L. Ron Hubbard

Scientology and The Master

Scientology's Idea of a Rollicking Sermon: Watch This Gem From 1984

Here at Scientology Watching Central, we often get asked, is Scientology really a religion? In general, we tend not to get into a debate about that -- Scientology calls itself a "church," so we do the same. We find that it only makes the organization's alleged abuses -- including ripping apart famil ... More >>

"Tom Cruise Worships David Miscavige Like a God": A Scientology Insider Gives First Full-Length Interview to the Voice

I've spoken to John Brousseau numerous times over the past couple of years. In 2011, I reported about the photographs he smuggled out of Scientology's International Base east of Los Angeles which documented the work he did customizing a motorcycle, a Ford Excursion, and an airplane hangar for Tom Cr ... More >>

The Master Screenplay: Scientology History from Several Different Eras Skillfully Woven Together

On Thursday, Marc Headley settled things once and for all. In a story he wrote for The Daily Beast, he showed conclusively that Paul Thomas Anderson's script for The Master is about almost nothing but Scientology, providing 22 direct comparisons as proof. Marc did a great job showing some of the pa ... More >>

Why Do Scientologists Accept the Xenu Story?

For going on 17 years I've been writing about Scientology, and over that time there's one question that has come up again and again. Why don't Scientologists, when they've been in the organization long enough to reach the legendary material in "Operating Thetan Level Three" -- the stuff about Xenu ... More >>

Katie Holmes Will Get Custody, But Tom Cruise Will Save Face For Scientology: Using Marty Rathbun and L. Ron Hubbard as Guides

This afternoon, Tom Cruise's former auditor, Marty Rathbun, laid out his predictions for how the Cruise-Holmes divorce is going to go, based on his extensive history helping to run the church. Rathbun predicts that Tom Cruise will give up sole custody of Suri as long as Katie Holmes goes along with ... More >>

SCIENTOLOGY CRUMBLING: An Entire Church Mission Defects as David Miscavige Faces Leadership Crisis

For several years, we've been reporting about a crisis in Scientology as key members of the church -- including some of its highest-ranking former executives -- have left the organization and spoken out about its abuses. One by one, longtime, loyal Scientologists have announced that they are fed up ... More >>

Tom Cruise is 50: It's Time To Grow Up

You're going to hear a lot about the troubles that Tom Cruise finds himself in as he turns 50 years old today. We thought we'd take a different tack. We've often thought that Rona Barrett's 1984 interview of a pre-Scientology Tom Cruise is one of the most revealing. We see a young man with half a d ... More >>

SCIENTOLOGY ABANDONED BY L. RON HUBBARD'S GRANDDAUGHTER AND DAVID MISCAVIGE'S FATHER

Multiple sources are telling the Voice that Scientology's International Base in California has experienced stunning new defections -- Roanne Leake, who is L. Ron Hubbard's granddaughter, has "blown" the base, which was her home for more than 20 years. But just as shocking, at about the same time, th ... More >>

It's a Scientology Book Avalanche! RUN FOR COVER!

A slow week was suddenly broken wide open as we were hit with an avalanche of new books, promised books, and barely-begun books with one thing in common: Disapproval of David Miscavige's brand of Scientology. After the jump, we'll tell you about the book that legendary cult-busting attorney Paul Mo ... More >>

Scientology Wins a Major Award Again! Galaxy Press Vindicated!

Last June, we told you about how proudly Scientology crowed in its press releases that it had won "Telly Awards" for some of its DVDs. We went on to explain that it's kind of difficult not to win a Telly, which gives away thousands of awards to up to about a quarter of the businesses that bother t ... More >>

L. Ron Hubbard in his Own Words: Mr. Charisma?

In March, we brought you excerpts from this year's big LRH Birthday Event held in Clearwater, Florida. We'd been sent a copy of the three-hour presentation, and pulled out what we felt were the best portions to share with you. In the time since, we're kind of surprised that a full version of the vi ... More >>

Kate Bornstein's Amazing Voyage

America's gender outlaw takes us on a wild tour of trans-formation

Sunday Funnies: LRH Gets an Answer from Tricky Dick!

We've shuffled up our schedule a bit here in the underground bunker -- it was either that, or the cats would be dining on our corpse with the klaxons going off for weeks before we were discovered. Now that things are a bit more relaxed, we can take in the past week with a Sunday morning warm beverag ... More >>

VIDEO: Proof that L. Ron Hubbard Was the Most Awesome Human Being Ever

Just a few weeks after the Scientologists at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida experienced it for themselves, here it is: video from this year's L. Ron Hubbard birthday event. On March 13, LRH would have turned 101 years old (if he hadn't so wisely dropped his meat body in 1986 to research hig ... More >>

Scientology 451: Commenters of the Week!

