‘Nowhere to be found’: Everything we know about missing Scientology leader David Miscavige

The mysterious leader behind the Church of Scientology is being sought by lawyers for three former members who are suing the religious sect alleging decades of abuse. Bevan Hurley reports


David Miscavige, the head of the Church of Scientology
(Rex Features)

Scientology leader David Miscavige is “nowhere to be found”.

Named as a defendant in a federal child trafficking lawsuit, Mr Miscavige has repeatedly dodged prosecutors who have tried to serve the 62-year-old 27 times in four months at Scientology properties in Clearwater, Florida, and California, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Every time, security guards refused to accept the lawsuit and claimed not to know where Mr Miscavige lived or worked, court filings obtained by The Tampa Bay Times alleged.

Lawyers have resorted to sending Instagram messages to the church’s official account as they try to locate Mr Miscavige, attorney Neil Glazer said in a court filing, per the Bay Times.

According to journalist Tony Ortega, who has written about Scientology since 1995, Mr Miscavige has frequently tried to dodge lawsuits by altering his address between California and Florida.

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Despite being in charge of the controversial church since the death of church founder L Ron Hubbard in 1986, Mr Miscavige remains a mysterious figure who has largely stayed out of the public eye.

Who is David Miscavige?

According to an official church profile, Mr Miscavige’s official title is ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion.

The 62-year-old is also chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center (RTC), a corporation that controls the church’s trademarks and copyrights.

While the church claims to be a force for good through its charitable outreach and practice of dianetics, which is said to help treat mental illness, critics and former members have described it as an alleged “cult” that separates families, forces members into slavery, and extorts money from its followers.

The church flatly denies these allegations.

Mr Miscavige was introduced to Scientology by his father Ronald Miscavige in the 1960s, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Sea Org, a group of the most dedicated members that essentially serves as the church’s managerial arm.

He was mentored by church founder L Ron Hubbard, a former science fiction author, and assumed leadership of the church in 1987.

Mr Miscavige has overseen the rapid expansion of Scientology from its roots in southern California to now claim tens of millions of adherents worldwide.

In his first interview with ABC News in 1992, Mr Miscavige sought to dispel claims that former members were fearful of speaking out about the church.

“Every single detractor on there is part of a religious hate group called Cult Awareness Network and their sister group called American Family Foundation,” Mr Miscavige said according to a transcript of the interview.

“Now, I don’t know if you’ve heard of these people, but it’s the same as the KKK would be with the Blacks. I think if you interviewed a neo-Nazi and asked them to talk about the Jews, you would get a similar result to what you have here.”

Miscavige has overseen the rapid expansion of Scientology
(Getty Images)

After a decades long battle with the Internal Revenue Service, the church was granted tax-exempt status in the US in 1993.

“The war is over,” Mr Miscavige told a group of thousands of cheering Scientologists in a Los Angeles arena in 1993 after the IRS abandoned its investigations into the church and granted it tax exemption.

The ruling saved the church millions in taxes and confirmed its status as a religious entity in the US.

It has subsequently gained notoriety as former members who left the church began to detail the alleged abusive and coercive practices that the church supposedly subjected its followers to.

Mr Miscavige also faced long-running complaints from the medical and scientific communities over claims that Scientology could cure mental illness.

Church doctrine, written by its founder, proclaims that psychiatry is not only bogus, but evil, and promotes a “mind over matter” philosophy that claims attaining a “clear” state will eliminate any ills.

So-called auditors are assigned to each church member to go through past events with them to help “clear” any negativity.

Despite the many controversies, high-profile members including celebrities such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta continued to praise Scientology for having changed their lives.

Scientology now claims to have 11,000 churches in 180 nations, and millions of global followers.

The Miscavige family and Scientology

Mr Miscavige’s father Ron Miscavige left the church in 2012 after falling out with his son and complaining he had been forced to work in slave-like conditions for the church..

According to his 2016 book Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, the elder Miscavige claimed that Church members were “subjected to deprivation and violence” while detained at a punishment centre called “the Hole” - an accusation the Church has always denied.

According to a 2015 report in the Los Angeles Times, Ron Miscavige’s car was tracked, his emails read and he was followed.

David Miscavige with Tom Cruise, at the opening of a Scientology church in 2004.
(AP)

Florida-based investigator Dwayne Powell was arrested in 2013 near Milwaukee and allegedly told police he had been paid $10,000 through an intermediary, on behalf of the Church of Scientology, to follow Ron Miscavige “full-time”.

David Miscavige denied hiring the PI to follow his father. The church threatened to sue him over over his tell-all memoir.

In an interview with ABC News in 2016, Ron Miscavige said his estranged son “wasn’t always that way… He was a loveable kid, he had a great sense of humour. We got along great.”

Ron Miscavige died in 2021.

David Miscavige married wife Shelly in 1982. She has not been seen in public since 2007, leading to speculation about her wellbeing.

Former member Leah Remini, who has become an outspoken critic of the church and wrote a 2015 memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, filed a missing persons report for Shelly Miscavige with the LAPD in 2013.

The LAPD later said it had resolved the case and found her to be alive and well.

Mr Miscavige’s niece Jenna Miscavige Hill published a memoir Beyond Belief in 2013, which detailed her life in the highest ranks of the sect, her "disconnection" from family who were outside of the organisation, and her ultimate escape in 2005.

Miscavige and Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise was introduced to Scientology through his first wife Mimi Rogers.

While filming the 1990 film Days of Thunder, he reportedly fell in love with co-star Nicole Kidman, according to former Scientology senior member Mike Rinder, who writes about the period in his 2022 memoir A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology.

According to Mr Rinder, the church helped to engineer Cruise’s split from Rogers in order for him to be free to marry Kidman.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise
(Getty Images)

Mr Miscavige was invited to the set of Days of Thunder, Mr Rinder writes, and assigned a trusted lieutenant, Greg Wilhere, to convince Rogers to go through with the divorce.

“Miscavige no doubt saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to make Tom’s wishes come true,” Mr Rinder writes.

The Top Gun star divorced Rogers in February 1990, and married Kidman later that year, with Miscavige acting as his best man.

A church spokesman has previously said Mr Rinder’s claims were “utterly ludicrous”, and said he was an “inveterate liar”.

The church requires members of its Sea Org to sign a one-billion year pledge, which former members have claimed is used to make children as young as 10 work for little or no money in virtual slavery.

