Leah Remini

[lilwriter85]

I have never understood how someone could (with a straight face) practice a religion created by a SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR.

I wonder the same thing too. I think with Leah she grew up in the religion and didn't questions things as a child or teen because of her parents. I do wonder about Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Kirstie Alley getting into Scientology as adults and then defending it. There are also other celebs like Leah who grew up in Scientology like the Masterson brothers(Chris and Danny), Elisabeth Moss, and Erika Christensen. I think maybe Moss might eventually leave, but she has defended Scientology before and her father is some kind of higher up in the church. The Masterson brothers both come off as a quite dim and Danny is constantly tweeting anti-psychiatry stuff on twitter.

[Tish Cook]

I didn't realize that! It always bothered me how deep she was in - I actually have a hard time watching famous Scientologists perform. No idea why; I guess knowing an actor is in a culty cult kinda of makes their work less believable to me....

And there is the whole "I am supporting Scientology by supporting Tom Cruise's films" aspect- I wouldn't pay for a TC movie any more than I would eat or allow my kids to eat at a Chick Fil A

THIS!!!! Right here.....I never support an actor who is a Scientologist based on the fact that they GIVE SO MUCH MONEY to things I just cannot support. They are a dangerous group of people.

[Hane]

On my phone, so I can't hunt and link, but there's abundant evidence that Hubbard founded Scientology based on a bar bet. He was with a group of sci-fi writers and someone said that inventing a religion, which would be tax-deductible, would be the perfect scam, so Hubbard took him up on it. My former minister (a UU) claims to have direct knowledge of this.

[Savoring Samsara]

Ever notice how Scientology seems to attract a certain kind of female celebrity? Leah Remini, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman, Michelle Stafford... Very ballsy and in-your-face, with that whole Tom Cruise-esque "my life is AMAZING" thing going on? I just find it strange that their personalities are so similar, and that it's the ones who project as "weaker"-- *cough*Tom'sEx-Wives*cough*-- who say "Yeah, this is bullshit."

In Scientology, being intensely cheerful in all circumstances and confronting any issues in your life immediately and very directly, in a manner that can often come off as aggressive to non-Scientologists, is strongly encouraged as a sign of spiritual well-being. (I am by no means a Scientologist, but there are a number of them in my life, and I know the exact type of personality you are describing very, very well.)

[blisterine]

I have never understood how someone could (with a straight face) practice a religion created by a SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR.

If Stephen King started a religion, I might be curious about it, but I could never take it seriously.

I did visit the Memphis Scientology Center while doing work with the Literacy Council. They renovated a beautiful old mansion in Midtown Memphis and I was curious to see inside. I attended a one-on-one consultation and all they did was bring up an unpleasant memory and have me repeat certain sentences related to that incident. I never went back.

During the tour, I was shown the detox facilities. They were in the basement, very grey and dampish. They certainly didn't waste any money on that. It was like the prison in a bad Lifetime movie. When you are in their detox program, you are fed only fruits and vegetables in small amounts but lots of carbs. Your day consists of running and exercising until you drop, then taking a hot sauna then a shower. Then more counseling. Then the cycle begins again. You supposedly lose all your impurities and they advise you to be aware you can have a "flashback" from any drug you have ever taken, like aspirin and novocaine, as it leaves your body. I think it's just light-headedness from all the exercise and saunas. I used to have a brochure somewhere but can't put my hands on it now.

It only costs $20,000 for 30 days, and you made need several cycles of detox before all your impurities are removed from your system.

[RealityTVRN]

Will Scientologists not even take aspirin? Really??

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Will Scientologists not even take aspirin? Really??

I know two but I've never discussed Scientology with them. One won't take anything ever, not even aspirin. She does drink alcohol. The other one, I don't know if she takes anything but I'm allergic to her cats and she had allergy pills on hand.

[Savoring Samsara]

Will Scientologists not even take aspirin? Really??

Only as an absolute last resort. The ones I know are very, very into herbal and natural medicine - though they do take antibiotics and so forth if prescribed by a doctor. This is because any sort of medical condition or disease, even a headache, is seen as being the ultimate result of spiritual unwellness, so drugs don't treat the root cause - only auditing does. And you're not eligible for auditing if you've drunk alcohol or taken any drug within something like 24 hours of the start of the session.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

THIS!!!! Right here.....I never support an actor who is a Scientologist based on the fact that they GIVE SO MUCH MONEY to things I just cannot support. They are a dangerous group of people.

