Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

Written by Lawrence Wright

Narrated by Morton Sellers

National Book Award Finalist


A clear-sighted revelation, a deep penetration into the world of Scientology by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower, the now-classic study of al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attack. Based on more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists—both famous and less well known—and years of archival research, Lawrence Wright uses his extraordinary investigative ability to uncover for us the inner workings of the Church of Scientology.

At the book’s center, two men whom Wright brings vividly to life, showing how they have made Scientology what it is today: The darkly brilliant science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, whose restless, expansive mind invented a new religion. And his successor, David Miscavige—tough and driven, with the unenviable task of preserving the church after the death of Hubbard.

We learn about Scientology’s complicated cosmology and special language. We see the ways in which the church pursues celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and how such stars are used to advance the church’s goals. And we meet the young idealists who have joined the Sea Org, the church’s clergy, signing up with a billion-year contract.

In Going Clear, Wright examines what fundamentally makes a religion a religion, and whether Scientology is, in fact, deserving of this constitutional protection. Employing all his exceptional journalistic skills of observation, understanding, and shaping a story into a compelling narrative, Lawrence Wright has given us an evenhanded yet keenly incisive book that reveals the very essence of what makes Scientology the institution it is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9780385393058

Lawrence Wright

Lawrence Wright es un prestigioso ensayista ganador de un Pulitzer, además de guionista y colaborador habitual de The New Yorker. Ha publicado tres ensayos en el sello Debate: La torre elevada, Los años del terror y Dios salve a Texas. El día del fin del mundo, un thriller médico escrito antes de la pandemia de la Covid-19, es su primera novela y los derechos de traducción se han vendido a más de diez idiomas.

[bostonbibliophile · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My only complaint is that it doesn't go far enough. Otherwise an excellent and disturbing piece of investigative journalism. Based on a two-part story that ran in the New Yorker about actor Paul Haggis, it reminds us why we need to support long-form journalism and magazine and newspaper writing.

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my friends escaped from a Scientology “cult” (her term) when she was a teen. She has told me about her experiences, and I wanted to find out more about the organization.

This book is a combination history, biography, and exposé. It is an in-depth examination of the beliefs, terminology, structure, wealth, celebrity liaisons, allegations, and controversies. Based on interviews, the author relates experiences of people who have left the organization, which, of course, Scientology’s leadership disavows. It tries to make sense of whether or not this is truly a religion. It is currently classified as such in the US, and qualifies for a tax exemption, and the legal path to this status is part of the narrative.

The book goes into the many personalities involved in Scientology, especially the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and current leader, David Miscavige. It covers the involvement of high-profile celebrities such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta. It examines the abuses (such as human trafficking, bullying, involuntary confinement, and harassment) claimed by former members.

I listened to the audio book, read by Morton Sellers. He reads in a “documentary” style with clear, staccato enunciation. His reading reminds me of the voiceover to a detective, police, or legal television show.

The book is well-written and extremely detailed. I am glad to see an investigative report that provides people more information about the organization, so they can better judge if they want to get involved. My advice – stay well clear of it. Some of my friend’s stories made me shudder and are in line with the alleged abuses described in this book.

[kurtwombat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating look at the religion/cult/pyramid scheme/self-help system/human trafficker that is Scientology. One of the more interesting aspects for me is that I went into it expecting to snidely deride it’s claim as a religion but instead lowered my view of western religions enough to meet Scientology’s standards. They only sought that status for tax reasons—and I am certainly not saying they shouldn’t pay taxes. I am saying many churches should pay taxes. There has to be some threshold at which taxes are due. Mega-churches forfeit their sanctity when that much unregulated money rolls in. That modest tirade aside, how could you not love a story about a habitually lying, paranoid schizophrenic, racist, homophobic, wife beating, philandering sci fi writer creating a religion that condones slavery of its membership. That the “slaves” are mostly only bound by the chains of idolatry doesn’t excuse their bondage. Richly detailed from hundreds of interviews with past and present members, this well-structured narrative manages to steadily march through the history of founder L Ron Hubbard and dazzle the whole way. And when L Ron finally meets his Howard Hughes-esque end, when you thought Scientology might go into decline without it’s leader—a prone to sudden violence sociopath emerges named David Miscavige making Hubbard’s approach seem almost reasonable or quaint by comparison. This transition also moves Scientology from a distant 60’s / 70’s curio to a more immediate and real threat. As the pile of destroyed lives mounts so does the tension and I found many of these stories concerning and stressful. Just a taste—David Miscavige’s wife has been a “willing” prisoner in presumed poverty for over 17 years and has not been seen in public since being briefly allowed to appear at her father’s funeral. Meanwhile, Scientology’s current leader lives an opulent life including acknowledged dalliances. It’s good to be king.



