Don't piss off the Scientologists

Academy award-winning, screenwriter-director Paul Haggis says he has received all sorts of feedback since referring to Scientology as a “cult” in a recent New Yorker expose.

“I’ve been getting a lot of very supportive emails and I’ve been getting some really troubling ones,” he told THR Tuesday at Vanity Fair’s Campaign Hollywood 2011 event celebrating Artists for Peace and Justice presented by Brioni in West Hollywood. "Some break my heart and some are just really angry."

In the article, Haggis, who spent three decades with the Church, revealed for the first time why he quit the religion in 2009. Among the reasons: The Church refused to publicly denounce the anti-gay measure Proposition 8 (Haggis' daughter is gay). He also said he read reported allegations of physical violence among church senior executives and other Scientologists.

By speaking out, Haggis told THR he knew he would elicit reactions: "I went in with my eyes open.”

But leaving the Church “was a personal choice,” he added. “I don’t suggest that anyone else make that choice that I did. Mine was personal.”-Reporting by Lindsay Flans

Also, Paul Thomas Anderson's thinly veiled movie about the controversial Church's founder, L. Ron Hubbard? Conspiracy theories are swirling in Los Angeles following the revelation that Anderson's 1950s-based film The Master, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, has been postponed indefinitely.

Anderson's film is not officially about Hubbard and the Church of Scientology. But the similarities could hardly be more striking and the Hollywood trade papers and websites describe it variously as a satire and a parable. Read More

L. Ron Bio To Draw Daggers from Hollywood Elite?

Will Scientologists Declare War on Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master?

Controversy, religion, and Hollywood? You've got our attention.
by Jen Yamato,

Scientology's most advanced followers allegedly believe in a 75-million-year-old alien named Xenu. They shirk modern psychiatry and seek happiness by reducing their "thetan" levels. Over the years, they've grown into an international multimillion dollar organization accused of intimidating their enemies with scare tactics and pushing the law to its limits in the name of self-preservation, earning a reputation for shadowy, cult-like dealings that once famously earned them comparison to the Mafia by Time Magazine. Perhaps even worse, they're responsible for the bizarre celebrity spectacle that is Tom Cruise. But did the Church of Scientology have enough far-reaching power to block Universal from green lighting the latest Paul Thomas Anderson opus?

"Yes!" screamed conspiracy theorists when news broke in March that Universal had passed on Anderson's period piece, about a charismatic man who starts his own religion in the early 1950s. Although Variety initially claimed the script didn't specifically target Scientology, an early draft of what The Playlist assumed to be Anderson's untitled project (referred to in film circles as The Master) revealed pretty obvious parallels between its main character and sci-fi writer-turned-Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard. What's more, just look at the timeline. The Playlist published its comprehensive script report pinpointing all the Scientology parallels on February 17. A month later, Deadline reported that Universal had passed on the film, citing its prohibitive proposed $35 million budget. (River Road reportedly stepped up to finance the film, which starts shooting this year.) Coincidence? Or conspiracy?

Let's look at what we know about the P.T. Anderson project. It centers around a man (Philip Seymour Hoffman, the only name currently attached to the film) who starts a faith-based organization that becomes popular in 1952 America -- exactly the year L. Rob Hubbard expanded his Dianetics self-help system and established the Church of Scientology. The film explores "The Master's" relationship with a young drifter named Freddie who joins the fold and becomes his Number 2 officer, only to later question both the faith and its figurehead in later years -- something plenty of high and low ranking Scientologists alike have done over the years, many publicly denouncing the organization on their way out. The Master employs interrogation-style psychotherapy procedures not unlike the "audit" process basic to Scientology, and spends time living in seclusion with his inner circle on a ship, which Hubbard himself did in the 1960s. (Read more of The Playlist's insightful comparisons here.)

More recently, trade paper Production Weekly reported that Reese Witherspoon had been offered a role in The Master; The Wrap's Deal Central speculated she would play Mary Sue, the young, pregnant wife of Hoffman's character. Mary Sue Whipp, of course, was the name of Hubbard's much younger third wife who became involved in Dianetics in the 1950s and helped him run his Scientology empire. The role of The Master's daughter is also being cast, with Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, and Deborah Ann Woll rumored to be in the running. Also linked to the project is Jeremy Renner, who had been up for the role of Freddie, though his involvement is as yet unconfirmed.