Seriously, even if I were willing to give money to an actor in that cult, I simply cannot watch Tom Cruise in anything anymore. His public persona has become so skin-crawlingly creepy that it becomes impossible to see him on screen and suspend disbelief.

ETA for riffles.

[MsSaylor]

I agree about Tom cruise. I haven't been able to take him seriously on screen for ages. He really creeps me out.

[snarkyjan]

I have never understood how someone could (with a straight face) practice a religion created by a SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR.

And Hubbard created this swill on a bar bet.

[yetanothermeg]

I found this yesterday. This seems like a good place to share it.

[attachment=0]check me out.png[/attachment]

This diagram is really offensive Ear candles work!

[RealityTVRN]

I agree about Tom cruise. I haven't been able to take him seriously on screen for ages. He really creeps me out.

Same here.

[laura oz]

I'm not sure if this has been posted anywhere here, but celebitchy has a really interesting and rather in depth article about this - for them- about what all she did and how she was hauled in for interrogation for asking about Shelley and she called the police to make a report about her not being seen for years.

http://www.celebitchy.com/309513/leah_r ... much_more/

didn't break the link cause it's celebitchy and I don't think they care. Chick has balls.

[Palimpsest]

If you think about it, Joseph Smith, was an early Science Fiction writer.

[laura oz]

I agree about Tom cruise. I haven't been able to take him seriously on screen for ages. He really creeps me out.

The tooth that is dead center of his face messes with my head, and it's all I can see when I see a pic of him. Then I get the mental image of him wearing that black turtleneck cackling like a nut about SP's while ol Dave kisses his ass. He needs an intervention and needs to be deprogrammed.

[MsSaylor]

Truth

[JMarie]

Paul Haggis the screenwriter was the one who wrote the anti-Scientology diatribe after he left. Part of the reason for his departure was because COS supported Prop 8 and he has two lesbian daughters.

Jason Beghe also spoke out against Scientology after he left.

[clone]

I have never understood how someone could (with a straight face) practice a religion created by a SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR.

This is boggling, but when you try to rationally discuss mainstream religion it sounds just as bizarre. My son, who is nine, was picking up confetti of various shapes this morning. He held one up and asked me what that symbol was, not just the shape but the symbol. I said it was a cross and elaborated that it was a major symbol of the Christian religion. He then remembered that he had studied it at school last year (as a part of a comparative religion model).

I asked him about what he learned and then went on to describe in more detail the story of God sending his son to be born to a human mother and grow up and be sacrificed/crucified. I was raised in a pentecostal church, so these moments are always a little striking to me.--that he would be so unfamiliar with such a huge symbol from my own upbringing (which I'm happy about), and how utterly unbelievable such a story sounds when it's presented as the literal truth, which, of course, was not how I presented it.

I always enjoy talking about mythology and religion to him, though. He really enjoys studying it, and a couple of years ago, after I told him that people believe various things, and that he could learn about them as he wished and make his own decisions, he told me that he was going to believe in the Greek gods. ;)

If there's a sudden revival of Olympian worship out west, you'll know where it started. XD

[FearLyss]

This is boggling, but when you try to rationally discuss mainstream religion it sounds just as bizarre. My son, who is nine, was picking up confetti of various shapes this morning. He held one up and asked me what that symbol was, not just the shape but the symbol. I said it was a cross and elaborated that it was a major symbol of the Christian religion. He then remembered that he had studied it at school last year (as a part of a comparative religion model).

I asked him about what he learned and then went on to describe in more detail the story of God sending his son to be born to a human mother and grow up and be sacrificed/crucified. I was raised in a pentecostal church, so these moments are always a little striking to me.--that he would be so unfamiliar with such a huge symbol from my own upbringing (which I'm happy about), and how utterly unbelievable such a story sounds when it's presented as the literal truth, which, of course, was not how I presented it.

