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Marty Rathbun: Scientology’s Secret Agreement With Joan Wood to Change Lisa McPherson’s Cause of Death

Mark Bunker has uploaded to YouTube a 16-minute interview he did with former high-ranking Scientology executive Marty Rathbun for his movie Knowledge Report. It contains more details of the news that rocked Scientology this week: In attorney Ken Dandar’s federal lawsuit, Rathbun is alleging that the church spent $30 million fighting the criminal investigation of []

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Scientology Accused of Spending Millions to Influence Florida Judges

Last night, the St. Petersburg, Florida CBS affiliate, WTSP, broke news that Marty Rathbun has made blockbuster allegations in sworn testimony that the Church of Scientology spent millions in an attempt to influence Florida judges as it was fighting the criminal investigation and then civil litigation following the 1995 death of church member Lisa McPherson.

We’ve []

Scientology’s Big Gamble: “Golden Age of Tech 2” Is Here!

One Golden Age was apparently not enough

This Saturday, Scientologists in the Los Angeles area are being asked to come to a “confidential briefing” that is so secret, they will be asked to sign special bonds at the door.

At that briefing, they will be told for the first time about major changes coming to []

LA’s Sheriff Lee Baca Handing Out Scientology Booklets This Sunday?

Given its rather unsavory reputation, the Church of Scientology usually has a hard time getting much love from politicians or other prominent personalities. For every glittering movie star that actually belongs to the wacky group, many, many more would never have anything to do with it.

But it’s those exceptions — big names that agree to []

Lawrence Wright’s Book on Scientology — Going Clear — Hits Bookstores January 17

Lawrence Wright [Credit: Jana Birchum]

Big news for Scientology watchers: Alfred A. Knopf announced today that it will be releasing Lawrence Wright’s highly anticipated book about Scientology on January 17, which is a couple of months earlier than we had heard it would appear.

Jenna Miscavige Hill’s tell-all, meanwhile, appears to have been moved back []

Lay Off Xenu: An Ex-Scientologist’s Plea

Lay off the big fella, already

Over at The Hairpin, on Monday “Stella Forstner” put up the second installment of her series on growing up in Scientology. This second chapter was about Scientology beliefs, and like the first, it’s very well written and smarter than your average church tell-all.

Forstner helps an outsider understand the []

Scientology Desperately Wants Your Children: The Cruise Ship Come-On

One of our tipsters forwarded to us an e-mail the Church of Scientology has sent out asking its members to consider sending their kids to a convention on the church’s private cruise ship, the Freewinds.

We immediately thought of the Freewinds experience of Ramana Dienes-Browning. Last year, we told her story of the hard sell she []

Scientology Sunday Funnies: Tom Cruise’s Son Connor Fights the North Koreans!

 On Sundays, we reveal the latest Scientology fundraising mailers that get sent to us during the week. And we have some good ones to show you this time. But first, we wondered if you had noticed, like we did, that Connor Cruise’s big action-movie debut is coming up!

Tom’s son appears in the remake of Red []

A Scientology Knockoff That Considers Children ‘Sexy’? Great Xenu’s Ghost!

Gary Douglas has a bridge to total…something…to sell you

Our old Village Voice Media colleagues at the Houston Press asked us to help get the word out about their cover story this week, and we’re happy to oblige.

Press veteran Craig Malisow has a barnburner of a story about a 70-year-old man named Gary Douglas []

SHOCKER: Court Punishes Scientology For Acting Like…Scientology

Mary Rieser’s lips are moving…

There’s a reason Scientology earned a reputation as one of the most litigious organizations on earth, and one that turns any court fight into a bruising slugfest.

People who have found themselves in litigation with the church often complain that Scientology plays dirty, and gets away with murder in America’s []