Mr Rinder further writes that Sea Org members were assigned to carry out work on Cruise’s homes in Aspen, Colorado, install high-end audio/visual equipment at a property in Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, and his Santa Monica air hangar.

Cruise appeared at openings of new Scientology churches around the world, including in Madrid in 2004.

In a Scientology recruitment video the same year, Mr Cruise said it’s a “privilege to call yourself a Scientologist”.

“That’s what drives me: is that I know we have an opportunity to really help, for the first time, effectively change people’s lives. And I am dedicated to that. I am absolutely, uncompromisingly dedicated to that.”

Cruise has reportedly played down his Scientology links in recent years.

Scientology in popular culture

In the 2015 documentary Going Clear, filmmaker Alex Gibney profiled eight former Scientologists who were critical of the church’s practices.

Among the former members featured in the film is Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis, who had been a Scientology member since the 1970s until his departure in 2009.

In November, Mr Haggis was ordered to pay at least $7.5m to a woman who accused him of rape at a movie premier in 2013.

During the trial, jurors heard extensive testimony about the Church of Scientology, with Mr Haggis claiming members of the church had tried to discredit him.

Louis Theroux’s 2016 documentary My Scientology Movie shed further light on the church’s alleged indonctrination and disciplinary practices.

The lawsuits

Three former Scientologists filed a lawsuit in April alleging they were forced to work for the organisation from the age of 10 until adulthood for little or no pay, while suffering verbal and physical abuse.

Gawain Baxter, who is suing the church with wife Laura Baxter and a third plaintiff Valeska Paris, said in a statement released through his attorney that he was forced to sign a document at the age of six pledging to work for the Church of Scientology for one billion years.

He said he began working in low or unpaid labour for the Scientology’s Cadet Org from the age of 10 while being forced to attend “expensive indoctrination sessions”.

The Baxters later worked for the church’s military-style Sea Org before leaving in 2012.

“Growing up in Scientology, being separated from my family and subjected to severe verbal and physical abuse has scarred me in ways that I am still working through and uncovering,” Mr Baxter said in a statement released in April.

“All the while, Scientology continues to abuse and exploit its members, including young children, and does so with virtually unchecked power.”

Neil Glazer, an attorney for the plaintiffs, has asked the court to consider Mr Miscavige has been served and is in default at a court hearing scheduled in a Tampa federal court for 20 January.

“Miscavige cannot be permitted to continue his gamesmanship,” Mr Glazer wrote in a 13 December court filing, The Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Independent did not immediately hear back after making two requests for comment in relation to the allegations against Mr Miscavige in the lawsuit.

Shock over Church of Scientology advert allowed at London Tube station

Luke Alsford
METRO UK

January 19, 2025

An advert promoting the controversial Scientology religion at a London Tube station has caused shock and disbelief among commuters.

The poster, which encourages Londoners to find out more about the group, was spotted over the weekend at a Tube platform.

Scientology has been labelled a ‘cult’ by critics, and has been criticised for its claims about mental health, its finances and even abusive practices.

The Tube advert says in large writing ‘I’m a Scientologist’, accompanied by the picture of a cinematographer called Robert.

Caption: Pro Scientology Adverts have begun appearing on the Underground
(Picture: Reddit/R/London/Fdana)

The billboard hopes to spark the interest of commuters, asking ‘Curious?’ before directing them to the religion’s website.

The choice of advertising has been slammed by Londoners familiar with Scientology’s controversies.

One Londoner said: ‘TFL doesn’t allow junk food to be advertised, but this is apparently fine.’

Another complained: ‘A cult being advertised on the Underground. Appalling.’

A spokesman for Transport for London (TfL) told Metro: ‘The advertisement was reviewed against our advertising policy and was found to be compliant.’

TfL banned the advertisement of junk foods in 2019 in a bid to tackle child obesity, while their advertising policy also bans any posters which are ‘likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public.’

Scientology’s practices are controversial (Picture: Getty Images North America)

Scientology describes itself as a religion that was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard.

Members of the group submit to a process called auditing which, through questioning and the use of devise that measures the body’s electric flow, claims to help a person locate areas of spiritual distress.

The Church of Scientology, however, has been hit by allegations of misconduct for decades.

The group’s leader, David Miscavige, has faced a number of lawsuits, including human trafficking allegations.

One is trafficking lawsuit filed in 2022 by Valeska Paris and married couple Gawain and Laura Baxter, who claim they were trafficked into Scientology as children and forced to work as adults for little to no pay.

A spokesperson for the Church has previously denied these allegations, calling them ‘absurd, ridiculous, scurrilous and blatantly false’.

A later statement described the lawsuit as ‘nothing but blatant harassment and an attempted money shakedown. This case has now been sent to religious arbitration, where it always belonged’.

A number of celebrities have embraced the religion, such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise.

Scientology became a recognised religion in the UK in 2013. Last year, demonstrations from an ex-Scientologists group outside its British headquarters in East Grinstead led the organisation to seek a protest ban.

Metro has contacted the Church of Scientology for comment.

U$A

Scientologists Tell Feds They Don't Want Randos Repairing Their E-Meters

Story by Kyle Barr •

The Scientology E-Meter and cans are show along with books by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Chruch of Scientology, at the Church of Scientology community center in the neighborhood of South Los Angeles

© Photo: Kevork Djansezian (Getty Images)

L. Ron Hubbard’s famed E-Meters are only supposed to be used by a ‘minister’ or ‘minister-in-training,’ according to the Church of Scientology.

You can now include the Church of Scientology alongside big tech firms like Apple and tractor makers John Deere for groups that have opposed the right to repair.

Earlier this month, Authors Services, Inc., the organization that represents the late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s literary works, sent a letter to the federal government advocating against consumer’s rights to repair devices used by people who “possess particular qualifications or [have] been specifically trained in the use of the device.” Despite the vague language, the statement seems to refer to E-Meters, the notorious device used to “audit” members of the “Church.”

The letter is dated Aug. 10 and was sent to the U.S. Copyright Office to contest the renewal of an exemption of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act allowing people to hack into consumer device software for the purpose of maintenance or repair. This refers to Section 1201 of the DMCA, also the “anti-circumvention” provisions that have allowed tech companies, tractor makers, and more to restrict users from repairing devices dependent on software. In 2021, The U.S. Copyright Office changed the rules allowing users to fix far more of their own software-enabled devices.

As first reported by 404Media, Author Services’ letter never specifically mentions E-Meters, but the language in the letter clearly indicates that Scientologists don’t want people to mess with devices not meant for laypeople, but those who negotiate a “pre-purchase license” for using the device.

