Posted on 11/14/2005 6:24:28 PM PST by null and void
As a former member of that, ummmm, organization, I have a standing open offer to answer any FReeper's qusetions about Scientology, either in open forum, or via FReepmail.
I will do my best to answer as promptly, concisely and accurately as possible, but as I left some time ago, I'm not always privy to the latest wrinkles.
Still, from what I can gather from my few remaining contacts not that much has really changed!
Is it true that eighties screen nerd Eddie Deezen is an OT?
Celeb Scientologists
Kirstie Alley [5][6], actress
Anne Archer [5], actress (her son, Tom Davis, runs the Los Angeles “Celebrity Centre”)
Carl Anderson [7], singer
Jennifer Aspen [2], actress
James Stacy Barbour [8], Broadway actor
Lynsey Bartilson [9], actress
Beck [5][10], musician
Catherine Bell [11], actress
Karen Black, actress [3]
Sonny Bono (deceased 1998) [12], musician and member of U.S. House from California (claimed Catholicism on campaign biographies)
David Campbell [13], musician, composer, arranger
Nancy Cartwright [12][10], voice over artist, most famous as the voice of Bart Simpson
Kate Ceberano [14], actress and musician
Erika Christensen [5], actress
Chick Corea [5], musician
Tom Cruise [5], actor (raised Catholic, according to Parade; attended a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati and aspired to become a Catholic priest)
Sky Dayton [15], founder and Chairman of the Board of EarthLink
Eddie Deezen [4], actor
Doug Dohring [16], ex-owner of Neopets
Jason Dohring [17], actor
Plácido Domingo Jr. [5], opera singer
Bodhi Elfman [6], actor
Jenna Elfman [5], actress (Dharma and Greg), raised Catholic
Doug E. Fresh [10], hip-hop musician
Kenton Gray [7], car and motorcycle race driver
Paul Haggis [18], director
Isaac Hayes [5], musician, actor, and formerly voiceover artist (”Chef” from “South Park”)
Katie Holmes [19], actress (born and raised Catholic), introduced to Scientology by Tom Cruise, whom she later married.
Nicky Hopkins [20], musician (deceased 1994)
Tyler Hynes [8], actor
Mark Isham [21], musician
Milton Katselas [5], acting teacher
Chaka Khan [10], singer
Jason Lee [1], actor (”My Name is Earl”, “Mallrats”) and professional skateboarder
Geoffrey Lewis [1], actor
Johnny Lewis,[1] actor
Juliette Lewis [5], actress
Christopher Masterson [1], actor
Danny Masterson [1], actor
Lisa McPherson (deceased 1995), died at Fort Harrison Hotel[22]
Peter Medak [23], director
Jim Meskimen [24], actor and improviser
Sofia Milos[25][26], actress (CSI: Miami)
Floyd Mutrux [27], writer, director and producer
Haywood Nelson [28], actor
Corin Nemec [29], actor
Marisol Nichols [30], actress
Judy Norton [31], actress and musician
Eduardo Palomo (deceased 2003)[32], actor, and his wife Carina Ricco[33], actress and musician
Don Pearson [34], ‘Management by Statistics’ consultant
Michael Peña [35], actor
David Pomeranz [36], singer/songwriter
Laura Prepon [37][38], actress
Lisa Marie Presley [1], singer, Michael Jackson’s ex-wife, and daughter of Elvis
Priscilla Presley [1], actress and wife of Elvis
Kelly Preston [39], actress and John Travolta’s wife, raised Catholic.
Leah Remini [1], actress
Patrick Renna[40], actor
Ernie Reyes, Jr. [36], actor [9]
Giovanni Ribisi [1], actor, raised Scientologist.
Marissa Ribisi [41] , actress, wife of Beck Hansen, sister of Giovanni Ribisi, raised Scientologist.
Ruddy Rodriguez, actress [10]
Elena Rogero [7], singer
Mimi Rogers [5], actress (believed to not be active in the church anymore, but still holds the beliefs)
Pablo Santos, actor [11] (deceased 2006)
Jeffrey Scott, screenwriter [12]
Billy Sheehan [42], rock bassist
Eric Sherman, film consultant [13]
David Singer [43], chiropractor, ‘Management by Statistics’ consultant
Reed Slatkin [44], criminal ponzi scheme perpetrator
Michelle Stafford [45], actress
Ethan Suplee [46], actor
John Travolta [5], actor, raised Catholic.
Greta Van Susteren [11], host of On the Record with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News Channel
Persia White [47], actress
Edgar Winter [48], musician
Bryan Zwan [49], founder and CEO of Digital Lightwave
People who chose to leave Scientology
Kate Bornstein [50], transgender author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist.
John Brodie [6], football player
William S. Burroughs [51], author, Beat Generation icon (later denounced Scientology)
Diana Canova, actress [14]
Stanley Clarke [15], a bass player and composer
Leonard Cohen [10], singer, songwriter (at New York Org in late 60s)
Robert and Mary Anne de Grimston [52], founders of The Process Church of The Final Judgment
Werner Erhard [53], founder of est
Philip Gale [54], MIT student and primary developer of EarthLink’s innovative ISP software; committed suicide on Hubbard’s birthday
Gloria Gaynor, singer [16]
Nicole Kidman, actress (said to have quit after reaching level OT II) [17]
Peggy Lipton [18], actress (rumored to be out/inactive)
Charles Manson [55][56][57],
Van Morrison [10], singer, songwriter (renounced Scientology in the 1980s)
David Nelson [19], musician
Lou Rawls, singer [20]
Christopher Reeve, actor [21]
Jerry Seinfeld [58][59], comedian (”took a couple courses a number of years ago”.)
