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Scientology

Niece of Scientology Leader to Speak Out on Nightline

By John DeSio, Thursday, Apr. 24 2008 @ 4:28PM
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A couple of members of Anonymous at their "Operation Reconnect" event at Central Park earlier this month.

Scientology gets a major media close-up tonight when “Nightline” sits down with Jenna Miscavige Hill, the niece of Church leader David Miscavige, about what life is like growing up Scientology.

Hill has been big news among Scientology critics since January, after she refuted claims by Scientology brass that the Church’s “disconnection” policy, by which Scientologists are separated from friends and family members hostile to the Church, was only used on rare occasions. In an open letter Hill wrote that she was denied total access to her parents after they left the Church in 2000.

"Not only was I not allowed to speak to them, I was not allowed to answer a phone for well over a year, in case it was them calling me,” wrote Hill. Her letter was the genesis for Anonymous’ “Operation Reconnect,” a series of global protests held earlier this month to draw attention to “disconnection” and to reunite Scientologists with their estranged families.

Anonymous’ next round of protests, “Operation Fair Game,” will take place on May 10, and will highlight the means and methods used by the Church of Scientology to intimidate and harass its critics.

Hill’s interview will air on ABC tonight at 11:35 p.m. Her full letter is here.

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More About:

  • Church of Scientology
  • David Miscavige
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  • Scientology
  • Religion

Comments (8)

Gary says:

Thank you Mr DeSio. I look forward to watching Ms Hill's interview.

Posted On: Thursday, Apr. 24 2008 @ 5:47PM
RonnieHubbard says:

You guys (and gals) at the Voice have big swinging ones, in the best possible way, the way you've kept on this Scientology story.

Cults aren't religions, and there are thousands of pages of authoritative material on the web to help prove that CoS is a cult--and ultimately a pretty dangerous one. People let the fact that "famous people" are involved worm into their heads and decide its just a silly but harmless thing, because they can't really conceive of Kristie Alley or Jason Lee being "taken in" so much. I mean Jason Lee doesn't seem like a dummy, right? But he IS being taken in--they all are. They get the prettied up version, a lot of handling, and a bullish insistence that anyone who criticizes Scientology is some kind of "terrorist". Yeah, that means you too, Village Voice!

If the pursuit of truth, through the mere use of words, is "terrorism" than I guess you are guilty. Good work, and keep it up. The stories of Jason Beghe and Jenna Miscavige are really just the tip of the iceberg, since in their own ways each of these people was treated infinitely better than the average Scientology member (especially anyone in the Sea Org).

Posted On: Thursday, Apr. 24 2008 @ 7:15PM
Jeff says:

Please DIGG Nightline story ASAP! We have 5 more hours before show!!!

http://digg.com/world_news/Niece_of_Scientology_Leader_Speaks_Tonight_on_Nightline

Posted On: Thursday, Apr. 24 2008 @ 7:31PM
Anon1376 says:

It is great to see the media finally bringing these details to light. It has been far to long that the press has feared the threats of the 'Church' of Scientology, and their obsessive need to control all communications. Transparency is their greatest fear because once people can see both in and out, their recruitment numbers will deminish from both ends.

I applaude the coverage, and anticipate the future where secrecy is no longer used as a tool of enslavement. Education is the key here, as it is in almost all cases in life.

Posted On: Thursday, Apr. 24 2008 @ 7:46PM
Mary says:

Thanks for informing the public about Jenna's story. Sadly, It's not an isolated situation. There are child labor abuses occuring in Scientology's corp called the Sea Organization. I don't understand why CPS has not gone in their main sites in Clearwater FL and Los Angeles, CA because the horrors are real for those people but especially more for the children, who often don't attend school. Tonite on Nightline, I am certain Jenna will address more on what it was like for her as child there and for others even less 'priviledged' as she was due to her uncle running the church. Maybe then the government will take these valid claims seriously. its called ' tax-exempt child abuse'. Look it up on the internet.
Thank you, Village Voice and John DeSio

Posted On: Thursday, Apr. 24 2008 @ 8:10PM
Chuck Beatty says:

Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote such prolific amounts of instructions for staff, predicament causing rules, Hubbard in all cases blames staff, blames parishioners, blames psychiatry, blames "suppressives", the tragedy is Hubbard wrote his own imperfections into iron clad rules that keep the movement members running on autopilot today, stuck in Hubbard's ruts. In "Keeping Scientology Working" of 1965 Hubbard blames staff and followers for the "lack of results", he said "Trouble spots occur only when there are no results."
Hubbard blamed attacks from the outside world against Scientology because staff and followers failed to use his procedures properly. When the burden was too much, Hubbard claimed that "suppressives" are anyone who wishes Scientology to fail. Scientology is layers of Catch 22s and 1984isms, from a man who blames everyone but himself, for Scientology's failures. The members are stuck with Hubbard's unchallengeable rules and wacky science fictionesque UFO theology (the now infamous Scientology theology space alien leader Xenu is the bad guy who 75 millions years ago caused a massive genocide here on earth, trapping zillions of souls here on earth, and these souls, called "body thetans" infest all our bodies supposedly per Hubbard, to the tune of tens of thousands of surplus souls per human being, and cause us quite a lot of our problems on earth, supposedly, today). What you get when you get in Scientology, is a system that refuses to tell you the straight truth about the top level spiritual procedures, and the top level spiritual procedures are ALL ABOUT uninfesting yourself of your tens of thousands of surplus souls, the souls supposedly lingering here on earth, floating around, these last 75 million years, since Lord Xenu the bad guy, committed the galactic level genocide resulting in the zillions of surplus souls trapped here on earth.
Lorne Dawson, placed Scientology in the "established cult" category, in his 1998, Oxford Univ Press, "Comprehending Cults."
Chuck Beatty, ex Sea Org member, 1975-2003, Pittsburgh, USA

Posted On: Friday, Apr. 25 2008 @ 12:30AM
Heynonny says:

You guys rock. Thanks for sticking with this story. It is important and so many people care about it. So many more people will care now that the Nightline interviews are out. People need to understand just how dangerous the Co$ is.

As bad as the stuff in the Nightline piece is, it's just scratching the surface. Google "Operation Snow White." Google "Lisa McPherson" and "Shawn Lonsdale." Google "Rehabilitation Project Force." Even that's not as deep as the rabbit hole goes. There's a lot to learn.

Xenu.net Whyaretheydead.org Exscientologykids.net

Battletoads Earth: Operation FairGameStop
Arriving May 10th. Expect Us.

Posted On: Friday, Apr. 25 2008 @ 5:30AM
Anon Portland Oregon says:

Thank you, Village Voice, for your continued coverage of this issue! Please consider sending a PJ and writer out to your local May 10 gathering.

We'll be there to welcome you :-)

Posted On: Monday, Apr. 28 2008 @ 7:08AM

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