L. Ron Hubbard

Voice Readers Raise Thousands For Couple That Refused to Spy for Scientology

We've always been suckers for the final scene of It's a Wonderful Life. No matter how many times we see it, we tear up at the sight of George Bailey's friends coming to his aid in his time of need, proving to him that he really is the richest man in town. Over the last couple of days, we watched so ... More >>

Scientology's Obsession With Hollywood Proving Costly In Its Time of Crisis

In 1955, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard announced "Project Celebrity," coming up with a list of Hollywood stars he wanted his followers to treat as "game" to hunt down for the church. And while Hubbard didn't succeed in bagging Danny Kaye, Sid Caesar, or Liberace (!), his organization did event ... More >>

Scientology's Homophobia: Even the Church's Token Gay Guy Was Disgusted

One of Scientology's enduring mysteries is that it has attracted Hollywood stars when it has such a reputation for homophobia. The sexual orientation of its top celebrities is always a matter of popular speculation, and even those with the barest understanding of Scientology seem to know that if cel ... More >>

Scientology's Recruitment Film: The Version They Don't Want You to See

On Sunday, we wrote about our trip to Scientology's New York "org." We were invited inside to see a short movie about the origin of L. Ron Hubbard's 1950 book, Dianetics. An alert reader noticed that a film fitting our description could be found on YouTube and brought it to our attention. Yes! This ... More >>

"Tom Cruise Worships David Miscavige Like a God": The John Brousseau Story, Part Two

Yesterday, we published the first part of our conversation with John Brousseau, a 32-year veteran of Scientology's "Sea Org" who escaped from the church's International Base east of Los Angeles in 2010. In our first part, Brousseau described his work in the Tom Cruise household with Katie Holmes an ... More >>

Breaking Away from the Church of Scientology: Reading Marty Rathbun's Manifesto

Between 2004 and 2007, Scientology experienced several defections by high-ranking executives who later wrote books about breaking away from what they characterized as a dangerous and pathological organization. But for many of us who watch Scientology, it is one defector in particular whose story we ... More >>

Scientology Gets a Smooch from the L.A. Times

In 1990, just before he and his colleague Joel Sappell were about to publish a landmark series exposing Scientology's secrets in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Welkos found that someone had placed in a manila envelope against his home's front door a brochure from a mortuary, encouraging him to plan h ... More >>

SCIENTOLOGY TV: FALL LINEUP REVEALED!

Last year, the Church of Scientology bought the studios that had been the home for KCET, the public television station in Los Angeles. Now, news organizations are reporting that Scientology plans to use the facility for its own TV station, and broadcast the way other religions do. So far, however, ... More >>

Scientology Marriage Counseling Comes Down to This: "What Have You Done to Tom?"

Since news of the Katie Holmes-Tom Cruise divorce filing broke last week, media outlets have been scrambling to put together basic information about Scientology, which appears to be central to the couple's split. We couldn't help notice that numerous news organizations have been relying on Scientol ... More >>

The Master Gets Its Scientology On in 2nd Trailer

The second trailer to Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming film The Master was just released, and this time we get a look at Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams along with Joaquin Phoenix. We gave PTA credit for being wily with his first trailer -- for years, we've all been waiting to see how much The ... More >>

Scientology Book Bonanza! Jeff Hawkins Delivers, and More Reasons for Librarians to Hide

Friday, we told you about a spate of new books on Scientology that are in various states of publication. We're happy to say that there's even more on the way, and we wanted to highlight one you can get into your e-book reader right now. If you read our stories about Scientology, you've seen how muc ... More >>

How You Can Help a Film About Kate Bornstein Happen (Plus: Scientology Sunday Funnies!)

Filmmaker Sam Feder has opened Kickstarter funding for a documentary about recent Village Voice cover gal Kate Bornstein. Go to Sam's page to find out how you can help finish the project!

VIDEO: Dianetics Day 2012! See People Who Can't Wait to Go "Clear"!