(Even after finishing this, I wanted more about Scientology, so I immediately rolled into Leah Remini’s TROUBLEMAKER about her life in and final departure from Scientology * * * *)

[jonbrammer-788089 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yikes. The cult mentality fostered by Scientology can also happen in secular contexts, when people shut themselves off from information that could challenge their belief system. Sea Org members are intentionally isolated and threatened with a profound spiritual exile, along with more mundane physical punishments, for any act of insubordination or questioning.

We are all moving into our own thought silos, unable to have real discourse with those who believe differently than we do. I think that these groups must create a narrative - an origin story, along with a clear delineation of who is in the tribe and who is "the other". Scientologists have their messiah in the strange form of L. Ron Hubbard, but they also consciously label and ostracize apostates like director Paul Haggis. Few belief systems are truly inclusive; most have a charismatic leader and founder figure. Even our own wonderful local ethical society, supposedly a locus of progressivism, obsesses over their founder Felix Adler.

[greeniezona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was mostly what I was expecting. I had binged Leah Rimini's series on Scientology, and while its focus on individual stories made for good TV, I wanted a more thorough history of the organization, and that was certainly that. I did want a little more analysis, in the end, about how people get and stay swept up in Scientology, what it has in common vs. sets it apart from both other cults and other religions. There is some of that, of course, I just expected/wanted more.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

This is a detailed look at the history of Scientology, including a biography of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

The author talked to many people who have left Scientology, as well as a few still involved, but many who are still involved wouldn’t be interviewed. Given its close ties to various celebrities, there is much discussion of some of the celebrities who are involved. The book was published in 2013, so that’s that same time and before a couple of the other books I’ve read on Scientology (one written by Jenna Miscavige-Hill, the niece of the current leader of the religion/cult, and another written by actress Leah Remini). Miscavige-Hill was already running a website that is mentioned a few times in this book, though. The “church” (cult?) is plagued with accusations of human rights abuses, assaults, etc.

This was mostly interesting, but there were times (mostly within Hubbard’s biography section of the book) where I just couldn’t focus. I think I find the personal stories the most interesting (including the other books I’ve read), though this is a very well-researched detailed account. It’s pretty scary, though, that journalists, people who have left, etc, anyone who says anything against Scientology appear to be harassed, and in some cases, even framed for crimes they didn’t commit!

[burritapal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In my 20s, I dated a coworker named Michael. I thought he was cool until he admitted to me that he was taking classes at Scientology. It was downhill from there. He even followed me to Puerto Vallarta, when I told him not to. By that time, I was sick at the sight of him. So this book caught my eye, because since that time, Tom Cruise (what an idiotic stage name) and John Travolta just baffle me at their representation of this greedy cult. I was astonished to learn how many people in the entertainment industry belong to this koolaid kult. Isaac Hayes?

[sriddell_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well researched review of the history, beliefs, and controversy of Scientology.

The book opens with an extensive biography of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. This section was so thorough, it could have been a stand-alone book on its own.

Most of the rest of the book describes the growth of Scientology, intermixed with Scientology's beliefs and in many cases ties back to where each of those beliefs came from.

There is also a thread of the more controversial practices of Scientology that cross the line into human trafficking, human rights abuses, child abuse, and full-on cult-like behavior.

At the very end of the book, the author explores the concepts of "cult" vs. "emerging religion" and I think does a good job of making a case for Scientology being similar to other "emerging religions". In my own opinion, just based on the isolating and abusive aspects of the religion, Scientology tips the scales toward "cult"

My favorite line from the whole book comes near the end where the author reminds us that in America, its the IRS who has the final say on what is or is not a "religion", which is a sad but realistic view of the place religion holds in our society.

