Leah Remini: Scientology and the aftermath

Tools    





Well, all I know is there's a thread on here about this woman and scientology.
I kinda gathered she left... and was getting hassle.


Then on Facebook it trended she was being directly contacted by Cruise and bullied into retracting statements, so I thought I'd throw that in here in case you guys, if you were interested, would like to know.


I have no interest though in non-celebrities and their religion tbh.



ah,well thanks,i know he called her to get a piece about scientology off of 60 minutes so he doesnt get informed-hes just not allowed to watch the thing himself.so it could very well be true.must mean they`re getting scared though.

Thats fair enough!but when a cult is allowed to roam free and recruit,whilst the members are harrassed,sexually abused,kidnapped,seperated from their kids etc etc you should give it a watch so its talked about and fought against.
__________________
Britney is my favorite



oh really? thats so interesting,cant wait to hear about it.
How did you come to know about it? I`d never heard about it till Tom Cruise started acting crazy,then i stumbled upon some documentaries about it.
I read a lot of "self-help" books, and back when I was in college I read Dianetics. There were some very snazzy looking commercials on TV about it back then, and I overheard a friend of my brother say that the book "changed his life."



I'm kind of a completist when it comes to books & movies, but Dianetics is one book I never finished - I got about three quarters of the way through. It's complete nonsense.

I mean, it literally makes no sense whatsoever - just a bunch of gobbledygook! It says a lot of scientific sounding things that are backed by nothing. Also, it's really just a brochure for Scientology - other self-help books recommend things for you to do to address your problems. Dianetics simply says you must seek out an auditor (i.e. pay Scientology) to get rid of your problems.

The one thing that gets me is how anyone could fall into this. There were no documentaries out about the movement then, and I'm no genius, but even as a very young adult reading this book I realized this was just some kind of scam based on the utterly bizarre rantings of a failed science fiction writer - which is why I couldn't even finish the book. So it amazes me that ANYONE could willingly pursue Scientology, just knowing the surface issues about it, no less the hidden stuff we've learned since.



I have a fantasy of going to a Scientology center and saying I want to join - just because it would be such a kick to listen to their ridiculous come-ons and to completely waste their time (just like I do with telephone scammers.)

But I don't know of any Scientology places where I could do that nearby. I kind of think of Scientology as being more of a west coast movement - which may explain some of its success. East coasters just seem a more hard-nosed, skeptical, cynical people - maybe centuries of rough winters can do that to people?



hah wow,thats really interesting Captain Steel!
well,the commercial itselfs shows how they target people whose been unfortunate in life somehow-
which i guess is how most of these cults recruit.So maybe if you`ve constantly been in bad relationships and have no where to turn-this would catch your eye.
Both Tom and Kirstie (and maybe john over his gay rumours) got into it by the church "helping" them with their insecurities- Tom with his dyslexia,which is a pretty big deal if youre an actor,and Kirsty with her selfesteem and food/drug addiction.
They prey upon weak people.
Did your brother ever get involved beyond reading the book?
haha yeah i would love to wire up and start going to sessions But i guess i can somewhat see how people get involved-im sure it starts off very rosenred with a great,closeknit community and task at hand but then turns into something completely different.



hah wow,thats really interesting Captain Steel!
well,the commercial itselfs shows how they target people whose been unfortunate in life somehow-
which i guess is how most of these cults recruit.So maybe if you`ve constantly been in bad relationships and have no where to turn-this would catch your eye.
Both Tom and Kirstie (and maybe john over his gay rumours) got into it by the church "helping" them with their insecurities- Tom with his dyslexia,which is a pretty big deal if youre an actor,and Kirsty with her selfesteem and food/drug addiction.
They prey upon weak people.
Did your brother ever get involved beyond reading the book?
haha yeah i would love to wire up and start going to sessions But i guess i can somewhat see how people get involved-im sure it starts off very rosenred with a great,closeknit community and task at hand but then turns into something completely different.
I don't think my brother ever read the book... I just heard his friend talking about it, and since I was into self-help, I read it. (Gee, I can't remember, but I HOPE I didn't pay for it... but I probably did.)