Our tipsters continue to funnel us the best Scientology material at a rapid rate. May 9 was Dianetics Day -- 62 years since the day in 1950 when L. Ron Hubbard first published Scientology's Ur-text, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health -- and already we have in our hot little hands the vid ... More >>

Scientology: Kiwi Reporter Puts Lisa Marie Presley On the Spot; Playboy Blows Tom Cruise

On Sunday, we broke the news that the lyrics to Lisa Marie Presley's song "So Long" -- from her new album Storm and Grace -- contained an even more obvious message that she was leaving Scientology than the one we perceived in the single she released in advance of the album a month ago, "You Ain't Se ... More >>

David Edgar Love: "I Think I Have Scientology By The Balls"

When I talked to David Edgar Love by Skype at his Montreal apartment Wednesday evening, he sounded exhausted -- he'd had only an hour of sleep in the past two days. "I'm pretty tired. I was up until about 5 this morning, then I had mnql1 wake me up at 6 and had that radio interview," he says, cred ... More >>

Writers of the Future, Today! Scientology Gets Its Party On

Oh my, do we have a treat for you today. For several weeks now, we've been reporting on the "L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future" contest. For several years, certain writers have questioned the connection between the contest and Scientology, which owns and operates it. And recently ... More >>

Nancy Cartwright and Karen Black Announced For 'Writers of the Future' Gala -- a Direct Response to the Voice?

Last week, we brought you several moments from Scientology's big L. Ron Hubbard birthday event that was held on March 10 in Clearwater, Florida. Here's another few minutes from that celebration that we alluded to earlier, during which church leader David Miscavige uses the church's "Writers of the F ... More >>

Mike Rinder on "The Hole," Indoctrination, Confessions, and His Ultimate Escape

For years, Mike Rinder was the Church of Scientology's chief spokesman and executive director of the Office of Special Affairs, its intelligence wing. In 2007, his defection was among the most surprising in an exodus of high-ranking officials from the church. Since then, he's given several interview ... More >>

Scientology's Concentration Camp: Where Can Miscavige Put "The Hole" Now?

As we wait for the next development in the Church of Scientology's lawsuit against its former employee, Debbie Cook, we continue to think about something the church told ABC for its recent Nightline story on the case... "In a letter to ABC News, a lawyer for the Church of Scientology flat out denie ... More >>

Scientology's 'Writers of the Future' Contest Loses a Participant After Our Expose

In 2000, a quantum physicist in Ithaca, New York named Carl Frederick decided to try his hand at writing science fiction. Two years later, he was named a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. The next year, 2003, he did even better, winning a quarterly first prize for his sho ... More >>

Scientology Sunday Funnies: RON the Encyclopedia -- THE VIDEO!

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: Posing as Archaeology Students for the Sardinians

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 >>

Russia Still Going About Things All Wrong, and More in our Scientology Stats Roundup

Back in October, we reported that Russian law enforcement agents had raided a Church of Scientology in Moscow, breaking down doors to get into store rooms (see the photo at right). A court there had found L. Ron Hubbard's literature to be "extremist," and called for a ban on his books in Russia. Y ... More >>

Scientology Greenery: Commenters of the Week!

Note: We'll have a special St. Patrick's Day report at 1pm this afternoon. Please come back for that after you check out these comments of the week! We went to Mecca and back this week -- Scientology's Mecca that is, the town of Clearwater, Florida to celebrate L. Ron Hubbard's 101st birthday. And ... More >>

Scientology on the High Seas: Three Major Enemies Scalped!

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 Campout: Commenters of the Week!

It never seems to be a quiet week here in the underground bunker where we keep an eye on all things Scientology related. The cats had barely settled down from our brief trip to Texas when the bat signal on the Antipodean circuits went off, alerting us to an imminent bombshell. But let's not get ahe ... More >>

Scientology on the High Seas: "You Chilluns Will Get Shoes"

NOTE: This is our regularly-scheduled Friday morning feature about L. Ron Hubbard aboard the Apollo. Our second day of reporting from the Debbie Cook hearing begins soon. Please check back for that coverage. In November we started a new feature here on Fridays: the Voice has obtained hundreds of c ... More >>

Scientology's Secret Vaults: A Rare Interview With a Former Member of Hush-Hush "CST"

Over the years, we've talked to a lot of former Scientologists, many of whom worked at the church's secretive desert headquarters in Southern California, "Int Base." They were cut off from their families and the outside world, and became accustomed to living in secrecy. But even these people adopt ... More >>

Scientology: L. Ron Hubbard Still Surfing the Galaxy

Twenty-six years ago today, L. Ron Hubbard decided to leave his body after using it for 74 years. A young David Miscavige, a Sea Org member who behind the scenes had been clearing the way to become Hubbard's successor as leader of the Scientology movement, announced Hubbard's death to his followers ... More >>

Scientology Cruise Ship as Hellhole: The Ramana Dienes-Browning Story

Ramana Dienes-Browning and Iyana​Last week, Steve Cannane of Australia's ABC network and its program Lateline broke the story of Valeska Paris, a woman who says she was held against her will on Scientology's private cruise ship, the Freewinds, from 1996 to 2007. In that story, Cannane also ta ... More >>

Scientology Capsize: Commenters of the Week!