Good read for a "cult junky" like me.

[socprof9740 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you think you know about scientology, as I did, this book will still surprise and shock you. It is very well written and sourced. It is absolutely appalling that this abusive organization is allowed to persist without accountability.

A must-read.

[arosoff-513117 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This did an excellent job of not shaking my preconceived notions about Scientology. Indeed, it gave ample reinforcement.

The information in the book is excellent and interesting, but it's a bit of a slog to read.

[ichadwick-475335 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A remarkable story about deception, politics, power and control. Why people believed its originator, why they continue to believe what is clearly claptrap is beyond me.

[write5review · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inside the Cult

Wright answers several questions in his fine, balanced, well researched and presented examination of Scientology, in particular, about its Hollywood connection, leaving the single biggest one for readers to decide for themselves.

Who was L. Ron Hubbard? What experiences led him to found his own religion (a categorization many would strongly dispute but won by doing something few can: bringing the IRS to its knees)? Why did people join and proselytize Hubbard's belief system? What do celebrities, among them Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Anne Archer, and others, find compelling about Scientology? What ideas comprise the beliefs of Scientologists? Why is Scientology secretive and what are those secrets? With Hubbard long dead, who currently leads Scientology? How has Scientology succeeded in surviving and amassing considerable wealth since the death of its founder? And, finally, the question Wright leaves readers to answer for themselves: is Scientology a religion, a religion in the making, or is it a cult, a very visible, wealthy, and pugnacious one at that?

You'll find much that's sensational in Going Clear, and much bearing the hallmarks common to religious cults, among them Jim Jones's People Temple, Moses David's (David Berg) Children of God (now The Family International), and Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis (which Hubbard affiliated with after WWII), to cite a few.

You'll see these similarities on full display in Wright's book. These include a charismatic leader, proprietary knowledge without which salvation cannot be had, absolute devotion to the exclusion of family and past friends that promotes a binding insularity and captivity, to note just a handful. For comparison, and especially if cults interest you, you might want to try Tim Reiterman's biography of Jim Jones and the People's Temple march to tragedy, Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People. While different in approach and membership, you'll recognize how Scientology tacks to the cult course. Of course, as Wright develops in his epilogue, a movement may actually be a nascent religion in the making that appears alien and threatening to the reigning orthodoxy, as did Christianity and Mormonism, to cite an older and newer example. A further apt point made by Wright concerns how a religion's set of beliefs can appear absurd when an observer views them without the faith of the believers, something that can call into question the precepts of most any religion.

As for the sensational, these do not result from Wright's even writing. They spring from Hubbard and Scientology itself. Examples include Hubbard's manufactured naval history, the harsh punishment of members in the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), the original organization of Commodore's Messengers Organization employing pubescent girls, the low pay and miserable living conditions of members compared to the lavish furnishings of top leaders, the special treatment afforded celebrities, the aggressive stances against perceived church enemies that often included physical intimidation and endless and expensive legal suits (which serve to restrict unauthorized published information and which the church used to win their designation as a tax-exempt religious organization in the U.S.), and many more.

Recommended as an insightful exploration of a movement, its influence, and its claim to religious legitimacy.

[steve_walker-348810 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent history and analysis of the Church of Scientology.

[pivic-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When the Dianetics movement subsided, Hubbard was unable to restore the momentum that had given it such a rocket-powered launch. Imitators and competitors came onto the field, some even rivaling Hubbard himself. He was determined not to make the same mistakes with Scientology. From now on, he would exercise total control. His word was law. He was not just the founder, he was “Source”—the last word, whose every pronouncement was scripture.

MASTURBATION CHAIN. 1st incident embryo. 80 succeeding incidents. Mother masturbating with fingers, jolting child and injuring child with orgasm.

Some times, the line between genius and madness is blurred. With scientology, it is not.

As with all cults, dismissing them as stuff that only affects weak-minded persons, I think is utterly wrong and dangerous. And yes, I am referring to other things than just watching Tom Cruise freak out on furniture.