It was interesting to try to compare it to the works of Peale, Carnegie, Hill, Nightingale, Rohn, Maltz, Dyer and other self-help authors of the time.

But, the thing is, you can't even call Dianetics self-help because, as I said, other books in that area are usually at least based on sound psychological principles that give you exercises to break out of negative patterns & ways to help yourself. The gauge on how successful self-help books are is usually determined by the reader and how willing they are to commit themselves to practicing the exercises.

Dianetics doesn't offer any self-help - it only outlines problems (defined as something called "engrams" which get trapped in your brain before you're born as a result of your parents trying to abort you - because, according to Hubbard, all parents try to either consciously or subconsciously abort their children while they are still in the womb) - and the only way to get rid of them is by going to Scientology and paying an auditor. So there's no self-help contained in it and no "help" from any other source since the principles of the book are all based on the rantings of a lunatic who wrote that mankind's troubles are actually a result of space aliens!



Topsy - I have to thank you for making me aware of this show.

I might never have found it if it weren't for this thread. In the On-Demand menu it's listed only as "Leah Remini" and I remember a while back she had one of those family reality shows - which I would have no interest in seeing. So if I saw this listed, I'd probably assume it was her former reality show and never check it out.

Just got done watching the 2nd episode. The show is like extra editions of Going Clear.

The whole thing still boggles me. If you took just the known history of Scientology and its origin (not even all the secret corruption & abuses) and put it in a book and took it to a film producer, they'd probably laugh you out of the office because the whole premise is too preposterous to be believable - no one in real life would believe it could happen, and no one would be stupid enough to join and give money to a "church" that makes you separate from your family members because they don't believe that space aliens made up by a failed sci-fi writer control their brains!

That's what gets me - it is unbelievable, so I still have trouble fathoming how it got to where it is.

As said, I read Dianetics and couldn't understand how anyone made a commercial (and lots of really slick ones) about such absolute and obvious nonsense. I've read even the most bottom barrel self-help books, and even the worst of them contain some nuggets of common-sense wisdom, but Dianetics contains none - it amounts to saying that in order to deal with your problems you have to go give your life savings to someone who's going to hook you up to a car battery tester - and that's it! That's pretty much the entire book in a nutshell... pay to get hooked up to a battery tester!

Another thing is Leah mentioned Scientology's belief system - but no one ever really says exactly what that is (and that's because it really has no tenets based on any sort of wisdom or philosophy). Most religions can be summarized with a few tenets, but Scientology's only core tenets are based on a science fiction story written by a guy who said he was going to intentionally make up a false religion... and he did!

But how or why he gained a single follower (no less tens of thousands) and billions upon billions of dollars by having a really crummy sci-fi story declared as a tax-free "religion" is the question!



Sorry for my lack of reply,i hadnt noticed your post!
Also for my mix up,i misread and thought you said your brother,not you brothers friend- which lead me to believe that that was perhaps how you got your interestin in scientology-by your brother being a member. im veery glad to see it isnt so though!

Im really glad you like the show,no one i know has any interest in it-well its not on tv here so i cant blame them-soim very glad i have someone to discuss it with! Im still waiting for the second episode to be uploaded on youtube,however i got to watch most of it in crappy quality this morning-however i think about 20 min or so is missing.
The part where Leah was reading the letter from Mike Rinders daughter is absolutely heartbreaking!
He sure has come a long way since the man i saw on Scientology and Me.
Yees,very much a going clear "sequel"-i wish they would have mentioned that a bit though,both that and Scientology and me in which they both featured.I know Leah lightely touched upon it,but im sure alot of the views have seen neither.John Sweeney is going to be on the show soon aswell.
The scenes of scientologists on the front law with their stupid sings aswell..cant people file police reports about them to the police? same with the flyers saying people who left are pedophiles,cheaters,abuser etc and the internet`sites`? surely thats harrassment? they should just get together all of those who left and file one big complaint.


