Q&A: 'Inside Scientology' Writer Main points Church's Decline

The Church of Scientology is a notoriously tricky topic for newshounds. The click has lengthy been thought to be an enemy of the church, which was based part a century in the past by science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. (TO OFFER however one example, within the 1950s, Hubbard wrote that TIME's goal was to "result in riots and disaffection.") In a brand new book, Inside Scientology: The tale of America's Such a lot Secretive Religion, writer Janet Reitman tells the interesting historical past of the mysterious group and its individuals. "I'VE sought to grasp Scientology: to not judge, however just to absorb," she writes. "What I'VE discovered defies expectation, or even definition." TIME spoke with Reitman approximately what she realized.

What were given you interested by this subject?
I coated the Iraq warfare for Rolling Stone, and after I back to the united states.. in 2005, I USED TO BE in reality burnt out and my editors didn't want me to return. This was across the time that Tom Cruise was leaping up and down on Oprah's sofa and talking out approximately Scientology, so my editor, relating to what I WOULD performed with the united states.. military, advised that I do an "embed" with Scientology to determine who they truly had been. The church became me down, however I BEGAN to do my very own reporting and discovered that this was in point of fact a parallel universe, completely self-enclosed and fully unknown to the remainder of the arena. I MADE UP MY MIND that I WANTED to manner them the way in which a overseas correspondent may a international tradition. That was the one method to have a look at them objectively, which was my greatest purpose. (See "Scientology Defector Reportedly Jailed in L.A.")

Is there a false impression that a lot of celebrities are Scientologists?a distant
Yes — there are in reality just a handful of precise "celebrities," after which possibly 100 or so individuals who paintings behind the curtain in distinguished jobs in Hollywood. However a part of the strategy, unquestionably because the 1990s, was to offer Scientology as a star religion, even though I MIGHT say Kabbalah most certainly has extra actual celebrities. The irony is that we're a celeb-obsessed tradition but in addition like to tear our celebrities down, and the Tom Cruise factor in point of fact backfired. &#THIRTEEN;

The closing journalist who wrote a big e-book on Scientology was Paulette Cooper in 1971, and the church burdened her for years later on. Did anything else like that occur to you?
She was placed thru such hell. They filed one thing like 19 court cases towards her. Once I was writing my article for Rolling Stone [which the e-book grew out of], Scientology officers did name the mag and take a look at to discredit me; that did not paintings. I AM NOT somebody who is afraid. Plus, there is such a lot documentation of the whole thing I write approximately that it is onerous to argue with. Overall, though, Scientology has a picture problem, and so I BELIEVE the church is aware that they can not simply sue individuals who attempt to scrutinize them anymore as a result of they're going to be noticed as large litigious monsters.

See "In Germany, Scientology Outrage Over a Vital Film."

See TIME's best 10 superstaa distana distanttr meltdowns.

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