Although Anderson's film will no doubt be much more than a mere $35 million slam against Scientology -- we're talking epic examinations of humanity, greed, and faith, connecting The Master to Anderson's previous films Magnolia and There Will Be Blood -- will those real-life comparisons come a little too close for comfort for the Church that L. Ron built? Scientologists have never been a particularly friendly lot when it comes to receiving criticism; Mary Sue herself was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for masterminding an illegal intelligence-gathering operation, sanctioned by the Church, in which members stole files attempting to suppress anti-Scientology press from the likes of Interpol, the IRS, and other government agencies. IN REAL LIFE. The aforementioned Time Magazine piece from 1991 is filled with frightening accounts of intimidation and harassment allegedly suffered by those critical of the Church that would make Sun Tzu proud.

And just think: Given how many times we've all joshed about Scientologists like Beck and John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, and how much skepticism most people have toward the religion, how many times has a major motion picture or television show really, truly, put it to L. Ron and his devout thetan-hunters? Barely at all. Does Hubbard's legacy, infamously seeded for decades into the ranks of A-list Hollywood and the world of entertainment, have the power to kill movies?

Perhaps. Then again, maybe Universal really didn't want to spend $35 mil on a religious drama about Philip Seymour Hoffman on a boat. But I'd put even money on the crazy conspiracy theory any day. After all, if Scientology has the power to rocket Tom Cruise back to popularity by hip-hop dancing with J. Lo at an awards show while dressed as a lame character from a movie from two years ago, then it's much more powerful and insidious than any of us have imagined.

Voodooists Attacked by Nutjob Evangelicals

Evangelical crowd attacks Voodoo practitioners in Haiti, as religious tensions rise

Voodooists attacked at ceremony for Haiti victims... because there's not enough problems there.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Angry crowds in a seaside slum attacked a group of Voodoo practitioners, pelting them with rocks and halting a ceremony meant to honor victims of last month’s deadly earthquake. How Christ-like. At least throwing rocks is a time honored tradition from the Bible.

The victim Voodooists gathered in Cite Soleil where thousands of quake survivors live in tents and depend on food aid. Praying and singing, the group was trying to conjure spirits to guide lost souls when a crowd of Evangelicals started shouting. Some threw rocks while others urinated on Voodoo symbols. When police left, the crowd destroyed the altars and Voodoo offerings of food and rum. They ruined the food and Rum!? You bastards!

“We were here preparing for prayer when these others came and took over,” said Sante Joseph, an Evangelical worshipper in Cite Soleil, near the capital’s port, who joined the angry crowd in a concrete outdoor civic center.

Tensions have been running high since the Jan. 12 earthquake killed an estimated 200,000 people and left more than 1 million homeless. More than 150 machete-wielding men attacked a World Food Program convoy Monday on the road between Haiti’s second-largest city of Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince. There were no injuries but Chilean peacekeepers could not prevent the men from stealing the food, UN spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux said.

Religious tension has also increased: Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientologists, Mormons and other missionaries have flocked to Haiti in droves since the earthquake to feed the homeless, treat the injured and jockey for souls. Some Voodoo practitioners have said they’ve converted to Christianity for fear they will lose out on aid or a belief that the earthquake was a warning from God. For crying out loud, who's been showing the 700 Club to the Haitians?

“Much of this has to do with the aid coming in,” said Max Beauvoir, a Voodoo priest and head of a Voodoo association. “Many missionaries oppose Voodoo. I hope this does not start a war of religions because many of our practitioners are being harassed now unlike any other time that I remember.”

Voodoo, or Vodou as preferred by Haitians, evolved in the 17th century when the French brought slaves to Haiti from West Africa. Slaves forced to practice Catholicism remained loyal to their African spirits in secret by adopting Catholic saints to coincide with African spirits, and today many Haitians consider themselves followers of both religions. Voodoo’s followers believe in reincarnation, one God and a pantheon of spirits. Voodoo leaders say that although they do not believe in evil spirits, some followers pray for the spirits to do evil.

“There’s absolutely a heightened spiritual conflict between Christianity and Voodoo since the quake,” said Pastor Frank Amedia of the Miami-based Touch Heaven Ministries who has been distributing food in Haiti and proselytizing.

“We would give food to the needy in the short term but if they refused to give up Voodoo, I’m not sure we would continue to support them in the long term because we wouldn’t want to perpetuate that practice. We equate it with witchcraft, which is contrary to the Gospel.”

