Nightline ran an 18-minute exposé of Scientology last week, and I’ve posted it in its entirety below. For those who have followed this “faith,” the stuff about church leader David Miscavige won’t come as a surprise, but there are two nice bits: Miscavige’s announcement (3:15, video 1) of L. Ron Hubbard’s death discarding his body because his “research” was done, and a description (4:55, video 1) of how Miscavige had a Scientology jacket made for his beagle (complete with epaulets and stripes of rank), forcing other Scientologists to salute the uniformed dog.
An online AtlanticWire piece describes the bizarre end of the taping, which, sadly, doesn’t appear on these videos:
. . . on Friday, the dynamic was reversed. It was ABC Nightline reporter Martin Bashir who started it, hounding [Scientology spokesman Tommy] Davis with the question: “Do you believe that a galactic emperor called Xenu brought his people to earth 75 million years ago and buried them in volcanoes?” When Bashir persisted, Davis yanked his microphone and stormed off the set. Since then, Davis has apparently returned to ABC headquarters in New York when the interview was about to be aired, presumably to halt the program, and was sent packing by network security.
UPDATE: You can now see the Xenu part! It turns out that ABC news did another part of this piece on Oct. 24. There are five more parts available on YouTube, but check out this piece. The trouble with Xenu begins at about 2:45. Watch Tommy Davis squirm and stonewall when Lord Xenu is brought up, and then stalk off the set.
Tommy Davis, the Scientology spokesman, literally says in that final clip “It is a violation of my religious beliefs to talk about them.” Wow, ain’t that convenient. Sounds like the Mafia’s code of omertà.
Tommy Davis doesn’t actually believe any of this Xenu stuff.
But by phrasing it that way and acting as if he were truly upset, he gets to look like he was standing up to a bully and like he was taking the moral high ground.
Patently obvious to those of us who aren’t brainwashed, but the Scientologists have that persecution complex, and they eat this shit up.
Oh, such a clever psychological ploy.
Gee, I don’t know. Why don’t we ask the dog and see if you’re a witch! You’re not a witch are you? Hahhaaahahaha just kidding we don’t salute dogs, silly!
How very clever and sooooo not transparent.
Andrew Sullivan has been blogging about Scientology, calling it the “Super Adventure Club” and prefacing his stories with clips from South Park episodes (from whence that nickname comes) that savagely satirize the religion.
That would be the same Andrew Sullivan who complained about how uncivil atheists are.
Curiously, when he writes about Catholicism, he doesn’t preface those pieces with the South Park episode on paedophilia in the Church, or call it “Fantastic Child-Diddler Association”.
Just like any other cult out there: obvious and sad at the same time. It takes advantage of those who are simply seeking out more in their lives.
That’s pretty standard hypocrisy. Usually when people bluster and whine about “defamation of religion”, they mean defamation of their own religion, and Sullivan is no different in that regard. He has no problem with mocking other people’s religions–he just gets upset when people treat his own religion that way.
Andrew can recognize absurdity in other religions; one day he’ll be able to recognize it concerning his own.
I can sort of understand his point, as weird as that is. An interviewer who asked a Jewish leader to confirm or deny the blood libel would be probably crossing the line, and would be offensive. But the subject of the interview could very easily turn that around by saying simply of course it’s not true, and then asking why the interviewer would ask such a question. In the case of the Scientologist, he very obviously does believe those things, otherwise he could just say he didn’t and needle the interviewer about asking him such silly questions. His defensiveness is a very loud answer by itself.
I agree with you CarlosT. You summed it up perfectly.
I’m still trying to work out how asking a question could in any way or form be offensive. Asking a Jewish leader to confirm or deny the blood libel is a perfectly acceptable question in the context of religion, just like asking Christian Catholics if blood and bread truly is the blood and body of Christ when “changed.” It *part* of their religion, so it’s apt to ask it.
The offensive part of it is not asking it, but having to answer it truthfully without looking incredibly stupid, because, frankly, those beliefs are batshit crazy.
Scientology found guilty of fraud in France and fined ~$900K. See Trackback/Pingback #1.
You can’t just interpret the $cientology teachings literally; they are poetic metaphor in the search for meaning. Lord Xenu is the Lord Xenu behind Lord Xenu.
It’s only a matter of time before the post-modern liberal theology meme causes a bitter rift in the Co$. You’ll be able to take a personality test to determine which one is right for you and your soon-to-be-empty wallet.
Why can’t the guy just say he does believe in a galactic emperor named Xenu? Is it any less silly than believing that a god named Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago? Galactic emperor vs. god – yeah, so what’s the difference? Xenu vs Jesus – once again, what’s the difference. And yet if you question people on the streets (at least in the USA), many will say they believe a god named Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago. (And Xenu is obviously a myth because the earth is only 6000 years old – and it was created by Jesus’ daddy, who happened to be Jesus himself – talk about screwing yourself. Oh, sorry, apparently it was a nailing.)
Well, I find saluting dog more nice and appropriate idea than let say doing practically the same before saint picture or piece of dead sculpture in church. At least there is some vivid intelligence signs on dog’s face and real opportunity for successful communication with ‘higher authority’.
I’d seen some of that video before on tampabay.com. They have a metric fuck-ton of video both by and about high ranking Co$ members who’ve since left the cult (the international headquarters of Co$ is in Clear Water about 20min from Tampa):
http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/