The Academy Award winning writer&director, Paul Haggis' expose on Scientology.

[Swede]

New Yorker staff writer and Looming Tower author Lawrence Wright is writing what his agent calls "the most profound reckoning to date" with Scientology, told through the eyes of director and apostate Paul Haggis. This should be good.

Haggis spent 35 years as a Scientologist before angrily and publicly ditching the cult in 2009 after he became convinced that leader David Miscavige is a violent nut. He hasn't spoken publicly about Scientology since, but a "blown" celebrity (to use the Scientological term for leaving the fold) like Haggis is Scientology's worst possible nightmare—it can smear and threaten rank-and-file detractors all it wants, but when one of its former leading lights is making the charges, it's harder to strike back.

http://gawker.com/5725832/the-scientology-expose-weve-been-waiting-for?skyline=true&s=i

[dimbear]

1. The world desperately needs a new religion, but maybe not that one.

Why do my favorite religions all die out? Is it me?

[carolinayellowdog]

7. Some extinct faiths are making a comeback

Hermeticism is the one that appeals to me, but Druids are cool too. The ones invented in the 19th/20th centuries are generally creepy.

[Silent3]

8. The world desperately needs a lack of religion.

Understanding that's not going to happen any time soon, if ever at all, I'll settle for fewer crazy cults like Scientology and fewer crazy fundamentalists, however.

[cleanhippie]

11. Why doesd the world need any religion at all?

Especially why a new one?

Reason and skepticism will serve mankind quite nicely, I would think.

[Codeine]

18. The world desperately needs NO religion, especially this one. nt

[DCKit]

2. Blown when you leave, totally fucked if you stay.

Scientology is way more sexual than I ever thought.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. I guess we'll find out if Xenu's a mod

Or Tom Cruise.

[AC_Mem]

4. Thanks for this post!

Scientology is a really nasty, evil cult. I'm headed to the link right now to read about this.

And as they brainwash, threaten, make families disconnect while their midget "commander" beats the crap out of his "flock", they do not have to pay one penny in taxes.

Truly evil and dangerous.

[edhopper]

12. And this is

different from the Mormons and Catholics how?

Not defending Scientology (a reprehensible scam).

[cleanhippie]

13. Its not. Not at all.

Great point, but that in no way lessens the point AC was making.

[freshwest]

5. I hope a lot of people see it and stay out of cults.

And the guy has got a lot of guts standing up to this powerful group.

[pa28]

6. Hopefully the book will find a publisher and I can't wait to read it.

My step-brother is in the sea-org and he seems to be lost.

[Iggo]

9. A religion about humans and their alien overlords...

...invented by a scince fiction writer.

Case closed.

[felix_numinous]

10. K&R

I'll be looking forward to this book.

[DeSwiss]

14. K&R

These folks get http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPol_m8wm8Y">very angry just when you try to question them. Let alone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOv0LtzXlx4">trying leave them once you've joined. And http://vimeo.com/1566022">they're worse if you say bad things about them on your way out. Especially when your http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RATcvTJ2SsA">the current Scientology President's daughter.

- Here's to hoping he has great security.....

[skepticscott]

15. Good for him, but did it really take 35 years

to figure out that the COS is filled with violent nuts?

[onager]

16. Lawrence Wright is an outstanding author...

So I hope his project gets finished. I'm sure the Co$ will try to tie it up in court for years. Just as they did with Russell Miller's book Bare-Faced Messiah.

The uncut version of Miller's book wasn't published in the US, thanks to Co$ and its frivolous lawsuits. But thanks to the Internets, you can now read the whole thing on-line.

Lawrence Wright also did a very good HBO documentary, My Trip to Al-Queda. You can watch it on YouTube:

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=lawrence+wright+my+trip+to+al+queda

[chrisa]

17. lol. How do people even believe in this crap?

An evil space alien is locked in a volcano! He's gonna come back some day! Oh noes!

Also, what kind of church has a "Celebrity Center?" Epic fail.