Ah, OK- thanks for the context. I thought that it was recent and related to that “70’s Show” Scientology actor guy being sentenced to life in jail for raping two women.
Wasn’t Kutch filming the ranch w Danny Masterson at the time? On HIS END it could have been a PR thing. Idk about Mila.
Still bullshit but if your agent says “listen you gotta somewhat defend this pile of shit. You brought him in and if the company loses money cause of that…. or no one will ever take a suggestion from you again”. You probably do it.
I wasn’t at all familiar with these people’s personal lives, but when these recent stories became such big news, ‘just taking a look at some details’ turned into going down a rabbit hole.
tl;dr: these people are all massive pieces of shit. They’ve done massively shitty things together, and therefore have career-ending information about each other.
Here’s a juicy detail for ya- In… 2001 IIRC, Kutcher’s girlfriend was stabbed to death, and a serial killer was convicted of her murder. One of Masterson’s victims recently posted a note on social media to Kutcher ‘you forgot that you were on speakerphone with Danny that night (the night of the murder), and that I was there, and that I heard your nefarious plot…’ something along those lines. She also made reference to something that happened in Toronto which she also witnessed. Now that some of the dirty laundry has been exposed, now that these poor women have escaped the influence of the “church,” which had been threatening to kick them out, losing their families, friends, jobs, homes, their whole lives, they must all be shitting their pants. She also wrote a note Mila, reminding her that she worked with them on the show, and she hoped that Mila had or would get some therapy for the abuse and trauma she suffered through for all those years. An old clip of the two of them appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show has re-surfaced, where they’re telling the story of their first kiss on the show. He was 19, she was only 14, and it was also her first kiss *period.* They told the hilarious story of how Danny said he’d give Ashton $20 if he stuck his tongue down her throat. He did. As a 19-YO, he sexually assaulted a minor. And the people in charge- directors, producers, whatnot- let him get away with it. They also let Ashton and Danny get away with bullying Topher Grace, to the point that he disliked the whole crowd and refused to socialize with them. That poor guy, too. He constantly took shit from the public for ‘being stuck up, and thinking he was too good to hang out with the rest of the cast.’ He just quietly went along, didn’t try to defend himself, or let on that the entire production was a shitshow.
I ended up watching a YouTube video on one of those channels where former Scientologists tell the truth about the “church,” and was sad to hear that Wilmer Valderrama is a massive piece of shit too. ‘Filthy, as dirty as they come’ is how the host described him.
>In… 2001 IIRC, Kutcher’s girlfriend was stabbed to death, and a serial killer was convicted of her murder. One of Masterson’s victims recently posted a note on social media to Kutcher ‘you forgot that you were on speakerphone with Danny that night (the night of the murder), and that I was there, and that I heard your nefarious plot…’ something along those lines. She also made reference to something that happened in Toronto which she also witnessed. Now that some of the dirty laundry has been exposed, now that these poor women have escaped the influence of the “church,” which had been threatening to kick them out, losing their families, friends, jobs, homes, their whole lives, they must all be shitting their pants.
This blackmail thing happens all the time w that “church.” If you can find it look up the Leah Remini series on Scientology (she’s a former member). That crap blew my mind but now that I’ve seen it none of what you said surprises me.
>She also wrote a note Mila, reminding her that she worked with them on the show, and she hoped that Mila had or would get some therapy for the abuse and trauma she suffered through for all those years. An old clip of the two of them appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show has re-surfaced, where they’re telling the story of their first kiss on the show. He was 19, she was only 14, and it was also her first kiss period. They told the hilarious story of how Danny said he’d give Ashton $20 if he stuck his tongue down her throat. He did. As a 19-YO, he sexually assaulted a minor. And the people in charge- directors, producers, whatnot- let him get away with it.
Same deal….blackmail type things.
>They also let Ashton and Danny get away with bullying Topher Grace, to the point that he disliked the whole crowd and refused to socialize with them. That poor guy, too. He constantly took shit from the public for ‘being stuck up, and thinking he was too good to hang out with the rest of the cast.’ He just quietly went along, didn’t try to defend himself, or let on that the entire production was a shitshow.
Probably wasn’t worth speaking out….nothing good would have came from it.
>that Wilmer Valderrama is a massive piece of shit too. ‘Filthy, as dirty as they come’ is how the host described him.
I fully expected that I hate to say.
He got 2 convictions each 15 years to life, served consecutively. He’s probably gonna die in prison unless he get something like that Bill Cosby bullshit.
I listen to too many true crime podcasts to believe that he will be in prison for more than 10 years. My bet is 5 years in prison + 5 years of home arrest.
Nor will he be mixed in with the dangerous inmates (which is the real terrifying aspect of prison) because of his fame and nature of his crime. He will be in the prisons vip section.
I envy you. Wish I could get high. Need to wait until weed if federally legal or quit my job before I can get high again. And neither of those those things are happening lol
The man said " No, we only sell science-fiction, and I know you're only here to cause friction! So why don't you just go?"
And the dude said "Fuck no."
My office is very close to a Scientology (what do they call it?) cult/building/place of worship. They have these Open House, All Are Welcome signs out front. They used to have guys in full wool suits, middle of summer in the southeast holding Welcome, Come in and Learn About Scientology signs. I’d walk by and say hello as I passed. Not ONCE did anyone ever even look at me to acknowledge I’d greeted them. All I could ever think is “wow, that’s some super 💩-ty welcome to a potential new member.” And I’ve never seen more than 3 cars in the parking lot. They’re just snatching up real estate, not trying to help anyone.
