Scientology: Christmas Comes Early with TWO New Books on Hubbard's Wacky Cabal

•  Well you tried to Terryeo, but then you got yourself and your "churches" computers banned from Wikipedia.

• I would have to disagree with you, Gary. The post writer is showing acknowledgment of Scientology's world recognition. There are always writers who spread their misconceptions to others.

• I agree Gary, every cultural reference to the cult is mockery at this point. Each article, even their PR puff pieces is now deluged with critics and entheta. The three generations of critics that made this possible need to be acknowledged.

• Sure, and may I suggest some eye-catching titles for future authors on this topic: The Cult of Brainwashed Ronbots, Scientology Next Stop Teegeeack, the L. Ron Hubbard Story Stranger than fiction, the story of the fascist space cult of Scientology How Xenu the Evil Galactic Alien Ate Hollywood Scientology: Astounding Science Fiction  or Brainwashing? A balanced view by Dr. Nuclear P. Crackpot Color Me Scientology Cuckoo -- the Nancy Cartwright Story Dummies for Scientology, by the Hollywood Collective For Ron Foundation of Galactic Critical Thinking; a think tank and swim club unrelated to the Church of Scientology, but dedicated to the global obliteration of psychiatry. Just the facts Xenu, I'm headed to the Van Allen belt for some sun. (A factual account of Scientology as related by L. Ron Hubbard aboard the SS Implant, his research space vessel now refueling and undergoing a gasket refit on Venus.) Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scientology* (*But Were Too Sane to Ask)

• "REPEATEDLY STATED IT WAS NOT A RELIGION!" Very true that!  It was never meant to be one.  Only when the FBI and the Food & Drug Administration raided their D.C. organization did they, almost instantly, show the trappings of religiosity.  At the time all staff viewed it as a joke.  They had been practicing medicine without a license and didn't want government interference.   But it was NEVER meant to be religious! 

• It's really tough to swallow when someone says, "Scientology is a religion" and then proceeds to treat it as such. Especially considering that the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, REPEATEDLY STATED IT WAS NOT A RELIGION! I mean, who you gonna believe? The founder, or some guy studying the subject? Also, Reitman has some lovely bedtime stories about a girl named Lisa McPherson. Can't wait!

• Awesome.  Keep reporting on it, Tony!!

• Things are getting SO DELICIOUS. And the best part? Because of all the publicity and negative PR Scientology has gotten over the past 3+ years, it will be MUCH HARDER  for them to sue the authors and publishers of these books. It will only add more to their problems. But this is Scientology we're talking about. Their strategy is to attack, so of course they probably will. Not that it will have much effect.

• Maybe Tony O could do it, he's a great investigative writer, with a huge popular following.  Also, since the cult has been exposed, there's no risk to speaking freely.

• The last academic book about the cult, a collection of essays about Scientology by Oxford U. Press, was a bloody bore. I hope Urban's is better. I just read an interview with him where he takes the view of Scientology being a religion, rather than a simulacrum (fake) religion as most sane people (even academics), believe. I know he's not like Melton, but he's no Kent. I don't think  Urban's observations/revelations are as deep as a about a half dozen people on ESMB, who lived this charade, and then woke up. The Scientology experience isn't something anyone can bind up in a book neatly. People reveal their pain, come to new understanding, bit by bit, in the course of discussing it with others openly, like on ESMB. It takes some of them years. I don't really care how much I like so-and-so's book. What I want now is for a writer with the skill, popularity, and determination to make a book that will be of major interest to the general public by bringing out the abuses and weirdness of Scientology. I hope Janet has done it. If I could choose someone to do it? Margaret Atwood, to write Astra Woodcraft's story, or the story of her family. The best story in this cult, is what it does to people, and not in "it's a blast, bada bing" Tom Cruise kind of way.

• I just looked up Hugh B Urban, his background, including all previous coverage of Scientology,  Check it out before you label him as academic, and use it in the negative sense.  I hadn't heard about this one either.   Oh my    And the there will be that movie coming out before you know it.  I need more dark chocolate (reading food) and then popcorn (movie food). 

