CONFIRMED: Scientology’s ‘Freewinds’ is the ship quarantined for measles in St. Lucia

[UPDATE: Please see our follow up with interviews of former Freewinds crew members about what conditions aboard the ship are probably like right now.]

[NOTE: When we posted this story at 2 pm Eastern on Wednesday, we strongly suspected but couldn’t confirm that the measles ship was the Freewinds. Now, NBC is reporting that St. Lucia’s Coast Guard has confirmed that the Freewinds is the ship that is quarantined.]

Continue reading CONFIRMED: Scientology’s ‘Freewinds’ is the ship quarantined for measles in St. Lucia

Scientology staffers: Putting up with chaos and hardships as they hope for promised OT powers

David Miscavige announced recently that the new “Advanced Org” in South Africa has been deemed “Saint Hill Size.” That made us think of a piece Sunny Pereira wrote for us about her stint in the “Universe Corps,” the special troops that were the promised reward for taking your org to that mythic level. We thought you’d enjoy her account of parachuting into a foreign country in chaos to deliver super powers to a starving crew.

Continue reading Scientology staffers: Putting up with chaos and hardships as they hope for promised OT powers

Questions for Scientologist Elisabeth Moss — from former Scientologists

[Elisabeth Moss and L. Ron Hubbard]

Recently, Daily Beast reporter Marlow Stern interviewed actress and Scientologist Elisabeth Moss. Marlow has written some good Scientology stories over the years, and he’s no pushover. So we were glad to see that he took the opportunity to ask Moss not one but three questions about Scientology.

Continue reading Questions for Scientologist Elisabeth Moss — from former Scientologists

Scientology stepping up its promotion of chiropractic, demonizing of the AMA

There’s a new article by the Scientology front group Citizens Commission on Human Rights. CCHR blog posts and press releases are generally intended for an internal Scientologist audience rather than the public. This article is aimed at members of Scientology who are chiropractors, and there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of them. Many Scientologists will see a chiropractor instead of a medical doctor for any illness.

Continue reading Scientology stepping up its promotion of chiropractic, demonizing of the AMA

Leah Remini and Mike Rinder dare Scientology defenders to go on camera

Yesterday, Leah Remini and Mike Rinder used their Twitter accounts to call out church leader David Miscavige and other Scientology figures, daring them to be interviewed on camera.

Continue reading Leah Remini and Mike Rinder dare Scientology defenders to go on camera

Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard on family and sex: As enlightened as you’d imagine

[Hubbard in 1950]

Earlier this week, Sunny Pereira mentioned that Brad Pitt took a Scientology course that would have involved reading part of L. Ron Hubbard’s 1951 follow up to Dianetics, the ponderous tome Science of Survival. So for our ‘Scientology Lit’ feature this week, we thought we’d introduce you to that delightful volume of Hubbard thought, which is known in particular for its description of the “Tone Scale” of human emotion. In the name of Fair Use, for criticism and analysis, we’re taking a glance at Chapter 18, “Sexual Behavior, Attitude Toward Children,” which is really something. Keep in mind, this is bedrock “scripture” in Scientology, the word of “Source.” We think you’ll especially enjoy the final few paragraphs.

Continue reading Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard on family and sex: As enlightened as you’d imagine

Scientology, breaking bad: Signs of desperation here and abroad

On Monday we posted a report from Phil Jones about how dead the Cambridge, Ontario “Ideal Org” is. Among the reactions to that piece were a couple of additional dispatches from our tipsters. Is Scientology dying? And how fast?

Continue reading Scientology, breaking bad: Signs of desperation here and abroad

VIDEO: Danny Masterson accusers face down Scientology ploy at Denim Day rally

[Chrissie Carnell and Cedric Bixler Zavala with a mostly concealed additional Masterson victim]

Yesterday, we told you we were anticipating that Mike Rinder’s estranged daughter Taryn Teutsch might repeat her ploy from last year and attempt to co-opt the message of the Denim Day rally in Los Angeles for Scientology’s disingenuous smear campaign against her father.

Continue reading VIDEO: Danny Masterson accusers face down Scientology ploy at Denim Day rally

It’s an anniversary of shame for Scientology: Will they go for a repeat?

[Taryn Teutsch at Denim Day last year]

One year ago, Scientology took its disingenuous attacks on Mike Rinder to a new level when his estranged daughter, Taryn Teutsch, tried to co-opt the message at the Denim Day rally in Los Angeles.

Continue reading It’s an anniversary of shame for Scientology: Will they go for a repeat?

Brad Pitt’s Scientology adventure: The sauna, the auditing, the… lizard?

[Juliette Lewis and Brad Pitt in 1991]

Sunny Pereira asks how we’re going to angle this story, and we tell her that it’s really up to her. It’s something she experienced — how would she angle it?

Continue reading Brad Pitt’s Scientology adventure: The sauna, the auditing, the… lizard?

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