Musings from the Back Porch of Eternity Scientology, Gods, and Emily Post Everything’s Cool, Just Hang in There If some god whisked me away from Earth, granted me eternal life and ridiculous powers, I would still come back and visit my friends. Or I’d at least drop 'em a note. Tell 'em I was okay. “Good roads, good weather,” right? If you believe in L. Ron Hubbard’s blueprint of the universe, that he dropped his worn out body so he could tend to Target Two and clear more planets, and if you believe he was cause over matter, energy, space, and time—or at least pretty powerful—then wouldn’t … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2018
Gaslighting: A Short Tutorial
After The Aftermath episode on the Watchtower Society, and thinking about mind control organizations in general and scientology in particular, I thought it fitting to republish an article from Psychology Today about gaslighting. Someone sent this to me recently in relation to a completely different topic, but it has a lot of application to world of cults (some would say all organized religion) and how people are persuaded to believe the unbelievable and do the unthinkable. I found this enlightening -- just as I found Martha Stoutt's The Sociopath Next Door which I highly re … [Read more...]
Tonight a NEW Aftermath Episode
There is another special episode of The Aftermath airing tonight at a special time -- 8pm EST. This one is very personal -- it is about OUR families and the impact scientology has had on them. It is being used as a lead-in to one of A&E's biggest productions, the 3- part documentary produced by Alex Gibney's company Jigsaw Productions. … [Read more...]
Volunteer Minister Vultures
Of course, with the tragic fires in northern and southern California, David Miscavige's self-proclaimed "largest independent relief force in the world" has sprung into immediate action... Fundraising. What else but a healthy dose of "disaster capitalism" to rake in some more dough as tens of thousands have been evacuated, countless have lost their homes and families have lost loved ones. I know the reg vultures like Jeff Pomerantz never give it a thought -- but do the people who give actual money to the IAS ever wonder how come the money they gave BEFORE isn't being used for … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
Thursday Funnies
John Oliver on Scientology It's an ongoing joke that makes me laugh week after week... I honestly think this is enough to fulfill the quota for Thursday Funnies all alone. But people have sent me all sorts of other things so I will include them APU. But if you have not yet seen this, take a few minutes and watch. AC/DC I am SURE they would LOVE to be associated with scientology. Rock N Roll is here to stay Apparently this is the new theme for fundraising? Superheros are out. Rock is in. But if this is all they could round up for an Ideal … [Read more...]
The STAAD League Strikes Out Again
The STAAD League have weighed in on the only thing they care about -- what is happening on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. Apparently it is the only thing they exist for, which is quite a compliment. For the self-proclaimed champions of free speech and purveyors of epic humanitarianishism these guys have a pretty big blind spot. When Louis Farrakhan and his IAS Freedom-medal winning defender Tony Mohammed roll out the anti-semitic rants, the STAAD League is conspicuously mum. Not a peep. Ever. When we do a show that highlights victims of abuse, they go apoplectic. Not … [Read more...]
Aftermath Aftermath
The first new episode for a long time aired last night, a special on the Jehovah's Witnesses. It's unlike anything we had done before and I am interested to hear your feedback. I watched Twitter and Facebook as the show aired on the East Coast, but have not yet caught up following the West Coast airing. Once again, I want to thank the brave contributors who were willing to sit down and bare their pain to the world in the hope that it will bring some comfort to others who have suffered similarly, and perhaps prevent someone from having to suffer in the future. And my special … [Read more...]
The Aftermath Is Back
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is back tonight. It is the first episode of Season 3 -- though it is a "special". There is another "Special" coming next Sunday night (18 November) and then the season proper begins on 27 November. Tonight's special episode is at 9pm on A&E. It covers the Jehovah's Witnesses. We felt an obligation to the MANY former Jehovah's Witnesses who reached out to us letting us know of the pain they had suffered -- many of which are eerily similar to the experiences of former scientologists. They did not have a voice like Leah to speak on their beh … [Read more...]
The Legends of Our Religion
This new propaganda piece raises an important question. Where ARE those "legends of scientology"? It is true that many of the "leading lights" of scientology at the time signed this pledge. Though the real story of the IAS is a very different one than the revised history scientology tries to make it out to be. This "pledge signing" was merely a PR stunt -- the IAS had been formed by a Danish lawyer as a means of keeping money outside the purview of the IRS. It was a "bright idea" to form an "association" which was a uniquely European thing and to divert all funds from orgs outside the US … [Read more...]