He’s a brave guy.

For an organization that likes to style itself a Church. Scientology has some horrific policies for dealing with anyone who dares to speak out against them.

People who’ve criticized them previously, have been framed for terrorist offences (Google “Operation Freakout”), suffered attempted assassination in staged hit and runs (former Clearwater Mayor Gabriel Cazares), and none of this is malicous gossip. It all comes from documents seized by the FBI when they raided this so-called Church.

It’s a deeply sinister self-help scam, that has used “religious image checklists” to ensure that they receive the protection rightly afforded to bona-fide religions.

I have nothing but respect for this man. He will know full well the risk he’s taking, and will also know, that the most sensitive and embarrassing information he gave to the organization during years of “spiritual counselling,” will now be culled and spread amongst his friends and employers in an attempt to discredit him.

If you ever wondered why so few people choose to publicly criticize this group. You now know the reason…

Posted by: Terreyo at April 16, 2008 4:30 PM

Looks like the criticism of Scientology is finally reaching a tipping point. It's all going to come crashing down soon. Let's just hope there's no Jim Jones to bring about a different kind of finale.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 16, 2008 4:35 PM

Message to Scientology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCbKv9yiLiQ

We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not Forgive.
We do not Forget.

Posted by: Doc Holiday at April 16, 2008 4:58 PM

So sick & tired of the "Church" word being used by these jerks. They are a money-making, scam-promoting...CULT. Period.

Posted by: Tom at April 16, 2008 6:06 PM

As a Scientologist, I just have to commend Jason on his courage and honesty in speaking out about this organization's deception and greed.

People like myself and Terryeo among others have been trying to expose the truth about Scientology, but our efforts are constantly undermined by the active suppression of agents of the OSA.

Beware the OSA - Scientology's Office of Special Affairs, a clandestine group within the organization that operates to discredit criticism of the CoS using all methods. They play dirty, setting up operatives to harrass critics, file false police reports, and even harm pets (yes, they do that.)

Hopefully Jason's high profile celebrity cannot be messed with, and he must have had a pretty clean file to avoid the usual blackmail tactics, but people like myself and Terryeo who are working to expose the truth about the CoS are being actively suppressed right now.

Thank you, Jason, for helping us spread the truth about this nefarious, greedy and abusive organization.

bgodley, with eyes wide open, thanks to Anonymous

Posted by: bgodley at April 16, 2008 6:35 PM

That interview worry me more and more about Tom Cruise (& Co) who looks beated down and depressed (he won't admit it because that doesn't exist for him) all the time. He needs some help. Thanks Jason, go for it.
Unfortunatly I doubt Miscavige will let Tom go. Poor Tom!
Thanks again Jason and WBM!

Posted by: Antoinette at April 16, 2008 6:52 PM

Jason Beghe is a courageous man. More people in his industry should be warning people off this cult. Bravo to Mr. Beghe!

Posted by: Anonymous at April 16, 2008 7:04 PM

Also Village Voice is pretty brave to be printing, me thinks.

Posted by: Anonymous at April 16, 2008 7:05 PM

How does Scientology not fit the mold of a church? You've heard of the Spanish Inquisition or the Crusades or Intifada, haven't you?

Posted by: K at April 16, 2008 7:13 PM

I love Jason Beghe for speaking out about this dangerous cult, its documented anti-gay stance, and its abuses. I do wish, however, that he used a bit less profanity so that it could reach a larger audiences. A lot of people are going to be turned away, thinking he's just on a rant. A cogent, well-formed argument goes a long way.

Posted by: Anonymouse at April 16, 2008 8:40 PM

This has been asserted before. But the church denies this. Is there anymore evidence?

Posted by: Garrick at April 16, 2008 11:18 PM

The church clams that they discontinued the persecution of homosexuals. This is a lie. In the "policy letter" they often quote to claim they cancelled the policy towards homosexuals states at the bottom "Processing, not dicipline, is the only thing that eradicates aberration of such depth." In other words, instead of being punished for being gay, you'll simply have to pay for more auditing to "handle" your "aberration".

source, and policy letter:

http://forums.enturbulation.org/42-english-composition-only/letter-lgbt-organisations-6035/2/#post148206

Hubbard also stated, in Science of Survival : "Such people should be taken from the society as rapidly as possible and uniformly institutionalized; for here is the level of the contagion of immorality, and the destruction of ethics; here is the fodder which secret police organizations use for their filthy operations. One of the most effective measures of security that a nation threatened by war could take would be rounding up and placing in a cantonment"

arbeicht macht frei!

Posted by: psyborgue at April 16, 2008 11:55 PM

I know a few scientologists and they do indeed dislike homosexuals. They view it as a sickness that can (and should) be cured by studying Scientology.

Posted by: Donkey Punch at April 17, 2008 2:25 AM

I'm just stunned that anyone in this day and age would seek to blame anything on homosexuality, much less just *knowing* one. I always thought the church of scientology was just another kooky new-age religion, but this is just sickening. How could anyone living in an enlightened country think such a thing, much less as a matter of church policy??

I might just have to get one of those V for Vendetta masks and join the next protest. What a vile, reprehensible thing for a CHURCH of all things to say!

Posted by: Disbelief at April 17, 2008 6:45 AM

What Jason Beghe is doing to expose what really happens at Scientology Celebrity Centers across the world is not only important but long past due. The domino effect is occuring and the Cult of Scientology 's facade is fading fast. hal·le·lu·jah!!