Most of my friends know a lot about the scientology movement thanks to knowledge sources that actual scientologists are not allowed to check, e.g. Internet and TV-series "South Park", where you can find out that theirs is a science fiction world where the intergalactic overlord Xenu rules and has basically trapped the souls of people, and yes, scientology is the only thing that can clear your mind and make you well again.

And that makes scientology easy to dismiss. Which is partly why it's dangerous.

When visiting a scientology center or speaking to a scientologist, you will most likely meet people who are very charismatic and very well trained to lure you in, to make you feel safe - in short, way more effectively than any politician will get you.

Lawrence Wright brings the history of L. Ron Hubbard to the table. What drove him? What were his ambitions? Is it true that he was a war hero God with infinite knowledge?

As one of the obligatory firsts regarding cults most often includes isolation of the victim from its parents, friends and work place, it's not surprising that Hubbard made his initial followers go on a long boat ride with him; I'm talking years here. While on his boat - the perfect isolation - things gradually got extremely weird:

When the girls became old enough to start wearing makeup, Hubbard was the one who showed them how to apply it. He also helped them do their hair.

While the book lets the reader know about the mentally insane stuff, e.g. this:

Hubbard’s depression had lifted and he seemed completely in control—relaxed and confident, even jovial. The crew were mainly drinking Spanish wines, but Hubbard favored rum and Coke—an eighth of a glass of Coke and seven-eighths rum—one after another through the evening. The heavens seemed very close in the dark harbor. Hubbard would point to the sky and say, “That is where the Fifth Invaders came from. They’re the bad guys, they’re the ones who put us here.” He said he could actually spot their spaceships crossing in front of the stars, and he would salute them as they passed overhead, just to let them know that they had been seen.

...and this:

The years at sea were critical ones for the future of Scientology. Even as Hubbard was inventing the doctrine, each of his decisions and actions would become enshrined in Scientology lore as something to be emulated—his cigarette smoking, for instance, which is still a feature of the church’s culture at the upper levels, as are his 1950s habits of speech, his casual misogyny, his aversion to perfume and scented deodorants, and his love of cars and motorcycles and Rolex watches. More significant is the legacy of his belittling behavior toward subordinates and his paranoia about the government. Such traits stamped the religion as an extremely secretive and sometimes hostile organization that saw enemies on every corner.

...it also lets the reader know of torture:

When Otto Roos, a Sea Org executive from Holland, failed to lash a steel cable to a bollard on the dock during a terrible storm in Tunisia, Hubbard ordered him thrown from the ship’s bridge into the sea, a height of about four stories. Hana Eltringham wrote a concerned report to Hubbard that night, explaining that the storm had been so furious that Roos simply couldn’t hang on when trying to secure the ship. The report was returned to her with the comment “Never question LRH.”5 Roos survived his punishment, only to set a dismal precedent. After that, overboardings became routine, but mostly from the lower poop deck. Nearly every morning, when the crew was mustered, there would be a list of those sentenced to go over the side, even in rough seas. They would be fished out and hauled back onboard through the old cattle doors that led to the hold. The overboardings contributed to the decision of the Greek government to expel the Scientology crew from Corfu in March 1969. That didn’t stop the practice. None except Hubbard family members were spared. John McMaster, the second “first Clear,” was tossed over the side six times, breaking his shoulder on the last occasion. He left the church not long afterward. Eltringham had to stand with Hubbard and his aides on the deck when the punishments were meted out. If the crewman seemed insufficiently cowed by the prospect, Hubbard would have his hands and feet bound. Whitfield remembered one American woman, Julia Lewis Salmen, sixty years old, a longtime Scientology executive, who was bound and blindfolded before being thrown overboard. “She screamed all the way down,” Eltringham said. “When the sound stopped, Hubbard ordered a deck hand to jump in after her. Had he not, I think Julia may have drowned.” Hubbard chose a different punishment for another of the older members of the crew, Charlie Reisdorf. He and two other Sea Org crew were made to race each other around the rough, splintery decks while pushing peanuts with their noses. “They all had raw, bleeding noses, leaving a trail of blood behind them,” a senior auditor recalled. The entire crew was ordered to watch the spectacle. “Reisdorf was in his late fifties, probably. His two daughters were Messengers; they were eleven or twelve at the time, and his wife was there also. It was hard to say which was worse to watch: this old guy with a bleeding nose or his wife and kids sobbing and crying and being forced to watch this. Hubbard was standing there, calling the shots, yelling, ‘Faster, faster!’ ” Hubbard increasingly turned his wrath on children, who were becoming a nuisance on the ship. He thought that they were best raised away from their parents, who were “counter-intention” to their children. As a result, he became their only—stern as well as neglectful—parent. Children who committed minor infractions, such as laughing inappropriately or failing to remember a Scientology term, would be made to climb to the crow’s nest, at the top of the mast, four stories high, and spend the night, or sent to the hold and made to chip rust.

