going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-by-lawrence-wright-2
going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-by-lawrence-wright-2
going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-by-lawrence-wright-2
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
would <strong>the</strong>n link <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong> Scientology site; included in <strong>the</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware was a lter that<br />
would block any sites containing material that vilied <strong>the</strong> church or revealed esoteric<br />
doctrines. Keywords that triggered <strong>the</strong> censorship were Xenu, OT III, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> names <strong>of</strong><br />
prominent Scientology critics.<br />
Although Haggis never used such a lter, one already existed in his mind. During his<br />
thirty-four years in <strong>the</strong> church he had purposely avoided asking too many questions or<br />
reading materials that he knew would disparage his faith. But now, frustrated <strong>by</strong> his<br />
exchange with Davis, he began “poking around.” He came upon an interview on<br />
YouTube with Tommy Davis that had been broadcast <strong>by</strong> CNN in May 2008. “The<br />
worldwide interest in Scientology has never been higher,” Davis boasts on <strong>the</strong> show.<br />
“Scientology has grown more in <strong>the</strong> last ve years than <strong>the</strong> last ve decades combined.”<br />
The anchor, John Roberts, asks Davis about <strong>the</strong> church’s policy <strong>of</strong> disconnection, in<br />
which followers are urged to separate <strong>the</strong>mselves from friends or family members who<br />
might be critical <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> organization. “This is a perfect example <strong>of</strong> how <strong>the</strong> Internet<br />
turns things <strong>and</strong> twists things,” Davis responds. “There’s no such thing as disconnection<br />
as you’re characterizing it. And certainly, we have to underst<strong>and</strong>—”<br />
“Well, what is disconnection?” Roberts tries to interject.<br />
“Scientology is a new religion,” Davis continues, talking over <strong>the</strong> host. “The majority<br />
<strong>of</strong> Scientologists in <strong>the</strong> world, <strong>the</strong>y’re rst generation. So <strong>the</strong>ir family members aren’t<br />
<strong>going</strong> to be Scientologists.… So, certainly, someone who is a Scientologist is <strong>going</strong> to<br />
respect <strong>the</strong>ir family members’ <strong>belief</strong>s—”<br />
“Well, what is disconnection?” Roberts asks again.<br />
“And we consider family to be a building block <strong>of</strong> any society, so anything that’s<br />
characterized as disconnection, or this kind <strong>of</strong> thing, it’s just not true. There isn’t any<br />
such policy.”<br />
Haggis knew this was a lie. His wife, Deborah, had disconnected from her parents<br />
twice. When she was in her twenties <strong>and</strong> acting in Dallas, her mo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> stepfa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
broke away from <strong>the</strong> church. They were close friends <strong>of</strong> Hana Eltringham, who had<br />
stood up for <strong>the</strong>m at <strong>the</strong>ir wedding, so when <strong>the</strong>y had doubts about <strong>the</strong>ir faith, <strong>the</strong>y<br />
went to see her. Eltringham was <strong>the</strong>n counseling people who were considering getting<br />
out <strong>of</strong> Scientology or o<strong>the</strong>r new religions. She helped Scientologists confront <strong>the</strong><br />
contradictions that were implicit in <strong>the</strong>ir faith, such as Hubbard speaking <strong>of</strong> events that<br />
had taken place trillions or quadrillions <strong>of</strong> years in <strong>the</strong> past, although scientists estimate<br />
<strong>the</strong> age <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> universe to be less than 14 billion years, or <strong>the</strong> fact that it has never been<br />
shown that anyone has ever obtained any enhanced OT abilities. Eltringham also talked<br />
about <strong>the</strong> abuses she observed <strong>and</strong> experienced. “Hana told us how Sea Org members<br />
were treated,” Mary Benjamin, Deborah’s mo<strong>the</strong>r, recalled, “how <strong>the</strong>y were kept in a<br />
basement in Los Angeles <strong>and</strong> fed rice <strong>and</strong> beans if <strong>the</strong>y didn’t keep <strong>the</strong>ir stats up. How,<br />
in <strong>the</strong> desert, in terrible heat, <strong>the</strong>y would march in a circle for hours.”<br />
Like many active members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church, <strong>the</strong> Benjamins kept money on account—in<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir case, $2,500—for future courses <strong>the</strong>y intended to take. Deborah’s mo<strong>the</strong>r insisted<br />
on getting <strong>the</strong> money back. Deborah knew what a big deal that was for <strong>the</strong> church. She<br />
didn’t speak to her parents for more than three years, automatically assuming that <strong>the</strong>y