness: And now we move on to Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level Four!

Bruce Hines

Claire Headley and Bruce Hines are taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. Claire spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Bruce was in Scientology for 31 years and spent about half that time as a senior case supervisor. Go here []

New criminal case for Scientology in France could shut it down permanently in that country

A surprising new story out of France today has huge implications for Scientology in that country. Our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, has the lowdown for us. Take it away, Jonny…

Scientology, already convicted in France of organised fraud, is in trouble with the courts here again.

The Paris Court of Appeal is resurrecting a case dating []

VIDEO: Scientology’s New Year’s Eve celebration — ‘2014 belongs to us’

Our video sources came through again, and now, only a week after we brought you video of the November IAS gala, we have Scientology’s full New Year’s Eve party!

In a break from tradition, the event on December 27 was held in Clearwater, Florida — usually, Scientology celebrates the new year in Los Angeles. But as []

Gary Weber: Another former Scientology official talks about women forced to have abortions

Gary Weber was one of several GO members who paraded in Nazi uniforms outside the Clearwater Sun offices in 1979 to protest how the newspaper was treating Scientology

Gary Weber first went public about his past as a member of Scientology’s Guardian’s Office seven or eight years ago at Arnie Lerma’s site. It’s an []