Other young children were sentenced to the locker for infractions—such as chewing up a telex—for as long as three weeks. Hubbard ruled that they were Suppressive Persons. One little girl, a deaf mute, was placed in the locker for a week because Hubbard thought it might cure her deafness.

And then, as scientology grew bigger:

VERY EARLY ONE MORNING in July 1977, the FBI, having been tipped off about Operation Snow White, carried out raids on Scientology offices in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, carting off nearly fifty thousand documents. One of the files was titled “Operation Freakout.” It concerned the treatment of Paulette Cooper, the journalist who had published an exposé of Scientology, The Scandal of Scientology, six years earlier. After having been indicted for perjury and making bomb threats against Scientology, Cooper had gone into a deep depression. She stopped eating. At one point, she weighed just eighty-three pounds. She considered suicide. Finally, she persuaded a doctor to give her sodium pentothal, or “truth serum,” and question her under the anesthesia. The government was sufficiently impressed that the prosecutor dropped the case against her, but her reputation was ruined, she was broke, and her health was uncertain. The day after the FBI raid on the Scientology headquarters, Cooper was flying back from Africa, on assignment for a travel magazine, when she read a story in the International Herald Tribune about the raid. One of the files the federal agents discovered was titled “Operation Freakout.” The goal of the operation was to get Cooper “incarcerated in a mental institution or jail.”

I found it hard to wrap my head around the fact that scientology went all-in where it came to not only toppling minds, but governments and psychiatry, not only by infiltrating, persecuting and brain-washing people, but also by using filibuster techniques to try and drown out all types of critique.

All in all, it's a good book that is well researched. Check it out if you want to plunge deep into a very different world.

[pcorrigan_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There's a lot to read in the world, too much in fact. So I half-wondered why I should bother with another minute on this insane cult ironically called 'Scien'tology, as it is as far removed from actual science as it can get. Also, having seen the outstanding A&E series by Leah Remini I thought I knew enough, more than enough, about the cretins who run this outfit and it's lunatic founder. It helped having seen that show in placing faces to names in the book (Rinder, Rathbun, Scobee, etc.) and being familiar with a lot of the odd terminology--SPs, blown, E-meter, etc. But this book really got into some of the nuts and bolts of LRH (as they refer to Hubbard) and the early days that the series has not so far. No need to go into great detail in this review. This is a superb journalistic effort as a reading of the acknowledgements will confirm and very well-written. There is no sense that this is a 'hit-piece' and you would expect that from a guy who wrote 'The Looming Tower'. Yet he exposes Scientology thoroughly and systematically once again as something based on lies and fiction from the start under Hubbard who was a pulp-fiction and later sci-fi writer of prodigious output. And a bigamist, wife-beater, charlatan, liar and fraud throughout his life and well-exemplified by his stolen valor falsified military record. I would think anyone who got even slightly interested in joining Scientology would at least figure that out rather easily and be repulsed. Follow this guy? So it is hard to have much sympathy for all the victims of this uniquely American cult as the truth about LRH and the rest of the charade is so widely available now. Perhaps that was not the case in earlier days, but despite the almost maniacal attempts by the 'church' to suppress the truth about it, some very brave people (and many former cult members at great personal cost) have managed to pull back the curtain. I say uniquely American partly due to the obsession of the cult with celebrities (mainly Hollywood) which has become such feature of the country today. A special place of loathing ought to be reserved for those celebrities, (namely Tom Cruise and John Travolta) for their enabling and promotion of this sick entity. Ironic that the ultimate practitioners of make-believe are the salvation and chief support of this ultimate make-believe project. Not the first to notice that obviously but it bears repeating. Aside from the goon-like tactics on people that either leave the cult or attempt to write about it, the other uniquely American aspect of it is their overwhelming use of the courts and crushing lawsuits to eliminate or suppress any perceived opposition. They beat the IRS using lawsuits! That and intense personal attacks on and harassment of agents. So yes, another set of lawyer jokes could be tied to this! Lawyers and Hollywood 'stars' love scientology, what a compelling reason to join up!

