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 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 on Saturdays he’s helping 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.
This week, Jon is taking on an interesting point that we want to set up a little. In recent years, one of the biggest crises Scientology has faced has been an exodus of longtime, loyal members fed up with leader David Miscavige and his focus on fundraising and internal security. These members have been leaving, even though they still admire Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and they plan to continue doing the processes of Scientology itself. Some of these ‘independent Scientologists’ — even some who have not been particularly outspoken — have found themselves to be targets of the church’s legendary retaliation schemes. But Jon wanted to put that harassment in some larger context. Continue reading Jon Atack: The harassment of independent Scientologists didn’t begin with David Miscavige
On Sunday, Scientology will have a ceremony to celebrate the re-opening of the Advanced Organization of Los Angeles (AOLA), where wealthy church members go to receive high-level “Operating Thetan” courses and auditing on their way up L. Ron Hubbard’s “Bridge to Total Freedom.” But this isn’t the first time the church has had a grand re-opening of the facility. It also happened in 1998, and look who cut the ribbon! Continue reading AOLA’s grand re-opening — a look at the last time Scientology cut the ribbon at Big Blue!
 Arseniy Yatsenyuk Yesterday evening, Arseniy Yatsenyuk was nominated to be Ukraine’s new prime minister in the wake of President Viktor Yanukovych’s ouster. Yatsenyuk is a former speaker of parliament and foreign minister, and led one of the factions of the opposition movement. However, last week, when it looked like Yatsenyuk was likely to end up in a leading position after the country’s upheaval, rumors began flying that he was involved with Scientology — rumors that have been around for at least four years. One conservative blogger in Dallas even suggested recently that Yatsenyuk was some sort of mole for both Scientology and billionaire financier George Soros. Continue reading Is Ukraine’s proposed new prime minister a Scientologist? Says his niece: ‘That’s crap’
 Ryan Hamilton Less than a month after he filed a lawsuit against Scientology’s Nevada drug rehab unit, Las Vegas attorney Ryan Hamilton has filed a very similar federal lawsuit on behalf of another plaintiff who says she was defrauded by “Narconon Fresh Start” and its deceptive practices. Virginia resident Cathy Tarr and her son, Michael Tarr of Florida, are the plaintiffs in the new lawsuit against Scientology’s facility in Caliente, Nevada, which also goes by the name of “Rainbow Canyon Retreat.” Continue reading Ryan Hamilton files another lawsuit against Scientology’s Nevada drug rehab facility
 Claire Headley and Bruce Hines are taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. Claire spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Bruce was in Scientology for 31 years and spent about half that time as a senior case supervisor. Go here to see the first part in this series.
Bruce is along with us again this week as we dive into New OT 6. Despite all of the work we’ve done on OT 3, 4, and 5, we’re still exorcising our space cooties on this level — or, in Scientology jargon, auditing our “body thetans” or “BTs.” All of the things we’ve been learning over so many levels is all coming together now, with our BTs hanging together in clusters, and our learning how to telepathically communicate with them and see if they’ve got leftover issues from “Incident 1” (of 4 quadrillion years ago) or “Incident 2” (the Xenu genocide of 75 million years ago). Continue reading Telepathic space-age exorcism — Let’s do Scientology’s New Operating Thetan Level Six!
 On Friday, Monique Rathbun upped the ante on her objections about Scientology’s legal behavior by filing a motion for contempt in her harassment lawsuit against the church and its leader, David Miscavige.
Previously, she had filed a motion for sanctions, complaining that Scientology was holding back evidence that she was entitled to. Now, she’s gathered more proof that the church is holding back documents, editing video it is required to turn over, and otherwise engaging in “dirty tricks” that she charges is a traditional part of Scientology’s long litigation history. Continue reading Monique Rathbun files motion for contempt against Scientology defendants
 The Church of Scientology is naturally very excited that Alessandro Calcioli and Louisa Hodkin (pictured right) will marry today after winning a landmark court victory allowing Scientology “religious” weddings to be held in England for the first time.
Scientology may be dwindling, but it can use every bit of good publicity it can get, so today’s wedding will be streamed live on the Internet at 11 am Eastern, and we wouldn’t miss it. But coverage of the impending nuptials has been uninformed and even embarrassing. Despite decades of revelations in books, magazine articles, and newspaper stories that have laid bare most of Scientology’s secrets, the church still seems to be something of a mystery for most reporters and many in the public. Continue reading Five things to watch for in today’s first Scientology wedding in the UK
 On Sundays we enjoy showing you the Scientology mailers and fliers that our tipsters have forwarded to us. And this week, we have a real treat.
Besides a nice collection of fundraising come-ons from around the world, we also received an e-mail from a tipster who tells us that he was a member of org staff. Not Sea Org, but staff, the folks who work at your local Scientology church. Although Scientology staff aren’t required to sign billion-year contracts like Sea Org workers, they do make serious commitments and usually work long hours for modest pay. And now, there’s a new pair of contracts to sign, our tipster tells us. Continue reading Sunday Funnies: There’s a new contract for Scientology staff workers, and we have a copy
 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 on Saturdays he’s helping 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.
This week, Jon weighs the qualities of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and finds him wanting. JON: Christians teach the imitation of Christ and Buddhists look to Siddhartha Gautama as their role model. Before I left Scientology, I knew that Hubbard did not embody every virtue. I also knew that we project virtue into our heroes and awfulness into our villains. But, for the first few years of my involvement, I did imagine that Hubbard would be utterly virtuous, as he claimed to be Maitreya or Metteya, the future Buddha, who in one lifetime would lead all of humanity to nirvana. Yet another prophecy that failed. Continue reading Jon Atack puts it to Scientologists — did L. Ron Hubbard have the qualities of a leader?
 Federal District Judge Steve C. Jones (pictured, right) has dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Scientology and its drug rehab network, Narconon, that was filed by seven plaintiffs last June.
Atlanta attorney Jeff Harris filed the lawsuit on behalf of seven people who said they had been defrauded by Narconon Georgia, a troubled drug rehab center that gave up its license last year as a way to escape prosecution in a deal with a district attorney. That investigation included a raid of the facility, and is ongoing. Continue reading Federal judge dismisses Georgia class-action lawsuit against Scientology and rehab network
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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 on Saturdays he’s helping 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.
