Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief

source: Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief

An in-depth look at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology. Before entering this documentary, I knew only the most basic things about Scientology. Some of the more questionable aspects I had seen on "South Park", and they are largely confirmed here by far more reputable sources. Scientology is an interesting doctrine because it purports to be a religion (though no one knows why), but also mixes in pop culture (Travolta and Cruise) and covers a nice period of 20th Century history (and now 21st Century). Other religions have been around long enough to build tradition, but Scientology is still remarkably new -- we are witnessing its infancy. Here we get to the bottom of it, warts and all. Probably more warts than anything else. How can this be tax exempt? How can some of these people not be in prison? My goodness.

An amazing and thorough documentary that puts a human face on both the leaders and victims of the Scientology movement. After a detailed biography of founder L. Ron Hubbard, we meet several former members and learn of their experiences inside the church as well as their efforts to leave. This is a compelling and disturbing portrait of an organization that is desperate to retain their privileged tax-exempt status while building an obscenely large reserve of cash and real estate. The frank and sometimes self-effacing comments of former members shed an unflattering light on the efforts of the Scientology church to reign in members who question the motives of leader David Miscavige. Fear, blackmail, lawsuits, physical abuse and harassment of family members are all weapons in their efforts to keep the membership in line. The most damning evidence comes from Scientology's own memos, writings and training manuals. The videos of Scientology members Tom Cruise and John Travolta shilling for the organization are nothing short of startling. Cruise comes off especially condescending and arrogant. My only complaint about this film is that no one from Scientology responded to requests to appear and defend their organization. While not surprising, it would have been interesting to hear something other than the terse denials issued through their lawyers. Also, a personal note to the filmmakers: The titles and written descriptions in this film are far too small for an average sized television. I found myself having to sit right next to the screen to read them.

I had read Dianetics many years ago. I was intrigued by the Basic Auditing, which is something you can do with anyone and does offer a process for draining the emotion from remembered experiences. I found that simple process very powerful. I took a basic ethics course and as mentioned in the documentary I felt some relief from learning simple tools and being taught simple things like always looking up a word that you don't clearly and truly understand the definition of. Those were all very useful things. I can see why people get attracted into Scientology as I myself was. But from there I tried paid auditing and found it completely not useful and it felt like the person doing the auditing wanted it to be something else... it was weird. They still owe me money lol. I tried to take another course to use my unused credit that they would not refund to me but they wanted more money. I got a used book somewhere that was a higher level book I think and it was so bazaar I was taken aback and did not go any further though I did try to figure out if anyone understood anything beyond programmed ideas or they had any other useful tools that I could use my 'credit' for. They just stopped responding to me which was probably a good thing. For a church with so much money, you would think they could pay you back for services not rendered :) I am glad that these people came forward. I think this is a powerful documentary and I hope that it will prevent the cult from growing any further. In my view it is a great shame that tools that are useful to people should be tied to such a freakish institution. And this demonstrates that any doctrine that requires that you disconnect from people who don't agree with your beliefs is definitely hiding something and is threatened by truth.

HBO Documentaries are coming out of the gate swinging in 2015 and this one is no different. Doing a documentary on Scientology by just letting people who were a part of this, talk and present clippings and facts and even make clarifications of claims, for the viewer to draw their own conclusions -- well, this documentary hits it out of the ballpark. And I can personally attest that there are "two" different Scientologists. I had two different experiences with Scientology, three years apart. The first scared me half to death, when the church was on Hollywood Blvd. One of their people came up to me as I was checking out the stars on Hollywood Blvd. and asked me to take a "Personality Test". I thought it must've been a touristy thing and so I did. I thought knowing this would also be good for jobs (little did I know it was NOT that kind of personality test!) I scored very high and this blonde haired guy came out and said I "needed" to be a member. He was in my face telling me I had to pay $300 immediately. I said I didn't have that on my, that I had to go get on the bus to go to the bank and get it. I was so scared of the place and him I just wanted to get out. He said he'd get on the bus with me, go to the bank with me and stay with me till I got the $300. He said he had to because as soon as I would pay it, my life would be so much better within the Church and it would help me let 'everything go' and reach the highest level. I convinced him that I had several stops and I would be back. He finally let me out, watched me get on the bus on Hollywood Blvd. I NEVER went back, I was shaking on the bus - I really thought I was going to get violated and end up on the 6 o'clock news. I was so scared of those folks. The second time was VERY different. It was sorta a trick. A friend invited me to the "Celebrity Center" in "Hollywood Hills" for a theatrical play. I thought what the heck. When I got there, it was the Church of Scientology! I was ready to run until I met so many celebrities and musicians that evening who seemed...sane. A million times different than the guy on Hollywood Blvd. I actually told them about that. They apologized. They gave me a free book, Dianetics, asked me to read it and if I was interested, come back and they'd talk to me further- and was sure I'd be an asset (not member) of the church. I never came back, never read or kept the book, but I couldn't believe how different this was. One person, two different introductions, two 'different' Scientologies in Hollywood. My thoughts of the Church of Scientology was duel. This is what these folks believed and obviously many are treated differently than others. The documentary really goes deeper into this than even I thought I was was certain about. Never did I get that "church" feeling about the place, or "religion" and the documentary shows me, and the viewers, why. It's "money" for the top, drones for the bottom, brainwash as much and as deep for those with a lot to give to...them. Lot's of figurative "Kool-Aid" drinkers, and some who were so devoted that if offered, they'd blindly follow. Which makes Scientology more cult-like than anything else. And yes, this documentary answers many of questions about that too. Whatever one thinks, this is a compelling documentary for those who know, those who don't, and those who are still trying to figure out what this is. After this documentary, you'll know.