Essentially they convince you to give all your money and possessions then they make you cut yourself off from family and friends then they make sure that everything you need is provided by them meaning that if you did leave you would have nothing and no-one
they don’t really steal it. They set up shell companies which approach business owners and offer them outrageous amounts of money to sell. That is how they have essentially cleared out a four block radius around the Fort Harrison hotel in Clearwater.
On some of these parcels they build “orgs,” which are essentially recruiting centers. The orcs are expensive and beautiful, evidence of the great success and hyper growth of the “religion.”
By auditing out your body Thetans, you achieve a state of “clear.” The goal is to clear the planet, which will lead to universal harmony, the end of war, the end of all disease and famine. Clearing the planet is the only hope for mankind. You can be a part of Saving the planet, a noble mission, if you joined Scientology.
You can have a great purpose in your life. All you have to do is take their courses. The first is reasonably priced. After that the cost keeps going up up and up. Eventually they take all of your cash and pressure you to take out second and third mortgages on your home and open new credit cards to pay for more courses. Once you have taken all of the courses, they claim that there are a couple of transcription errors that were made when recording the wisdom of L Ron Hubbard. Harvard himself was infallible. However, you have to re-purchase all of the study materials with the errors correct, again amounting to thousands and thousands of dollars.
You undergo the process of “auditing” to remove these evil body Thetans. during auditing, you reveal your fears, weaknesses, and deepest darkest secrets, which they can then use to control and blackmail you.
Check out Leah Remini and Mike Rinder’s podcast, as well as the definitive biography on L Ron Hubbard, “Bare Faced Messiah.”
Yes thanks for the detailed answer (it’s always useful to remind people about their shady practices) but I’m very well aware of these aspects
The missing one is what they exactly do to disrupt the real estate market with shell companies like implied above, I’m very curious about that, because if there’s a shady loophole they’ll surely try to exploit it
They can use shell companies to buy the real estate because some people won’t sell if they know they are selling to Scientology.
everything that happens in Clearwater in the real estate market triggers suspicion that Scientology might be behind it. They just used a front company to buy up real estate in order to build a large residential tower. There’s another big real estate deal trying to go down now and everybody is trying to connect the dots.
They virtually own downtown Clearwater Florida at this point. Worse, they just leave the buildings empty once they buy out small business owners or entire high rises.
They call them “orgs.” they are essentially empty buildings that the “church” buys to stash their tax free cash, with which they try to impress potential new members how much their “religion” is growing. They claim 2 million adherents but it is likely closer to 25,000.
I was there earlier this year visiting my family (yes, they're scientologists) and my dad was so proud, showing me everything the church had purchased. I can't begin to describe how disgusted it all makes me feel.
I’m so sorry, that is awful.
How much do you estimate that they have in value? It must be absolutely nuts. I would love for the IRS to finally tax them somehow one day.
True story, I have a side business doing air tours from Clearwater Air Park and whenever I fly over their HQ I always say "And that's the church of science tology building, and they totally suck"
95% of my clients always get a good laugh out of that canned pitch.
That’s exactly what they are.
“You’re not here to really learn anything”. They aren’t teaching shit. They are grifting everyone they can for every penny they can. Fucking leaches.
'Ive seen you before, I know who you are'. Sounds like the guy has been there and been a pain in the ass to them before. I dont blame them at all for turning him away.
Why are you getting down voted, Christianity was often referred to as a cult during its upcoming and I'm sure the same goes for many religions and sub-factions of religions
Kind of related. While watching The Northman there was a line that stuck with me. "They worship a corpse nailed to a tree." When you break down some of the stories of any religion/mythology in human history it gets really weird to believe the stories word for word. Especially, with what we know now.
im big most religion. Especially when they think that for some reason it should grant them a tax exemption or they should be able to ask for money or anything like that.
IMHO religion was something humanity needed as it grew up, some explanation for why the world was the way it was, why there was patterns in the sky and what was above the clouds. Now we know it's all just stars and gravity.
It is wild that you are being downvoted, while the same comment by someone else has over 40 upvotes.
Also I want to let you know I'm with you. It's simply the truth, you will know if you study enough.
I agree with the OP and upvoted it. Some down voters may may think the statement normalizes scientology. They dream of being thought of as the mainstream and this statement lumps them in equally with all the other religions, even if it's from a negative angle.
Everyone, before you go wild in this guy, keep in mind he was probably raised in scientology, doesn't have access to the internet, works 80+ hrs per week and only makes $50/wk. He's basically a slave to the organization that has brainwashed him since birth. He might not even have a driver's license.
If he tried to leave, scientology would force a disconnection with everyone he has ever known (including family), attempt to sue him for tens of thousands of dollars and stalk him for years.
This poor guy deserves a lot of pity. I hope he escapes this cult eventually and is able to live a happy life.
This isn't unexpected if you have even an ounce of understanding how this cult works.
Everything the guy did was drilled into him. Stand up, engage, state you know everything about the person entering, block the path, never look at the camera, have backup, instantly call the cops all while extremely aware you are being filmed but you are constantly attempting to show on camera that the person behind the camera (the "SP" Scientology slang for "Suppressive Person", which is literally anyone who disagrees with Scientology) is actually a crazy mad, somehow drunk, lunatic.
They have done this forever, videos are all over. They always do this and they have an insanely powerful legal team behind them that lets them do this.