[kemilyh1988 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Geez Louise . . .

[the_hibernator · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Wright’s book covers the history of Scientology from the youth of L. Ron Hubbard, to Scientology’s founding, to the current scandals.

My Thoughts: Going Clear is meant to be impartial, though I found it to lean heavily in the anti-Scientology direction. For instance, it provides pages and pages of stories that make the reader cringe, followed by a short statement saying that the Church of Scientology does not verify those claims. If it were impartial, it would spend the same amount of time presenting the Church’s side as the opposing side.

It is, however, clearly well researched. I had some knowledge of L. Ron Hubbard previous to reading this book – my grandpa knew him for a short time while he was still an aspiring writer, and so my dad has stories about that. I had no clue that he was so cruel, dishonest, and mentally ill. (Other than having a clear problem with believing in his own invented stories.) The only other book I’ve read on Scientology was Beyond Belief, by David Miscavige’s niece Jenna Miscavige Hill. My view of David Miscavige was colored by Ms. Hill’s rendition of him, which was much kinder than that in Going Clear. She did briefly mention that there was rumor of his violence, but not anything that would make me suspect the violence that Wright reports. I found this book to be believable, well-researched, and eye-opening. Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in learning about Scientology from the non-Scientologist’s view. It gets four stars (loses half a star due to claims of impartiality).

[knightlight777 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Scientology, the whipping boy of religion. And after having read this take by Lawrence Wright it seems deserving so. There is a lot of baggage with this self proclaimed religion that basks in its tax free universe.

If there ever was a definition of cult this has got to be it. Many stories of chilling treatment and escapades that makes one wonder here how crazy things can get. Pretty crazy. Yet for the many followers and and true believers it is there guiding light.

Not the first and not the last kid on the block when it comes to new found religions. And Wright sums things up at the end likening Scientology with its many predecessor religions like say Mormonism or even Christianity. Are things so different when we look at some of the claims closely. Maybe not.

[juva_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book chronicles the rise of Scientology starting with the life of the founder - L. Ron Hubbard. I wasn't familiar with the details of Scientology before reading this book and I can barely believe what I read. A religion founded by a madman and taken over by opportunistic megalomaniacs and powered by what is essentially slavery. I get why someone would sign up for a program that promises super powers, but how does everyone not immediately quit when they don't get superpowers? I suppose it's the same force that keeps abused wives in their marriage. It's pitiful and sinister and grim beyond belief.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, but it was certainly enlightening.

[jaredorlando-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mesmerizing.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

LORD HELP ME! This book was outta control. I wish it was science fiction. You ever read a book and it lifts the curtain and it's like you can see clearly for the first time? That's what this was. Obviously I'm familiar with the controversy surrounding Scientology and I know that this religion was created by the Science Fiction legend, L. Ron Hubbard, but other than that... I didn't know anything. Reading this was eye opening and terrifying. All religions are unique, but this "new one" is pretty freaking scary. Lawrence Wright does an amazing job outlining L. Ron Hubbard's life, early stages of Scientology, its ties to Hollywood, and the terrifying reality for those that get sucked into it. Scientology is INSANE. I get all belief systems are a little "unique" but this one is out of the ballpark. You have to read it to believe it. After reading this I cannot wait to watch some of the documentaries and read more. It's almost unbelievable.

[askelmore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“In 1996, the church sent CDs to members to help them build their own websites, which would then link them to the Scientology site; included in the software was a filter that would block any sites containing material that vilified the church or revealed esoteric doctrines.”