Author Services legal affairs head Ryland Hawkins claimed in the letter his organization had “no objection” to the exemption for other devices with more ‘unilateral” licenses governing software terms of use. Instead, the Church of Scientology-backed organization would rather amend the original DMCA amendment to say it would not apply to devices restricted by its supplier to people who have been specifically trained to handle the procedure.

Gizmodo reached out to Hawkins for comment, but we did not immediately hear back. We also reached out to the U.S. Copyright Office on their comment period for this and other decisions coming down the pike, and we will update this story if we hear more.

The E-Meter, or “electropsychometer,” is described by the Church of Scientology as a “religious artifact” for the purpose of “auditing” members. From what we understand, an E-Meter sends an electrical current through a body and back into the device, which is why an E-Meter requires two grips. It measures electrical resistance in the human body, and its basic functions are believed to be present in other pieces of tech like the polygraph. But Scientologists have a much more convoluted explanation for the device’s readings that involves a person’s mental state and “thetan.”

While it’s not important to diagnose the entirety of Scientology, the important thing to note is that only properly trained “ministers” are supposed to use these devices. 404Media dug further into the actual EULA agreement for E-Meters, and there’s indeed a whole range of restrictions keeping regular users from accessing critical software, including a note that users need to have a login to register or update the device software. This also requires a membership number for the International Association of Scientologists.

One of the original software license agreements for the Hubbard Professional Mark Ultra VIII dated back to 2013 notes users would void a warranty if the software has been “used improperly or in an operating environment not approved by CSI or if the E-Meter casing has been opened.”

This exemption wouldn’t just impact Scientologist’s main auditing tool. Public Knowlege senior policy council Meredith Rose told 404Media it could also impact any device that could arguably require “qualifications” to use properly, or even if a device simply has a license agreement. U.S. PIRG senior director Nathan Proctor also told the outlet that the language could make it illegal to repair any product with an EULA.

Right-to-repair advocates are trying to move beyond what some might consider normal user-end devices. The company iFixit has appealed to the federal government to allow people to repair busted McDonald’s ice cream machines. It’s more of a test case to prove that monopolistic companies are hoarding their tech and the ability for customers to repair what they buy. If you’re so keen, you can get an E-Meter on eBay. Repair advocates may be the only thing standing in the way of being sued for digging into the E-Meters guts to find out where the real “thetan” lives.

White House names Scientology mega-donor to Kennedy Center board

Tony Ortega
Feb 14, 2025

 Underground Bunker 

[Trish makes all-American art!]

After announcing Wednesday that he would be the new chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center, President Donald Trump yesterday added the names of several other members to the Center’s Board of Trustees.

The list included second lady Usha Vance; Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles and her mother, Cheri Summerall; deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino; Allison Lutnick, the wife of the prospective Commerce Secretary; as well as Mindy Levine and Dana Blumberg, wives of the president of the New York Yankees and owner of the New England Patriots, as well as several others.

But the name that made us do a double-take was billionaire Trish Duggan, Scientology’s wealthiest donor.

We were just telling you on Tuesday about Trish being a director of the America First Policy Institute, a dark-money organization that Politico and the New York Times said had quietly become more important than the Heritage Foundation for helping to plan the strategy of the second Trump administration.

The AFPI’s tax records suggested that Duggan is tight with three of Trump’s cabinet picks (Linda McMahon at Education, Brooke Rollins at Agriculture, and Pam Bondi at Justice), and her selection to the Kennedy board only emphasizes just how close she is with the president after becoming, at $5 million, one of the biggest individual funders to his 2024 campaign.

We’ve written for years about Trish and her former husband Bob Duggan, who became billionaires after an investment in a pharmaceutical firm exploded in value thanks to a promising new cancer drug. They split up in 2017, but Trish has continued to be the number one donor in Scientology, called “Patron of Legend” by the church’s leader, David Miscavige. To give you a sense of the kind of money she’s still forking over, we recently found tax records that showed she had given $18.6 million to the IAS, Scientology’s membership organization, in only a single year, 2022.

Trish has a museum dedicated to herself in St. Petersburg, Florida, which shows off her glass art. And now that she’s on the Kennedy board, she no doubt will have some great suggestions for the legendary performing arts center in Washington DC.

Here are some Scientologist performers who might show up on the schedule:

Mark Isham (trumpet) and Stanley Clarke (bass) are legitimately celebrated jazz musicians who happen to be longtime Scientologists, and who have both seemed to step up their involvement in church events in recent years.

Stanley’s already scheduled to play at the Kennedy Center this May, and Mark’s film music has been performed there in the past.

Beck Hansen announced his departure from Scientology in 2019, but his longtime bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen is still in. And what is it about bass players? Billy Sheehan is still quite outspoken about his involvement in the church.

With Scientologist singer Emily Armstrong now fronting the band, could it be time for a Linkin Park jam at the Kennedy Center? And wouldn’t David Miscavige be thrilled to see Trish rehabilitate one of his personal favorites, Broadway singer and convicted child molester James Barbour, with a triumphant appearance at the DC venue?

As for actors, the usual gang — Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Elisabeth Moss, Vonni Ribisi, Erika Christensen, Juliette Lewis — aren’t really known for performing on stage, but perhaps Trish could get them cast in something.

Well, the mind reels. But once again, the main takeaway for us is that we haven’t seen a White House with such friendly connections to Scientology since Bill Clinton was being hustled by Travolta and Cruise in the mid-1990s.

We’re really interested to see what David Miscavige does to try and take advantage of this fertile field that seems to lie before him.


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HOLLOYWOOD BABALON;SCIENTOLOGY
Danny Masterson, star of That ’70s Show, found guilty of rape

The charges against Danny Masterson date to a period when he was at the height of his fame, starring from 1998 until 2006 as Steven Hyde on Fox’s That ‘70s Show. Photograph: Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images

47-year-old actor, who allegedly drugged women’s drinks, faces up to 30 years in prison after jury finds him guilty

Associated Press

Wed 31 May 2023 

Danny Masterson, the actor best known for his role in That ’70s Show, was found guilty of two counts of rape on Wednesday in a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.

The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days spread over two weeks. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. They had voted 8-4 in favor of conviction.

Masterson was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. The 47-year-old actor faces up to 30 years in prison.

His wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, wept as he was led away. Other family and friends sat stone-faced.