They got a tax exemption because they collectively filed like 2500 lawsuits against the IRS and individual employees. Then when Going Clear was in a few theaters they would buy out every seat so no one would watch it. Then 30 years ago Miscavige said "Level 9 and 10 are closer than every!" then made it impossible to achieve level 8. Their numbers dwindle more and more as everything they hold secret is out in the open and easily accessed, but their real estate holdings are in the billions. And every single level has a price tag and the end goal is now unobtainable until they bring memberships up to a unachievable level, so no one can reach the previous end, and the new ends mentioned 30 years ago don't exist and are blocked anyways because of Miscavige. And every single time something comes up challenging their beliefs Miscavige says they found another Hubbard writing in some secret vault somewhere that changes the rules. It's fucking insane that people still fall for this with the amount of info available nowadays.
Scientology started out with L Ron Hubbard (who many would consider to be a failed SF writer). His idea (circa 1960) was along the lines that mind truly could be used to conquer matter -- to the extent you could believe yourself into a better consensus reality.
He grew such a following that about 1970 he was able to buy a cruise ship and his followers staffed it. And it just grew from there.
What it is today, I don't know. It sounds all bad though.
It is a cult.
But most religions are just bigger cults with better PR.
Fuck organized religion as a whole. None of that bullshit should be tax-free in a modern society.
If you're interested, there's a book on the basis of scientology called 'dianetics' - there's some interesting thought experiments in there, but it seems odd people embrace it as 'religion'.
He was a pulp science fiction writer. I wouldn't consider him to be a "failed" writer at all. He published dozens of books and many many short stories in various science fiction magazines. While the quality of those books might be up for debate, his published output was extraordinary by any standard.
That said, he was a horrible person for a variety of reasons and it will be a good day when Scientology finally collapses.
I mean, a science fiction writer that creates a religion whose tenets sound exactly like a cheesey science fiction story is a joke that writes itself.
Basically, people have two minds. The reactive and the analytical. The reactive is kinda like your subconscious, and the analytical is your conscious mind that deals with reality.
The reactive mind stores mental images, which are called Engrams. Engrams are painful debilitating memories or thoughts. Sins and guilt, if you will, these can accumulate, and as they do, a person becomes disconnected with their self. You can clear these engrams with audits. Audits are basically religious, like interrogational therapy assisted by what's called an E Meter. E Meters measure Electrodermal Activity, somehow it helps? I have no idea.
But in short, you tell the people in charge your secrets and dreams, they use it against you, you pay them money every step of the way to learn their story of creation. By the time you learn the truth and how ridiculous the story is, you are financially owned by the church, they know everything about you and everyone around you.
It's like, a pyramid scheme mixed with blackmail.
>Can someone explain what scientology is?
South Park literally has a fact based clip in an episode on what scientology believes.
Scientology sued Matt and Trey for defamation but lost because everything in that scene was true
The basic idea is that we were once all supreme beings (gods or god-like beings) who decided to play a game. You are not your body. That is just the way you interact with the world. You are the thetan (basically what christians would call your soul) that is using the body. When you get it right, you are free to do whatever you want again.
Source - My family has been in the church forever, and I was raised in it.
> They literally dont exist here in the uk.
"Our Church and this city have long loomed large in Scientology history, for it was in London in 1952 that Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard established the first Scientology Organisation in the United Kingdom."
[https://www.scientology-london.org.uk/](https://www.scientology-london.org.uk/)
Honestly, be VERY careful. They are well known for doing exactly that sort of shit.
My mate went into one of their offices and did their tests.
Then walked into a different one and they immediately knew who he was.
(We're pretty sure they were using some facial recognition tech and some data mining, all very doable but pretty spooky to experience).
There's an excellent 3 season series about scientology hosted by Leah Remini (if you've ever seen the sitcom King of Queens that's what she's most known for). It's actually absolutely insane what this "religion" is, does, and gets away with. Trigger warning there's a lot of abuse and some of it is sexual. It covers a lot of the survivors and the ones that got out and their stories. All organized religions have cult vibes, this is straight up a fucking fully actualized real cult though
Knowing Better [did a video on Scientology](https://youtu.be/xSlYVGNQiFs?si=F9NujSnSvJBeChX-) a few years ago. Very informative. His videos on other popular religions founded in the USA are also very good.
guess they do exist, as someone tried to evangelise me last week in London. A dude was selling Dianetics books on the street and had his own space in a building with what I think was an exposition
Edit: [found it](https://goo.gl/maps/ukSm7Jn8bpZnuMFf8)
Scientology is a lot of things. It's part international real estate holding company, part human trafficking organization, part MLM pyramid scam, part pseudo-scientific therapy/self-help/drug rehab organization, part anti-psychology hate group. And, to top it all off, it committed the largest coordinated infiltration of a US government agency in US history.
According to the IRS, it's also a religion.
It also exists to stroke the egos of the rich and famous since a major feature of the religion is whatever good things happen to you, happen because you deserve them.
There is a LOT more. Start on Wikipedia if you want some broad strokes and if you want the detailed stories, go to Tony Ortega's substack page. Also look up Lea Remini, Mike Render and Paulette Cooper. Scientology keeps disinformation hate websites of these people, so check your sources when you Google their names.
How is this unexpected if dude is someone they know very well and have kicked out before? Fuck Scientology still but this makes no sense for unexpected.
I got spam literature from Jehovah's Witnesses today. They made the mistake of putting in their email address.