• What the remaining members don't seem to realize is that they have created their own opponents.  Until they discover and come to terms with the fact that scientology has a dark side and that the founder and particularly the current management have secrets, the organization will remain a shriveled corpse with lipstick.

•  I think you rush to judgment on Professor Urban's book, he's solidly in the critic camp from way back when and seemingly had moved onto to bigger and better things after his turn of being raked thru the flaming coals by the cult lackeys. The fact that he came back around to revisit the topic of Scientology after he seemed long gone is pretty significant imo. And i personally think his "balanced view" will be incredibly valuable to have in book form, especially with the credentials of princeton press behind it. I also suspect we've rounded a bend in the road with his book, and here's hoping Hugh ushers in the age of academics putting Scientology under the microscope with little to no fear of crushing opposition that is intended to "utterly destroy" their lives in every way possible for stating the facts.

• Great article, Tony.  Another expose on the cult will be gobbled up by the public. I wonder where Lou-anne is ........she's usually first in line to comment(or rather troll ).....and claim the virtues of her dying cult. Well, looks like she's MIA.......isn't that an RPF-able offense???

• I can't wait.  I know Janet will be speaking in the L.A. area later this year about her book.

• Pretty soon there will be more scientology investigation books than there are actual scientologists!!  At that point, it would be nice if all the empty buildings the "church" is buying (by fleecing their remaining members) would pay property and corporate taxes!

• Many people have fought this.  Many cry for justice. Justice is coming. The Church of Scientology has even taken to lying about cool people --- people so cool the world has to wonder...HUH?! Tinkerbell is an SP??   Who knew. ;-)

• Academics do tend to stay in their heads. Unfortunately, the diabolical duplicity and travesties perpetrated by Scientology are so mind-boggling and non-intuitive, they tax the mind of anyone who has not experienced it first hand and made it out alive with integrity intact.  The very problem is that the Help part is shiny sterling, but what goes on underneath is heinous and masked.  Scientology is much like someone handing you a booklet that says "Thou shalt not kill" with one hand, then plunging a dagger into someone's back with the other. Nonetheless, an academic might offer some interesting facts.

• Love it! Looks like I'll more material to read out loud to the Scilons at the local Org.  

• Another expose? Wonderful! When it rains, it pours! how many members do you suppose they have left? Only the ones that can't read, i suspect! Amazon, here i come!

• Tony, thanks for the heads up. Will order today. Should be fun.

• From the blurb on the Urban book: "Few religious movements have been subject to public scrutiny like Scientology, yet much of what is written about the church is sensationalist and inaccurate." Oh BS! Hubbard can be heard on tapes (on YOUTUBE) talking about smoking more being a cancer preventative, telling his loony Xenu story, and expounding on the last 4 quadrillion years. Hubbard was a sensationalist and inaccurate loon. And there are many of his talks where he sounds like he is flying on amphetamines. I hate when academics take this "balanced" view, especially if they take too much of what Church officials say at face value. That's why I liked Wright's article. He carefully eviscerated their bull. However, I'm looking forward to both books, especially Reitman's. Someone needed to take off from where Russell Miller left off; when Miscavige took over, and the impact of the information age on this farce. Reitman should have used a volcano with Xenu peeking out for the cover. With the present cover, I would put a brown paper cover over it if reading it on the subway, because I wouldn't want anyone to mistake my reading a book with that title, for someone interested in joining Scientology to find answers.

• Tony;  yes, your toil, and that of many others over the years is paying off, little by little. In Friday's National Post Newspaper (one of Canada's two national papers) an article on a new Hyundai Hybrid vehicle was described as:"At the very least, getting behind the wheel of Hyundai's Sonata Hybrid doesn't feel like the automotive equivalent of converting to Scientology." Large segments of the world have begun to understand the situation with the cult and are at least able to regard it as a diabolical joke. All signs now point to world citizens coming to understand that it's much worse than a joke, even a diabolical joke. It's what we get if we permit a large whack of "crazy" mixed in with pure "evil." Thank you for the tip on the new book by Hugh B. Urban. Summer reading, here we come!

TotalComments: 23