The only thing i can think of for people joining really,is that it has nothing to do with the actual teachings.
Im assuming they`re drawn in by the charistma of the people recruiting-where they are probably met with warmth and interest.Also as with most cults,its the connection and closeknit community.Most adults are sadly very lonely so i think thats a big part of the appeal-obviously its nothing like that when you actually join. Also from what ive gathered-scientologist actually have very little knowledge of scientology-they are given little bits and pieces as they advance their courses which takes years-hence juliette lewis,leah remini etc laughing about the vulcano and alien things when confronted in scientology and me.they didnt know about it.
I dont know either,from Leahs reddit session when they asked what level she was at she said that she had just been told that God was a lie for Hubbert.
Whats shes also said in interviews about it is that when she said she thought stuff was crazy,they told her that it didnt really matter that she didnt believe it aslong as she "followed it".

UGH,dont even get me started on the taxes.its CRAZY.from what leah said-it was considered a religion by them because within scientology you are regarding yourself as a spiritual being..hence religious.
it IS actually very easy to get a status as a religious group-you just have to have so and so many members and the you get a tax deduct from how many members you have.atleast that how it is here in Norway-mind you we havent really had many cults or new religions popping up so maybe that would change if it were to happen. I dont know the rules around that in the US,but im guessing its similar.



if you havent seen this site before steel i suggest you check it out,i think you might find it interesting:
http://tonyortega.org/
He`s a journalist whose been covering scientology for years.



if you havent seen this site before steel i suggest you check it out,i think you might find it interesting:
http://tonyortega.org/
He`s a journalist whose been covering scientology for years.
Thanks! I'll be checking that out.

Bringing this all back to movies, how badly do you think his involvement in Scientology has hurt Tom Cruise's career?

And, if Scientology ultimately implodes due to all the exposure of its corruption (as Mike Rinder predicted it might), where will Tom Cruise stand then?

IMO, Cruise was a bonafide "super star," but despite still starring in occasional blockbusters, I think his career took a definite plunge, not just due to his association with Scientology, but also because of his being very vocal & quite defensive about things related to it (such as his bizarre Scientology interview video and his on-air argument with Matt Lauer over Brooke Shield's medications).



oh yeah,i definitely think the couch jumping on Oprah,the scientology promo video of him laughing like a maniac and basically condescending everyone whose not a scientology and anti drug/psychiatry rant hurt the public opinion of him badly.as well as Katie Holmes having to plan her escape to get away. Nicole and Tom also split because of scientology,they had her phone bugged and was constantely following her. They also didnt like her because her father is a psychiatrist.
Theres also been numerous articles about scientologists having to audition to be his next girlfriend because david wants to pass him off as this ideal scientologist who has it all (that includes the happy perfect family).
Many of them auditioned without knowing about-they said it was for a job or promotional video. It makes him come across as such a pathetic person. But im guessing he`s still doing really well career wise. He makes the same kind of action movies he always make,and im assuming that kind of audience doesnt check out the tabloids too often.He`s also very likeable in the interviews and stuff so if he promoted enough i think most people would forget about it.sadly.
I know that sea org members who worked for him will be interviewed some time during this show,I hope they make a point out of how these people are being forced to slave around for a multi millonare celebrity for basically no money 24/7.

I can understand Nicole Kidman not speaking out,she has two kids who are still in it.
But Katie Holmes..i mean i was never fond of her in the first place..But she is such a coward in my eyes.
Tom doesnt even see Suri anymore,and even if he tried for custody-all of scientology would risk getting everything exposed.legally.Theres no way they would risk a trial.
So she has no connection to it anymore,yet shes remind silent. When things are so bad you have to ESCAPE then things are pretty serious.Like Leah she lives a fairly protected life,she has the platform to get the truth out,and get a whole lot more support from people. If a normal everyday person had done what she had,they`re lives would have been destroyed,and by staying silent shes kinda helping that.



