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Sunday Funnies: The United States of Scientology

Yesterday, Scientologists entered a new age. We’ve been learning lately that Scientology leader David Miscavige has hit upon a new strategy to wring out the last dollar from church members who have already given until it hurts for his “Ideal Orgs” building program.

He calls it “alliances,” and it involves convincing what few Scientologists remain []

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African Queen: The Man L. Ron Hubbard Thought He Was

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

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dead Boston Bomber Suspect: “I don’t have a single American friend, I don’t understand them.”

Tamerlan Tsarnaev [Photo copyright Johannes Hirn]

Biographical notes on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, which our friend and attorney Scott Pilutik found at this 2010 photography slideshow about Tsarnaev, taken when he was a US Olympic boxing hopeful.

Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police early this morning in Watertown, Massachusetts. His brother Djohar remains at large. []

Jason Barclay’s Sea Org Adventure: A Fresh Scientology Escapee Details Abuse

Over the last several years, Scientology has been rocked by the revelations of former members describing what it’s like to work in the church’s “Sea Org” and at its secretive bases. Invariably, the church responds by saying that information revealed by ex-members is dated and no longer reflects what life is like in the church’s []

Hysterical Hyper-Sight, and Other Lost Concepts of Dianetics

Welcome to our ongoing project, where we blog a 1950 first edition of Scientology’s bible, Dianetics, with the help of ex-Scientologist, Bay Area lawyer, blogger, and author Vance Woodward. Go here for the first post in the series.

Vance, in the chapter “Diagnosis,” L. Ron Hubbard gets down to specifics, instructing an auditor how to assess []

Love in the Time of Miscavige

For years, she worked closely with Scientology’s leaders, David and Shelly Miscavige. And she was there when it all went wrong.

By Tony Ortega

The RTC Building at Int Base

We have a very unusual story for you today, and in order to tell it, we need to adopt some unusual conventions.

Not only are most of []

Scientology Means Never Having to Tell an Ashtray You’re Sorry

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 []

We Need Your Help, Scientology Watchers

The Underground Bunker is already largely fueled by its readers. Our worldwide tipster network keeps us informed of the latest breaking stories, and feeds us inside information that you can’t get anywhere else. For 17 years we’ve been writing about the world of Scientology, and since this time two years ago, we’ve carved out something []

Writers of the Future Live-Blogging! Black Tie Not Required

Karen Black at last year’s gala

The tuxes have been fitted, the limos have been rented, the speeches have been written, and the strange dances have been choreographed. And now it’s time to party the way only Scientology knows how!

Well, we don’t actually know if this year’s Writers of the Future gala will feature []

Scientology Sunday Funnies: Buffalo Gals Go ‘Round the Outside, and the Return of DEDE!

We have so much for you today, we hardly know where to begin. On Sundays, we bring you the latest wacky Scientology fliers and mailers and other things that our worldwide tipster network has brought us during the week. And today is special — tonight, Scientology is holding its annual posh gala for science fiction []