Thanks to reader Milo for sending this in. Here's his source, which was heavily cutn'pasted here.

My question is, who in their right mind would eff with a Voodoo leader?

It's A Double Cross

Ah, the use of the Christian Cross symbol to trick the poor Haitians into thinking that they are a Christian group helping out. The Scientology cross has eight corners representing the eight dynamics of life. Before you yell trademark infringement, remember that the Christians are famous for stealing and incorporating other people's religious customs and adopting them as their own. Perhaps you've read my 25 part series on Christmas?

It is possible that the Scientologists are there because they genuinely believe that they can help the Haitians to get rid of their clusters of confused Body Thetans.

More cynically, poor Scientologists can do volunteer work in exchange for auditing sessions.

And it would be pretty low to belittle someone who is in the middle of all that pain and suffering - and actually helping people, regardless of their religious stance... However, this is Blasphemes. They aren't helping. They are performing their brand of pseudo-science on these poor people, touching their damaged body parts to get "the nerves in harmony". Although the real doctors there say they don't really care about what these Scientologists are doing.

But I'm not worried. According to the U.N. Population Fund census released in May 2006 (based on 2003 data) revealed the following religious demographics: 54.7 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 15.4 percent Baptist, 7.9 percent Pentecostal, 3 percent Adventist, 2.1 percent voodoo (vodun), 1.5 percent Methodist...

The Voodoo ought to be able to wipe out anything Scientology can dish out.

And the Methodists.

The Scientology Genisis Event

Sci-Fi writer, Harlan Ellison, was there when Scientology was created. Listen to him tell the story.



"Of all the groups and/or individuals who might wish to do me bad cess, out of animus or insanity, I never have to worry about Scientologists. I haven't seen the thing you reference on YouTube, but Ron Hubbard and I were friends. No matter in what godhood he is held by those who may "follow his footsteps," Ron HIMSELF told them to leave me alone, that I was okay in his book. I may not have much use for Scientology, but I had--and still have--LOTS of camaraderie and admiration for the man." - Harlan Ellison

Anonymous Strikes Back

Stumbled across this series of Anti Scientology Fliers.

It would appear, on face value, to be someone's page of a project for "Anonymous" which was an organization/is an organization against Scientology. Perhaps you've heard me mention Project Chanology more than a couple times? Well, anyway, I thought my readers would be interested in looking at these fliers and make their own "judgment" on the issue. Please enjoy and report back.

(Hey, didn't I discuss Operation Snow White just last week? Oh, yeah, I did!)

French Fry Scientology

Scientologists convicted of fraud in France

French judges fined the Church of Scientology almost a million dollars on Tuesday for fleecing vulnerable followers but stopped short of banning the group from operating in France.

Scientology's Celebrity Centre and its bookshop in Paris, the two branches of its French operations, were ordered to pay 600,000 euros (900,000 dollars) in fines for preying financially on several followers in the 1990s.

Alain Rosenberg, the French leader of a movement best known for its Hollywood followers Tom Cruise and John Travolta, was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence and fined 30,000 euros on the same charge of fraud.

Five more Scientologists were give fines ranging from 1,000 to 20,000 euros for fraud or the illegal practice of pharmacy.

France regards Scientology as a cult, not a religion, and has prosecuted individual Scientologists before, but this case marks the first time the organization as a whole has been convicted. (MORE)

Damn fine work, in my estimation. Now don't stop with these guys, start looking into all those other cults all over the countryside.

Also, do you know that the symbol for Dianetics is a PYRAMID? Just sayin'?

Operation Snow White

"Operation Snow White": the largest incident of domestic espionage in United States history. Anarchists? Soviets? Nope. L. Ron Hubbard's wife and a crew of up to 5,000 Scientologists.

Operation Snow White was the Church of Scientology's name for a project during the 1970s to purge unfavorable records about Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard. This project included a series of infiltrations and thefts from 136 government agencies, foreign embassies and consulates, as well as private organizations critical of Scientology, carried out by Church members, in more than 30 countries; the single largest infiltration of the United States government in history with up to 5,000 covert agents. This was also the operation that exposed 'Operation Freakout', because this was the case that brought the US government into investigation on the Church.