Prosecutors, retrying Masterson after a deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in December, said he forcibly raped three women, including a longtime girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. They told jurors he drugged the women’s drinks so he could rape them. They said he used his prominence in the church – where all three women were also members at the time – to avoid consequences for decades.

Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. The defense argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the women’s stories by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they said showed signs of coordination between them.

“If you decide that a witness deliberately lied about something in this case,” defense attorney Philip Cohen told jurors, “you should consider not believing anything that witness says.”

The Church of Scientology played a significant role in the first trial but arguably an even larger one in the second. Judge Charlaine F Olmedo allowed expert testimony on church policy from a former official in Scientology leadership who has become a prominent opponent.

Tensions ran high in the courtroom between current and former Scientologists, and even leaked into testimony, with the accusers saying on the stand that they felt intimidated by some members in the room.

Actor Leah Remini, a former member who has become the church’s highest-profile critic, sat in on the trial at times, putting her arm around one of the accusers to comfort her during closing arguments.


Founded in 1953 by L Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology has many members who work in Hollywood. The judge kept limits on how much prosecutors could talk about the church, and primarily allowed it to explain why the women took so long to go to authorities.

The women testified that when they reported Masterson to church officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

“They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” the deputy district attorney, Reinhold Mueller, told jurors in his closing argument. “Scientology told them there’s no justice for them. You have the opportunity to show them there is justice.”

The church vehemently denied having any policy that forbids members from going to secular authorities.

Testimony in this case was graphic and emotional. Two women, who knew Masterson from social circles in the church, said he gave them drinks and that they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them in 2003.

The third, Masterson’s then-girlfriend of five years, said she awoke to find him raping her, and had to pull his hair to stop him.

The issue of drugging also played a major role in the retrial. At the first, Olmedo only allowed prosecutors and accusers to describe their disorientation, and to imply that they were drugged. The second time, they were allowed to argue it directly, and the prosecution attempted to make it a major factor, to no avail.

“The defendant drugs his victims to gain control,” said the deputy district attorney, Ariel Anson, in her closing argument. “He does this to take away his victims’ ability to consent.”

Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there is no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion. His attorney asked for a mistrial over the issue’s inclusion. The motion was denied, but the issue is likely to be a major factor in any potential appeal.

These charges date to a period when Masterson was at the height of his fame, starring from 1998 until 2006 as Steven Hyde on Fox’s That ’70s Show – the show that made stars of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace.

Masterson had reunited with Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch, but was written off the show when an LAPD investigation was revealed in December 2017.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

SHE IS RIGHT

BUT THE RIGHT IS SLAGGING HER FOR IT

Bass addresses past remarks praising Scientology

The top-tier contender to be Joe Biden's running mate said in a statement she was trying to find an “area of agreement” with the church.

LIKE ALL AMERICAN RELIGIONS SCIENTOLOGY IS JUST ANOTHER BRAND OF HUCKSTERISM 

Rep. Karen Bass. | Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP


By EVAN SEMONES

08/01/2020 01:22 PM EDT

Rep. Karen Bass, a top-tier contender to be Joe Biden’s running mate, on Saturday sought to clarify remarks she made in 2010 praising the Church of Scientology.

Video emerged on Friday of the California Democrat speaking at a ceremony for a renovated Scientology church in Los Angeles when she served as speaker of the California State Assembly. The Daily Caller first reported the video’s existence.

In her remarks, Bass called on treating humans with respect and fighting oppression, but also spoke highly of the controversial group and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

“The Church of Scientology, I know, has made a difference, because your creed is a universal creed and one that speaks to all people everywhere,” Bass said before an audience of some 6,000 attendees. “That is why the words are exciting of your Founder L. Ron Hubbard, in the creed of the Church of Scientology: That all people of whatever race, color or creed are created with equal rights.”

Bass said in a statement she was trying to find an “area of agreement” with the church, which has faced allegations from former members of abuse, human trafficking and intimidation.

“Back in 2010, I attended the event knowing I was going to address a group of people with beliefs very different than my own, and spoke briefly about things I think most of us agree with, and on those things — respect for different views, equality, and fighting oppression — my views have not changed,” Bass tweeted. “Since then, published first-hand accounts in books, interviews and documentaries have exposed this group.”

While Bass did not say in her statement what she thinks about the church, she mentioned that “everyone is now aware” of the allegations against it. The Congressional Black Caucus chair also stated that she’s not a Scientologist, underscoring that she worships at a Baptist church in Los Angeles.


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Bass’s record has increasingly come under scrutiny as she has moved toward the top of presumptive Democratic nominee Biden's vice presidential short list after lobbying by fellow House Democrats.

She has also come under fire from President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign after The Atlantic reported Friday that Bass worked in Cuba in the 1970s with a group aligned with Fidel Castro’s government.

“She was always pro-Castro & later mourned his death,” Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh tweeted Saturday. “Whether Biden picks her or not, he's written off Cuban-American voters just by considering her.”

On a call organized by the Trump campaign, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) ripped Bass for “showing a stunning amount of interest in the Cuban Revolution," according to the Palm Beach Post.

“She will be the highest ranking Castro sympathizer in the United States government,” Rubio said about Bass if she’s selected to be Biden’s running mate.

Bass has sought to address the Cuban controversy in recent media appearances.

Leading Democratic VP contender Bass defends stance on Cuba


FILE - Dec. 12, 2019, file photo Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., listens during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington. California Congresswoman Bass has emerged a leading contender to be Democrats' vice presidential candidate. Allies say her reputation as a bridge-builder would make her a strong partner to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, one of the top contenders to be Joe Biden’s running mate, on Sunday defended her past travel to Cuba and the sympathetic comments she made after the death of Fidel Castro, the dictator who ruled the communist country for decades.

Bass said she was trying to express her condolences to the Cuban people when she referred to Castro as “Comandante en jefe,” a term that roughly translates as commander in chief but is reviled by some Cuban exiles in Florida. Bass, who represents California in Congress, said she was unaware of the phrase’s political significance in Florida when she issued the 2016 statement, which called Castro’s death a “great loss to the people of Cuba.”

“Wouldn’t do that again,” Bass said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Talked immediately to my colleagues from Florida and realized that that was something that just shouldn’t have been said.”

Bass is considered one of the leading candidates to become Biden’s vice presidential pick. But recently her decades-long ties to Cuba have drawn scrutiny because of how they could play in Florida, a key swing state in the November contest with President Donald Trump.

Bass said she traveled to Cuba to help construct homes in her late teens and early 20′s. As a member of Congress, she has taken numerous trips to the island country to participate in cultural exchanges and study the Cuban medical system.