The scene here in the underground bunker is like the quiet after a major storm. A hurricane blew up out of the Caribbean this week and hit us square on. The place is a mess. The cats are skittish. But the excitement has finally died down a bit, the lights are low, the empty bottles have been cleared ... More >>

L. Ron Hubbard Schools Richard Nixon: Sailing on the Apollo Nov 27 - Dec 3

On November 18, 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 Mediterranean. Our documents cover the period from 1968 to 1971, and this time we're look ... More >>

Scientology vs. Pollution, a Lisbon Cocktail Party, and More: Sailing on the Apollo Nov. 20-26

Last week, 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 Mediterranean. Our documents cover the period from 1968 to 1971. In this installment, we're lo ... More >>

Philip Boyd, Saving Grace Actor, Rips "The Business That Is Scientology"

"If I could save one person from buying into the business that is Scientology, then it would be worth you writing my story." That's how actor Philip Boyd concluded an interview that I didn't even expect to happen. Let me back up: I'm in Southern California for a school visit, and with some free t ... More >>

Scientology Schweinehund: Commenters of the Week!

"Rathbun? I see nothing!"​We were feeling pretty whiplashed this week here at the underground bunker where we keep an eye on all things Scientology related -- on the one hand, our big countdown was really heating up, but we also needed to keep an eye on the big news breaking out in Germany, wh ... More >>

The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 10: Lisa McPherson

​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 Spies, its Prison System, and Training Jerry Seinfeld: The Spectacular Life of Nancy Many

​In both of the two major books about Scientology coming out this summer, Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology, and Hugh Urban's academic history, The Church of Scientology, we noticed that Nancy Many shows up multiple times. And no wonder: the former Scientologist has lived an amazing life. She ... More >>

Janet Reitman: An Interview with the Author of Inside Scientology

Janet Reitman​On Tuesday, we sat down with Janet Reitman, author of the terrific new book Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, which is just hitting bookstores and will be released officially in July. Inside Scientology is a masterful telling of the Scientology ... More >>

'Inside Scientology' Promises a Lot, And Delivers: David Miscavige Has Much to Worry About

​Next month, Janet Reitman's book Inside Scientology will hit bookshelves, and the world of Scientology-watching, and for Scientology itself, will never be the same. Subtitled The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, Reitman's book delivers all it promises, and it promises a lot. "It ... More >>

Inside Scientology Promises a Lot, and Delivers

David Miscavige Has Much to Worry About

Scientology Gets Fact Checked, Huffington Post Gets Overrated, Tea Party Gets a Magazine

via​Yesterday, we praised Lawrence Wright's cover story in The New Yorker, a 24,195-word mega-exposé about Hollywood writer/producer/director Paul Haggis' defection from the corrupt and crazy Church of Scientology after 35 years. Today, NPR's Fresh Air has a behind-the-scenes look at the maga ... More >>

Spectres of the Spectrum

The Eight Days of Scientology: A Christmas Carol for Our Enturbulated Times!

We thought 2008 was rough on Scientology, but this year has been even worse. So, in order to send some holiday cheer to COB* and the gang, we point you to this wonderful holiday ditty produced by the folks at Headzup.tv *That's Scieno-slang for "Chairman of the Board", a/k/a L. Ron Hubbard's min ... More >>

Scientology Gets Its Ass Kicked In the Desert

[Tommy Davis on the hot seat, from KESQ]SEE UPDATE, after the jump.Wise Beard Man tipped us recently that KESQ, a local television station in Palm Springs, California, has put together a pretty terrific 5-part investigation of Scientology.Why Palm Springs? Well, one of Scientology's stranger facilit ... More >>

Craig Baldwin's Mock Up and Mu Unlocks and Mocks the Mysteries of Scientology

The Voice's Most-Viewed Stories of 2008

Anons Go Unmasked at Latest Scientology Protest

What to Get L. Ron Hubbard for his Birthday

How “Anonymous” has changed the game of exposing Ron’s ruthless global scam