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Going Clear |OT| Book/Documentary on the Church of Scientology

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Aiii

So not worth it
I've just ordered the book on Amazon (sadly it's not available on kindle) and I wanted to know if I could watch the documentary before reading the book as I won't get it before a few days and I don't have much free time these days or if it's going to ruin the reading experience for me ?

I don't know much about Scientology.

You can, the book goes way more in depth in LRH's early life, his lovers, family and then expands to Hollywood, Cruise, and Miscavige's rule.

The doc is a nice intro, the book is just a huge repository of the mind fuck that is the Scientology cult.
 
I think it was amazing that Miscavige got the Church a tax exemption. Really shows that they are such a powerful organization. The IRS itself is an extremely powerful institution but for them to just let it go...Damn. No wonder everyone worships him. Dude is seriously crazy but to pull that off...it also takes some inverted triangular balls right there. I'll give him that.
 

Mimosa97

Member
I think you'd be fine. If anything, the book will give you the additional details you'll crave after watching the documentary.

You can, the book goes way more in depth in LRH's early life, his lovers, family and then expands to Hollywood, Cruise, and Miscavige's rule.

The doc is a nice intro, the book is just a huge repository of the mind fuck that is the Scientology cult.

Thank you.

I'll start with the documentary tonight. I know that a few years ago they lost a legal battle in my country (France) so now they're considered a dangerous cult by the law. I don't know if that has evolded in the last few years but I wouldn't think so.
 

Slacker

Member
I've just ordered the book on Amazon (sadly it's not available on kindle) and I wanted to know if I could watch the documentary before reading the book as I won't get it before a few days and I don't have much free time these days or if it's going to ruin the reading experience for me ?

I don't know much about Scientology.

It is on Kindle. That's how I read it a couple months ago: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9ET54E/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
Finally saw this. My noodle is a bit fried. I knew most of this already, but to hear the personal stories really humanized it for me. To be honest, it even made me start to see Tom Cruise as a tragic figure. Not an innocent one, but someone I can feel empathy for, because once he got dragged back into the Church he just went whole hog off the deep-end through extreme mental brainwashing. We can all laugh at his crazy Oprah appearance, but that is a man on display who has lost touch with reality. There's really only two ways you can go when you reach then end of the journey on a cult's path; revulsion or coo-coo land.

The biggest disappointment for me as far as artists are concerned is Beck. He had been out of Scientology through the '90s, but when he met his now-wife (whose parents are high-up in the Scientology ranks), he went back all-in. I guess love will do crazy things.
 
You can, the book goes way more in depth in LRH's early life, his lovers, family and then expands to Hollywood, Cruise, and Miscavige's rule.

The doc is a nice intro, the book is just a huge repository of the mind fuck that is the Scientology cult.

Just finished watching it, and man there's some mind fucks in the doc. I'm a bit hesitant to dive any deeper into it.
 

Peru

Member
The woman with her daughter 'disconnecting'... heartbreaking and unbelievable. The wild physical abuse and imprisonment. Thought I'd heard it all.
 
Just watched the documentary. That was brilliant. I vividly remember seeing those squirrel buster videos at the time. I'm not surprised L Ron Hubbard wanted to be seen by psychologists (his enemies) because even he was being aware of how fucked up it all was. Scientology is really such a modern religion/cult. Sci fi, alien conspiracies, self-help detoxing, brainwashing, harassing escapees to their doorsteps, and using their full litigation might. Really messed up and depressing second half. The Hole and prison complex, being made to lick the floors with your tongue. Can't imagine being disavowed by everyone I loved, especially if I had a daughter who did that. That part made me cry.
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It's scary how much they're expanding into other countries to make up for the low 50,000 member count. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Really hope Tom Cruise gets out of there.
 
Fuuuuu I just remembered back in 2005. My psychology teacher in A levels took us to Kingston town centre and we took part in this auditing thing. We held the rods for that E-meter. We were just humouring these people, just playing along. Only now I realise that was all Scientology. I guess my teacher knew that scientology people were anti-psychology so wanted to meet the enemies face to face.
 

Heartfyre

Member
Have only just gotten around to watching the documentary. I've not known a lot about Scientology besides some of the odder practices, Xenu and so on, and little to nothing about the organisation. I have to say, watching the documentary truly stretched the limits of my believability. I mean, I believe it...but that an organisation like this would be able to survive in the current day, in countries across the world, without being subject to the level of legal scrutiny it would take to allow criminal charges to be filed is extraordinary. The theology around it sounds like extremely bad science-fiction...because that is precisely what it is. Seeing the video footage of their rallies bears a startling resemblance to the video of the Nuremberg rallies, I'm forced to say, even if I have to prove Godwin's Law. Not to mention The Hole, which is probably not unfair to say that it's effectively a private Guantanamo.

I'm currently living in Amsterdam, and I pass by the Scientology Church in the expensive city centre most days. I always looked at it with amusement, but now I think it'll be closer to a perturbed horror. I'm bound to get a copy of the book in the future, I think.
 

amar212

Member
I mean, I believe it...but that an organisation like this would be able to survive in the current day, in countries across the world, without being subject to the level of legal scrutiny it would take to allow criminal charges to be filed is extraordinary. The theology around it sounds like extremely bad science-fiction...because that is precisely what it is.

Many non-religius people will say exactly the same for any Abrahamic religions.

And that is the main point - you can't exclude one bad science fiction and condone another.

Catch 22 at its finest.
 

Aiii

So not worth it
Unlikely, given how they're protected under law.

But it'll probably slowly die out, the internet has pretty much set in its doom.
 
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