“The Cubans also have two medicines, one for diabetes, of which my mother died from, lung cancer, which my father died from, and I would like to have those drugs tested in the United States,” Bass said. “That doesn’t excuse the fact that I know the Castro regime has been a brutal regime to its people. I know that there is not freedom of press, freedom of association.”

Bass said she does not consider herself to be a “Castro sympathizer.” She said her views of Cuba are in line with policy under former President Barack Obama, who sought to thaw U.S. relations with the country.

“I think the best way to bring about change on the island is for us to have closer relations with the country that is 90 miles away,” Bass said. “My position on Cuba is really no different than the position of the Obama administration. As a matter of fact, I was honored to go to Cuba with President Obama. I went to Cuba with Secretary Kerry when we raised the flag. So there really isn’t anything different.”

She also said recent criticism of her by Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was politically motivated.

“I believe the Republicans have decided to brand the entire Democratic Party as socialists and communists. So I’m not surprised by Rubio’s characterization of me or of a role I would play if I were on the ticket,” she said.

Tom Cruise at Olympics would be 'disgrace', say French anti-cult groups

Agence France-Presse
August 8, 2024 

Tom Cruise (AFP)

Anti-cult activists have condemned the likely appearance of Hollywood actor and well-known Scientologist Tom Cruise at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.

While his attendance has not been confirmed, the "Mission Impossible" star is widely expected to be part of the Games' final show, angering a French umbrella group for cult victims.

"The simple fact that we are talking about his presence is an insult to victims," said Catherine Katz, a former French judge who heads UNADFI, a group dedicated to defending victims of cults. "It really is a bad message."

Charline Delporte, the president of victims' association Caffes, called it "a disgrace".

Anti-cult activists like Katz and Delporte accused Scientologist of recruiting outside Olympic venues, including the Stade de France north of Paris, which will host the closing ceremony.

"They are very present at the big sporting events, they will no doubt reach many young people, I am very worried," Delporte said.

The movement describes itself as a religion but is considered a cult in France.

- 'Sock puppets' -

Miviludes, a French government agency tasked with dealing with cult movements, said it had received reports of Scientology-linked "No to drugs" brochures being handed out across Paris.

While the 30-page leaflets do not explicitly mention the Church of Scientology, the campaign is connected to it via a Scientology-sponsored organisation, Foundation For a Drug-Free World, Katz said.

"They are sock puppets," he told AFP. "If you don't know who they are, you can fall for their grand values. They say they're here to help drug addicts, but in fact it enables indoctrination."

Miviludes said the flyers even turned up in some Parisian pharmacies.

"We worry that this could be a proselytizing approach that has nothing to do with prevention," its chief Donatien Le Vaillant told AFP.

The agency warned against the "risks of psychological destabilization, exorbitant financial expectations" and people being split from their families and friends associated with Scientology, whose members have previously been convicted of fraud in France.

The movement opened a centre in Saint-Denis, where the Stade de France is located, in April.

The Church of Scientology, which was founded by American Sci Fi  writer L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s and counts Cruise and John Travolta among its members, is well-established in Hollywood and Los Angeles, where it owns multiple sprawling properties.

It claims between 40,000 and 45,000 members in France, but one expert estimated the figure was more likely to be in the hundreds.

Hubbard was sentenced in his absence to four years in prison for fraud in France in 1978, according to Miviludes.


Two of the movement's main structures in France were also convicted of fraud, extortion and racketeering in 2013.

AFP attempted to contact the Church of Scientology's European head for comment.

 

Cultish Element of American Empire

by Philip A. Faruggio / October 7th, 2023

In 2015 Alex Gibney had an insightful documentary on Scientology, Going Clear. What really got to me was how utterly foolish and chronically masochistic many of those former members of this so called Church were. I have studied various cults, and even dabbled within one myself during my younger days. I have seen, firsthand through my own vulnerability, how the need to either belong to or feel needed by a group of others can drive one to enter into these cults. The sad reality is that few people, and this is key, ever realize that it is in fact a cult that they are joining. What made me literally shout at my television screen while listening to some of those interviewed by Gibney was “How much **** did you have to take for so many years before you finally saw the light?” Watch the film and see for yourself how far people allow themselves to be manipulated and exploited and even tortured. Mind you, my experience with cults like Scientology, including my brief visit with LifeSpring (an offshoot of EST), revealed to me the vast number of highly educated and (seemingly) intelligent people who allow themselves to be taken in. I myself was taken in too… all the way up to LifeSpring’s advanced training course which consisted of two weeks of intensive (and expensive) mind control. As I began to speak one-on-one with some of the others sharing this experience, I realized how many overly sensitive and “needy” folks like myself (including many recovering addicts and alcoholics) that were there. The need to “belong” and to “feel wanted” can be so powerful.

Having gone through three years of intensive Freudian analysis in the early 80s I can see how cults like Scientology and EST and LifeSpring copied much from standard psychoanalysis, then tweaked it a bit and renamed it something else. Having studied how our own government has used various techniques of outright torture, especially in regard to the Orwellian War of Terror, I can see how cults copy those techniques and refine them a bit. This is all for the same heinous purpose: Control. Having also spent over half my adult life studying the entire Nazi movement right through WW2, I can see how much of what Hitler’s gang did with their mass rallies and pomp and circumstance has been mirrored by cults like Scientology. Seeing the leaders of this cult and its top executives dressed in uniforms that resemble those worn by movie ushers from the 30s and 40s, one has to laugh at the audaciousness of it all. Yet, it is real! Thousands attend these spectacles and cheer and applaud… just like those fools did in 1930s Germany! How about the overflowing crowds who follow the so called Televangelist preachers and send their hard earned savings for “Prayer cloths” and other nonsense?

Now, allow me to go one step further. One year from now we will have our next Presidential Horserace. Check out the conventions they hold for these two major political parties. You will then realize why cults like Scientology have been so successful. To this writer, the two-party system here in our dear America has been the longest lasting cult in our nation’s history. As with the inane British “Tory vs. Labor” con job, our own “Republican vs. Democrat” garbage has for so long scammed so many good, decent Americans. Do the research and see how the really key issues and policy decisions that keep this Military Industrial Empire going full speed always have the consensus of the two parties. It has to or the wizards behind the curtain would do some pruning to make certain of it.

Cults, any and all, SUCK! Isn’t it time for more Americans to connect the dots?