We used the news from Russia this week as an excuse to mix up a shaker of vodka martinis. After quite a few glasses garnished with olives, we got a bit lightheaded, but we never felt the desire to ban L. Ron Hubbard's books. This was a strange week of Scientology news around the world, but we kept ... More >>

Battlefield Earth: Still Making the World Safe From Scientology Nearly 12 Years Later

Last night, I noticed this excerpt from a Canadian interview show, and boy, did it bring back memories. It's a priceless reaction by actor Kim Coates when he's asked about Battlefield Earth by CBC show host George Stroumboulopoulos (who mercifully goes by "Strombo"). I mean, imagine having that mov ... More >>

Scientology Sunday Funnies: RON the Encyclopedia -- Get Yours Now!

Scientologists don't really have a Sunday service. They like to say that they do, because they crave mainstream acceptance. But unless Xenu rested after six days and L. Ron Hubbard just forgot to mention it, there's no reason for Scientologists to treat Sunday any differently than every other day of ... More >>

Scientology on the High Seas: Hubbard Claims Victory Over the U.S. Navy

In November we started a new feature here on Fridays: the Voice has obtained hundreds of copies of L. Ron Hubbard's previously unpublished "Orders of the Day," which he gave to crew members as he sailed the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Our documents cover the period from late 1968 through 1971, a ... More >>

Scientology's Writers of the Future Contest: Troubling Ties to Abuse in the Church

On the eve of L. Ron Hubbard's 101st birthday, we have a story which brings together several themes we've been dealing with here lately -- Scientology's alleged abuses, its "secular" front groups, and its attempts to promote the reputation of its founder. In February, I noticed an interesting blog ... More >>

Scientology on the High Seas: A Bunch of Dope Smokers, Say the Greeks!

In November we started a new feature here on Fridays: the Voice has obtained hundreds of copies of L. Ron Hubbard's previously unpublished "Orders of the Day," which he gave to crew members as he sailed the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Our documents cover the period from late 1968 through 1971, a ... More >>

Scientology Counterattack: Commenters of the Week!

There's been so much enturbulation in the underground bunker lately, it's been hell on the cats, who just want to catch up on their sleep. So we installed one of those kitty hi-rises this week and it was an instant hit. The little carnivores are remaining more calm in their tiny carpeted condos whil ... More >>

Scientology and the Occult: Hugh Urban's New Exploration of L. Ron Hubbard and Aleister Crowley

The Rosy Cross, appropriated in a similar form by Crowley and OTO​Last June, we brought you the first review of The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion by Ohio State professor Hugh Urban, and then the first interview with the good professor himself. During that interview, Urban ... More >>

Scientology's Secret Ranch: Where LRH Will Reincarnate?

Last week, we had a bit of fun publishing detailed maps to Scientology's super-secret underground vault locations. The vaults are the project of the Church of Spiritual Technology, a hush-hush entity inside Scientology that owns the trademarks and copyrights to L. Ron Hubbard's works, and that digs ... More >>

5 Biggest Lies in Scientology's 2-Minute TV Ad

We keep seeing Twitter reactions as people are stunned to see a 2-minute ad for Scientology show up on network television. We've written earlier about the negative reactions the ad is getting as it appeared during NFL playoff games, the Miss America pageant, the Golden Globes, and during such weekly ... More >>

Death of a Scientologist: Why Annie Broeker, Famous in the Church, Had to Die in Secret

​Last June, a 55-year-old woman named Ann Tidman died in an apartment in Hollywood. Her own sisters, who suspected that she was ill, did not learn about Tidman's death until just a few weeks ago. They had tried to get information about her, but Tidman herself -- and the church she belonged to ... More >>

Scientology's "Super Power Rundown:" What is it, Anyway?

Prepare to unleash your super self! Secrets ahead!​On Monday and Tuesday, we released previously unseen renderings and architectural drawings of what Scientology's $100 million "Flag Mecca" -- also known as the "Super Power Building" -- is going to look like when it finally opens. (The buildin ... More >>

Scientology: Secrets of the Super Power Building

The Voice has obtained hundreds of new renderings of Scientology's Super Power Building in Clearwater, Florida, as well as a comprehensive collection of its architectural drawings. [Go here for our primer: What is Scientology? Update: More renderings of the building's odder features. And we reveal p ... More >>

Scientology in Turmoil: Debbie Cook's E-Mail, Annotated

Since news broke Sunday of Debbie Cook's stunning e-mail, sent to thousands of her fellow Scientologists, word of a serious rift inside the church has been appearing in many news outlets, particularly in Europe. In the meantime, we provided additional depth and context about Debbie Cook, her career, ... More >>

What is Scientology?

