Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
The New York Times has an article about lots of former Scientologists, including some very high ranking members, leaving the church and making accusations of abuse and corruption all the way to the top:
Raised as Scientologists, Christie King Collbran and her husband, Chris, were recruited as teenagers to work for the elite corps of staff members who keep the Church of Scientology running, known as the Sea Organization, or Sea Org.They signed a contract for a billion years -- in keeping with the church's belief that Scientologists are immortal. They worked seven days a week, often on little sleep, for sporadic paychecks of $50 a week, at most.
But after 13 years and growing disillusionment, the Collbrans decided to leave the Sea Org, setting off on a Kafkaesque journey that they said required them to sign false confessions about their personal lives and their work, pay the church thousands of dollars it said they owed for courses and counseling, and accept the consequences as their parents, siblings and friends who are church members cut off all communication with them.
Some of the allegations:
They soon discovered others who felt the same. Searching for Web sites about Scientology that are not sponsored by the church (an activity prohibited when they were in the Sea Org), they discovered that hundreds of other Scientologists were also defecting -- including high-ranking executives who had served for decades.Fifty-six years after its founding by the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986, the church is fighting off calls by former members for a Reformation. The defectors say Sea Org members were repeatedly beaten by the church's chairman, David Miscavige, often during planning meetings; pressured to have abortions; forced to work without sleep on little pay; and held incommunicado if they wanted to leave. The church says the defectors are lying.
The response from the church is entirely off-topic:
But recently even some celebrities have begun to abandon the church, the most prominent of whom is the director and screenwriter Paul Haggis, who won Oscars for "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash." Mr. Haggis had been a member for 35 years. His resignation letter, leaked to a defectors' Web site, recounted his indignation as he came to believe that the defectors' accusations must be true."These were not the claims made by 'outsiders' looking to dig up dirt against us," Mr. Haggis wrote. "These accusations were made by top international executives who had devoted most of their lives to the church."
The church has responded to the bad publicity by denying the accusations and calling attention to a worldwide building campaign that showcases its wealth and industriousness. Last year, it built or renovated opulent Scientology churches, which it calls Ideal Orgs, in Rome; Malmo, Sweden; Dallas; Nashville; and Washington. And at its base here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, it continued buying hotels and office buildings (54 in all) and constructing a 380,000-square-foot mecca that looks like a convention center.
"This is a representation of our success," said the church's spokesman, Tommy Davis, showing off the building's cavernous atrium, still to be clad in Italian marble, at the climax of a daylong tour of the church's Clearwater empire. "This is a result of our expansion. It's pinch-yourself material."
As for the defectors, Mr. Davis called them "apostates" and said that contrary to their claims of having left the church in protest, they were expelled.
"And since they're removed, the church is expanding like never before," said Mr. Davis, a second-generation Scientologist whose mother is the actress Anne Archer. "And what we see here is evidence of the fact that we're definitely better off without them."
Which has nothing at all to do with whether what these people are saying is true or not. The Catholic Church has lots of big pretty buildings; that does not mean all those kids raped by priests magically did not get raped.
Politics
Comments
This is not news. The Sea Org has been abusing members and non-members alike since it was founded in the early 70's. The Church has had enemies lists since the 60's. The defectors are not lying. Scientology has a few good ideas, but it is run like Stalinist Russia -- gulags and all. I know, I was there. They began by trying to make the world better and became a big business whose only real purpose is to make money.
Posted by: Ann Klein | March 10, 2010 12:51 PM
Why no link to the article? We need to archive it before their lawyers get it pulled.
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 10, 2010 12:54 PM
They're bragging about their fancy buildings, but not about their charitable activities, or their unique ability to help accident victims? That alone says a lot.
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 10, 2010 12:57 PM
Ann, what are some "good ideas" that scientology has contributed?
Posted by: kacyray | March 10, 2010 1:04 PM
kacyray, #4:
C'mon, kacyray. Tying billions of people to volcanoes and blowing them up with H-bombs, spaceships that look like DC-8s -- which ideas haven't been good?
Posted by: Chiroptera | March 10, 2010 1:12 PM
I was under the impression that they began with a megalomaniacal science fiction writer whose only real purpose was to make money.
Posted by: Dr X | March 10, 2010 1:25 PM
It should be pointed out that, before getting involved in Scientology, the late and unlamented L. Ron Hubbard started a totally insane movement known as Dianetics. In the unlikely event that anyone is interested in this insanity, there is a chapter in Martin Gardners' book, "Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science," which describes it in loving detail.
Posted by: SLC | March 10, 2010 1:37 PM
The headquarters for Scientology in Tokyo is in a seedy, funky Red Light District. It must be the cheap rent.
Posted by: Max von Schuler-Kobayashi | March 10, 2010 1:45 PM
Here's the missing link to the article.