Philip A Farruggio is regular columnist on itstheempirestupid website. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 500 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the It’s the Empire… Stupid radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net. Read other articles by Philip.

Elisabeth Moss Opens Up About Scientology and Resisting Trump: ‘The Only Place I Can Speak From Is My Own’

IN CONVERSATION

Being on Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale and playing these fiercely feminist characters, people have criticized you for being a Scientologist, which some see as being at odds with the themes of those shows—particularly Handmaid’s. I’m sure you’ve heard those criticisms before, but what do you say to those criticisms?

Listen, it’s a complicated thing because the things that I believe in, I can only speak to my personal experience and my personal beliefs. One of the things I believe in is freedom of speech. I believe we as humans should be able to critique things. I believe in freedom of the press. I believe in people being able to speak their own opinions. I don’t ever want to take that away from anybody, because that actually is very important to me. At the same time, I should hope that people educate themselves for themselves and form their own opinion, as I have. The things that I believe in personally, for me, The Handmaid’s Tale, and the ability to do something that is artistically fulfilling but is also personally fulfilling, I’ve never had that. The Handmaid’s Tale lines up so perfectly parallel with my own beliefs in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the things that this country was actually built on.

Whatever happens, I’m never going to take away your right to talk about something or believe something, and you can’t take away mine.— Elisabeth Moss

I once spoke with Neil deGrasse Tyson about Scientology and he argued that much of the criticism it receives is because it’s newer and weirder. But I’m sure you’ve heard the criticisms of Scientology—from “disconnection” to the sums of money some adherents have been forced to fork over to it. Is the argument, then, that what it’s doing is not worse than, say, what the Catholic Church has done with its systematic abuse of children? I’m curious where you stand.

Right. It’s funny, there’s two things you’re never supposed to talk about at a dinner—politics or religion—and of course I’m doing The Handmaid’s Tale, which is politics and religion, so it’s a strange situation where you’re going to be asked about these topics. I choose to express myself in my work and my art. I don’t choose to express myself about it in interviews. I don’t choose to talk about not just religion, but my personal life—who I’m dating and that kind of thing. So for me, it’s so hard to unpack in a sound bite or an interview, but I will say that the things that I truly believe in are the things that I’ve mentioned, and I think that they’re very important. I think people should be allowed to talk about what they want to talk about and believe what they want to believe and you can’t take that away—and when you start to take that away, when you start to say “you can’t think that,” “you can’t believe that,” “you can’t say that,” then you get into trouble. Then you get into Gilead. So whatever happens, I’m never going to take away your right to talk about something or believe something, and you can’t take away mine.

Scientology—especially in L. Ron Hubbard’s writings—has a history of being quite anti-LGBT.


Which is not where I stand. It’s like, it’s a lot to get into and unpack that I can’t do. But that is not my bag. I am obviously a huge feminist and huge supporter of the LGBTQ community and believe so strongly—I can’t even tell you—in people being able to do what they want to do, to love who they want to love, to be the person that they want to be—whoever that is. To me, it’s a huge reason why I love doing the show. That’s all I can say. I can’t speak to what other people believe, I can’t speak to what other people’s experiences have been. That’s where I stand and the only place I can speak from is my own.


The Handmaid’s Tale does seem remarkably in tune with the times. Just last week there was the case of an Alabama man suing an abortion clinic on behalf of an aborted fetus, as well as Georgia’s controversial “heartbeat bill.” And that powerful Super Bowl ad really brought home how much the show is seen by many as an act of resistance against this administration, and the assault on reproductive rights.
It’s an honor. We went to D.C. and shot at the Lincoln Memorial, and I find it incredibly moving what Lincoln stood for, what’s written on the walls, what those monuments stand for. The principles that this country was built on are important and we’re losing them—and perhaps we’ve already lost them. You feel a sense of responsibility and you feel honored telling this story at this time. When you’re kneeling on the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial, you’re looking at where MLK gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, you’re in the outfit of complete lack of freedom, and your president is a few blocks away arguing about putting up a wall, you can’t help but feel that you have the responsibility to tell this story, and I feel honored to be able to express what I think, what I feel, and what a lot of other people feel through what I love doing. For me, it’s an unfortunate thing. I wish this was crazy, and I wish Handmaid’s Tale was insane Game of Thrones shit and pure fantasy. I wish that were true. But it’s not.

And you’re the face of the show, which in and of itself is a tremendous responsibility.

I’m not a politician—I’m just a person, and a woman. I believe that June stands for any person—man, woman, whatever you want to identify as, whoever you want to love, whoever you want to believe—who’s had their human rights taken away, who’s been abused, or who’s felt like they didn’t have a choice, or felt like they couldn’t live the life they wanted to live. You can take the personal and make it political very quickly, and that’s my job: to put a face to the people who don’t have that, and to give a voice to the people who don’t have a voice. What’s really gratifying to me is when someone in another country—that’s far closer to Gilead than we are—who’s gay comes up to me and says, “I feel like I’ve watched the show and it’s given me hope; I feel like I’m not alone.” That, to me, is what I value. That’s important to me.


Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on 'Mad Men'
AMC

You were brilliant on Mad Men. Have you thought about how the show’s aged, amid #MeToo, Time’s Up and our current cultural climate?

It wouldn’t be so cute now, would it?

It seemed there were different camps of Mad Men viewers. There were people like myself who watched the show and respected these courageous women pushing back against this patriarchal system, and there were people who watched it as some sort of cultural wish-fulfillment fantasy, and wished America could return to those times where men behaved badly with impunity.Totally—except I think the thing that Mad Men did is we actually did show the consequences of that behavior. We did show the consequences of drinking, smoking, infidelity, and harassing women. I think Mad Men lines up perfectly with the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up because it’s a feminist show, and if you watch the entire thing, Don starts out as the hero, the sex symbol, the guy on top, the guy you want to be, and near the end, he’s broken, he’s alone and he’s miserable. And it’s Peggy who has it all. So for me, there was a way to go with that show which is what you just said, which was like, “Oh god, that’s not very feminist!” but I think the way that Matt [Weiner] did it was brilliant because he told the story accurately and he gave the women the power.

I need to re-watch it now and see how it’s aged, but I agree.


Same with Joan, too—Christina Hendricks’ character. It’s one of the most powerful female characters ever written and one of the most harassed. That’s something that will make that show timeless, and I’m so glad it went that way. And that’s the truth: women fought back, women started to demand equal pay, women started to say “you can’t do that anymore.” Women did that. So we just followed history.

