Documentary lifts the lid on Scientology

There’s a lot of fuss being made over the HBO TV series Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief, which blows the lid on some of the stranger activities of the Church of Scientology religion and makes reference to two of its celebrity members in particular, Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

The two-hour documentary, based on Lawrence Wright’s bestselling book, presents ex-Church of Scientology members revealing secrets of the organisation, some delivering  stories of psychological and physical abuse during their time with the controversial religion.

One interesting subject of the documentary is the strong relationship between celebrities and the church, which has been well-documented, particularly with two of its most famous members: Travolta and Cruise. The film reveals how Scientology leader David Miscavige relies heavily on star power to recruit new members and to raise money.

The Church — said to be worth billions of dollars — is tax-exempt by the IRS in America, which has critics in an uproar.

Author Lawrence Wright believes there are two ways to stop the church and its dodgy dealings. Firstly, the IRS could change its mind and begin looking into the church’s finances. Secondly, he says “some of these celebrity megaphones could turn against the church, and Tom Cruise should be leading that chorus”.

HBO hired some 160 lawyers before airing the documentary on television. There is no word yet if the Church of Scientology intends to sue the cable channel.  Michael Mastess

QUOTES FROM SCIENTOLOGY’S MOST FAMOUS AMBASSADORS

John Travolta:

“Probably my favourite concept of Scientology is a world without criminality, a world without war and a world without insanity.”

And two nuggets from Tom Cruise:

“Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it’s not like anyone else, it’s, you drive past, you know you have to do something about it. You know you are the only one who can really help.”

“That’s what drives me. Some people, well, if they don’t like Scientology, well, then, fuck you. Really. Fuck you. Period.”