The last paragraph made me sad:
Posted by: Ivan | March 10, 2010 3:58 PM
"It should be pointed out that, before getting involved in Scientology, the late and unlamented L. Ron Hubbard started a totally insane movement known as Dianetics."
And he got a fellow science fiction author, A.E. van Vogt to follow him into that movement. Some time later, van Vogt got disillusioned and left (see wikipedia).
When Hubbard started Scientology, he stole a lot of concepts from another fringe individual, madame Blatavsky, who clamed to have telepathic contact with Lemurians. Her nutty belief system also included evil superentities imprisioned deep underground, and fifty years later Ron Goulart would write the spoof "Hello, Lemuria, Hello" which is far more funny than anything Hubbard ever wrote.
Posted by: Birger Johansson | March 10, 2010 4:25 PM
Let's not forget that Scientology actually infiltrated the US Government with the goal of destroying documents unfavorable to Scientology and L Ron Hubbard. That action alone should have destroyed any credibility they ever had.
Posted by: Noadi | March 10, 2010 4:47 PM
"The church has responded to the bad publicity by denying the accusations and calling attention to a worldwide building campaign that showcases its wealth and industriousness."
Check out http://www.despair.com/achievement.html
For those not wishing to look at the link, the poster is a picture of the pyramids at Giza. The text is:
"You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor."
I think $50 a week or less counts as expendable labor in most developed countries
@ Noadi
"Let's not forget that Scientology actually infiltrated the US Government with the goal of destroying documents unfavorable to Scientology and L Ron Hubbard. That action alone should have destroyed any credibility they ever had."
Whose credibility, the governments for letting these loons in or Scientology for its extreme paranoia?
Posted by: The Gregarious Misanthrope | March 10, 2010 5:31 PM
@10
I'm pretty sure that one of Hubbard's early offices was in the same building as a Theosophical Society, reading the wiki on Theosophy it appears Hubbard "borrowed" some major elements from it.
Posted by: bob dobbs | March 10, 2010 5:52 PM
So basically, it became a church?
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 10, 2010 6:15 PM
In addition to Martin Gardner's work, some information on Hubbard is found in Strange Angel by George Pendle. This is the biography of John Parsons, rocket pioneer and head of an occult temple near Los Angeles. Hubbard was a sometime house guest of Parsons, reportedly stole his second wife Betty and bilked him out of the proceeds from sale of a house.
Posted by: Chris Winter | March 10, 2010 7:39 PM
The Catholic Church has lots of big pretty buildings; that does not mean all those kids raped by priests magically did not get raped.
No, you have to do a few "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers" for that to happen.
Posted by: Annick | March 10, 2010 7:50 PM
As infantile as the scientology claims are, many scientologists will believe it. Just look at how people suck up the infantile claims of any other cult.
Posted by: MadScientist | March 10, 2010 9:04 PM
@The Gregarious Misanthrope: Well the scientologists weren't very successful and quite a few (including Hubbard's wife) were sent to prison. As much as I love to mock government screw ups, they did a good job uncovering that conspiracy and punishing those involved.
Posted by: Noadi | March 10, 2010 9:40 PM
Ah, but $50 a week should add up to quite a tidy pile after a billion years...
Posted by: Jib Halyard | March 10, 2010 11:44 PM
Let's not forget what Hubbard and his loons did to Paul Kurtz
Cult of Scientology Conspired to Destroy Skeptic Organization CSICOP
Thank goodness there was some sweet revenge when CFI's Steve Allen Theater hosted the ex-Sea Org-ers' press conference a few weeks back.
Posted by: Not the crazy one | March 11, 2010 4:20 AM
As someone formerly married to a would-be Scientologist, I can say that most orgs are only interested in "helping" people if the people is willing to pay for such help. In other words, they are about as charitable as Ebenezer Scrooge before Marley's Ghost paid him a visit.
My ex-wife's org expelled her (really it's a worldwide blacklisting), because she (1) couldn't pay their exorbitant fees and (2) didn't adopt their wacko ideas unquestioningly.
Strangely, she still thinks Scientomology has some value.
Posted by: wheatdogg | March 11, 2010 5:09 AM
"The church has responded to the bad publicity by denying the accusations and calling attention to a worldwide building campaign that showcases its wealth and industriousness"
Yes, we're an abusive cult. But we're rich!
Posted by: Ginger Yellow | March 11, 2010 6:20 AM
To be fair, they did some charitable work in Haiti. They sent quack healers who tried to cure the injured by touching them and performing scientology-approved healing rituals. Oh, and they had to kick a plane of *real* medical supplies out of their timeslot to get them there, using Travolta's fame as a tool to do so. Oh, and they didn't bring any food or other supplies, intending it purchase it upon arrival. And they freaked out a lot of the superstitious locals.
But at least they *intended* to help, even if they were incompetent when it came to actually being of help.