 DAILY BEAST APRIL 2019

EXCERPT

READ THE REST HERE

https://www.thedailybeast.com/elisabeth-moss-opens-up-about-scientology-and-resisting-trump-the-only-place-i-can-speak-from-is-my-own

ORIGINALLY SCIENTOLOGY PROMOTED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CLASSIFIED AS SUCH ANYWHERE ELSE BUT THE USA WHERE ANYONE CAN CREATE A NOT FOR PROFIT RELIGIOUS CHARITY FOR ANY PURPOSE, INCLUDING WORSHIPPING THE GREAT SPAGHETTI MONSTER.

IT WAS AND IS DESCRIBED AROUND THE WORLD AS A CULT, THOUGH IT HAS SUCCEEDED IN SOME COUNTRIES IN BEING DEFINED AS A RELIGION INCLUDING CANADA BUT NOT GERMANY.

BUT OTHER COUNTRIES STANDARDS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM THAT RESTRICT SCIENTOLOGY BUT ACCEPT CULTS LIKE JEHOVAH WITNESSES, MORMONS, PENTECOSTALS, ETC. ETC. ARE ENGAGING IN RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AND WOULD PROBABLY RESTRICT WICCANS, PAGANS AND OTHER NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS. 

If A Mormon Can Be U.S. President....

If this guy, who belongs to a unique 19th Century American created religious cult, can run for President.....




















Could this guy be a contender?




Well no of course not he is dead.

But his cult isn't.

If American's can imagine a Mormon for President why not a Scientologist.

Sonny Bono,
Republican, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 44th district
After unsuccessfully running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 1992, Bono was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 to represent California's 44th District
He became a Scientologist, partly because of the influence of Mimi Rogers, but stated that he was a Roman Catholic on all official documents, campaign materials, web sites, etc.

Opps he's dead too. Well how about this guy.



After all Mormonism and Scientology share their origins in a gnostic world view.

Despite the vigilance of the early Church, the strength and pernicious influence of the Gnostic heresy—“ye shall be as gods”—has never diminished.

Saint John’s first epistle, written to the various churches dispersed throughout Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), was most likely written in the mid-late first century in order to encourage fellow believers to persevere in the faith, in the midst of rather intense persecution, false teaching, and political oppression. While it is more common in popular scholarship to see this epistle as having been written near the end of the first century, given the content of the letter and the failure of John to make any mention of the destruction of either Jerusalem or the Temple would urge me to strongly prefer an earlier date (i.e., pre-A.D. 70). [Incidentally, I would argue the same for the book of Revelation, as it foretells the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, rather than describing it as an event which had already occurred. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make much sense.]

One of the most influential forms of “false teaching” prevalent among the early Christians was what we today know as “Gnosticism.” It seems somewhat clear to me that many of John’s words are carefully chosen, in both his epistle and gospel, in order to combat this erroneous way of thinking. However, we need to try and not only read his works in this light, and bear in mind that there was no “First Gnostic Church” of Ephesus, or any concretely established “Gnostic” religion; rather, it was a philosophical underpinning of many thinkers in the Greco-Roman world, prevalent before, during, and most significantly after John’s lifetime. The Gnostic paradigm was, however, closely connected with early Christian beliefs and did much to unfortunately lead many astray from the truth of the gospel. John, being the good shepherd he was, wanted to ensure that none of his children in the faith were distracted by the lies of this Greek way of thought.

The founders of both were influenced by the modern occult teachings of their day, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy and spirtiualism etc. in the case of Joseph Smith, and the Ordo Templi Orientis in the case of L.Ron Hubbard.

joseph smith the founder of mormonism evolved
his theology over time, ending up with a doctrine
that is similar to the gnostic rosicrucians,
which was incorporated into freemasonry
as their theology.

smith actually joined freemasonry along with other
mormon leaders,only to be kicked out.

But the mormon doctrine of evolving into a god
and presiding over your own celestial kingdom,
along with mormon secret temple rituals being
copies of freemason rituals(wearing white robes,etc)
seems to have as it's foundation rosicrucian doctrine
which is claimed to have it's roots in ancient
egypt under pharoah Akhnaton,the ancient egyptian
priestly order of the "great white brotherhood"(they
wore white robes), and Hermes Trismegistus ,supposed
founder of Hermeticism and also being the egyptian
god thoth.

here is some interesting studies on this,

http://www.gnosis.org/jskabb1.htm

http://www.gnosis.org/ahp.htm

http://www.masonicmoroni.com/Links_Articles.htm

Few Mormons realize that the LDS temple ceremony is not of ancient origin, nor of modern revelation. Instead, the ceremony originated around 1790 when the Masons first conceived it for use in their secret society. Until 1990 the Mormon Temple Ceremony closely resembled the Masonic Initiators Ceremony, signs, tokens and penalties included. I never made the connection between Masonry and Mormonism until I began a serious study of the Mormon temple ceremony.

The Creed of the Church of Scientology (4 Feb 54)

The Church of American Science exists upon the following creed which is adopted as the creed of the Church of Scientology of California, with the additional tenets provided for in number 5 and 6 below:

	“1.	That God works within Man his wonders to perform.
	2.	That Man is his own soul, basically free and immortal, but deluded by the flesh.
	3.	That Man has a God-given right to his own life.
	4.	That Man has a God-given right to his own reason.
	5.	That Man has a God-given right to his own beliefs.
	6.	That Man has a God-given right to his own mode of thought and/or thinking.
	7.	That Man has a God-given right to free and open communication.

Liber LXXVII

"the law of
the strong:
this is our law
and the joy
of the world." AL. II. 2

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." --AL. I. 40

"thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that, and no other shall say nay." --AL. I. 42-3

"Every man and every woman is a star." --AL. I. 3

There is no god but man.

1. Man has the right to live by his own law--

to live in the way that he wills to do:
to work as he will:
to play as he will:
to rest as he will:
to die when and how he will.

2. Man has the right to eat what he will:

to drink what he will:
to dwell where he will:
to move as he will on the face of the earth.

3. Man has the right to think what he will:

to speak what he will:
to write what he will:
to draw, paint, carve, etch, mould, build as he will:
to dress as he will.

4. Man has the right to love as he will:--

"take your fill and will of love as ye will,
when, where, and with whom ye will." --AL. I. 51

5. Man has the right to kill those who would thwart these rights.

"the slaves shall serve." --AL. II. 58

"Love is the law, love under will." --AL. I. 57

And as religious cults (tm) (c) (r) they are both successful businesses.

