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 Philip Seymour Hoffman, the supremely talented actor who played a character based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in 2012’s The Master, was found dead in his apartment today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting this afternoon.
Hoffman received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the Hubbard analog Lancaster Dodd, his fourth nomination. He won an Academy Award for his portray of Truman Capote in 2005’s Capote. He was 46 years old. Continue reading Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in New York, reports the Wall Street Journal
 Ryan Hamilton Last year, as Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon, was sinking deeper and deeper into trouble, we noticed that an attorney in Las Vegas, Ryan Hamilton, had begun advertising online for Narconon victims. It was another sign of just how bad things were getting for Scientology’s rehab facilities, which were being sued and investigated in several states. Well, Hamilton’s ad apparently paid off, because this week he filed a federal lawsuit against Scientology’s Narconon facility in Nevada, and the lawsuit’s complaint is one of the best written and most thorough that we’ve ever read. Continue reading Scientology’s drug rehab facility in Nevada sued over the usual litany of deceptions
 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.
Jon, you continue to take a hard look at Scientology’s most basic concepts and practices. We’re really excited that you turned your attention this week to that most familiar of Scientology accessories, the E-meter! Tell us about it. Continue reading Jon Atack takes apart the Scientology E-meter
 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 helping us understand the upside-down world of Scientology “ethics.”
Jeff, you’ve really done a great job educating us about Scientology’s system of ethics in this series. We hate to see it wind down. JEFFERSON: Well, at last we have come to the end of the Introduction to Scientology Ethics book. The last chapter is called “Conduct of Justice and Forms of Redress.” It’s all about the forms of recourse that Scientologists have if faced with any injustice in Scientology. I imagine these things were written when Hubbard was in a benign mood or when there had been an obvious miscarriage of justice. Continue reading Jefferson Hawkins finishes off our series on Scientology ethics with a reprieve
 On Monday morning, we posted Steven Mango’s two and a half hour video about his experience as a member of Scientology. Now that we’ve had some time to absorb the entire thing, we thought we’d highlight some of the really good stuff in it.
In our title, we put the word ‘documentary’ in quote marks because what Steven Mango has put together is probably better described as a testimonial. It’s mostly him talking to a camera about his experiences, and at two and a half hours, it’s ludicrously long. Continue reading The best parts of Steven Mango’s ‘documentary’ on Scientology’s Celebrity Centre
 What groovy substances was Raquel dosing herself with a million years ago? Bruce and Claire, last time we reached Operating Thetan Level Four on our trip up the Bridge to Total Freedom, but it was an early version that was later superseded by “New OT 4.” So let’s see what New OT 4 has in store for us. Continue reading Drug flashbacks from one million years B.C.? It’s time for Scientology’s New OT 4!
 Scientology protests its prosecution by France, February 2012 A Scientologist convicted in France’s landmark fraud case against the movement has failed in a bid to get counter-cult group UNADFI and its lawyer fined for their role in the case. In what amounts to a legal rap on the fingers, the Paris court that heard her complaint decided instead to award damages and legal costs against her. Sabine Jacquart, a former president of Scientology’s Celebrity Centre in Paris, was convicted with others of organised fraud in a landmark 2009 trial. Continue reading More fallout in France: Scientologist who asked for damages ends up paying instead
 We have another fun collection of Scientology fliers for you this week. As usual, we’re getting a glimpse into the church’s unrelenting fundraising gimmicks.
But there’s also some news here. One of our tipsters managed to snag for us a CCHR flier about this year’s gala. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is one of Scientology’s oldest front groups, and it’s engaged in a comical attack on the psychiatric profession. If you were with us last year, you may remember that we managed to obtain some CCHR fliers, but for some reason they never stated the time and place for the annual gala. This time, for some reason CCHR was less shy. Continue reading Sunday Funnies: CCHR’s annual gala — time, place, form, and event!
 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.
Jon, last week’s piece about Scientology’s thousand-yard stare really kicked up some great comments. You wanted to address something that came up in that conversation? Continue reading Jon Atack: Do Scientology’s training routines turn you into a sociopath?
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Philip Seymour Hoffman, the supremely talented actor who played a character based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in 2012’s The Master, was found dead in his apartment today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting this afternoon.
