FOLLOW ME ON
Daily Notifications
Sign up for free emails to receive the feature story every morning in your inbox at tonyortega.substack.com

Categories

How Scientology created its own prison for children who chafed at lifetime service

[A Scientology cadet org]

We were standing in a room, waiting for the Cadet Coordinator to finish reading our proposal. She was the only adult person assigned to watch over all of the Sea Org Cadets in Los Angeles.

Continue reading How Scientology created its own prison for children who chafed at lifetime service

Scientology tries stealthy opening of new drug rehab in Canada and gets stuffed

[Narconon ED George Morfopoulous and his aborted clinic]

A few years ago, we noted that Scientology leader David Miscavige was making a pretty major shift in his Narconon strategy. For years, Scientology’s drug rehabs had grown larger as Miscavige, with the help of his celebrities, touted Narconon as “the authority” on drug abuse, and the centerpiece of that movement was its flagship clinic in Oklahoma, Narconon Arrowhead.

Continue reading Scientology tries stealthy opening of new drug rehab in Canada and gets stuffed

Scientology loses a whale: Major donor Michael Baybak dead at 77

[Michael Baybak in 2014]

The Church of Scientology has lost one of its all-time biggest donors, businessman Michael Baybak, who died last week at 77.

Continue reading Scientology loses a whale: Major donor Michael Baybak dead at 77

A Scientologist is brutally murdered in Peoria, but you didn’t hear it from Scientology

[Jose Ramirez and his parents, Susan Brill de Ramirez and Antonio Ramirez Barron]

It was a gruesome crime that shocked a university community. On the night of October 25, two employees of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, were in bed in their home when they were awakened to be pepper-sprayed, stabbed, and bludgeoned to death.

Continue reading A Scientologist is brutally murdered in Peoria, but you didn’t hear it from Scientology

A paradox of apathy and zealotry: What props up Scientology, from within and without

[Ruben Celiberti]

When you think about it, the amount of information that has come out about Scientology and its abuses in the last decade is simply stunning. From the “Truth Rundown” by the Tampa Bay Times in 2009, to Lawrence Wright’s killer 2011 New Yorker article, subsequent book, and then his 2015 HBO film with Alex Gibney. And in three seasons of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, just think about the vast amount of territory she and Mike Rinder have covered.

Continue reading A paradox of apathy and zealotry: What props up Scientology, from within and without

Free of measles, Scientology’s cruise ship gets back to separating OTs from their money

[Freewinds in Aruba, May 17th]

The Scientology ship Freewinds was released from quarantine in Willemstad in Curaçao and arrived on Friday at the port of Oranjestad, Aruba. The scare when a passenger was diagnosed with measles is over, and Scientology is anxious to get the ship back to normal. The ship is the only place Scientology delivers the ultimate processing level – OT8, but that’s a very small part of the members who visit. We have details on some upcoming events.

 
Continue reading Free of measles, Scientology’s cruise ship gets back to separating OTs from their money

Graham Berry does it again: More Scientology financial fraud spelled out in legal demand

[Attorney Graham Berry]

Once again, Graham Berry has helped a victim of Scientology in desperate straits. Like others we’ve told you about recently, Louis Stephen, 69, was targeted by Church of Scientology employees who ran up stunning debts on credit cards he didn’t even want to open in order to purchase expensive Scientology courses he had no interest in taking.

Continue reading Graham Berry does it again: More Scientology financial fraud spelled out in legal demand

Once again, Scientology celebrates a Nation of Islam bigot tonight in Los Angeles

 
Scientology is very quick to label those of us who have exposed their controversies and abuses with the word “bigot.” You’ve seen them call us that countless times. They throw it at Leah Remini and Mike Rinder and so many others. So for that reason this flier for tonight’s “graduation” celebration at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre is particularly soaked through with the stink of hypocrisy. We thought you’d get a kick out of it.

Continue reading Once again, Scientology celebrates a Nation of Islam bigot tonight in Los Angeles

Beyond the quarantine: Signs that Scientology is getting involved in anti-vaxx panic

[Scientologists Lucy Cole and Rizza Islam, and anti-vaxx activist Michelle Ford]

When the quarantined cruise ship in St. Lucia turned out to be Scientology’s floating cathedral, we got a lot of people asking the same question: Is the Church of Scientology anti-vaccination?

Continue reading Beyond the quarantine: Signs that Scientology is getting involved in anti-vaxx panic

John Travolta’s daughter makes her own Scientology splash at awards ceremony

[Antonio Rosales, Ella Bleu Travolta, and behind her, the Commodore]

In March we told you how surprised we were to see that Tom Cruise’s daughter Isabella had allowed herself to be featured in a Church of Scientology mailer put out by the London org. It was yet another sign of how dedicated Tom and his older two children are to David Miscavige’s church.

Continue reading John Travolta’s daughter makes her own Scientology splash at awards ceremony