In a recent article in The Washington Post, religious reporter Bill Broadway laments that Mormons are feeling picked on. Despite the large number of Mormons who hold prominent positions in government and Fortune 500 companies "Latter-day Saints get little respect where they want and perhaps need it most — in the religious community.

The LDS is, among other things, a very big business tightly controlled from the top down. If one believes that the entire enterprise is based on revelation that is authoritatively interpreted by divinely appointed officers, it makes sense that control should be from the top down. The LDS claims that God chose Joseph Smith to reestablish the Church of Jesus Christ after it had disappeared some 1,700 years earlier following the death of the first apostles. To complicate the picture somewhat, God’s biblical work was extended to the Americas somewhere around 2000 b.c. and continued here until a.d. 421. This is according to the Book of Mormon, the scriptures given to Joseph Smith on golden tablets by the Angel Moroni. American Indians are called Lamanites and are part of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Jesus came to preach to these Indians and for a long time there was a flourishing church here until it fell into apostasy, only to be restored, as the golden tablets foretold, by Joseph Smith. In addition to giving new scriptures, God commissioned Smith to revise the Bible, the text of which had been corrupted over the centuries by Jews and Christians.

Today’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is, allegedly, in direct succession to Smith, and the First Presidency claims powers that would have made St. Peter, never mind most of his successors, blush. The top leadership is composed, with few exceptions, of men experienced in business and with no formal training in theology or related disciplines. The President (who is also prophet, seer, and revelator) is the oldest apostle, which means he is sometimes very old indeed and far beyond his prime. Decisions are made in the tightest secrecy, inevitably giving rise to suspicions and conspiracy theories among outsiders and a substantial number of members. Revenues from tithes, investments, and Mormon enterprises have built what the Ostlings say "might be the most efficient churchly money machine on earth." They back up with carefully detailed research their "conservative" estimate that LDS assets are in the rage of $25-30 billion.

Scientologists are expected to attend classes, exercises or counseling sessions, for a set range of fees (or "fixed donations"). Charges for auditing and other church-related courses run from hundreds to thousands of dollars. A wide variety of entry-level courses, representing 8 to 16 hours study, cost under $100 (US). More advanced courses require membership in the International Association of Scientologists (IAS), have to be taken at higher level Orgs, and have higher fees.^[58] Membership without courses or auditing is possible, but the higher levels cannot be reached this way. In 1995, Operation Clambake, a website critical of scientology, estimated the cost of reaching "OT 9 readiness", one of the highest levels, is US $365,000 – $380,000.^[59][60]

Scientologists are frequently encouraged to become Professional Auditors as a way of earning their way up the Bridge. As a Field Auditor, auditors can receive commissions on people referred to Orgs and a 15% FSM commission on completed services.^[61]

Critics say it is improper to fix a donation for religious service; therefore the activity is non-religious. Scientology points out many classes, exercises and counseling may also be traded for "in kind" or performed cooperatively by students for no cost, and members of its most devoted orders can make use of services without any donations bar that of their time. A central tenet of Scientology is its Doctrine of Exchange, which dictates that each time a person receives something, he or she must pay something back. By doing so, a Scientologist maintains "inflow" and "outflow", avoiding spiritual decline.

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Republicans,US Presidential race, Mitt Romney, Mormon, Mormonism is a cult, Scientology, Joseph Smith, L.Ron Hubbard, gnostic, OTO, occult, cult,

Convicted murderer who used Scientology as defense found dead in Arizona prison

Joshua Bowling, Arizona Republic
Thu, December 30, 2021

Kenneth Wayne Thompson sits in the Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott, where he was on trial in a 2012 double murder.

Kenneth Thompson — the Missouri man who traveled to Arizona, killed his sister-in-law and her boyfriend and used Scientology as a defense — died Wednesday, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Officials are investigating his death as an apparent homicide.

Thompson was pronounced dead shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, the department announced. He was found in his "assigned housing unit where life-saving measures were conducted," the department said. He was an inmate in the Arizona State Prison Complex Eyman, in Florence.

The department has identified two suspects, also inmates, "for the attack," but did not offer more details.

Thompson's crime was shocking, and the subsequent northern Arizona trial was gripping. In 2012, he traveled to Arizona from his home in Missouri and used a hatchet and a knife to kill his sister-in-law and her boyfriend. He poured acid on their bodies, set the Prescott Valley house on fire and fled.

A Prescott jury in 2019 found him guilty of first-degree murder, burglary, arson, criminal damage and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to death.
Thompson's attorneys said his roots in Scientology explained the killings

Whether Thompson killed his sister-in-law and her boyfriend — Penelope Edwards and Troy Dunn — wasn't up for debate in his 2019 trial. His attorneys didn't dispute that.

But they took issue with the prosecution's portrait of Thompson as a premeditated killer. He was concerned about the two children in his sister-in-law's care, they argued.

Thompson's wife had taken care of them while Penelope Edwards was in prison. Once she was released and got the children back, Thompson and his wife often worried about them. When Thompson learned one of the children was receiving psychiatric treatment at a children's hospital, that was the last straw.

Thompson was raised as a Scientologist and his attorneys argued that Scientologists view psychology as "evil and a scam." He believed he was on a mission to rescue these children from spiritual death, they argued.
What happened in 2012

Court testimony helped piece together a narrative of what happened in Prescott Valley in 2012.

Thompson took off for Arizona. His attorneys said even his then-wife, Gloria, didn't know about his plans. He had told her he was heading to Memphis to deal with legal issues surrounding his parents' estate.

His attorneys said he arrived at a junction at Interstate 40 and impulsively decided to bear west, heading to Arizona. As he drove to Arizona, which court testimony said took him just more than one day, Gloria began texting him. But Thompson left his phone at home.

He stayed at a motel. He went to Walmart the next morning to buy a hatchet and a change of clothes. His attorneys maintained the hatchet was for a camping trip he planned.

He took a taxi to his sister-in-law's house. Details became much more muddled after that.

Thompson told the jury he wanted to bribe his sister-in-law into letting him bring the children back to Missouri with him. The Prescott Daily Courier reported he testified to the jury for almost four hours.

He claimed the conversation turned violent. His attorneys said he struck in the heat of passion. They asked for a manslaughter verdict.

Hours after he arrived at his sister-in-law's home, neighbors reported a house fire. Responding crews discovered the victims' bodies. Police pulled Thompson over on I-40 heading east.

A search revealed a hatchet with human hair and blood on its blade.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man who used Scientology as murder defense found dead