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Post by angelaudie on Oct 31, 2015 0:45:58 GMT -4
Well, no Katie appearance except for the statement her publicist released. And yeah it does come across she's admitting she wronged Leah in the past.
Leah came across as honest and together. She didn't reveal anything we didn't already know or suspect. I do think Leah helped give people insight in how people get sucked into these cults and why it's so difficult it's to leave. Leah is no shrinking violet (the woman turned in a knowledge report on Miscaviage) yet she remained a faithful member for years. It shows anyone can get sucked into something like this.
BTW, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when she finally paid enough to learn the whole story of Xenu. Leah's reaction probably rivals Paul Haggis's!
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Post by chonies on Oct 31, 2015 12:12:11 GMT -4
Leah came across as honest and together. She didn't reveal anything we didn't already know or suspect. I do think Leah helped give people insight in how people get sucked into these cults and why it's so difficult it's to leave. Leah is no shrinking violet (the woman turned in a knowledge report on Miscaviage) yet she remained a faithful member for years. It shows anyone can get sucked into something like this. BTW, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when she finally paid enough to learn the whole story of Xenu. Leah's reaction probably rivals Paul Haggis's! Agree on all counts--Leah sounded completely lucid and competent, and was able to speak to the nuances of the situation, like leaving behind friends and family, and how something can be completely absorbing. I loved the shot of all the products she'd bought, and it was juxtaposed deftly with the $2 million dollar contributor trophy, and that she dared to Google. Yes, she's an actress and a performer, but I thought she was exceptionally gracious when she spoke about how she was grateful for all the lessons, and how she thought Scientology was being destroyed by Miscavige and the machine. When I type that out, it sounds like pretty much any script by a religious person faced with a crisis of faith. The controversial aspects that Leah touched on were the disappearance of Shelly Miscavige and the social isolation of people who leave.
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Post by kostgard on Oct 31, 2015 13:39:44 GMT -4
She did a great job of illustrating why it is so hard to leave - she had put in so many years and so much money, it's hard to walk away. And if she did walk away, she risked losing all her friends and family.
I still have a hard time seeing how people get sucked in. In Leah's case, she was a kid and went in with her family, so that makes sense to me. But Paul Haggis joined when someone told him "Hey, there's this religion where if you give them money, they will solve all your problems" and he said "Take me there." That has such strong scam stank all over it you can smell it a mile away - why did he go for it?
And the whole "we are going to save the planet and we're the only ones that can do it" thing they've all bought into? Don't get it at all. Maybe it's because I'm a cold-hearted cynic, but I can't imagine getting swept up in that.
On another note, I love how the CoS has gone from completely denying that the disconnection thing is real to now saying that it is "voluntary" (which I guess it is. You can ignore that rule all you want...and just get kicked out yourself).
She also echoed what a lot of former members say - that they believe in the tech, but don't like the way the church is run. I suppose it is possible it pull out some of the methods and get rid of the shady stuff, but that will be hard. Some of the shady stuff Hubbard baked right into the original recipe and it isn't something Miscavige made up.
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Deleted
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Sept 30, 2024 18:19:22 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2015 14:02:31 GMT -4
Re: getting sucked in, I'd say it's because a lot of people find comfort in thinking there is "an answer" or "a right way." Which I can see. It is kinda disconcerting when you really think about us all being here, bumping into each other, bouncing off of each other, all of this happening ... for no real reason whatsoever. We like reason. We like purpose. Hence, yanno, all the religions.
Re: being soooo reluctant to leave, I think it's because it becomes SO MUCH of their identity. She wasn't just an actress/wife/mom. She was a scientologist actress, a scientologist wife, a scientologist mom, a scientologist friend, a scientologist daughter, for crying out loud. It seems that in the cases where Co$ has been "successful," it pervades their entire lives. I'll sure it's like, who AM I without that?
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greenjeans
Valet
Posts: 30
Dec 9, 2006 12:37:17 GMT -4
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Post by greenjeans on Oct 31, 2015 14:16:47 GMT -4
What gets me is how petty they are. Instead of just issuing a general statement of, "Leah is no longer a member, but we wish her the best," they always resort to name calling and character degradation. That would scare me if I was a member.
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Post by Ginger on Oct 31, 2015 15:49:53 GMT -4
She also echoed what a lot of former members say - that they believe in the tech, but don't like the way the church is run. I suppose it is possible it pull out some of the methods and get rid of the shady stuff, but that will be hard. Some of the shady stuff Hubbard baked right into the original recipe and it isn't something Miscavige made up. I think the tech of Scientology is pretty simple. It's a combination of therapy sessions where you unburden yourself of all of your guilt-ridden secrets, combined with a lot of pep talks where they build up your ego and tell you that you are a powerful person with control over time and space. And it's a social support system for people often don't have one.
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Deleted
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Sept 30, 2024 18:19:22 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2015 17:01:48 GMT -4
I think they also use some basic corporate world psychology/communication skills like making strong eye contact, the strong handshake, the assertive stance, not backing down. It's all very macho, which is why it's not surprising that Tom Cruise fell deeply and madly in love with it all.
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Post by Martini Girl on Nov 1, 2015 1:32:59 GMT -4
What gets me is how petty they are. Instead of just issuing a general statement of, "Leah is no longer a member, but we wish her the best," they always resort to name calling and character degradation. That would scare me if I was a member. They are the Donald Trump of religions, I mean "religions".
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Post by canuckcutie on Nov 1, 2015 9:46:31 GMT -4
Can you imagine any other "religion" putting out statements after a member has left slamming them? The Sci's typically use information gleaned from auditing sessions to try and discredit members after they've left. That would be akin to the Catholic Church releasing details learnt in confession to hurt a former member.
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Post by Spinderella on Nov 1, 2015 16:02:39 GMT -4
What gets me is how petty they are. Instead of just issuing a general statement of, "Leah is no longer a member, but we wish her the best," they always resort to name calling and character degradation. That would scare me if I was a member. They are the Donald Trump of religions, I mean "religions". HA! I said the same thing after reading Martini Girl's post! And that's no compliment, CO$! I thought the interview was fantastic and she really simplified all that goes on with a very calm and realistic point of view. Even her saying that she appreciated what the church did for her in some positive ways to be a confident, strong-willed person when dealing head-on with acting, life's problems, etc., shows that she just has a real problem with a "church" that isn't following its own doctrine and has gone way off course. Katie's statement clearly was a reflection on the "KR"'s that she filed against Leah and now (at least to me) prove that she was either coaxed into writing one and/or doesn't agree with those comments. It may have been a simple apology, but it really speaks volumes how little power you have over yourself and now that's she's free, she can be the bigger person and own what she said and that she didn't mean it. I'm sure Leah gets it. I wonder if she'll try to reach out to Katie now?
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