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 Yesterday, we mentioned that there’s been something of a baby boom among former Scientology officials who left the church in a small wave in the last several years.
We thought we’d follow up on that by pointing out that leaving the Church of Scientology appears to be very beneficial for the people who accomplish it. Not that it’s easy. Marc Headley explained in his escape narrative Blown for Good that one of the ways the church controls ‘Sea Org’ workers — who sign billion-year contracts and work for pennies an hour — is by convincing them that if they leave the quasi-naval organization, they’d soon perish in a cruel outside world, bereft of skills or money. Fear of that outside world, or of being ‘disconnected’ by family members who remain in the church, can keep a person from leaving, or convince them to return even if they manage to get away. Continue reading Life after Scientology: The post-Sea Org baby boom
 We’ve been reporting on so many problems for Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon, and they just seem to be getting worse and worse.
For decades, when Scientology itself came under fire for its alleged abuses, odd beliefs, and bullying tactics, it reflexively pointed to its Narconon network as proof that it did good works. “But we get people off drugs!” was the rallying cry that the controversial church could always fall back on. Continue reading The David Miscavige summons, and other dire news for Scientology’s drug rehab network
 It’s time for Sunday Funnies and another round of Scientology’s latest mailers and fliers sent in to us by our great tipsters.
We love these weekly snapshots of Scientology’s fundraising fever. They give us a real sense of how leader David Miscavige is trying to get more and more money from fewer and fewer people. The desperation is palpable. Continue reading Scientology Sunday Funnies: Save the date for Maiden Voyage!
 We can’t get enough of Scientology success stories, and this newest video, gushing about the ‘Golden Age of Tech Phase II,’ is one of the best we’ve ever seen.
Internal e-mails smuggled out of the church (particularly those showing up lately at Mike Rinder’s excellent blog) have made clear just how desperate Scientology leader David Miscavige is to get the church’s dwindling masses to embrace the changes he made in GAT II. The Orwellian twist in his marketing scheme is to convince Scientologists that they will ‘rocket’ up L. Ron Hubbard’s ‘Bridge to Total Freedom’ by paradoxically going back and re-doing low-level coursework that they initially experienced (and paid for) many years ago. Continue reading When Scientologists sell each other Scientology: ‘I’m me for the first time in trillions of years’
 You may remember that we’ve written previously about the ordeal of Richard Teague, a man who in 2011 set himself on fire at a Scientology-affiliated drug rehab center in Michigan, resulting in a lawsuit that we’ve been keeping an eye on.
The last time we checked on the case, Teague’s attorneys had found some fascinating new testimony from a nurse who worked at a facility where Teague spent time. Now, the lawsuit has been settled and Teague did not sign a confidentiality agreement. So, for the first time, he’s talking to the press. Continue reading Richard Teague speaks out after his horrific ordeal at a Scientology rehab center
 The Underground Bunker is proud to present another example of Scientology hip hop so new, it was sent out to church members today.
Yes, our tipsters are amazing, and we are grateful that they take the chances necessary to bring us this amazing material. We have, in the past, marveled at amazing examples of Scientology hip hop — we have never really fallen out of love with the Copenhagen miracle, but we will forever bemoan losing the awesome Melbourne Day Rap Battle Team. If only someone would turn up a copy of it. We’re also huge fans of Scientology in-house rapper Chill EB (pictured), and we wish he’d been involved in this newest joint. Oh well. Continue reading Scientology Hip Hop: Is there anything better in the world?
 Amy Nicholson is the film reviewer for LA Weekly and she is disappointed that Tom Cruise is not the movie star that he once was.
OK, fair enough. But Nicholson doesn’t bemoan Cruise’s choice of movie projects. She wants to place the blame on us — the Internet consumers who ruined Tom’s career because we thought we saw Tom jump on Oprah Winfrey’s couch back in 2005 and made fun of him for it. Continue reading No, LA Weekly, Tom Cruise’s career was not ruined by a GIF
 We can’t believe it’s been nearly five years since we first talked to Marc Headley about his book, Blown for Good. A gripping read, the book describes Headley’s experience growing up in Scientology and becoming a worker at the church’s secretive International Base east of Los Angeles, where he became a guinea pig for Tom Cruise to learn how to ‘audit.’
While workers in Scientology’s ‘Sea Organization,’ Marc and his wife Claire were prohibited from having children. In a lawsuit they later filed against the church after their 2005 escape, the Headleys said that Claire was forced twice to have abortions to comply with the no-children rule. Despite losing in court, the Headleys have thrived after leaving Scientology, and now have three young boys. Continue reading Marc Headley returns to Scientology and finds a whole new ballgame
 Eric Tenorio The National Association of Forensic Counselors filed a stunning lawsuit on Friday against not only Scientology’s Narconon drug rehab network in the US, Canada, and the UK, but also Scientology leader David Miscavige himself, alleging that Scientology knowingly and for years conspired to give the false impression that its rehab facilities and many of its staff members were accredited by the NAFC. This lawsuit is the culmination of an investigation that began more than a year ago. At that time, we talked to Karla Taylor, CEO of the NAFC, who was incensed when she found out that Narconon officials were falsely claiming to be certified by her organization. Continue reading Scientology’s drug rehab network sued for conspiring to misuse counseling credentials
 It’s that time of the week again, when we reveal the fliers and mailers and other items that our great tipsters have forwarded to us during the week.
Before we get into the glossy fundraising appeals that pour in each week, we have a stark reminder that as much as Scientology wants to give the impression that it’s expanding in leaps and bounds, the opposite is the truth. It’s dying. And week after week, there’s more evidence provided here and at Mike Rinder’s blog and at forums like WWP and ESMB that document the church’s inexorable slide. Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Scientology fundraising fliers try desperately to hide the truth
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Yesterday, we mentioned that there’s been something of a baby boom among former Scientology officials who left the church in a small wave in the last several years. 
