Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief in Last Podcast on the Left

Mar 07, 2014 ElphaReads rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, reading-list-2014, religion, music-movies-tv-popculture

I was raised in a house without religion. Religious influences, perhaps (we celebrate Christmas and Easter, but it is really more an excuse for family to get together and have some quality time than anything else), but my family is decidedly not religious. My Mom would consider herself 'spiritual', I believe, as would my sister. My Dad is borderline a flat out Atheist. I'm an Agnostic, open to ideas but not being decisive ('chicken atheist' as my husband calls me). I think that something that I I was raised in a house without religion. Religious influences, perhaps (we celebrate Christmas and Easter, but it is really more an excuse for family to get together and have some quality time than anything else), but my family is decidedly not religious. My Mom would consider herself 'spiritual', I believe, as would my sister. My Dad is borderline a flat out Atheist. I'm an Agnostic, open to ideas but not being decisive ('chicken atheist' as my husband calls me). I think that something that I just can't grasp, but do have some envy towards, when it comes to religion is the whole 'faith' part. I tend to base my beliefs on what I have experienced, and since I'll admit that I've had some experiences I can't explain over the years, that's why I would say that I'm not as rigid on the issue. But the whole 'gotta have faith' argument has been lost on me. I need more than that.

I was thinking about this a lot as I read GOING CLEAR. The faith that Scientologists have in L. Ron Hubbard, the church, and their entire lifestyle is something that not only escapes me, but completely flabbergasts me on top of it. As I was reading this book, I had to set it down for a few moments multiple times, trying to process what I had just read. The amount of faith this group possesses is astounding. Some (many?) call it misguided. And there are those who call it flat out dangerous. I would say that this book falls between the latter two, and boy was it a roller coaster ride of 'what on Earth am I reading?' for me.

The book is split into a few sections, though one could argue that it has two narratives: that of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the religion, and that of Scientology under the rule of David Miscavige. The book tells it partially through the lens of Paul Haggis, a writer/director (known for his involvement in the films MILLION DOLLAR BABY and CRASH) who was once devoted to the church but then defected. The LRH (as Hubbard is known in the organization) parts were equally fascinating and flummoxing. His ability to charm people to follow him, a fair amount of time to disaster (a failed sea expedition was one such endeavor, in which the crew ran out of food and his likeness was destroyed in effigy), should have been predictive of what was to come. It paints the picture of a creative individual who had a lot of personal demons (such as spousal abuse, self medication, and paranoid thoughts), who eventually became the leader of a religion practiced by celebrities and the common man alike. The second part is more modernity centered, detailing the changes Haggis saw in the group under the rule of Miscavige, Hubbard's successor and Tom Cruise's Bestie. And this part was a bit more disturbing to me, as it details the physical and mental abuse, control tactics, manipulation, and harem building (in the case of trying to find Cruise a suitable wife after Nicole Kidman got out of Dodge) that the public hears whispers about, but never really gets full confirmation of. And the number of footnotes that say 'this person denies this happening, this lawyer denies this happening, the church has no knowledge of this happening' gave it an even more sinister air of mystery.

There are many different layers of accusations within this book. One is that of the deity-like treatment of celebrities, though Cruise is really the main focus in that regard. I would imagine that's because of his connection to Miscavige, who was best man at his wedding to Katie Holmes. The accusations about the church orchestrating his dating life post-Kidman divorce (and the implication that they were more than happy to help him drop Mimi Rogers for Kidman in the first place) were pretty screwy and sick. There are also the accusations of abuse and violence upon people at the hands of Miscavige and others, especially at a center called The Hole, where problem members are taken and seemingly held prisoner. There is rumor that Miscavige's wife Shelly is there. She hasn't been seen in public since 2007. And of course the whole prevailing thought within the organization that mental problems can merely be cured by vitamins and 'auditing', a process where one is subjected to many repetitive questions and commands. Once you have come to terms with all your past traumas, you are pronounced 'clear'. Lisa McPherson was pronounced clear. She then suffered a seeming mental breakdown shortly thereafter and was locked in a hotel room with other members of the church for 17 days as they tried to help her. She was pronounced dead at the hospital, having suffered a thromboembolism due to severe dehydration. Horrifying details all in the book, and all denied or explained away in the footnotes by lawyers and members of the church.

It's definitely hard to ignore all the accusations that have come out about Scientology, as much as the church would probably like us to. But scrutiny is hard, and sometimes critics end up either backing down due to intimidation, or having their lives ruined completely. Paul Haggis is predicting running into trouble down the line for his defection. With so many smokescreens being thrown, it's hard to know just what is going on behind closed doors. But the rumors are troubling.

Bottom line: this is a very well written book that sucked me in completely. ...more

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Nov 13, 2015 Michael Kelly rated it it was amazing

A balanced but thorough treatment, and extremely engaging read. Scientology is apparently an excellent object lesson in how religion works. Anyone interested in gaining a structural analysis of ideology will, I think, find this an excellent source book.

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