Has anyone been watching this series on A&E? I know there have been other discussions about her before and her book, but this series is fascinating. I don’t really consider this a religious thread as much as I do a thread about cults - it could just as well be a thread about Jim Jones, except there have been no mass murder-suicides (and hopefully there weren’t ever be). To me, the fascinating part is how they recruit people in the entertainment industry.
There are doubts that this show will make any difference. I think if it ends here, it probably won’t, but if she continues on her mission, then perhaps… at some point in time.
I’ve gotten to the point where I can no longer watch any movie/TV show, etc. that have Tom Cruise or John Travolta in them. I was flipping through channels last night and ran across a rerun of Cheers. When I saw Kirstie Alley, I switched channels.
@teriwtt , I was flipping channels and this caught my eye. I hope Leah is able to continue with this docuseries. Scientology seriously scares me. In my opinion it is not a religion but a cult. The cult’s response to all of the denounced, ex-Scientologists all have the same sound. Not allowing remaining members to have contact with departed members is disturbing.
If you’ve watched any episode all the way through (or even halfway through), you’ll notice they have periodic disclaimers - the same one pops up. H and I were wondering why they are doing this. Is it to minimize any litigation from Scientology?
I caught a few episodes in the middle of the series. I’d like to watch them all as it is an interesting subject.
A former co-work had a brother who joined. She said they sent him to Mexico (from Oregon) and then he started calling home for money. Her parents cut him off after a while. Sometime later they received a call to pick him up from a hospital. He was very ill and the Scientologist didn’t want him anymore.
Really interesting show. The interesting thing is that Scientology is NOT growing–its numbers have shrunk dramatically. The “church” cooks numbers and build new buildings to make it look like it is thriving.
If you want a more in depth look at how Scientology operates look up Tony Ortega who is a journalist and blogger who has done extensive research on them. There is a multi-part interview with former members who describe how the levels work and how recruiting works. Fascinating.
As you might suspect, celebrities do not have the same experience in Scientology as a regular member. They are coddled to the utmost degree to keep them as an advertising tool. And they are as human as anyone else–leaving the organization results in loss of any family and friends which are still in Scientology (Leah’s main focus). (but Tom Cruise is just weird). Actually I think actors are very susceptible to brain washing from their training in releasing their emotions.
Actors may be susceptible (I wouldn’t know) but they’re also practical. And Scientology is very powerful in the film/TV making community. Some join just for the business contacts. I knew someone who did it just for that reason.
It should raise flags to anyone about Scientology looking at the bio of L Ron Hubbard, the founder (no, not because he wrote pulp science fiction, I happen to like pulp science fiction:), someone that messed up founding a supposed religion sends off all kinds of weird signals (that and that he bet Robert Heinlein he could found a religion and make a million bucks out of it, and I am pretty sure that really happened, Heinlein for one said it happened). My other reason for red flags on this is anything that is that secretive, so willing to use lawyers to shut things down, whether a religion or anything else, generally has something to hide, and it usually isn’t anything good.
The sad part is that with anything like this there will always be people, lost and whatnot, who drift into it and then find themselves trapped.
What I’ve always noticed about these scientology followers is how calm and serene and non reactive they are to things. I wonder if they were set on fire if they’d even scream. But I say the same thing about that Duggar woman as well.
I have a guess on a reason for that. I took some Scientology “classes” during college. I have a vaguely educated opinion on some of this stuff. I’ll post more when I have time.
The show is amazing! I’ve always heard “you don’t mess with Scientology, they will go after you,” but now I really understand. Their tactics are unbelievable.
Actually, I won’t name the studio, but D2 is an actress in LA, trying to break into film entertainment. She left one of the studios she was studying at because she felt like it had a sort of cultish atmosphere to it. I was proud of her, but she found another studio that has been better for her. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of studios that have Scientology influence in LA, though.
Do you Mean Elizabeth Moss ?
I’m shocked to see Greta Van Susteran on the list
The episode about forced abortions for “sea org” married women is shocking
We’ve been watching this series. The things that escapees have to deal with. - being cut off from family members who stayed, being followed, slander - scary stuff. Since she doesn’t care what they release about her, she’s not afraid of them.
One of the things I find so fascinating is, the number of Scientologists who went no further than grade school (no high school), who are incredibly articulate. I compare these Scientologists who are woefully undereducated with another TV family, such as the Duggars and their vocabulary is impressive. The Duggars, on the other hand, who have supposedly been home schooled through high school, and some of them have taken college courses, have what feels like a vocabulary of 250 words. I’m guessing all the reading that is required of the Scientologists to advance up the ladder is where they really get their vocabulary.