Sharon Stone, actress (reportedly now a convert to Buddhism)
list from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scientologists
[the numbers in brackets refer to footnotes in the original Wikipedia article]
I notice that Nicole Kidman left the church at the same case level I did. I wonder if that gives me an in with her?...
Thanks for the ping - I live close enough to Clearwater to know it’s best not to deal with true believers...
LOL! Sometimes they can be amusing...
Here’s a review from one of my ex scn friends:
“nully”,
It’s a lonnnnnngggggg video. I’ve watched up to the story behind 8-80. It’s very interesting. It sounds like they’ve done an incredibly good job in restoring the books to what he actually wrote, especially with the accompanying lectures attached. If I were still interested in Scn, I would want to buy the new books. I know my future depends on my understanding the material, but for some reason I don’t care, so I guess I’m suppressive, at least to myself. :-) I bet they want at least $100 per book/lecture series.
I find it interesting that the only book I kept, Self Analysis, is the only one that Miscavige says was accurately reproduced.
I don’t understand all the standing ovations they keep giving Miscavige. They act like he’s the new LRH or something. Well, I guess he is. A cult without a revered leader is not a cult.
-”Bobby”
To: null and void
Does Scientology have a recruitment arm that is focused solely on the entertainment industry? I am starting to think that they have people going door-to-door in Hollywood much the as the Jehovah’s Witnesses go around neighbourhoods with copies of the Watchtower.
15 posted on 01/09/2008 10:11:35 AM PST by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Army Air Corps
...
Yes. "opinion leaders" are targeted for recruitment as they will bring in many of their fans. There are "Celeberty Centres" in Hollywood, New York and other entertainment, industry and political capitols throughout the world.
...
23 posted on 01/09/2008 10:28:51 AM PST by null and void (Conservatives are tired of being sucked up to every 4 years and stabbed in the back for the next 3.)
Hear it like it's spoken by someone with a lisp.
You do know of L. Ron and Crowley, yes?
Brainwashing can remove a lot of bad habits. It can even get you off drug addiction.
The Tech itself is mind warping. It makes no difference who is at the top.
Friend, if you think the only problem with Scientology is the “organization at the highest levels” you are still ripe for them in another form.
Yes. It embarrasses the Satanists...
You say that like it's a bad thing...
It makes no difference who is at the top.
Yes it does. In the same sense that who is at the top of a nuclear power does make a difference!
Only? No. Worst, yes.
you are still ripe for them in another form.
Probably. The concept that there is more to life than the 5 (or 55) senses reveal, and that life can be better for all is rather seductive...
Yes, a warped mind is a bad thing. It may get off drugs, it my have more personal success, it may even become wealthy, but it is still a warped mind. At some level it is a Faustian bargain - when it works.
Yes it does. In the same sense that who is at the top of a nuclear power does make a difference!
As long as the organization exists, it's head is in charge of doing evil to people. Any "good" leadership would shut it down.
Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried another
question. `What sort of people live about here?’
`In that direction,’ the Cat said, waving its right paw round,
`lives a Hatter: and in that direction,’ waving the other paw,
`lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.’
`But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: `we’re all mad here. I’m
mad. You’re mad.’
`How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
`You must be,’ said the Cat, `or you wouldn’t have come here.’
Of course it is. And there's no lack of people selling it. Scientiology has perfected it. At a huge price to one's mind and spirit.
If you haven't yet seen how to evaluate their and other's appeals... look at it again. And be very very careful.
Not to worry, one cult per lifetime is my limit!
You’ll need to translate or interpret that for me into a clearer response.
I’ll try. We all have warped minds, to a greater or lesser degree.
Every organization is made of flawed people.
We all try to do the best as we see it, with what we have.
Not only is what we do inadequate, it will alway be inadequate, and flawed.
We just have to muddle though as best we can.
Good leadership? Such is nearly unprecedented!
I can think of only one case where a leader has deliberately shut down his own successful organization on philosophical/moral grounds:
The noted endocrinologist, John Cortelyou, President of De Paul University in Chicago, was elected secretary of a newly founded organization for Roman Catholic scientists. He promptly set about disbanding the group. Cortelyou, whose specialty is the study of endocrine glands in amphibian animals, explained his actions thus: "There are no Catholic frogs."
(although the Huguenots did have their problems with them)...
Thanks for your reply.
Yes, we all have disease of some type. However, that doesn’t make disease a desirable state.
We strive for physical and mental health and spiritual health.
In this analogy, COS is an organization that spreads disease. There is nothing good about its technique and its leadership is by definition engaged in an evil enterprise - wittingly or unwittingly.
Sorry to dump on you, of all people, but there are no virtues to extol in the religion of COS. It was started with evil intent, it’s methods serve that intent. Its members serve that intent as well.
Thanks again for your reply. And here’s to your health!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.