Posted by: Mary McConnell at April 17, 2008 8:36 AM

Jason who? Who cares. This is pathetic. He's just on some rant. Boring and pointless.

Posted by: at April 17, 2008 8:37 AM

Poster above: Scientologist/OSA by any chance?

Posted by: hmmmm at April 17, 2008 9:07 AM

I must say 1 has awaken and so many more to go. Jason needs also to take measures of security cuz we all know what happens when someone speaks out against the church. "accidental death, suicide, harrasment, etc". The Devil is right you can be imortal just know the rest of your years will be very hot indeed. What a price to pay for short term superhuman powers, I will pray for all Scientologists to wake up out of there trance. The time is now, we as mankind should not stand for this or let things happen. The post i saw earlier about what HUBBARD said about "locking them away inistitutions", do not for 1 second think there are not up and running Consentration Camps in America waiting for the transition. Google it the info is there.

Posted by: HA HA HA at April 17, 2008 10:31 AM

I think this is the start of many celebrities that don't want history to remember them as the "idiot celebrities" that helped duped the naive public into a scam that ruined many lives and families. History is going to judge Tommy and his evil-elf-friend pretty harshly. Hubbard isn't writing THESE books... The average person that has even HEARD of Hubbard thinks of him as the used-car-salesman of clergy offering the public money-sucking-lemons....

Posted by: DominoFrost at April 17, 2008 10:53 AM

I have noticed over the past several years that scientology and actually quite a few other religions have jumped on a hate band wagon against the GLBT community as well as other minority groups. I know quite a few believers in some of these religions and they have quite a different view. However it almost appears that they are the rare breed amongst these hate filled religious organizations. These specific groups seem to be as far removed from the message of our Lord by leaps and bounds. A friend and I were talking the other day and we agreed that you barely can even recognize Chris in most Christian religions anymore. How sad that they have shanghaied their twisted beliefs and try and persuade people that it is the will of God. I hope that people who hear this can tell the difference between hatred and love!

Posted by: gaiboi66 at April 17, 2008 10:56 AM

Good for Jason! Those quacks need to be brought down. I think it is truly sad that people are lured into that sick, twisted cult. At the same time I find it quite hilarious. I am personally thinking of basing my life around Star Wars. Maybe if I take enough classes, I can become a full on Jedi Knight.

Posted by: mike at April 17, 2008 11:36 AM

The Village Voice should be commended for publishing this.

Years ago, my father lost his job when the publisher he wrote for was sued multiple times by the "church" of Scientology for printing a story written by a former Scientologist. The publisher was put out of business, not because it lost the lawsuits, but because court and lawyer costs bankrupted it.

Mr. Beghe should also be commended for his bravery. I hope both he and the Village Voice have a better experience with this criminal organization than my father did.

Posted by: Katelyn at April 17, 2008 9:31 PM

The next report from The Voice needs to be about how as soon as Mark Bunker got the full Beghe material posted, YouTube pulled his account.

While YT pulls a lot of accounts due to complaints that can come from almost anywhere, the timing of this makes it clear that they had to have been subject to some kind of mass action, where the Scientology OSA logged in under hundreds of accounts and complained with all of them. And YT, rather than question the suspicious nature of the complaints, simply bent like the wind. At a time when the mass media was getting the public at large to look for those videos, to uncover the TRUTH of a dangerous cult.

Shame on YouTube. All they needed to do was stay informed of what was going on. Its not like the complaints have ANY basis to keep the account down. It's just that the timing will keep a lot of eyes off the Beghe interview and defuse the story.

Posted by: Wiley at April 18, 2008 2:24 AM

SAVE KATIE

Posted by: Spicy at April 18, 2008 3:28 PM

I was a scientologist for a lot of years. Wow, I'm still so scared of them I won't even put how many years for fear that they'll somehow track me down. Also I'm extremely embarrassed to have been fooled for so long. I was blown away by this video. That is a perfect description of what goes on. I thought he said it very well. It is exactly the way I feel.

Posted by: anonymous, duh at April 19, 2008 2:33 AM

Scientology is not a church, they just like to get the tax excempt status! Why are they allowed to get away with it?

Posted by: at April 19, 2008 4:09 AM

Bravo Jason and Tony Ortega and the Village Voice. We all know what happens to Scientology critics: harassment, legal threats, strange circumstance deaths and "suicides"
Scientology is a money making scam pure and simple, hiding behind the word "religion" Why do we all have to pay taxes while this insane cult took $1million form Jason Beghe and did not pay any taxes on the money? We must join the campaign to revoke Scientology's tax exempt status. Google the NY Times article regarding how the Church got it's tax exempt status. Miscavige must have had some pretty embarassing pictures of then IRS Commissioner Goldberg. He is long gone, time to re-open the case and revoke these scamsters tax exemption. HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS - IN THEIR POCKETBOOK!!

Posted by: Zenster at April 21, 2008 11:42 AM

Thankfully the COS attempts to squelch the video from youtube were for naught, because you can still find the video in numerous places...not only on youtube but on other sites as well.

I hope what this guy is saying gets to some of the unfortunate individuals who are still trapped in that cult.

Posted by: anonymous at April 21, 2008 4:50 PM

There is absolutely no way this crazy, pricey self-help organization meets the requirements for tax exemption. The Feds need to sue the US branch of Scientology for about 40 years worth of back taxes. That ought to put a dent in the deficit, eh?

Posted by: canonymous at April 23, 2008 11:30 AM