Also the person who was Katie Holmes auditor get in sh!tload of trouble for not discovering her plan and was dismissed and put in the hole. All that is on the website i posted,hes also got a youtube channel called lipservice.Do you know if Will Smith is a scientologist`? ive always thought he was cos hes been donating alot,also built schools with scientology teachings but now people are saying he isnt. Ive also always though Jim Carey was,but after his girlfriend died they`ve been coming at him (saying he have her STDs,she killed herself with medicine he gave her etc,released private pictures of the two) so i was wondering if he was in then left or something?



I had a feeling Scientology had something to do with Tom Cruise's divorces. I don't really follow the celebrity stuff, so wasn't sure, but I think I recall hearing some of the things you mentioned, Topsy.

The info about women auditioning for Tom's next wife I've never heard. OMG! That's wild.

And when I hear the stories about all the people David Miscavige has physically assaulted, I wonder what would happen if someone fought back - I bet he'd run like a little mouse. The guy is only 5' 1" - talk about a Napoleon complex (and Napoleon Bonaparte, btw, was not considered short in his time, so any complexes he had probably did not stem from his height.)

I've also heard the rumors that Will Smith might be a Scientologist, but then I've heard others deny it. (His family is certainly weird enough to fit the bill.)



I`ll see if I can find something about it for you-One of the women were Norwegian so it made quite a few headlines over here.She thought she was doing a scientology promotional video,when she was really auditioning. She was then introduced to Tom and they dated for a while-they were never alone though,there were always someone high ranked there to make sure everything was alright.when she complained about something,or them always being around,all of her things where collected by a sea org member and she was never allowed back in the house.he didnt even break up with her,she was just refused to speak to him again.its all weird as hell.
yes,thats i suspected them being scientologist before i heard anything about it just because they`re so weird lol



John Travolta talking about Scientology in 1999.They still say they have 8 million members

he says tom cruises ex wife got him into it,was he married before Nicole Kidman?

He was actually asked if he was going to watch the leah remini show,must have been a glip from his publicist:




Just ordered the book the unbreakably Miss Lovely,about a journalist called Paulette Cooper who released a book about the dark side and abuse within scientology in the 70s.They have since then tried nonstop to ruin her life (still do) including setting off bombs to frame her. Should be interesting!



Travolta's view is very self-centered and close minded.

Let's say I belonged to a Christian church and found it personally very helpful to me, but then I found out that our pastor was physically assaulting parishioners, that the church was splitting up families and illegally imprisoning members, robbing people of their savings, slandering people, harassing them, found out that the writers of the gospels were failed navy officers who set out to create a false religion just so they could get rich (because no one was buying their science fiction stories), and ultimately taught that Jesus was an angry alien of the "Galactic Confederacy" that brought humans to Earth on a DC-8 airplane!

Despite whatever the church had done for me, I wouldn't be able to just ignore the crimes, corruption and just sheer lunacy!



We've gone on holiday by mistake
I had a feeling Scientology had something to do with Tom Cruise's divorces. I don't really follow the celebrity stuff, so wasn't sure, but I think I recall hearing some of the things you mentioned, Topsy.

The info about women auditioning for Tom's next wife I've never heard. OMG! That's wild.

And when I hear the stories about all the people David Miscavige has physically assaulted, I wonder what would happen if someone fought back - I bet he'd run like a little mouse. The guy is only 5' 1" - talk about a Napoleon complex (and Napoleon Bonaparte, btw, was not considered short in his time, so any complexes he had probably did not stem from his height.)

I've also heard the rumors that Will Smith might be a Scientologist, but then I've heard others deny it. (His family is certainly weird enough to fit the bill.)
The first 2 paragraphs were covered in the excellent documentary "Going Clear". Mike Rinder tells of how he was assigned the task of breaking up the marriage of Cruise/Kidman.
__________________