We got a correspondent into Scientology’s New Year’s Event Saturday in Los Angeles

[An artist’s conception of Saturday night’s shindig]

Once again, we got a correspondent into a major Scientology event. Our tipster attended Saturday night’s New Year’s Event held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Scientology customarily films its New Year’s event a few days early, pretending it’s actually New Year’s Eve, so that the video can be screened on December 31 at its orgs around the world. Here’s what our stringer saw…

Continue reading We got a correspondent into Scientology’s New Year’s Event Saturday in Los Angeles

Scientology’s smear machine hurting your reputation? For $1,500 they can help with that.

Before we continue with our year in review, we wanted to share with you something a tipster forwarded to us. It’s an advertising mailer for a particular wing of Scientology that targets businessmen, trying to convince them that L. Ron Hubbard was a genius-level business administrator.

Continue reading Scientology’s smear machine hurting your reputation? For $1,500 they can help with that.

Checking in on a Scientology ‘ideal’ Christmas as we continue our year in review

Before we continue our year in review today, we have a holiday treat for you from reader Graham, who makes a return trip to the Birmingham Ideal Org after he so sneakily brought us a report from its grand opening last year. We’re always curious to see how little activity there is at these facilities after the confetti is swept away.

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The Underground Bunker’s 2018 Scientology year-in-review starts today!

[If anyone symbolizes the best of 2018…]

It’s been another crazy year of news here at the Underground Bunker, and a decidedly mixed one. But when we thought about a single story that symbolized the year as strongly as Leah Remini’s show did for 2017, one really great, optimistic, sensational piece of good news from the past twelve months came to mind.

The victory of Laura DeCrescenzo.

Continue reading The Underground Bunker’s 2018 Scientology year-in-review starts today!

Bill Franks, 1946-2018, appointed by Hubbard to ‘reform’ Scientology after Snow White scandal

[Bill Franks, left, with former mission holder Bent Corydon last year]

We spoke with Bill Franks a few weeks ago on the phone after we heard he had entered hospice care. We wanted him to know how much we appreciated the help we got from him on our book about Paulette Cooper. He was characteristically humble about it, saying that he hadn’t done much.

Continue reading Bill Franks, 1946-2018, appointed by Hubbard to ‘reform’ Scientology after Snow White scandal

Remembering that Scientology comes from a mix of science fiction and ghost stories

[Coming back from Target Two?]

An unexpectedly mirthful moment during Tuesday night’s Scientology and the Aftermath episode about Shelly Miscavige was Tom DeVocht’s explanation that remaining wretches like Norman Starkey put up with imprisonment and abuse from Scientology leader David Miscavige because they are waiting for L. Ron Hubbard to return and put things right.

Continue reading Remembering that Scientology comes from a mix of science fiction and ghost stories

Scientology threatened to sue over last night’s episode, settled for sliming Leah & Mike instead

Last night, we kept checking Scientology’s main anti-Aftermath website obsessively. We couldn’t wait to see what kind of attack the church would make on the episode in Leah Remini’s series when she was finally taking on the “Where is Shelly?” question head-on.

Would they post something from Shelly herself, David Miscavige’s wife who vanished in 2005 and hasn’t been seen in public since 2007? Maybe even a video, proving that Shelly was well and wanted to be left alone?

Continue reading Scientology threatened to sue over last night’s episode, settled for sliming Leah & Mike instead

Leah Remini asks ‘Where is Shelly’ as the Church of Scientology turns 65!

[From tonight’s episode]

We have quite a two-fer today, campers. December 18 is an anniversary of some import, which we describe in our second item (and happy birthday, Church of Scientology!). But it’s also the day that Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is finally taking the story of Shelly Miscavige head-on.

Continue reading Leah Remini asks ‘Where is Shelly’ as the Church of Scientology turns 65!

Finally, Scientology spells out its crazy ideas in a video you weren’t supposed to see

On Thursday, we told you that an Underground Bunker reader in Greece revealed to us that an entire Michael Chan lecture had been uploaded by Scientology to YouTube. This was something we were very excited to get a look at, we explained, because Michael Chan is just about the only thing Scientology has in the way of a circuit “preacher,” and his appearances are top secret.

Continue reading Finally, Scientology spells out its crazy ideas in a video you weren’t supposed to see

Where in the U.S. the next set of Scientology ‘Ideal Orgs’ will be popping up next

Rod Keller keeps his eagle-eye on David Miscavige’s building efforts around the country…

Continue reading Where in the U.S. the next set of Scientology ‘Ideal Orgs’ will be popping up next

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