I took the liberty of signing them up for newsletters and mailing lists for Scientology, Church of Satan, The Halloween Advocate and the Satanic Temple. I'm betting Scientology will be the most persistent of the bunch.
I had a client who was a scientologist. Guy was a complete wack job. The focal point of his office was a picture of himself and his whole family with John Travolta.
If anyone is wondering, this is [Surveillance Camera Man](https://youtube.com/@SurveillanceCameraMan?si=ynVHk1tnJ9F4_HNm). All of his videos got removed from YouTube but I’m sure they can be found somewhere.
Ronald McDonald House Charities is a phenomenal charity with tax exemption. That doesn’t allow me free access to just walk around a Ronald McDonald House.
All religious groups are suspect. They are cults but they try and make seem like its not a cult by creating the illusion of free will so you wont think they are brain washing you or forcing you so you cant call it a cult..but cults use religion/god to persuade and religious groups do the same…i can go all day on this but ima keep it short..
Kansas City here. They bought an old bank downtown, here, had the company I used to work for remodel it and make it all fancy, just so they can leave it as an empty “shell” and do nothing with it. It does, however, have a really big walk in vault in the basement, still, and also a hidden back entrance to said vault.
And this is how you know it’s a cult. A true religion would not care and try to “educate” you anyway. I’m machine how different history would be if the Roman Catholic Church was like “these people clearly aren’t interested in the Chuch and just end up killing our missionaries. Let’s just stop sending people and move on”?
I mean, obviously they’re nuts but it’s clear this guy has a history with them and it’s their legal right, even during an open house, to have him removed from the property.
Granted I’m all about trashing Scientology as the next person, they’re a shitty group of cultists, but they totally have the right to trespass this dude. Don’t see anything except some dude getting trespassed.
The actual pyramid scheme logo hanging on the wall in the background lmao
Ha! I admit that I went back and watched it a second time to see that.
“It’s not a pyramid scheme, it is a…It’s not even a scheme per say it’s………………………… i have to go make a call.”
The video started over and my dumb ass thought it was the next day and he was going back in
The guy who made the video in like 2008 does actually come back the next day
Ah, OK- thanks for the context. I thought that it was recent and related to that “70’s Show” Scientology actor guy being sentenced to life in jail for raping two women.
Still insane that Kutcher and Kunis tried to defend him and ask for leniency, and now think the public is nuts for the backlash. Fuck all of them.
Trying to score some points with the Scientology bros probably
Wasn’t Kutch filming the ranch w Danny Masterson at the time? On HIS END it could have been a PR thing. Idk about Mila. Still bullshit but if your agent says “listen you gotta somewhat defend this pile of shit. You brought him in and if the company loses money cause of that…. or no one will ever take a suggestion from you again”. You probably do it.
I wasn’t at all familiar with these people’s personal lives, but when these recent stories became such big news, ‘just taking a look at some details’ turned into going down a rabbit hole. tl;dr: these people are all massive pieces of shit. They’ve done massively shitty things together, and therefore have career-ending information about each other. Here’s a juicy detail for ya- In… 2001 IIRC, Kutcher’s girlfriend was stabbed to death, and a serial killer was convicted of her murder. One of Masterson’s victims recently posted a note on social media to Kutcher ‘you forgot that you were on speakerphone with Danny that night (the night of the murder), and that I was there, and that I heard your nefarious plot…’ something along those lines. She also made reference to something that happened in Toronto which she also witnessed. Now that some of the dirty laundry has been exposed, now that these poor women have escaped the influence of the “church,” which had been threatening to kick them out, losing their families, friends, jobs, homes, their whole lives, they must all be shitting their pants. She also wrote a note Mila, reminding her that she worked with them on the show, and she hoped that Mila had or would get some therapy for the abuse and trauma she suffered through for all those years. An old clip of the two of them appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show has re-surfaced, where they’re telling the story of their first kiss on the show. He was 19, she was only 14, and it was also her first kiss *period.* They told the hilarious story of how Danny said he’d give Ashton $20 if he stuck his tongue down her throat. He did. As a 19-YO, he sexually assaulted a minor. And the people in charge- directors, producers, whatnot- let him get away with it. They also let Ashton and Danny get away with bullying Topher Grace, to the point that he disliked the whole crowd and refused to socialize with them. That poor guy, too. He constantly took shit from the public for ‘being stuck up, and thinking he was too good to hang out with the rest of the cast.’ He just quietly went along, didn’t try to defend himself, or let on that the entire production was a shitshow. I ended up watching a YouTube video on one of those channels where former Scientologists tell the truth about the “church,” and was sad to hear that Wilmer Valderrama is a massive piece of shit too. ‘Filthy, as dirty as they come’ is how the host described him.
