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Leah Remini writing Scientology tell-all

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C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
A book by someone who was drawn into that shit to begin with. I would love to read a book about the inner workings of Scientology as an insider who went into it knowing it was bull shit. I just cannot trust the point of view of a person who had the state of mind where joining a cult was an option to begin with.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Dalek said:
This wouldn't surprise me. It sounds like exactly what has been reported about John Travolta.
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Except for Travolta: John, everyone knows you're gay. It's okay to come out of the closet now. Scientology doesn't have unlimited power over you anymore.

Unless... unless...

That rumor about you keeping your kid in the car while you went into a bathhouse and thereby your kid died while you were looking for hookup sex is true.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
C4Lukins said:
A book by someone who was drawn into that shit to begin with. I would love to read a book about the inner workings of Scientology as an insider who went into it knowing it was bull shit. I just cannot trust the point of view of a person who had the state of mind where joining a cult was an option to begin with.
Click to expand...
I don't think you've yet grasped how insidious cults are. It isn't just for stupid people to fall into (at least it wasn't before you could easily google it). I honestly think many smart people could have been suckered by this in the pre-Internet age.

They don't say "this is a cult" right upfront. It just seems like a mental training program at first.. That's even less woo-alert than a yoga or meditation class. And only after you've been in for a long time does the grand mission seep in.. And still no one in it thinks of it as a cult, or even a religion really. It's just an organization that helps you and you help them. Others might see you're in a cult, but you wouldn't possibly see it that way.

It would be like going to college, and it all seems secular and useful the whole way through for years. Then on the day you graduate, someone whispers into your ear "now we can tell you about the aliens". By that point you're in far too deep! Would you give it up? No probably not, because you've committed yourself this far, you trust that it's a worthwhile institution, and they've been grooming you to accept this next step under the guise of some more easily swallowable early steps.
 
A

Atlantis

Member
C4Lukins said:
A book by someone who was drawn into that shit to begin with. I would love to read a book about the inner workings of Scientology as an insider who went into it knowing it was bull shit. I just cannot trust the point of view of a person who had the state of mind where joining a cult was an option to begin with.
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She was 10.
 
F

Forkball

Member
C4Lukins said:
A book by someone who was drawn into that shit to begin with. I would love to read a book about the inner workings of Scientology as an insider who went into it knowing it was bull shit. I just cannot trust the point of view of a person who had the state of mind where joining a cult was an option to begin with.
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She joined when she was 9 because of her parents. You can't exactly throw your weight around at that age.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Atlantis said:
She was 10.
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Forkball said:
She joined when she was 9 because of her parents. You can't exactly throw your weight around at that age.
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Even still... Anyone of any age joining before, say, 1993, it would seem for all the world like a secular mental science practice for the mind.

Without the benefit of South Park, Anonymous, and the secret OT materials out on the Internet... It would all look quite harmless from what you could see at a glance without a deep dive at the library.
 
E

EatinOlives

Member
C4Lukins said:
A book by someone who was drawn into that shit to begin with. I would love to read a book about the inner workings of Scientology as an insider who went into it knowing it was bull shit. I just cannot trust the point of view of a person who had the state of mind where joining a cult was an option to begin with.
Click to expand...

As others have pointed out, she was 9, but in addition Scientology likes to lure in people by giving classes that actually legitimately help out people. Things like time management, public speaking skills, life coach stuff, the works. Then somewhere along this process is something called "auditing", a process in which the person is expected to talk about their darkest fears, secrets, and basically anything that troubles them or has in the past, using the excuse that it'll help them. But really they're just getting dirt on you. They get people to willingly divulge very personal and potentially harmful information and it becomes a blackmail tool to prevent people from leaving.
 
F

Foffy

Banned
EatinOlives said:
As others have pointed out, she was 9, but in addition Scientology likes to lure in people by giving classes that actually legitimately help out people. Things like time management, public speaking skills, life coach stuff, the works. Then somewhere along this process is something called "auditing", a process in which the person is expected to talk about their darkest fears, secrets, and basically anything that troubles them or has in the past, using the excuse that it'll help them. But really they're just getting dirt on you. They get people to willingly divulge very personal and potentially harmful information and it becomes a blackmail tool to prevent people from leaving.
Click to expand...

This is really the truth about this cult. They trick people with self-help and potentially self-transcendence, but it's all a ploy to get money and to eventually rig them socially that they feel that if they speak out, their dirt will be flaunted to the world.

Then there's the whole excommunication, which I'd consider the most offensive treatment of all. People lose their whole families by abandoning the cult.
 
W

wanderingprostheyltite

Member
Just finished it, not a lot of new info or dirt on them overall, kind of seemed like a big pr puff piece for her book tbh. Learning that Cruise serenaded Katie Holmes to this at their wedding was pretty great tho.

I dunno, I'm sure a lot of her claims have merit but the impression I got from that was a lot of this is publicity based, and she seems pretty nutty (and who wouldn't be having been with scientology that long), so not entirely sure how credible she is overall.
 
Z

Zodzilla

Member
wanderingprostheyltite said:
Wtf is going on with this interview. Editing is all over the place, Remini seems off kilter af. I love it.