This book is 450 pages long, and filled with horrifying – and fascinating – things. But it wasn’t until page 386 that I actually stopped in my tracks and dog-eared the page with the above sentence. It is just so deeply fucked up to use what should be a nice, innocent gesture (‘here, let us help you build a website’) to do something so underhanded.

I love this book. It is dense but extremely easy to read. It is laid out logically, it is exquisitely researched (his fact-checkers on the New Yorker article that preceded this book had over 900 items they verified), and it is fascinating. I took so much more away from this than just “man, that is a screwed up religion.” Because honestly, I think if we had access to any religion’s leadership within the first few years of its existence, with the investigative resources we have now, someone could write a book like this. I am pretty sure that the leadership of many (most?) organized religions have done some seriously screwed up things (e.g. covering up pedophilia, **cough** Catholicism **cough**), but I don’t think that means that the practitioners are evil, or stupid, or mentally deficient.

This book delves into so much that I could write pages and pages about it. It talks about what makes something a religion – is it spirituality, is it a belief structure, is it a group of practitioners who do similar things – as opposed to a cult. It discusses the dangers of government choosing what is and is not a religion (in the U.S., it’s basically all up to the IRS, which is just weird). It looks at whether this tax exemption designation is really fair, given the fact that it can cover up all manner of hideous human rights abuses (such as those suffered by the Sea Org members of Scientology).

Mr. Wright also looks at the responsibility those who make themselves the face of religious movements have to those who are treated horribly by the church leadership. When I mention Scientology, you all probably picture Tom Cruise first, then John Travolta. If you think on it a bit, you might picture Jenna Elfman, or Kirstie Alley. Given what Mr. Wright so carefully and deliberately lays out as the horrible actions taken by church leadership, and the mountains of evidence available about the violent nature of its current leader, should we hold these people responsible for their willful ignorance?

If that weren’t enough, the book also got me thinking about the nature of belief, and what people are willing to do when they think their life and salvation are on the line. If you are a deep believer yourself, but of a more established religion, some of the things church members go through might not seem so unbelievable if you replace Scientology with a fundamental version of any belief system. If you truly believe that L. Ron Hubbard had some deep connection to the realities of the universe, and the meaning of life, and that the systems he has provided are the best way to make you the best person you can be, then it makes sense that you would stay even when you are scrubbing a dumpster with a toothbrush.

But that gets to the huckster piece of things. Was L. Ron Hubbard mentally ill? Evil? A con man? Much of the first half of the book really focuses on him, and I get the sense that he was a bit of a con man but that he was mostly a deeply troubled person who probably could have seriously benefited from the psychiatry that he built his church to fight against. It’s possible his writing has helped a lot of people. But the Church – that is, the leadership, and those who don’t speak out against and fight back – have done so much harm. And it isn’t so easy to just say ‘why don’t you leave’ – the book outlines so many horrifying ways that the church leadership manipulates people into staying. It’s complicated and an almost textbook example of how to control people with fear.

So what I’m saying, 750 words later, is: read the book. It’s fascinating.

[eye_gee-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book proves once again that truth is so much stranger than fiction....even science fiction.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

GOING CLEAR is a book everyone should read. In it, Lawrence Wright examines Scientology any way he could, by interviewing Scientologists and former Scientologists and by researching texts that others had written, even in spite of harassment these writers often received from the Scientologists. Some texts came straight from documents written by the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

This is where the book begins, with an explanation of the cult/religion and its beginnings. L. Ron Hubbard's own writings are used extensively here. I think they sound pretty silly, even unintelligible at times. But lots of people bought it and still do. Why? (There is evidence that the number of Scientologists is dwindling, which is disputed by the cult/religion.)

Next Wright attempts to explain the history of Scientology and experiences by particular Scientologists and former Scientologists. Because the cult/religion prizes celebrities, many of these were/are Hollywood stars, especially Tom Cruise.

My determination: This cult/religion isn't just silly. I find what Wright describes to be sickening, the physical abuse most of all.

I'm glad I read it, and you will be, too. Once you get through all the explanations of Scientology's silly beginnings, the book becomes unputdownable.