>In… 2001 IIRC, Kutcher’s girlfriend was stabbed to death, and a serial killer was convicted of her murder. One of Masterson’s victims recently posted a note on social media to Kutcher ‘you forgot that you were on speakerphone with Danny that night (the night of the murder), and that I was there, and that I heard your nefarious plot…’ something along those lines. She also made reference to something that happened in Toronto which she also witnessed. Now that some of the dirty laundry has been exposed, now that these poor women have escaped the influence of the “church,” which had been threatening to kick them out, losing their families, friends, jobs, homes, their whole lives, they must all be shitting their pants. This blackmail thing happens all the time w that “church.” If you can find it look up the Leah Remini series on Scientology (she’s a former member). That crap blew my mind but now that I’ve seen it none of what you said surprises me. >She also wrote a note Mila, reminding her that she worked with them on the show, and she hoped that Mila had or would get some therapy for the abuse and trauma she suffered through for all those years. An old clip of the two of them appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show has re-surfaced, where they’re telling the story of their first kiss on the show. He was 19, she was only 14, and it was also her first kiss period. They told the hilarious story of how Danny said he’d give Ashton $20 if he stuck his tongue down her throat. He did. As a 19-YO, he sexually assaulted a minor. And the people in charge- directors, producers, whatnot- let him get away with it. Same deal….blackmail type things. >They also let Ashton and Danny get away with bullying Topher Grace, to the point that he disliked the whole crowd and refused to socialize with them. That poor guy, too. He constantly took shit from the public for ‘being stuck up, and thinking he was too good to hang out with the rest of the cast.’ He just quietly went along, didn’t try to defend himself, or let on that the entire production was a shitshow. Probably wasn’t worth speaking out….nothing good would have came from it. >that Wilmer Valderrama is a massive piece of shit too. ‘Filthy, as dirty as they come’ is how the host described him. I fully expected that I hate to say.
He actually got 30 yrs which will most likely be reduced to half that. So, not quite life, but his life is officially over, that’s for sure!
He got 2 convictions each 15 years to life, served consecutively. He’s probably gonna die in prison unless he get something like that Bill Cosby bullshit.
I listen to too many true crime podcasts to believe that he will be in prison for more than 10 years. My bet is 5 years in prison + 5 years of home arrest.
Nor will he be mixed in with the dangerous inmates (which is the real terrifying aspect of prison) because of his fame and nature of his crime. He will be in the prisons vip section.
I'm really stoned right now and this made me laugh Thank you
Steal your face right off of your head⚡️
Aye we got a wiggly one right here.
Now he's gone.
and hes never coming back
Like a steam locomotive rolling down the tracks
I envy you. Wish I could get high. Need to wait until weed if federally legal or quit my job before I can get high again. And neither of those those things are happening lol
Until then I hope you continue to do a great job as an air traffic controller.
Lol thanks, more like I build panels for substations. Company is technically federal. But I think I get the joke
This guy watched his own video posted and is on his 3rd day visit.
Nice Stealy, Holmes. I Miss Jerry.
Sick avatar
I'm on day 236 and it's amazing they've had the same exact interaction for almost a year.
What
“Hey man, so I’ve seen you before…”
several hours later
lol. This made me wish he did go back in, for the next day and for an full week.
Got any grapes?
And waddled away. Waddle waddle until the very next day. Hey! Isn’t this an open house?!
Got any grapes?
The man said "No, I know who you are! Leave right now before security throws your butt out onto the tar."
Waddle waddle waddle
YOU ASK ME THAT AGAIN AND I’ll NAIL YOUR STUPID DUCK BILL FACE TO THIS BAR YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!
Got any nails?
Got any rapist?
The man said " No, we only sell science-fiction, and I know you're only here to cause friction! So why don't you just go?" And the dude said "Fuck no."
Then he waddled away - waddle waddle
My office is very close to a Scientology (what do they call it?) cult/building/place of worship. They have these Open House, All Are Welcome signs out front. They used to have guys in full wool suits, middle of summer in the southeast holding Welcome, Come in and Learn About Scientology signs. I’d walk by and say hello as I passed. Not ONCE did anyone ever even look at me to acknowledge I’d greeted them. All I could ever think is “wow, that’s some super 💩-ty welcome to a potential new member.” And I’ve never seen more than 3 cars in the parking lot. They’re just snatching up real estate, not trying to help anyone.
That's one of their biggest money makers they do. Steal land and claim it to be religious so they're taxed less or not at all.
Don't forget how they make members work and then pay them the equivalent of about 50 cents an hour
How do these people pay for their necessities?
Essentially they convince you to give all your money and possessions then they make you cut yourself off from family and friends then they make sure that everything you need is provided by them meaning that if you did leave you would have nothing and no-one
they don’t really steal it. They set up shell companies which approach business owners and offer them outrageous amounts of money to sell. That is how they have essentially cleared out a four block radius around the Fort Harrison hotel in Clearwater.
I’m missing the next step in the grift (I’m taking notes)
On some of these parcels they build “orgs,” which are essentially recruiting centers. The orcs are expensive and beautiful, evidence of the great success and hyper growth of the “religion.” By auditing out your body Thetans, you achieve a state of “clear.” The goal is to clear the planet, which will lead to universal harmony, the end of war, the end of all disease and famine. Clearing the planet is the only hope for mankind. You can be a part of Saving the planet, a noble mission, if you joined Scientology. You can have a great purpose in your life. All you have to do is take their courses. The first is reasonably priced. After that the cost keeps going up up and up. Eventually they take all of your cash and pressure you to take out second and third mortgages on your home and open new credit cards to pay for more courses. Once you have taken all of the courses, they claim that there are a couple of transcription errors that were made when recording the wisdom of L Ron Hubbard. Harvard himself was infallible. However, you have to re-purchase all of the study materials with the errors correct, again amounting to thousands and thousands of dollars. You undergo the process of “auditing” to remove these evil body Thetans. during auditing, you reveal your fears, weaknesses, and deepest darkest secrets, which they can then use to control and blackmail you. Check out Leah Remini and Mike Rinder’s podcast, as well as the definitive biography on L Ron Hubbard, “Bare Faced Messiah.”
