We answered more "Listener Questions" this week. These are some of our favorite episodes and we really appreciate the questions people send in. This one was especially fun and I think you all will enjoy it. We talk about the last chapter of Hubbard's life which is documented in the Epilogue of Lawrence Wright's brilliant Going Clear. This is an excerpt detailing what Steve Pfauth, one of the handful of people with Hubbard at the end of his life had to say. We talk about Hubbard's succession and mention the issue appointing Pat and Annie Broeker which Miscavige had … [Read more...]
Episode 41: Law Review Author Taylor Holley
Leah and I had the great pleasure of speaking to Taylor Holley this week. Taylor is a law student at Texas Tech University who published a legal analysis of scientology's tax exempt status in the Law Review. Taylor has never been involved in scientology, but grew up in Tampa which sparked her interest in scientology. Her paper is a wonderful summation and careful analysis of the law and makes a compelling argument that the IRS should revisit the exempt status of scientology. I wrote about this earlier. I am including her full paper below, as well as a link to it for downloading. I … [Read more...]
Episode 40: Dr. Steven Hassan
Leah and I welcome Dr. Steve Hassan to the podcast this week. A former Moonie, Steve is today an internationally recognized expert in the field of cults and undue influence. We cover a lot of territory, including undue influence, hypnosis and the methods used to control people. Dr. Hassan holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Cambridge College and a Doctorate in Organizational Development and Change from Fielding Graduate University School of Leadership Studies. He is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law at Harvard Medical School. He is Founding Director … [Read more...]
Episode 39: Former A&E Executive Devon Graham Hammonds
This week we talk with our guardian angel at A&E, Devon Graham Hammonds. Devon was VP Programming (she has since moved on and is now an executive at the production company that produced the show) and oversaw The Aftermath show in every respect. We talk about how the show came to be with a lot of behind-the-scenes glimpses into what it was like to make The Aftermath -- including the Fair Gaming of everyone concerned and the challenges the network and production company and everyone who worked on the show faced. We also cover why the show ended (it was not, as scientology crowed … [Read more...]
Episode 38: Listener Questions #4
This week is another episode answering listener questions. We cover a range of topics and below are related documents. The first is that scientology paid the IRS $12.5 million as part of the settlement which resulted in tax exemption. At the event announcing the exemption, Miscavige said the bill to the IRS was $1 billion: This is a fairly comprehensive summary of the story of the IRS and Scn on Wikipedia: How to find your US Representative: and US Senator: And here are some twitter … [Read more...]
Episode 37: Mormon Stories Host Dr. John Dehlin
This week Leah and I venture into the world of Mormonism with Dr. John Dehlin. I recently appeared on his long-running and very popular podcast, Mormon Stories, and we are now welcoming him to ours. He is not just a podcaster, he is a non-profit CEO, activist, public speaker, and religious transitions coach. He advocates for the rights of skeptics in Mormonism, LGBT rights, equality for women, and other individual views outside mainstream Mormonism. He has Master’s degree in Instructional Technology, and a Ph.D. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. We learned a great deal from John … [Read more...]
Episode 36: Critical Thinker Chris Shelton Part 2
This week's episode is a continuation from last week with Chris Shelton. We take a deep dive into the the "Truth Rundown" and Rehabilitation Project Force, but of course touch upon other things in doing so. If you want to hear more of Chris' insights, you can tune into his Sensibly Speaking Podcast. There is a wealth of material there. The "Truth Rundown" is one of the most remarkable things Hubbard developed. It is the most direct and unvarnished brainwashing technique in scientology. It is intended for use on Sea Org members, though some others have unfortunately been … [Read more...]
Episode 35: Chris Shelton Part 1
This week, Leah and I are joined by our old friend Chris Shelton. He is a very well-informed former scientology executive who has provided some of the most cogent analyses of scientology in his podcasts, appearances and writings. He is studying Psychology of Coercive Mind Control at the University of Salford. This is a fascinating discussion that covers a wide range of topics -- so much so that we recorded a second episode which will be Part 2 next week, taking a deep dive into two topics. A lot of what we talk about today concerns the fake “religious” aspects of sci … [Read more...]
Episode 34: Journalist and Author John Sweeney
Our friend and scientology nemesis, journalist, author and podcaster John Sweeney, joins us this week. John was for many years a correspondent for the original TV investigative magazine show, Panorama. He did a program about scientology for Panorama in 2007, where I was one of the "handlers" on behalf of scientology. It was a catalyst for me leaving -- I was in London defending scientology and Miscavige from the "chaos merchants" at the BBC. After I had left, I did a second Panorama show with John explaining some of the things that had happened in that first program. We had a lot to ta … [Read more...]
Episode 33: Media and Political Journalist Yashar Ali
We are joined this week by media and politics reporter Yashar Ali. Yashar has done over a dozen stories related to scientology and more are coming. He has been a long-term voice against scientology abuses who has never been scared off by their Fair Game tactics. Yashar was recently named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential people on the internet: You can follow Yashar on Twitter: @Yashar, Instagram: yasharali and Facebook: Yashar Ali With his background in politics and the media we had a lot to talk about: Scientology celebrities and how the media fails to h … [Read more...]