Edit: lol mission impossible music to quick Cruise cutaway.
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Yeah, the editing was pretty frenetic, but just want to point out that the mission impossible music was actually used/mixed into the background of that weird leaked Tom Cruise award video, and there'd be no chance of them having the Audio splits (since the video was leaked). Therefore it'd have to be mixed into the edit regardless.
 
A

Akuun

Looking for meaning in GAF
I hope she stays safe. Scientology will do everything they can to harm and discredit her and everyone around her.
 
T

Takuan

Member
BallsyEggsy. I'm surprised their lawyers weren't able to C&D the book like the NBA did to that crooked referee.
 
K

kris.

Banned
Remini is my fucking hero at this point. Speaking out against the cult in this magnitude is ballsy as hell.
 
shira

shira

Member
Out of all the rumors surrounding Scientology, which one is true and hits home the hardest for you?

TheRealLeahRemini said:
I don't what rumors we're referring to here. I haven't read anything that has been inaccurate.
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Ayyyyy
 
E

Elandyll

Banned
It's going to be such a shame walking on that bag of vipers accidentally while peacefully sleeping in her bed...

Joke aside, I hope she'll be ok.
As widely criticized and targeted as the Church of Scientology is, it still has tremendous power and influence unfortunately.
 
C

Catdaddy

Member
Good for her...

The ones that seem to have an easier time coming forward are the ones that grew up in the organization (it’s not a church imo). There’s not much dirt you can get on a 10 year old. IIRC one of the nieces of the leader of the organization did a tell all as well, she grew up in it as well and they pretty much separated her from her parents from age 12-13 to serve on that stupid ship they sign the billion year contract to be on.
 
P

Prototype Viktor

Member
jelly said:
He is not a messiah, just a naughty boy caught on tape with another naughty boy doing fun stuff or he killed someone.
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I don't know why anything will keep him in a John Travolta size closet when there are richer (thiel)/powerful
Oprah
people not in one or highly clear one for just as long as his rumor
 
M

msdstc

Incredibly Naive
Elandyll said:
It's going to be such a shame walking on that bag of vipers accidentally while peacefully sleeping in her bed...

Joke aside, I hope she'll be ok.
As widely criticized and targeted as the Church of Scientology is, it still has tremendous power and influence unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Not as much as it once did. Going clear does a great job of showing how bad it's dying.
 
D

DedValve

Banned
C4Lukins said:
I withdraw my previous statements. Apologies for commenting with a lack of information. I just assumed considering her age that she joined much later in life. My bad.
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Even if she was an adult it wouldn't change anything. Cults are insidious and a long con, its surprisingly easy to get trapped in one and once they figure out your dark secrets it's almost literally impossible to escape on the very unlikely chance you become "woke" and realize that its all bullshit. And notice I said unlikely.
 
S

Snagret

Member
In a similar way to how I feel repulsed everytime I find out about a celebrity that I like being a Scientologist (I'm STILL mad about Beck), I have mad respect for any of them that actively speak out against it. Good for her.
 
J

jmdajr

Member
giphy.gif
 
A

Apt101

Member
Messofanego said:
Who else has inside knowledge about Scientology? It's a cult after all, not an easily accessible thing.
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It actually is rather accessible. Take a church tour, provide a little information about yourself, and they'll hound the shit out of you to join (starting with an audit). There are lots of ex-scientologist who share stories.
 
A

Androidsleeps

Member
jelly said:
He is not a messiah, just a naughty boy caught on tape with another naughty boy doing fun stuff or he killed someone.
Click to expand...

At this point I think the latter is more plausible.
Five, six years ago maybe...Now? It has to be something seriously damaging (or illegal).
 
C

Corleth the Fey

Member
Chris Shelton, an ex Scientologist who was a member for over 25 years, in the Sea Org and now has a great YouTube channel partly about the subject reviewed Leah's show yesterday. He gave it a big thumbs up, and was genuinely surprised on how high quality and informative it was. I certainly want to see it.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Chibot said:
She went from Scientology to Catholicism. That's a lateral move from thetans to Christ wafers. She should have applied the same logic she used to leave Scientology to the rest of religion.
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Skinpop said:
same could be said about any religion though. there's nothing about the scientology myths that is more outrageous and crazy than the stuff found in the bible for example.
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Except a lot of lame fedora jokes for these posts, but you two aren't wrong. That said, I wish her the best and I sincerely hope Scientology falls completely some day.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
Chibot said:
She went from Scientology to Catholicism. That's a lateral move from thetans to Christ wafers. She should have applied the same logic she used to leave Scientology to the rest of religion.
Click to expand...

Skinpop said:
same could be said about any religion though. there's nothing about the scientology myths that is more outrageous and crazy than the stuff found in the bible for example.
Click to expand...

Morrigan Stark said:
Except a lot of lame fedora jokes for these posts, but you two aren't wrong. That said, I wish her the best and I sincerely hope Scientology falls completely some day.
Click to expand...

The beliefs have nothing to do with why she left. Read her AMA.
 
A

Arment

Member
I live near Clearwater, FL and work at a company owned and operated by Scientologists. Pretty much anyone at a VP level or above is one. No one really talks about it, and sometimes I forget, but when stuff like this comes out it makes me wonder what their personal lives are like. I've heard some shit too.
 
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