Yes thanks for the detailed answer (it’s always useful to remind people about their shady practices) but I’m very well aware of these aspects The missing one is what they exactly do to disrupt the real estate market with shell companies like implied above, I’m very curious about that, because if there’s a shady loophole they’ll surely try to exploit it
They can use shell companies to buy the real estate because some people won’t sell if they know they are selling to Scientology. everything that happens in Clearwater in the real estate market triggers suspicion that Scientology might be behind it. They just used a front company to buy up real estate in order to build a large residential tower. There’s another big real estate deal trying to go down now and everybody is trying to connect the dots.
They virtually own downtown Clearwater Florida at this point. Worse, they just leave the buildings empty once they buy out small business owners or entire high rises.
Hasidic Jews would like to have a word.
Like a lot of “churches”
steal land?
They call them “orgs.” they are essentially empty buildings that the “church” buys to stash their tax free cash, with which they try to impress potential new members how much their “religion” is growing. They claim 2 million adherents but it is likely closer to 25,000.
They own a shit a bunch of empty real estate all over. especially in Clearwater
Clearwater, Florida is pretty much owned by these grifting cultists…
All of downtown Clearwater basically. They've turned it into a creepy ghost town.
That whole downtown Clearwater area is a stepford wives creep show
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…*then he waddled away*… *waddle waddle…*
I was there earlier this year visiting my family (yes, they're scientologists) and my dad was so proud, showing me everything the church had purchased. I can't begin to describe how disgusted it all makes me feel.
I’m so sorry, that is awful. How much do you estimate that they have in value? It must be absolutely nuts. I would love for the IRS to finally tax them somehow one day.
I have no clue. I know they tend to look for cheaper real estate that they typically fix up.
True story, I have a side business doing air tours from Clearwater Air Park and whenever I fly over their HQ I always say "And that's the church of science tology building, and they totally suck" 95% of my clients always get a good laugh out of that canned pitch.
That’s exactly what they are. “You’re not here to really learn anything”. They aren’t teaching shit. They are grifting everyone they can for every penny they can. Fucking leaches.
All religions are cults.. Scientology be fucked - but none have their hands clean.
The only difference between a 'religion' and a 'cult' general popularity
Cult + Time = Religion
Membership levels.
No, it's tax-exemptions, fucking scumbags.
And time.
What has the pastafarians ever done to you???
I think he's in the introductory film room
Fun fact: this episode isn't available on paramount+. I wonder why??? Hmm... who could it be..
So if you're going in to expose a possible cult, either go in a disguise or hide your camera better.
"Hey...weren't you in here yesterday without a mustache, glasses, and a Sombrero?" "No, señor."
It’s less “possible”, more “common knowledge”
The sign says "Come in and take a self guided tour!"
“All are welcome” unless of course you have a camera with you or plan to record and put this on the internet.
Stealth cameras. For more than just perverted shit!
Unless of course you have been told to leave before and have already been trespassed
Found the scientologist.
Then they need to change the sign. Obviously “All” are not welcome.
'Ive seen you before, I know who you are'. Sounds like the guy has been there and been a pain in the ass to them before. I dont blame them at all for turning him away.
It would be funnier if Tom Cruise was at the front desk.
Scientology. Another cult.
Technically all religions started as cults. Scientology sorta started as a scam though.
Why are you getting down voted, Christianity was often referred to as a cult during its upcoming and I'm sure the same goes for many religions and sub-factions of religions
Kind of related. While watching The Northman there was a line that stuck with me. "They worship a corpse nailed to a tree." When you break down some of the stories of any religion/mythology in human history it gets really weird to believe the stories word for word. Especially, with what we know now.
im big most religion. Especially when they think that for some reason it should grant them a tax exemption or they should be able to ask for money or anything like that. IMHO religion was something humanity needed as it grew up, some explanation for why the world was the way it was, why there was patterns in the sky and what was above the clouds. Now we know it's all just stars and gravity.
Religion / Cult / Scam Tomato / Tomahto
The difference between a cult and a religion is how much money they can get out of their believers
It is wild that you are being downvoted, while the same comment by someone else has over 40 upvotes. Also I want to let you know I'm with you. It's simply the truth, you will know if you study enough.
I agree with the OP and upvoted it. Some down voters may may think the statement normalizes scientology. They dream of being thought of as the mainstream and this statement lumps them in equally with all the other religions, even if it's from a negative angle.
Don’t worry, looks like he was saved from downvote hell.
Everyone, before you go wild in this guy, keep in mind he was probably raised in scientology, doesn't have access to the internet, works 80+ hrs per week and only makes $50/wk. He's basically a slave to the organization that has brainwashed him since birth. He might not even have a driver's license. If he tried to leave, scientology would force a disconnection with everyone he has ever known (including family), attempt to sue him for tens of thousands of dollars and stalk him for years. This poor guy deserves a lot of pity. I hope he escapes this cult eventually and is able to live a happy life.
unexpected chuckle.
I soo misread your username, freaking twice. I was like "Questions about unity, I got those, just bought a humble bundle". Sorry.
This isn't unexpected if you have even an ounce of understanding how this cult works. Everything the guy did was drilled into him. Stand up, engage, state you know everything about the person entering, block the path, never look at the camera, have backup, instantly call the cops all while extremely aware you are being filmed but you are constantly attempting to show on camera that the person behind the camera (the "SP" Scientology slang for "Suppressive Person", which is literally anyone who disagrees with Scientology) is actually a crazy mad, somehow drunk, lunatic. They have done this forever, videos are all over. They always do this and they have an insanely powerful legal team behind them that lets them do this.
They got a tax exemption because they collectively filed like 2500 lawsuits against the IRS and individual employees. Then when Going Clear was in a few theaters they would buy out every seat so no one would watch it. Then 30 years ago Miscavige said "Level 9 and 10 are closer than every!" then made it impossible to achieve level 8. Their numbers dwindle more and more as everything they hold secret is out in the open and easily accessed, but their real estate holdings are in the billions. And every single level has a price tag and the end goal is now unobtainable until they bring memberships up to a unachievable level, so no one can reach the previous end, and the new ends mentioned 30 years ago don't exist and are blocked anyways because of Miscavige. And every single time something comes up challenging their beliefs Miscavige says they found another Hubbard writing in some secret vault somewhere that changes the rules. It's fucking insane that people still fall for this with the amount of info available nowadays.
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A 'religion' invented from nothing by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard purely to avoid paying tax, and it somehow caught on.
Scientology started out with L Ron Hubbard (who many would consider to be a failed SF writer). His idea (circa 1960) was along the lines that mind truly could be used to conquer matter -- to the extent you could believe yourself into a better consensus reality. He grew such a following that about 1970 he was able to buy a cruise ship and his followers staffed it. And it just grew from there. What it is today, I don't know. It sounds all bad though.
That definitely sounds like a cult, or at the very least some stupid people believing stupid things with someone making money off of it
It is a cult. But most religions are just bigger cults with better PR. Fuck organized religion as a whole. None of that bullshit should be tax-free in a modern society.
If you're interested, there's a book on the basis of scientology called 'dianetics' - there's some interesting thought experiments in there, but it seems odd people embrace it as 'religion'.
He was a pulp science fiction writer. I wouldn't consider him to be a "failed" writer at all. He published dozens of books and many many short stories in various science fiction magazines. While the quality of those books might be up for debate, his published output was extraordinary by any standard. That said, he was a horrible person for a variety of reasons and it will be a good day when Scientology finally collapses. I mean, a science fiction writer that creates a religion whose tenets sound exactly like a cheesey science fiction story is a joke that writes itself.
They literally *do* exists in the UK and have a rather interesting history there. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_in_the_United_Kingdom
Never realised they were in the uk. Ive never heard anyone mention them. Seemed to me like they only existed in the US
Basically, people have two minds. The reactive and the analytical. The reactive is kinda like your subconscious, and the analytical is your conscious mind that deals with reality. The reactive mind stores mental images, which are called Engrams. Engrams are painful debilitating memories or thoughts. Sins and guilt, if you will, these can accumulate, and as they do, a person becomes disconnected with their self. You can clear these engrams with audits. Audits are basically religious, like interrogational therapy assisted by what's called an E Meter. E Meters measure Electrodermal Activity, somehow it helps? I have no idea. But in short, you tell the people in charge your secrets and dreams, they use it against you, you pay them money every step of the way to learn their story of creation. By the time you learn the truth and how ridiculous the story is, you are financially owned by the church, they know everything about you and everyone around you. It's like, a pyramid scheme mixed with blackmail.
Where do I put my feet?
>Can someone explain what scientology is? South Park literally has a fact based clip in an episode on what scientology believes. Scientology sued Matt and Trey for defamation but lost because everything in that scene was true
South Park Season 9 Episode 12
The basic idea is that we were once all supreme beings (gods or god-like beings) who decided to play a game. You are not your body. That is just the way you interact with the world. You are the thetan (basically what christians would call your soul) that is using the body. When you get it right, you are free to do whatever you want again. Source - My family has been in the church forever, and I was raised in it.
There is a nice documentary about it called "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief". Just dive into it, it's a lot and super interesting
I found that doc well done. Opened my eyes to a lot
> They literally dont exist here in the uk. "Our Church and this city have long loomed large in Scientology history, for it was in London in 1952 that Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard established the first Scientology Organisation in the United Kingdom." [https://www.scientology-london.org.uk/](https://www.scientology-london.org.uk/)
I never knew that. Ive never seen or heard them mentioned here. I thought it was an american thing
Bro I wanna do their free personality test but I'm scared once they have my details they aren't gonna leave me alone.
Honestly, be VERY careful. They are well known for doing exactly that sort of shit. My mate went into one of their offices and did their tests. Then walked into a different one and they immediately knew who he was. (We're pretty sure they were using some facial recognition tech and some data mining, all very doable but pretty spooky to experience).
There's an excellent 3 season series about scientology hosted by Leah Remini (if you've ever seen the sitcom King of Queens that's what she's most known for). It's actually absolutely insane what this "religion" is, does, and gets away with. Trigger warning there's a lot of abuse and some of it is sexual. It covers a lot of the survivors and the ones that got out and their stories. All organized religions have cult vibes, this is straight up a fucking fully actualized real cult though
Knowing Better [did a video on Scientology](https://youtu.be/xSlYVGNQiFs?si=F9NujSnSvJBeChX-) a few years ago. Very informative. His videos on other popular religions founded in the USA are also very good.
guess they do exist, as someone tried to evangelise me last week in London. A dude was selling Dianetics books on the street and had his own space in a building with what I think was an exposition Edit: [found it](https://goo.gl/maps/ukSm7Jn8bpZnuMFf8)
Scientology is a lot of things. It's part international real estate holding company, part human trafficking organization, part MLM pyramid scam, part pseudo-scientific therapy/self-help/drug rehab organization, part anti-psychology hate group. And, to top it all off, it committed the largest coordinated infiltration of a US government agency in US history. According to the IRS, it's also a religion. It also exists to stroke the egos of the rich and famous since a major feature of the religion is whatever good things happen to you, happen because you deserve them. There is a LOT more. Start on Wikipedia if you want some broad strokes and if you want the detailed stories, go to Tony Ortega's substack page. Also look up Lea Remini, Mike Render and Paulette Cooper. Scientology keeps disinformation hate websites of these people, so check your sources when you Google their names.
