Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

[Donatella]

 

After reading about it on a thread here, NZA and I watched Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. It was equal parts fascinating and horrifying, but I felt like I wanted to know more. Then I heard Leah Remini, one of Scientiology's most famous and outspoken members, had left the "church" and had created a docu-series with A&E, exposing them and what they do to parishioners and their families.

 

We are three episodes in, and each seems more depressingly awful than the next. If you've seen Going Clear, much of the first two episodes will be repeated information, learning terms like suppressive person, disconnecting, auditing, etc. and hearing Mike Rinder's story. But she does go a little more in depth, especially with Mike.

 

It seems like the rest of the season focuses on families. This is the worst part. The concept of disconnecting, and how the church just RIPS families apart will make you feel sick.

 

I wish the series delved just a little deeper. I am always left feeling like I wish I'd had a little more information, but they do the best they can with the time they've got. You can tell Leah is passionate about this, having felt lied to and swindled for most of her life. She keeps reminding you that once she's on a mission, she won't stop, and if she can help even one family, she will do it.

 

I think what she and A&E are doing is incredibly important. The church (i.e. the CULT) is extremely dangerous. It cheats people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, destroys families and even physically assaults and tortures members. If this show stops people from even considering joining, it will be a huge success.

[Visitant]

I'm glad to see there's still some kind of anti-scientology shit still going on these days. It seemed for so long that it was like a huge deal and then quietly just went away. I'm really hoping more and more of this shit gets to come out and show how fucked up it is. I guess on the other side of it, the places wanting to show this stuff are shows and I can't imagine getting a series like this greenlit in Hollywood is easy.

[Donatella]

I have often wondered how much control Scientologists have in Hollywood! I know there are a few big name celebs but I wonder how many executives they target. They have an entire "Celebrity Centre" and people whose entire job it is to recruit and retain celebrities. It's really disturbing.

[Keth]

Where are you guys getting the episodes from? Just downloading?

[Donatella]

Where are you guys getting the episodes from? Just downloading?

 

The first episode was actually on their FB page! Not sure if it's still up. But yeah they're all available to DL.

[The NZA]

i too think it's great to see anti-scientology stuff on the rise again, i feel like it's been forever since south park went at them & the tom cruise stuff went down

 

It seems like the rest of the season focuses on families. This is the worst part. The concept of disconnecting, and how the church just RIPS families apart will make you feel sick.

 

absolutely - that 3rd ep just had some brutal moments. i was saying how fascinating it all is because you watch enough of this & start to see why people are going along with it - despite the litany of huge red flags anyone on the outside would be seeing - but the way they instill their mission as of the utmost importance is crazy. i get it, it's the only way you're gonna squeeze so much out of anyone (i'm still baffled at the six-figure cost of the various programs) & pushing folks pretty much out of their careers, but the leap to disconnecting with family members still feels large...i imagine being indoctrinated at a young age with a hyper us vs them mentality & fear of going in the hole changes that, though.

 

every bit of it, down to the grueling half-polygraph sessions literally there to a) guilt you and b) build a rap sheet to use against you, it's just so undeniably malevolent. as you said, we went in knowing more from Clear but every ep, i feel like i'm learning a new depth.

[Donatella]

The ridiculous cost was something I didn't know about either! The way they keep reinventing programs and pushing people farther down the "bridge." Ugh. It's maddening!! Hearing the lengths people go to in order to buy the books, pay for auditing, etc... it's sick. They RUIN people. I used to think Scientology was just a cult with whackadoodle alien beliefs, but it's so much more terrifying than that.

[The NZA]

^exactly; as a former irish catholic, i don't mind wacky beliefs...it's the abuse, extortion, tearing apart families & all that that needs highlighting.

 

info dump! first up, a few weeks back Leah did an interesting AMA

 

 

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

 

I don't what rumors we're referring to here. I haven't read anything that has been inaccurate.

 

the church's letter to A&E to stop the show

 

Leah, in turn, is seeking 1.5 million for them interfering with the show

 

 

[Donatella]

Anyone else watching season 2? Three episodes have aired and they are DARK. They're taking it to another level. It's really difficult to watch. If you're morbidly fascinated by the teachings of the cult, it goes into some of their practices and beliefs not previously mentioned (engrams and restimulation being the most bizarre). Definitely worth a watch. Leah and Mike Rinder are doing such important work here.