Under this program, Scientology operatives committed infiltration, wiretapping, and theft of documents in government offices, most notably those of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Eleven highly-placed Church executives, including Mary Sue Hubbard (wife of founder L. Ron Hubbard and second-in-command of the organization), pleaded guilty or were convicted in federal court of obstructing justice, burglary of government offices, and theft of documents and government property. The case was United States vs. Mary Sue Hubbard et al.,(more)

Here's the Punk who took out 4Chan

AT&T was reportedly blocking its customers from seeing a Web site it doesn't like, 4chan.org. But, dear Blasphemes readers, it was in fact THIS KID: Joshu2uber

"I am not afraid gods power and the authorities will defeat and destroy anonymous and 4chan"

Look, the nicest thing you can say about 4chan is that it's "the Mos Eisley of the web." But it seems that the defender of Scientology and the taker-downer of 4chan has succeeded in this plot - and really DID have god on his side. Good work, Joshu2uber - you did it. Please spare the rest of us.

Bad Week for Xenu

First off, The Church of Scientology could be dissolved in France if it is convicted in a trial that opened Monday in a Paris court, where the group and seven of its French leaders stand charged of organized fraud and illegal pharmaceutical activity.

The group, considered a sect in France, has faced prosecution and difficulties in registering its activities in many countries. (here's that full story)

Second 'poor Xenu' story, in a rather extraordinary effort to crack down on the Church of Scientology's obsessive policing of its online public image, Wikipedia has banned all IP addresses owned or affiliated with Scientology from making edits to entries on its website.

Oh no!

"The muzzling of Scientology IPs marks the first time Wikipedia has officially barred edits from such a high-profile organization for allegedly pushing its own agenda on the site.

According to evidence turned up by admins in this long-running Wikiland court case, multiple editors have been "openly editing [Scientology-related articles] from Church of Scientology equipment and apparently coordinating their activities." Leaning on the famed WikiScanner, countless news stories have discussed the editing of Scientology articles from Scientology IPs, and some site admins are concerned this is "damaging Wikipedia's reputation for neutrality."

The article goes on to explain how the Church Of Scientology operates their little internet spin operation, thanks to testimony provided by a former insider turned informant.

A former member of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs - a department officially responsible "for directing and coordinating all legal matters affecting the Church" - says the Office has organized massive efforts to remove Scientology-related materials and criticism from the web.

"The guys I worked with posted every day all day," Tory Christman tells The Reg. "It was like a machine. I worked with someone who used five separate computers, five separate anonymous identities...to refute any facts from the internet about the Church of Scientology."

This is all fine and good but sooner or later the Scientologists will learn out that all they need to do is send over Leah Remini or Jenna Elfman to give Jimmy Wales a handjob and all of this will go away. Surely they'd take one for the Xenu team.

Or they could just go to the Apple Store and use their computers. Whatever works, right?

Wikipedia Bans Scientology [The Register]

Now, all of you making edits of really crappy bands - and inserting your own jokes... take heed. The Wiki's are watching, and they could ban you!

V Clips

The first footage from ABC's alien drama V delivers the goods. Firefly's Morena Baccarin kills as the lead alien.




There are four planned seasons of this series, with 13-22 episodes each. I only hope that they only went to the first Mini Series. The original V which was an analogy of a Nazi take - using aliens for the morality play. Or it a "Step-by-step guide on how to conquer Earth without firing a shot" depending on how you look at it.

Scientology Escalation Backfires

In what on the surface appears to be a copyright issue - (whole deal) The Church of Scientology asked, er, demanded that Wikileaks take down their documents relating to the Church's Office of Special Affairs and personal notes gathered by Frank Oliver, a former Scientologist and former member of the Church's Special Affairs office.

On March 26, 2008, Wikileaks published the entire set of the Churches 'Operating Thetan Level' documents which included handwritten notes by Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

Despite the letter, Wikileaks states it will not comply with the "abusive request" by the Church.

"Wikileaks will not comply with legally abusive requests from Scientology any more than Wikileaks has complied with similar demands from Swiss banks, Russian off-shore stem cell centers, former African Kleptocrats, or the Pentagon. Wikileaks will remain a place where people of the world may safely expose injustice and corruption," stated Wikileaks in a release on its website.

Wikileaks further states that, "in response to the attempted suppression, Wikileaks will release several thousand additional pages of Scientology material next week."

Awesome. Keep up the hard work.

Beware the Ides of March, Xenu

Looks like Anonymous - the video production group - has a new vid out there in their fight against the "Church" of Scientology [the church was created by, 'I'm going to invent a religion that's going to make me a fortune. I'm tired of writing for a penny a word,' Sci-Fi writer, L.Ron Hubbard]