L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology's founder​Although we've written hundreds of articles about Scientology over the years, and other news organizations have contributed hundreds more -- not to mention the numerous books, television programs, and countless websites dedicated to the subject -- without ... More >>

Scientology Infusion: Commenters of the Week!

"This Will guy is so cool! I can't wait to tell Dave."​We're still taking your votes for Scientology Story of the Year, and in general, things here in the underground bunker are frenetic as we prepare for year-end festivities. We also managed to keep the beat going this week with some interest ... More >>

Hey, Scientology Celebrity, Here's Your Media Training Checksheet!

Our readers send us the most wonderful things. By e-mail and snail mail, our far-flung correspondents put in our hands Scientology's tasteless fundraising mailers (which we use in our recurring Sunday Funnies posts), they send us over-the-top glossy Scientology magazines, and of course they send us ... More >>

Paulette Cooper, Scientology's Original and Worst Nightmare: A Thanksgiving Tribute by the Village Voice

[UPDATE: Think Scientology spying and harassment is a thing of the past? Check out our new story about how the church even spies on its most prominent member, Tom Cruise.] I couldn't think of a better way to give thanks this year than to pay homage to the woman who was there first, paid the highest ... More >>

L. Ron Hubbard Christens the Apollo 43 Years Ago Today: For The First Time, His "Orders of the Day"

​ For you Scientology watchers and Scientology history buffs, we think we have something very special for you today. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard sailed around the Mediterranean in a small armada of vessels, going from port to port. Each day, he issued ... More >>

Scientology Apotheosis: Commenters of the Week!

Well, this was a week we've been looking forward to for some time here in the underground bunker. And now that we've finally finished our big countdown, there's a slight feeling of letdown here at Scientology-watching central. Even the cats are listless. But let's look back at a week that was. We s ... More >>

The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 2: David Miscavige

On August 5, we started a countdown that will give credit -- or blame -- to the people who have contributed most to the sad current state of Scientology. From its greatest expansion in the 1980s, the church is a shell of what it once was and is mired in countless controversies around the world. Some ... More >>

The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 1: L. Ron Hubbard

On August 5, we started a countdown that will give credit -- or blame -- to the people who have contributed most to the sad current state of Scientology. From its greatest expansion in the 1980s, the church is a shell of what it once was and is mired in countless controversies around the world. Some ... More >>

Scientology Never Forgets: A Telemarketing Holiday Miracle

"I'm a little bit out of the loop on that."​Fellow Scientology watchers, for this holiday Sunday I have a little nugget I thought you might find interesting. I'll be curious to see, in the comments, how significant you find this item -- just a fun diversion, or maybe a bit more portentious? A ... More >>

The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 22: Jamie DeWolf

​On August 5, we started a countdown that will give credit -- or blame -- to the people who have contributed most to the sad current state of Scientology. From its greatest expansion in the 1980s, the church is a shell of what it once was and is mired in countless controversies around the worl ... More >>

Scientology's Anti-Commie, Space Opera Beginnings, and Other Nuggets From New Academic Book

​There's a new academic treatise on Scientology coming out this September, and it's a very welcome addition to the literature surrounding L. Ron Hubbard's odd organization. Hugh B. Urban, Ohio State University religious studies professor, has given us, in his Princeton University Press tome, ... More >>

Scientology: The Now Religion!

​Clip Job: an excerpt every day from the Voice archives. December 17, 1970, Vol. XV, No. 51 Scientology: The Now Religion By Donald M. Kaplan The true measures of the false prophet are an unrelenting certainty and a staggering income. The immediate impression of L. Ron Hubbard, the prophet ... More >>

The Church of Scientology does not want you to see L. Ron Hubbard's woman-hatin' book chapter

​ The trouble with having a religion founded by a crazy writer is that crazy writers tend to write crazy shit. Traditionally, the Church of Scientology has handled this by making access to the craziest of L. Ron Hubbard's jabberings a reward you might earn in exchange for having blown thousand ... More >>

Proof that Scientology Works!

Here she is, folks. The product of L. Ron Hubbard's planet-clearing technology! The sparkling, superhuman Tammy Gardner, newly minted OT VIII! OK, for you doubters out there, Tammy is the promised "clear" that Hubbard talked about way back when he introduced his idea of Dianetics in 1950. See, th ... More >>

Publisher Stays Mum on Author's Founding of Scientology

Back-Door Messiah? New L. Ron Hubbard Publishers Don't Mention Scientology

Will Smith Shows Off Scientology Brainwashing

Scientology's Crushing Defeat

A previously unpublished saga of an $8 million check

Cracked on L. Ron Hubbard's Most Impressive Lies (Besides Scientology)

Sean Bell and Anonymous Protesters Join Forces in Midtown

Mystery Scientology Theater

They came from within: How War of the Worlds anticipated the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard