Religion

We Need a Young, Sexy Pope With a Great Brand and Killer Social Media Presence

Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world today when he announced that he will be resigning from his post on February 28th. Speaking in Latin to a group of cardinals, he said, "Before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise. ... More >>

If You Only Listen To One Luciferian Neo-Folk Band Influenced By Black Metal, Make It King Dude

As frontman of the incongruously named Seattle neo-folk trio King Dude, T.J. Cowgill crafts bleak ballads exploring the grand dichotomy of good and evil. His compelling imagery and narrative is informed by experience as a self-described Luciferian and acolyte of the occult. King Dude transposes much ... More >>

Nicole Kidman Will Talk About Bodily Fluids, But Not Scientology

While being interviewed for The Hollywood Reporter, Nicole Kidman was told that a recent issue of the same publication featured an excerpt from Going Clear, the book in which Scientology is blamed for her divorce from Tom Cruise. "I'll bet it is," she says before quickly looking at something else i ... More >>

Maccabeats

Hurricane Sandy Is New York's Katrina

Floods, fear, and FEMA failures

Scientology Watchers: A Message from Tony Ortega

Tony O goes Clear!To the readers of this blog... Today, Paul Thomas Anderson's movie The Master opens in a few theaters here, and the media reaction has been electric. We've all watched as interest in Scientology has skyrocketed this summer, and it seems to have reached some kind of culmination thi ... More >>

Scientology Chooses an Odd Time to Open a "National Affairs" Office in DC

Today at 6 pm, Scientology will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a building in Washington DC's Dupont Circle neighborhood. For the last couple of years, Scientology has opened "Ideal Orgs" -- fancy, superfluous new churches in cities around the world in an expensive ploy to make it look like the ... More >>

Scientology President's Son Died of Prescribed Methadone While Sick With Pneumonia

I talked earlier today to Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner of Los Angeles County, who tells me that he's ruling Alexander Jentzsch's death an accident. The 27-year-old son of Scientology president Heber Jentzsch was found dead on the morning of July 3 at the home of his in-laws. Winter has now d ... More >>

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 to Marc and Claire Headley: Spy For Us and We'll Forget the $43K You Owe

The Voice has obtained a remarkable document -- a letter from Scientology's attorneys which explains how the church would agree to forgive almost $43,000 in court costs if Marc and Claire Headley agree to turn over information about former Scientology executive Marty Rathbun and "others involved in ... More >>

Scientology and The Master

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 >>

EXCLUSIVE -- Paul Haggis On Scientology's Crude Retaliation: "They Are Bullying A Woman Who Has Yet To Even Speak"

The Voice received an e-mail this morning from Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis after we asked him about the Church of Scientology's attack on him and Nazanin Boniadi which appeared on Us Weekly's website yesterday. Over the weekend, Haggis spoke up to defend Boniadi -- who acted in his movie The ... More >>

The Voice Reads Maureen Orth's Story about Scientology in Vanity Fair

See also our Voice Exclusive: Paul Haggis reacts to Scientology's attack on Nazanin Boniadi We managed to find a copy of the new Vanity Fair today, and we've read Maureen Orth's story, "What Katie Didn't Know," about Tom Cruise and his Scientology-approved search for a new wife. As advertised, the ... 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 >>

The Secret to Eternal Youth! Now Available on the Cruise Ship Freewinds!

Scientology watchers, we have a treat for you this morning. This video has been making the rounds the last couple of days, and we can see why it's generating so much interest. Mike Napier, the captain of Scientology's private cruise ship, the Freewinds, stars in this film and tells us about the bene ... More >>

(2012's) Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, Nos. 14-16

Last summer, we put together a little list that took on a life of its own. We counted down the 25 people and groups who had been doing the most to get word out to the wider world about the Church of Scientology's many alleged abuses, and who have contributed to its steep recent decline. A year la ... More >>

Marty Rathbun: Scientology's Attorney "Supervised" Destruction of Records in Lisa McPherson Death

For the last year or more, Mark Bunker has been releasing short excerpts from his upcoming Scientology documentary Knowledge Report, and yesterday, he released a doozy. Bunker had told me that he'd interviewed former church executive Marty Rathbun, and in this excerpt, we see Rathbun addressing the ... More >>

(2012's) Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, Nos. 17-20

Last summer, we put together a little list that took on a life of its own. We counted down the 25 people and groups who had been doing the most to get word out to the wider world about the Church of Scientology's many alleged abuses, and who have contributed to its steep recent decline. A year la ... More >>

ISABELLA CRUISE CONSIDERS JOINING SCIENTOLOGY'S 'SEA ORG' AFTER BOYFRIEND SIGNS UP

The Voice has learned that Tom Cruise's daughter, Isabella, announced on a private Facebook page this week that her boyfriend Eddie Frencher signed Scientology's billion-year "Sea Org" contract about a week ago and is now going through its "Estates Project Force" boot camp in Los Angeles. Isabella t ... More >>

Scientology's Grip on the Mind: An Ex-Sea Org Member Explains It For Us

In December, we brought you the story of Melissa Paris, a former Scientologist who we got to know after her sister Valeska's stunning claims that she'd been a virtual prisoner on Scientology's private cruise ship from 1996 to 2007. Melissa had her own shocking tales of growing up in Scientology's " ... More >>

(2012's) Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 21 & 22

Last summer, we put together a little list that took on a life of its own. We counted down the 25 people and groups who had been doing the most to get word out to the wider world about the Church of Scientology's many alleged abuses, and who have contributed to its steep recent decline. Our list in ... More >>

Former President of Narconon Oklahoma Now Calls It "Watered-Down Version of Introductory Scientology"

A week ago, we reported that a former "employee" at Scientology's flagship drug treatment center in Oklahoma -- Narconon Arrowhead -- told us that the controversial center was delivering Scientology training rather than drug education, and that its officials have been concerned for years that its st ... More >>

The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology -- 2012 Edition!

In the doldrums of August last year, we put together a little list that took on a life of its own. We counted down the 25 people and groups who had been doing the most to get word out to the wider world about the Church of Scientology's many alleged abuses, and who have contributed to its steep rec ... More >>

Jason Beghe's Letter to Scientology Attorneys: Yes, I'll Settle Your $1 Million Lawsuit for $19K

Breaking news that will be of interest to Scientology watchers: just this afternoon, Jason Beghe's lawyer notified church attorneys Gary Soter and Kendrick Moxon in a letter that the actor is accepting their offer to settle a lawsuit for $19,000. After the jump, we have that letter for you. I talk ... More >>

Scientology's Oklahoma Nemesis, Bob Lobsinger: "They Lied Every Step of the Way"

On Saturday and Tuesday, we gave readers some background on the Scientology drug treatment center in Oklahoma -- called Narconon Arrowhead -- that is now the center of controversy after four recent deaths which are under investigation, three just since October. Tonight, a report by Rock Center's H ... More >>

Scientology Sunday Funnies: Bowl With The Valley Girls!

And here we thought the Ideal Org caper was winding down. An alert reader guided us to this video, which shows that the clever gals at the Operating Thetan Committee of Scientology's San Fernando Valley Celebrity Centre (CC OTC) know how to get the membership pumped up for some of that endless fun ... More >>

Scientology Drug Program Narconon's Licensing "Extremely Vulnerable" After Oklahoma Deaths, Says Insider

Scientology is facing crises on several fronts: flagging membership, internal schisms, relentless Internet exposure, and whole new levels of public consciousness and mocking because of a celebrity divorce and an upcoming movie with Oscar buzz. But perhaps the most surprising component of the church ... More >>

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 >>

Over a Thousand Mourn at Union Square Vigil for Wisconsin's Sikh Temple Shooting

More than a thousand gathered by candlelight last night in Union Square in turbans, bandanas or scarves. Many held up signs: "I Am A Sikh," and "All-American. All Sikh." Others held up the faces of the six Sikhs killed in Sunday's Oak Creek, Wisconsin Sikh temple massacre: Prakash Singh, 39; Sita Si ... More >>

VOICE EXCLUSIVE -- VH1'S Mimi Faust On Scientology: "At 13, They Told Me I Was a Freeloader"

Oluremi "Mimi" Faust is one of the stars of VH1's popular show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, which runs on Monday nights. A week ago, Mimi stunned the show's largely African-American audience when she revealed that she had been abandoned at 13 by her mother, who was a Scientologist. With the help of ou ... 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 >>

Neo-Nazis Next Door? Here's a List of New York's Hate Groups

When details began emerging about the Oak Creek, Wis. massacre, reports indicated that the suspected shooter, Wade Michael Page, was a white supremacist and had played in a neo-Nazi band called "End Apathy." The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, had been keeping tabs on Page s ... More >>

Sikh Temple Shooting: What You Need To Know About The Wisconsin Massacre (UPDATE)

Yesterday morning, a gunman entered a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis. and opened fire on congregants, killing six and wounding three -- including a police officer who is in critical condition. Since the incident, additional details have emerged about the crime. Here's what we know so far...

Movie Night at Scientology's New York "Org": The Village Voice Gets Proselytized!

The image you see here means a lot to us at the underground bunker, where we keep an eye on all things Scientology related. And on this lazy Sunday morning, we hope you'll indulge us as we attempt to explain what it represents. Andreas Heldal-Lund, meet Chill EB. Chill, meet the devil.

Chick Corea, Heber Jentzsch, Ingo Swann, and Scientology's 1977 OT Summit!

Scientology has been rocked by so much bad news lately, with all of the divorces and disappearances and defections and schisms and death investigations and torture programs and unnatural relationships and forced abortions and space opera and weird kids and weirder movies, we thought it might be tim ... More >>

Mimi Faust's Mother, Olaiya Odufunke: Her Life in Scientology's Secret Service

Monday night, Mimi Faust revealed on VH1's Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta that she had been abandoned at 13 by a mother who chose Scientology over her own children. By Tuesday morning, we had identified Mimi's mother, Olaiya Odufunke, who died in 2003. And now, we have a photograph of Olaiya (on the left, ... More >>

Scientology's Concentration Camp for Its Executives: The Prisoners, Past and Present

This weekend, we published a two-part story about the rather amazing 32-year Scientology career of John Brousseau, whose adventures included driving for L. Ron Hubbard, spending time in the Sea Org's prison program the RPF, and working in the Cruise household with Tom and Katie Holmes. What seemed ... More >>

Watch Mimi Faust Talk about Losing Her Mother to Scientology

One of our tipsters put together for us this portion of Monday night's Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta that features Mimi Faust talking about her mother choosing Scientology over her own children. In this scene, you see her dealing with what is still deeply felt trauma over being abandoned at only 13 years ... More >>

Mimi Faust on Scientology: "They Wanted Me To Sign a Contract To Work For Them And I Refused"

We noticed a lot of people talking about a "Mimi" and Scientology tonight on Twitter, and eventually figured out all the fuss was about reality TV star Oluremi "Mimi" Faust on VH1's show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. The rebroadcast just happened, so we got a chance to see what Mimi had to say about how ... 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 >>

"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 >>

Scientology's Worlds Colliding: Bert Leahy and David Edgar Love Together in Oklahoma on August 25!

To even begin to explain why it's significant that a Texas man named Bert Leahy and a Montreal man named David Edgar Love are going to meet up in the godforsaken town of Canadian, Oklahoma on August 25 would probably strain most news organizations. But we have an advantage: Bert Leahy and David Lov ... More >>

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's Split Becomes an Advertisement (Also, Guide to Our Scientology Archives!)

Southampton, England-based P&O Cruises put this advertisement in a newspaper somewhere, and it was naturally posted to the web. We can't decide, however, if P&O understood just how brilliant its advertisement is, as it not only riffs on Tom Cruise's name, but it also recalls one of Scientology's b ... 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 >>

Methadone Found Near Alexander Jentzsch's Body; LAPD Says Natural Death Or Overdose Likely

I just got off the phone with Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department, who is overseeing the detectives handling the investigation into the death of Alexander Jentzsch. He just gave me this statement about the police department's understanding of the case so far: "While I understand pe ... More >>

Neil Gaiman, 7, Interviewed About Scientology by the BBC in 1968

Former Scientologist Patty Moher was going through her collection of old church magazines and other materials when she spotted something pretty remarkable. I visited her this weekend at a gathering of other ex-Scientologists and Scientology researchers, and several of us marveled at her find. It w ... 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 >>

After Voice Story, Scientology President Heber Jentzsch Calls Brother To Complain

Friday morning, the Voice published an interview with David Jentzsch, 80, who said that it's been more than three years since he's heard any word from his brother, Heber Jentzsch, 76, the president of the Church of Scientology. As we've been reporting, Heber, although he's been the president of the ... More >>

Scientology President Heber Jentzsch Told His Brother: "I'll Never Get Out of Here Alive" ALSO: Alex Jentzsch's Last Phone Call?

David Jentzsch, 80, tells me that the last time he spoke to his brother Heber, 76, was about three years ago. And at that time he urged his younger brother to break out of Scientology's International Base near Hemet, California. "He said, 'I don't think I can ever get out of here.' But I told him, ... More >>