Though given that before going off there Travolta held a press photoshoot session with him poseing in front of his plane in pilot's uniform, and that their 'healers' were required to wear uniforms with the scientology name on, and that the plane also carried Dianetics textbooks to distribute... it could be argued fairly that actually helping was only one of the reasons behind their actions, the others being to repair their tarnished reputation with some high-visibility charity work and to convert the vulnerably traumatised locals.
So, no. I take it back. There is nothing to be said in their defence.
Posted by: Suricou Raven | March 11, 2010 7:30 AM
Hey, in Scientology's defense, it does serve a useful purpose. It makes Mormonism seem less silly.
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 11, 2010 8:09 AM
Not by much.
Posted by: Rick R | March 11, 2010 8:17 AM
The church has responded to the bad publicity by denying the accusations and calling attention to a worldwide building campaign that showcases its wealth and industriousness.
Drug cartels respond the same way to bad publicity. Actually, no, the drug cartels don't even wait for the bad publicity; they invest all that money in legitimate business because they REALLY ARE industrious and REALLY HAVE plans to put their obscene profits to work. The drug cartels go into business because they're businessmen, not just faux-religious freeloaders suddenly looking for another way to pretend they have a real product to sell.
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 11, 2010 8:35 AM
Ann Klein at 1 said:
No- they began by being a big business whose only real purpose was to make Hubbard a lot of money and has become... well, other than Hubbard being dead, it hasn't changed much.
Posted by: Jeremy Shaffer | March 11, 2010 12:00 PM
To fill in some background here (speaking as an expert on religious extremist groups):
Dianetics billed itself as "the new science of mental health." Hubbard was extremely paranoid about psychiatry for whatever reason, and first sought to promote the whole Dianetics concept as an alternative.
Hubbard was famously quoted as telling a friend that the greatest way to make a fortune was to start a fake religion.
Shortly after, came the transition from Dianetics to Scientology. At one stage, Dianetics was brought in under Scientology as part of its teachings.
Interestingly enough, Dianetics/Scientology did two things that might fall under the heading of "doing good for the world" except that the organization's secretiveness turned one of them into a dead end.
The first was to provide a certain amount of support for psychiatric patients seeking to assert their rights. This in an era when frontal lobotomies were still being performed, and electroshock treatment was being used in a crude form (compared to today) that was at times used as a form of punishment to control unruly patients in psych hospitals.
(Today electroshock is used only for life-threatening depression that does not respond to medication, and the voltage and current are far less, thus causing far less damage to brain cells as a side-effect, compared to decades ago. There are strong safeguards in place to ensure that it is only given to patients who provide fully voluntary and informed consent.)
However, the patients' rights movement would almost certainly have achieved the same gains as it has over the years, without Scientology's participation.
The other useful thing that came out of Dianetics/Scientology, was auditing, which, stripped of all the woo-woo nonsense, is nothing more than the use of simple biofeedback as an adjunct to psychological counseling.
The Scientology "E-meter" (E for Emotions) is basically a simple GSR meter: galvanic skin response, a measurement of a bodily reaction that accompanies psychological stress. The patient holds the electrodes in his/her hands, and the electrodes provide a large area of skin contact, thus increasing the sensitivity of the system. The patient verbally free-associates, and the "auditor" (counselor) notes which words or ideas appear to have strong emotional associations, as measured by GSR and shown on the meter. The "auditor" is then able to direct the patient to further discuss the emotionally charged material.
The above technique is perfectly valid, standing on its own two feet without any cultish BS added. It *could have* been promoted as a technique for use by conventional psychologists, and *could have* been highly useful in that context. However, due to the secrecy of the cult, it became a dead-end rather than contributing to the evolution of cognitive therapies.
Meanwhile, experimental psychology discovered biofeedback on its own, and conducted extensive research on the subject: not only GSR but EEG, skin temperature, and EMG (electromyography: measuring the electrical activity that correlates with muscle tension). This stuff was published, techniques were developed and refined, and today biofeedback has become entirely conventional as a tool in sports medicine and in stress reduction clinics.
An athlete might use EMG to learn to improve the ability to control certain muscle groups during a performance. A person suffering from stress might use EEG feedback to recognize the signs of relaxation and learn to relax more effectively. All of this is purely routine, the cost is not particularly high, and patients are expected to learn what they need in a handful of sessions and then go on with their lives.
Hubbard could have gone down in history as the guy who first discovered clinical biofeedback, but he blew it by starting a cult instead.
There is something deliciously ironic about that: the one piece of Scientology that has any scientific validity to it at all (in the sense that biofeedback in general is well researched and supported by findings) has remained in relative obscurity due to the cult's secrecy, paranoia, and anti-psychiatry attitudes; while the parts that are sheer unadulterated BS have become the centerpieces of the cult's teachings.
Someone needs to start a religion that applies the best findings of cognitive science to the problems of daily living, does all of it publicly, and offers its services at minimal cost in terms of both money and dogma. Oh wait, we already have something like that: it's called Buddhism!
Posted by: g347 | March 12, 2010 12:10 AM