[kristina_brooke-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not just revealing but makes you think about the origins of all religion- period.

[heradas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fascinating, in-depth look at the history of Scientology & L Ron Hubbard. Sometimes brutal, sometimes sympathetic, it seemed to be a fairly unbiased examination of the origins, history, motivations and legacy of the church and it's complicated culture.

I went into this book hoping to understand the plight of those who have escaped the CoS, and felt that it met my expectations wholeheartedly. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to understand the cult mentality, symptoms associated with any kind of exodus from an organization, the mental health of survivors, or the fascinating history of a developing new religion.

The end of the book is full of references and sources (where available).

[mcelhra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is not only a comprehensive history of Scientology but also a biography of L. Ron Hubbard. It’s amazing that Hubbard went from an author of pulp science fiction novels to the founder of a major religion/cult. I had to wonder if Hubbard was mentally ill and really believed the stories he told about alien overlords ruling over humans millions of years ago. Or was he intelligent and calculating and knew he could make a ton of money off of his ideas?

The aspect of Scientology that was most surprising to me is the horrific abuse that the non-celebrity members endure. They are punished for various transgressions with being made to perform horrible tasks or imprisoned in unspeakable conditions. I had to wonder how this imprisonment is legal. Why don’t the members who have escaped file charges against those in the church leadership. Partly, it’s probably because the church has so much money that they can literally destroy your life if you speak out against them in any way. I was stunned that an organization in the United States can get away with the things they get away with. Their behavior is that of a fascist dictator.

Paul Haggis (director of the movie Crash) was a Scientologist for 35 years before he finally left the church. His perspective on why a seemingly smart person would remain in the church is insightful. I wanted to read more about other celebrity Scientologists. There is a lot of information on John Travolta and Tom Cruise but not much on anyone else. I have to wonder if the celebrities in the church know about how the rest of the church works – the imprisonment, child labor, etc. Are they so brainwashed that they will make excuses for what the author has uncovered? If they choose to remain in the church, I think they have a responsibility to work to reform it and put a stop to the abuse. I’m sure if they threatened to stop the millions of dollars they donate, the leaders of the church would stand up and take notice.

This book is very well-researched, especially considering the fact the church is so close lipped about what goes on behind closed doors. Wright was able to interview several of the former church leaders who have defected over the years. If you want to know the truth about Scientology, this book is your best bet.

[kvrfan9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be a real page-turner. Scientology carries a strange fascination for me from a sociological point-of-view. It has so many characteristics of a cult, and yet unlike most cults it operates fairly out-in-the-open (although, as this book illustrates, the glittery face it presents to the world masks a lot of ugliness underneath).

Still, Lawrence Wright, a writer for The New Yorker, pursues a question of great interest: what causes people to put their faith in an organization/religion even after they have met plenty of evidence that the reality behind it is quite contradictory to its ideals? Wright doesn't dive deeply into the psychology behind it, but it finally comes down in the end to the conclusion that the will to believe can be a much stronger force than mere human reason.

And the verdict on Scientology itself? That's succinctly summed up in a court decision issued against the church in 1984:

"The organization is clearly schizophrenic and paranoid, and this bizarre combination seems to be a reflection of its founder [L. Ron Hubbard]. The evidence portrays a man who has been virtually a pathological liar when it comes to his history, background, and achievement. The writings and documents in evidence additionally reflect his egoism, greed, avarice, lust for power, and vindictiveness and aggressiveness against persons perceived by him to be disloyal or hostile. At the same time it appears that he is charismatic and highly capable of motivating, organizing, controlling, manipulating, and inspiring his adherents. . . . Obviously, he is and has been a very complex person, and that complexity is further reflected in his alter ego, the Church of Scientology."

[jimocracy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This books was very informative and comprhensive. I applaud the author for writing such an open and honest evaluation of the largest cult in operation today. My opinion of Tom Cruise as a person has diminished considerably and I hope that David Miscavige gets his just deserves.

[picardyrose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book, terrifying report. I was frightened after I read it that I would look out the window and see a group of them standing on the sidewalk in front of my house staring at me.