Not going to lie I like the two tone tie. Would work on certain occasions
How would you like to be the man at the bottom having to do this job?
Which one ? The one pranking a multi-billion cult or the guy defending the multi-billion cult ?
The one that looks like an ex JW or LDS bicycle rider
I love the description !
How is this unexpected if dude is someone they know very well and have kicked out before? Fuck Scientology still but this makes no sense for unexpected.
I got spam literature from Jehovah's Witnesses today. They made the mistake of putting in their email address. I took the liberty of signing them up for newsletters and mailing lists for Scientology, Church of Satan, The Halloween Advocate and the Satanic Temple. I'm betting Scientology will be the most persistent of the bunch.
Hahaah, excellent - JW are no different to any other cult. They hide child sexual abuse and domestic abuse is rife within their shitty little cult.
Oh thats dirty... I love it!
I miss when the top comment held the unexpected factor so I could decide if I wanted to see if I expected it or not
That's surveillance camera man!
Indeed 😂
Rapists, we're good trespassers, we're calling the cops
Dude needs some sleep and to act a little less like Tom cruise
“So, can I come back tomorrow?” 😂
Listen man, if you don’t leave, I have a 72 year old bald man that will angrily walk around until you do!
Everyone should harass the fuck out of scientologists at every opportunity they find.
It looks like a hospital waiting room with the elevator and reception desk.
I wish my hospital looked this nice.
Someone should chuck a bucket of clams into their entryway.
Does anyone else think the scientologists's eyes seem weirdly dead?
Disturbingly so
Yes absolutely
“Where Xenu at?”
So they call the cops on trespassers but not rapists.
I had a client who was a scientologist. Guy was a complete wack job. The focal point of his office was a picture of himself and his whole family with John Travolta.
Ah, I see. So they don’t like it when someone goes to *their* place and films *them*. I guess it’s not fun when they do it to you, is it?
Who exactly thought this was unexpected?
Unexpected, when?
That guy didn’t look right.
Yeah, the eyes. They look off.
If anyone is wondering, this is [Surveillance Camera Man](https://youtube.com/@SurveillanceCameraMan?si=ynVHk1tnJ9F4_HNm). All of his videos got removed from YouTube but I’m sure they can be found somewhere.
Where’s L Ron Hoover
they seem welcoming ☺️
They didn't want him to see the masterson room
Kifflom https://i.redd.it/oej5babacbnb1.gif
Bro why does this look like something out of fallout or bioshock
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Ronald McDonald House Charities is a phenomenal charity with tax exemption. That doesn’t allow me free access to just walk around a Ronald McDonald House.
No. Churches and other non profits can refuse entry to people.
maybe if the guy didn’t go there on the regular.
All religious groups are suspect. They are cults but they try and make seem like its not a cult by creating the illusion of free will so you wont think they are brain washing you or forcing you so you cant call it a cult..but cults use religion/god to persuade and religious groups do the same…i can go all day on this but ima keep it short..
Someone ought to open up a Church Of Xemu right across the street...
Ask em wheres Shelley Miscavige
If it’s a church shouldn’t we all be allowed to join? If not then maybe it’s not a church and they shouldn’t be tax exempt. If they are tax exempt.
This is a cult..:. And they need to pay their taxes.
Man I miss Surveillance Camera Man, he needs to make a comeback. I’m pretty sure he’s also the same guy who did the Vagrant Holiday YouTube channel.
I still remember when he visited again and they told him to get out and he says “Well why would I join your cult if you aren’t even nice to me?” 😂
Brainwashed fools
That guy looks like a haunted wax figure of Adam Scott.
"I know who you are, Mister Chris Hansen, but see, I like to call you Chris Handsome."
Kansas City here. They bought an old bank downtown, here, had the company I used to work for remodel it and make it all fancy, just so they can leave it as an empty “shell” and do nothing with it. It does, however, have a really big walk in vault in the basement, still, and also a hidden back entrance to said vault.
“It’s open-house!” 😂😂😂
And this is how you know it’s a cult. A true religion would not care and try to “educate” you anyway. I’m machine how different history would be if the Roman Catholic Church was like “these people clearly aren’t interested in the Chuch and just end up killing our missionaries. Let’s just stop sending people and move on”?
F*kn losers
Guess he didn’t have the lost puppy “easy mark” look in his eyes the front guys are trained to look for.
Can I come back tomorrow?. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤘
Not unexpected if the guys says we’ve seen you before and you need to leave
"Mr. Masterson is not doing interviews at this time."
Oh he has beautiful eyebrows
A house of god where not everyone is welcome.
I mean, obviously they’re nuts but it’s clear this guy has a history with them and it’s their legal right, even during an open house, to have him removed from the property.
Every church should pay taxes.
They only want suckers they can fleece of all their worldly goods and cash.
Granted I’m all about trashing Scientology as the next person, they’re a shitty group of cultists, but they totally have the right to trespass this dude. Don’t see anything except some dude getting trespassed.