I always enjoy talking about mythology and religion to him, though. He really enjoys studying it, and a couple of years ago, after I told him that people believe various things, and that he could learn about them as he wished and make his own decisions, he told me that he was going to believe in the Greek gods. ;)

If there's a sudden revival of Olympian worship out west, you'll know where it started. XD

First, I think that the way you are raising him is WONDERFUL. My sister plans to take a similar path with my niece (who is 2 now, so she seems to worships Elmo, Mermaids, bugs, and the moon, lol). I know other children who were raised this way, and I love hearing them speak about religions. It is refreshing to hear young ones speak from fact alone, but that may because I was raised as a child who's religion was chosen for her and who's interest in in learning about other beliefs was discouraged.

Second, I agree with your point. A lot of religious beliefs sound just as improbable to me, but they have the benefit of a long history and many followers that most view them as "normal". Myself included, even if I don't buy what they are selling.

I am so glad she left that cult, and even though she was raised in it, I can't help but wonder why it took so long. I can't believe Scientology has followers at all. Even to me, who views most religions as non-sense, this one seems extra-crazy. I figured out I didn't believe the stuff I was raised on (evangelical Christianity, in several forms) at an early age. I know some people have a strong desire to stick with their faiths, by I just don't get it when it comes to Scientology.

[Sass]

Regarding the bar bet- I've never heard that story, but when I first found out about Scientology, I looked up their beliefs on Wikipedia and found out LRH was a sci-fi writer and I thought to myself he must have made it up just to see if anybody would actually believe him. IMO anybody with an ounce of sense would come to the same conclusion, but then I'm one of those ebil atheists, so. :lol:

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

This is boggling, but when you try to rationally discuss mainstream religion it sounds just as bizarre. My son, who is nine, was picking up confetti of various shapes this morning. He held one up and asked me what that symbol was, not just the shape but the symbol. I said it was a cross and elaborated that it was a major symbol of the Christian religion. He then remembered that he had studied it at school last year (as a part of a comparative religion model).

I asked him about what he learned and then went on to describe in more detail the story of God sending his son to be born to a human mother and grow up and be sacrificed/crucified. I was raised in a pentecostal church, so these moments are always a little striking to me.--that he would be so unfamiliar with such a huge symbol from my own upbringing (which I'm happy about), and how utterly unbelievable such a story sounds when it's presented as the literal truth, which, of course, was not how I presented it.

I always enjoy talking about mythology and religion to him, though. He really enjoys studying it, and a couple of years ago, after I told him that people believe various things, and that he could learn about them as he wished and make his own decisions, he told me that he was going to believe in the Greek gods. ;)

If there's a sudden revival of Olympian worship out west, you'll know where it started. XD

You sound like a great mom. :)

[GeoBQn]

I think LRH fell into the trap of believing in his own lies. In the book "Inside Scientology," there was an account of how before he founded COS, LRH was at a bar shooting the shit with other writers. Obviously, writers tend to exaggerate somewhat when telling life stories, but LRH was claiming that he had gone on way more adventures and earned way more college degrees than any one person could reasonably accomplish. When one of the other writers joked that LRH would have to be about 80 years old to have done all of those things in his lifetime, LRH got really angry at having this pointed out to him.

[RandomTrivia]

Regarding the bar bet- I've never heard that story, but when I first found out about Scientology, I looked up their beliefs on Wikipedia and found out LRH was a sci-fi writer and I thought to myself he must have made it up just to see if anybody would actually believe him. IMO anybody with an ounce of sense would come to the same conclusion, but then I'm one of those ebil atheists, so. :lol:

I hadn't heard the bar story either, but I used to wonder the same thing, if it was a big joke and he just had the bad timing to die before he told the punchline. But, after reading Lawrence Wright's book Going Clear, I'm leaning more to the idea that he had some major mental stuff going on, and must have been charismatic as hell or something to get everyone else to buy into his ideas. The crap people (little kids, even!) went through on the sailing voyages was nine kinds of weird, and abusive as all hell. Or, he was just a sadistic, controlling creep with delusions of godhood or something.

[ViolaSebastian]

I was thinking about Leah Remini and read up on the wiki on her--she has a daughter, Sofia Bella--born in 2004. I know that many speculated that a big part of the timing of Katie Holmes leaving Tom Cruise had to do with her being sent to a freaky boarding school at six. So it makes me wonder if something happened not only with her 'inquiring' as to where one's wife was, but perhaps something to do with her daughter, her education, etc. that resulted in Remini wanting to pull her child out of that situation, pronto.