going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-by-lawrence-wright-2

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