Religion or Cult
The evils of Scientology have been exposed to the world thanks to Leah Remini and her show Scientology and the Aftermath. The actress used her platform to give victims a voice.
Scientology was founded in 1952 by L. Ron Hubbard as a religion that connects one with their spiritual nature and relationships with self, family, groups, mankind, the material universe, spiritual universe and all forms of life. Hubbard was a science fiction writer whose teachings of Scientology included an alternate universe. The religion is about the spirit and has a belief mankind is more than a product of his environment. It follows fundamental truths, which include: Man is an immortal spiritual being, his experience extends well beyond a single lifetime and his capabilities are unlimited even if not presently realized. What many people failed to realize is that Hubbard was a con artist who scammed members out of money by charging them to study his science fiction beliefs that he fraudulently passed off as a religion. Members would soon find out the church was not as it seemed.
Actress Leah Remini who was born in Brooklyn, New York was indoctrinated in the church when she was a child. She recalls, her mom sending her sister and herself off to join the highest military order of the church known as the Sea Org. The Org provided room and board often filled with filth where people and children were under a billion year contract to work the rest of their lives. Children were forced into physical labor that entailed laundry work and industrial sanders. Remini was soon kicked out of the Sea Org for fraternizing with boys, but her family remained in Scientology. She went on to use the church’s resources to launch her acting career. For years she stayed a dedicated member.
The turning point for Leah Remini that caused her to turn her back on the church forever was at Tom Cruise’s wedding in 2006. Shelly Miscavige, the wife of the leader of Scientology was noticeably missing from the event. When Leah questioned her whereabouts she was completely shut down or ignored by members. Leah’s doubts of the church continued to rise when she had reached the highest study of theology in the church were founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote about a galactic confederation that took the spirits of people, which now live in present day people. It was then she realized she had been duped. Leah was reprimanded by the church for questioning Shelly’s whereabouts by intense interrogation in which she was asked, “What are your evil intentions against mankind, Tom Cruise and L. Ron Hubbard. The interrogations didn’t end until she admitted to things that she didn’t feel by saying, “Tom Cruise is an amazing humanitarian as well as Davis Miscavige and they are the only hope that man has.” Leah Remini saying this was the only way she was allowed to leave the church along with paying $300,000.
After leaving the church Leah used her platform to give ex members a chance to tell their stories. An ex member name Becky told her story on Remini’s show. In 2005 Becky worked in a marketing department in the church and witnessed a group of execs beat a staff member mercilessly. The commanding officer had ordered his assault after he did not print a magazine in time, which had errors in it. This behavior was so common in the church Becky stated, “You’re witnessing this abuse, but you don’t think of it as abuse, you think he did something wrong, he deserved that. He got it. He better change.” Becky had become so indoctrinated by the church she didn’t realize what she was witnessing was wrong. Once people abruptly leave the church, which is called “a blow” (an unauthorized exit) they usually are disconnected from their family and friends. Most family members of people who leave choose the church over their loved ones.
One has to ask their self what kind of a church would abuse its members, disconnect people from their families and charge thousands of dollars for a studies. The answer is simple. A cult. One of the reasons why Scientology has been able to get away with all that it has is because of its tax exemption status. If that were to change this cult could be held accountable for its wrong doings. Hopefully, law enforcement and state politicians will take notice of the stories that have been told and start to put an end to this scam.
