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 Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous “volcano” TV ads in the 1980s. He’s told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he’s previous written a series about Scientology “ethics” for the Underground Bunker.
Continue reading The technology of ‘ruining’ people: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s opening pitch
Aaron Smith-Levin has sent us the latest video in the Growing Up In Scientology series. He started out the YouTube channel with a series of interview segments with Nick Lister. Now, Aaron puts himself in the interviewee chair along with former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder. Continue reading A Scientology childhood: What it’s like to grow up under the Hubbard spell
 Less than seven weeks away from a trial she’s been awaiting more than six years, Laura DeCrescenzo has to get over yet another hurdle this week placed in her way by the Church of Scientology.
Laura sued Scientology in 2009 claiming that she’d been abused in the church’s Sea Organization, and that she’d been forced to have an abortion while she was still 17 years old. Her case has been through a very complex history — including a failed petition by Scientology to the US Supreme Court, which resulted in the release of thousands of crucial documents. In 2013, Laura’s lawsuit survived a major step when Scientology’s motion for summary judgment was denied by Judge Ronald Sohigian. We were present for those fireworks as Sohigian found that Laura’s accusations were credible, and deserved to be heard by a jury. Sohigian then retired, and eventually the new Judge, Rolf M. Treu, set a trial date of December 7, 2015. Continue reading Laura DeCrescenzo answers Scientology ‘religion’ gambit on eve of key hearing
The Telegraph yesterday posted a number of photos from inside the “new” Scientology Flag Building in Clearwater, which actually opened a couple of years ago. (This isn’t even the first time we’ve seen actual photos from inside the building, which we brought you in 2013.) The occasion, the newspaper said, was that the photos had been released by “Vantage News,” which is a PR firm in England. So, in other words, this was the latest “look upon our works, and despair” moment from Scientology leader David Miscavige. Continue reading Two years after Scientology’s ‘Super Power’ debuted, it’s still a flop
We always enjoy Jeffrey Augustine’s explorations of Scientology’s own internal rules and documents in order to explain how it really works. In this case, he exposes how Scientology is violating the promises it made the IRS regarding refund requests by its members. And if that’s the case, it should put Scientology’s tax exempt status into question. The best part? Former members who have been locked out of refunds may be in the best position to get the IRS to act. We’ll let Jeff explain… Continue reading Would you buy a used car from this man? Scientology and refunds — a primer
Hey, Sydney, we hear 2,300 of you crammed into the premiere of Going Clear back in June — that’s more than the number of people who admitted to being Scientologists in your country’s last census! Continue reading Countdown to Friday: ‘Scientology’s Dirty Tricks’ on the menu in Sydney
 Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the book for sale, and for more than a year on Saturdays he helped us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on the Internet. He was kind enough to send us a new post.
It was great to see you again in London, Jon. And thanks again for sending along a new piece. We talked a little about this subject at the Old Mitre Pub the other day, but we’re glad to see you go into it at length… Continue reading When Scientology makes you a villain, you understand that it rules its members by fear
With a little more than a week before Belgium puts Scientology on trial, our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, gives us an update about a scouting trip he took to get the lay of the land… Continue reading Scientology on trial in Belgium: An update from our man in Europe
Louis Theroux at the London premiere of ‘My Scientology Movie’ (Still from interview by Scarlet Howes.)
A couple of years ago, BBC presenter Louis Theroux made an appeal on Twitter for Scientologists to reach out to him for the new film he was making about the church. We couldn’t help rolling our eyes at the time, wondering if Theroux knew what he was getting himself into. But his method was sound. He wanted to come at the story with an entirely fresh start. He asked Scientology for access, and he genuinely wanted to hear from Scientologists about their organization. Continue reading Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’: A hilarious take on an unfunny bunch
More than three years ago, we first heard from producer Simon Chinn that he planned to make a feature film about Scientology that would star Louis Theroux. Since then, the BBC-backed producer hired a director named John Dower, won an Oscar (for Searching for Sugar Man), and tonight will finally reveal what he and Dower and Theroux have been up to. Continue reading ‘MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE’: Louis Theroux’s doc premieres tonight at the London Film Festival
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