A week ago, we reported that a former "employee" at Scientology's flagship drug treatment center in Oklahoma – Narconon Arrowhead – told us that the controversial center was delivering Scientology training rather than drug education, and that its officials have been concerned for years that its state certification was "extremely vulnerable." (The center is currently under investigation by local and state agencies for four deaths that have occurred there, three since last October.) We didn't name that source, but now, he's ...

Next month, Janet Reitman's book Inside Scientology will hit bookshelves, and the world of Scientology-watching, and for Scientology itself, will never be the same. Subtitled The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, Reitman's book delivers all it promises, and it promises a lot. "It has been my goal to write the first objective modern history of the Church of Scientology," Reitman proclaims in her introduction. "It is the goal of Inside Scientology to translate [L. Ron Hubbard's arcane] language and separate ...

After the jump, Leiby's ex-wife, Theresa Defino, responds to Marty Rathbun's allegation that she 'caved' to Scientology in its anti-Leiby efforts. Marty Rathbun has done it again. The top former Scientology figure who left the "church" in 2004 has been gradually releasing damaging information about the organization at his blog, "Moving On Up a Little Higher." Rathbun is working with several other defectors who left in recent years, some of them with ties to Scientology's covert operations wing, the Office ...

Over the weekend, notorious Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard celebrated what would have been his 100th birthday. The former science-fiction writer (born March 13, 1911) founded the religion Scientology in 1952 as a successor to his self-help series, 'Dianetics.' Since then, Scientology has gone mainstream with the aid of big-name celebrity believers like Tom Cruise and John Travolta. But while Scientology's association with movie stars has gained it publicity, it's also revealed outlandish, dangerous and cult-ish aspects that leave many wondering ...

Former high-level Scientologist Marty Rathbun revealed fascinating material yesterday on his blog: he claims that it's evidence of a detailed "dark ops" program launched in 2006 by Scientology to destroy a woman named Tory Christman, who had left the organization several years earlier. I know Christman well. In 1999 2001, I wrote a lengthy story about her defection, which had gained notoriety because she announced it in an online forum, where for months she had been doing battle with Scientology's critics. ...

An amazing story is hitting the Internet today of 19-year-old Daniel Montalvo, a lifelong Scientologist who decided to leave the wacky cabal, only to find himself arrested by LA sheriff's deputies and facing prison time for it. The tale comes courtesy of Marty Rathbun, formerly one of the highest officials in Scientology who defected and has kept up a withering takedown of the "church" on his blog. Rathbun writes for fellow ex-Scientologists, so there's a lot of jargon and coded references ...

Adding to Scientology's woes, some of the people who have been making defections in recent years are turning around and writing damning tell-alls. Regular publishers won't touch these books — even though some of them are actually very well written — so the authors have had to go the self-published route. Last year's killer I-escaped-from-Scientology narrative was put out by Marc Headley. His Blown for Good made for a gripping read, about a low-level grunt who spent years at Scientology's secret ...

Mark Bunker (Wise Beard Man) pointed us to something remarkable over at Marty Rathbun's blog. Rathbun is a former high-level member of Scientology who defected and is now providing some of the most damning statements against his former employer. We had heard earlier from Jason Beghe that one of Rathbun's roles was to provide "auditing" to Tom Cruise. And now, Rathbun is speaking out about it. Rathbun says that Scientology leader David Miscavige ordered that Rathbun's private counseling sessions with Cruise ...

Yesterday, we were visited by Aaron Saxton, who is in town visiting friends. Saxton is a former Scientologist, and his Orwellian tales of being one of the Sea Org's ruthless enforcers during the 1990s are part of a national scandal that has become big news in Australia. In November, an Australian senator with the unlikely name of Nick Xenophon stunned his colleagues and the nation with a surprising speech filled with allegations of abuse by Scientology and calling for a federal ...

The Wrap is reporting that Anderson Cooper will begin a four-day CNN special series Monday titled Scientology: A History of Violence. This is becoming a drumbeat now, after the St. Pete Times's excellent series last year revealed that Scientology's diminutive leader, David Miscavige, allegedly gets slappy with his employees. Now, unfortunately, the bigs are starting to weigh in – New York Times recently, and now Anderson Cooper, with what is increasingly a misguided approach to Scientology. Yes, as Cooper will no ...