One thing I am quite clear on is that Scientology ain't no religion. In their teachings I see no heart, no soul, no humanity, no softness. All I see is technique. Gurus are rewarded with power and money. The movement was founded by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard, who enshrined his 1950s self-help fad, called "Dianetics", into a self-proclaimed religion that he renamed "Scientology". Fast-forward sixty years and Hubbard's "religion" has morphed into a billion-dollar business headed by an allegedly manipulative, controlling madman, surrounded by star celebrities and a hoard of brainwashed, but wealthy, individuals who should know better. The purpose of this pretentious clique seems to be to turn every member into a cash dispensing zombie, incapable of critical thought, and existing to service the financial and cheer-leading demands of its arrogant, elitist leaders, pied pipers of deception and delusion. One of the scariest segments shows a huge audience of followers giving a thunderous, standing ovation to their leader as he spouts out his victory over the IRS. The only difference between these followers and those of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple is that these people are not destitute or uneducated. But they still have willingly forfeited their independence, some too weak ever to escape the group's dogmatic belief system. I felt a bit sorry for John Travolta as presented here. He comes across as a person who has been blackmailed into silence by the "church", to preserve his public image. He can't leave or speak out. Tom Cruise is much scarier. He comes across as pompous, certain, and invincible. His obvious power to influence and control is frightening. Technical quality of this documentary, comprised largely of contemporary interviews and archival footage, is very good, though I could have wished for screen information, like names and places, to be in bigger letters. For example, I had to squint to see the names of people being interviewed. Music is appropriately low-key. One thing this program tacitly pounds away at is the gullibility of insecure people who will believe almost anything pushed by a charismatic messenger. "Going Clear" offers an enlightening exposure of an organization that seems to meet all the criteria of a cult. I just hope the endgame here is not another tragedy comparable to that of Jim Jones and the Peoples' Temple. Heaven only knows about private Scientology tragedies that may lie hidden from public view.

This documentary is an extraordinary one, and has been attacked by Scientology for the simple reason that it exposes many of the destructive and sociopathic policies it mandates because they are Hubbard's orders, now etched on apocalypse-proof stainless steel plates. The only defense the 'church' can field is bold-faced denial and (as per Hubbard's unchangeable orders) relentless attacks on any who speak against it. It may come as little surprise that the 'church' actually provides specialized training and drills to help its spokesmen deliver blatant lies more believably. The moral justification for telling these lies is built-in to Scientology and separates it from every other 'religion' except for (predictably) Satanism, namely the fact that there is no overriding moral code forbidding murder, bearing false witness and the like. Hubbard wrote materials expressly for the public intended to give the appearance of morality and decency, but ultimately, whatever profits the 'church' is Good and whatever 'impedes' it is Evil and no holds are barred where either is concerned. The result is the nightmare that is Scientology.

A few years ago, the folks making the film "The Master" hinted that it would be an exposé on Scientology. Unfortunately, by the time the film was ready for the theaters, it was a washed out mess that seemed to have nothing to do with Scientology in the least and I have no idea what the actual goal of the film actually was. Rumors were that the filmmakers buckled to the usual litigious reaction from this 'church'. Fortunately, the folks who made "Going Clear" were never so timid. Their documentary is tough, fair and fascinating and doesn't pull its punches. The documentary is exquisitely crafted and presents its case in the destructiveness of Scientology. While I am sure members of this organization will refuse to watch it and denounce it, the film appears fair and could have made many more accusations (such as a few suspicious deaths never mentioned in the film). It also consisted mostly of disaffected ex-members discussing the organization's shortcomings. Some of these were just your average members but many were also among the highest ranking members. There also are LOTS of these folks, so it's not just one or two angry folks but quite a few people in the know discussing a 'church' which uses many unsavory and illegal tactics. What they are and how destructive the organization is you should see for yourself. My job is just discussing the quality of the film itself. And, in this sense, the documentary is exceptionally well made--professional, well presented and utterly convincing. This is THE exposé to see on this disturbing group and its leaders.

I didn't know much about Scientology before, but been awaiting this documentary for all the publicity it generated. And I wasn't disappointed. It unfolds rather slowly, but reveals details and time line of Scientology in way that makes sense for someone like me who knows little about it. I just wished I had read up about Scientology beliefs before watching, as I didn't quite understand the whole aliens reference, and sci-fi beliefs they have as part of Scientology. I wondered if this was really part of their beliefs or the documentary was exaggerating it. Turns out it's all factual! The whole of 2 hours I was just going, 'wtf?!!', and the intensity only escalates as the time line and events unfold. It was occasionally borderline cheesy, especially when the interviewee emotions seemed a bit forced. But overall, it's well written and the interviewees do a great job of narrating their experiences.

After watching this phenomenal documentary, I sigh in relief at what I almost catapulted myself into years ago. I, like many others, was drawn to the word of L. Ron Hubbard as a young woman. What he said in his books resonated with me at a time when I felt lost in the world. Watching the documentary and what people went and are still going through makes me compare the similarities between Scientology with the failed Jamestown incident. Comparing the two in the way they seem to brainwash people into "drinking the Kool-Aid" makes me wonder that we, as humans, can be so weak minded to give-up all the things we have, for hundreds of years, tried to overcome. This documentary tells first-hand accounts of horrors that many of us now can only just shake our heads at. Most of the people in this documentary were high ranking members of Scientology and it makes me wonder, what about those who do not have the money to attain stardom or OT XV? They do tell of the situations people who go against this supposed church and again I wonder, are there members of Scientology that were once former CIA agents, extensively trained in non-bloodied torture? I can only hope that many people see "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" and realize that there are still "institutions" out there that can be so bold as to claim to be a church, while harassing and trying to defame former members. Scientology claims to want peace, but they are creating wars secretly, and we better wake up and see them for what they are sooner, rather than later.