Scientology history... how celebrity members used the church to skirt law enforcement, witnesses and experts say

[Rocky]

The following excerpt from Insider dot com demonstrates the pernicious nature of cultic religious organizations. Scientology, of course, is MUCH bigger than twi. Loy should be thankful this wasn't about him. The "meager" $65 million TWI had to play with at the time of the Martindale scandals kept them from daring to go to trial. If they were as rich as Scientology, they might have considered going to trial.

 

 

As his trial on criminal rape charges kicked off in Los Angeles last week, "That 70's Show" actor Danny Masterson's lawyers presumed that the Church of Scientology would be the elephant in the room throughout proceedings.

Masterson is a second-generation Scientologist, and the three rape accusers are all former members of the church. By the tenth day of the trial, witnesses discussed the church every single day. The church's presence was not just a metaphorical elephant in the room — it has eclipsed elements of the trial and reverberated beyond the courtroom.

Though the Church of Scientology is not on trial with Masterson, facets of its operation are woven throughout testimony, inextricable from the allegations of rape witnesses have detailed. The trial is demystifying the religious organization, particularly its celebrity allure and hierarchy, in a way many observers have never seen before. 

"This trial is one of the biggest moments in Scientology history," Tony Ortega, a journalist who has followed Scientology since the 1990s and broke the Masterson story in 2016 for his outlet The Underground Bunker, told Insider. (much MORE at the link provided above)

[Rocky]

I'm confident many former wayfers will recognize nearly identical patterns in the story about Masterson (not known to be related to former way corps members or others in twi). The terms Scientology uses differ, but the coercion is identical.

[Rocky]

Leah Remini tweeted today,

1. Did you know that if you are a Scientologist, you are forbidden from contacting law enforcement when another Scientologist has committed a crime against you?

If you do, you will be declared a suppressive person and lose your family, friends, and livelihood overnight.

 

[Twinky]

On 10/30/2022 at 8:28 AM, Rocky said:

I'm confident many former wayfers will recognize nearly identical patterns in the story about Masterson (not known to be related to former way corps members or others in twi). The terms Scientology uses differ, but the coercion is identical.

Too true.  The report doesn't include the smearing of "suppressive persons" (aka those M&A'd) but it would be no surprise if that went on.

[Rocky]

20 minutes ago, Twinky said:

The report doesn't include the smearing of "suppressive persons" (aka those M&A'd) but it would be no surprise if that went on.

Plenty of other news reports about Scientology have documented such smearing, including Leah Remini's documentary aired on the A&E network in installments.