Despite the upbeat tones of its advertising campaign, it's been a tough week for the Church of Scientology. First, Canadian movie director Paul Haggis — one of the church's oldest and most respected members — quit over what he says is the church's refusal to denounce an anti-gay marriage bill in California. He outlined his reasons in a letter to the Church's spokesperson, Tommy Davis. Despite the upbeat tones of its advertising campaign, it's been a tough week for the Church ...

Scientology’s recent travails, splattered like so much bad scrambled eggs in the mainstream press, has me thinking about that day way back when the Reverend Al Buttnor, the Church’s high priest of PR, took me on a personal tour of Scientology’s Yonge Street headquarters. Freaky, mostly. And surprisingly empty. A few curiosity seekers on one floor hooked up to Scientology’s famous E-meter, getting stress tested, presumably. But clearly searching for something else. Themselves? Salvation? On another floor, a shrine to late ...

In his first detailed interview since walking off Nightline last week, church spokesman Tommy Davis talks to Kim Masters about Monday's startling public defection by Paul Haggis, addresses drug allegations—and explains his relationship with Tom Cruise. Plus, his former colleague speaks out. Tommy Davis has been busy lately. In the past week, the spokesman for the Church of Scientology tore off his lapel microphone and stormed out of an interview when Nightline correspondent Martin Bashir tried to question him about whether ...

Oscar-winner Paul Haggis breaks with the church. Leader Tommy Davis storms off "Nightline." Whither Tom Cruise? When Paul Haggis, the writer of "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash," kicked his faith to the curb after 35 years, he did so as only an Oscar-winning scribe could: with a badass screed. His resignation letter, dated Aug. 19, emerged on ex-Scientologist Mark Rathburn's blog yesterday and promptly went viral. In his letter, Haggis explains, "for ten months now I have been writing to ask ...

Ex-members say leader David Miscavige hit subordinates; church denies accusations. Some call it a manipulative cult. Others say it's a well-established religion that helps people reach their potential. Since its inception in the 1950s, the Church of Scientology has rarely been far from controversy. And now the Church is under attack again. Former senior insiders claim the Church's current leader, David Miscavige, has created and encouraged a climate of violence within senior staff and was frequently violent himself. Marty Rathbun was ...

DECLARATION OF KURT WEILAND 1. I, Kurt Weiland, declare under penalty of perjury that the following is true and correct. 2. I have worked for the Church of Scientology International (CSI) since 1987. Since that time, I have primarily worked in executive positions concerned with the direction, management and supervision of the Office of Special Affairs International, the CSI department responsible for the legal, government and other external affairs of the Church. I am therefore personally knowledgeable and competent to put ...

The New Village Leadership Academy Allegedly Mimics Some Scientology Teaching Methods Like many modern celebrity power couples, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith are not satisfied with just being actors. The couple, who met on the set of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1995, have had a lot of different roles over the years, most recently founding the New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA), a private elementary school in Calabasas, Calif., which opened its doors this week for the start of the ...

The South Australian Government is keeping the pressure on Opposition Leader Martin Hamilton-Smith to say who gave him fake documents he tried to use against the Premier. Labor Party leaders say they do not believe any ALP members forged documents to set up Mr Hamilton-Smith. He has apologised for raising the fake documents in Parliament to claim that the Premier Mike Rann solicited donations from an agency of the Church of Scientology. SA Transport Minister Pat Conlon says Mr Hamilton-Smith needs ...

Consultant and former federal minister Nick Bolkus says he is considering taking legal action over accusations that he was involved in payments from the Church of Scientology to the ALP. South Australia's Opposition Leader Martin Hamilton-Smith gave details in State Parliament on Tuesday of emails he said he had received from a Labor Party source. The emails alleged a $20,000 payment was made to the ALP by a company affiliated with the church. Mr Bolkus is one of two party members ...

The South Australian Government says it is considering pressing charges against whoever gave suspected fake documents to the Opposition. The Liberals told parliament that emails from within the Labor Party indicated that a company associated with the Church of Scientology donated $20,000 to the ALP after a meeting with the Premier. Some of the emails are alleged to have come from ALP state secretary Michael Brown. But he says he did not send them and there is no record of any ...

MARK COLVIN: The Church of Scientology is at the centre of an unholy row in the South Australian Parliament. The Liberal Opposition claimed in Parliament that it had emails and invoices from a Labor source. It said these confirmed that Scientology had made a $20,000 donation to the Labor Party, and was getting special favours from the Premier Mike Rann. But the Labor Party says all the documents are fake and that the Liberals have been duped. Now the Deputy Premier ...

US actress and high-profile Scientologist Jenna Elfman has no time for people who criticise the controversial religion and urges people to get their facts straight before judging. Elfman, best-known for her role in the sitcom Dharma And Greg, says people are too quick to judge the church, which boasts celebrity members including Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and John Travolta. "If someone starts talking to me negatively about something they've never actually studied that actual text of, I don't really admire them ...

The Mental Health Council of Australia has strongly criticised Victoria's national parks authority for leasing a historic public building rent free to a drug treatment service connected to Scientology. The council's chief executive says a group with secret treatment methods should not be able to use a public asset at a time when Australia is desperate for community treatment centres. But Narcanon, which follows the precepts of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard, says it is just as entitled to lease O'Shannassy ...

A Sydney judge has found a father's association with Scientology did not affect the treatment of his daughter's mental illness before she stabbed him and her sister to death. The 26-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with killing her father and sister in July last year and inflicting grievous bodily harm on her mother. Justice Michael Grove today found her not guilty by reason of mental illness. The court had previously been told the woman was denied ...

A Sydney woman charged with the stabbing murder of her father and sister has pleaded not guilty due to mental illness. The 26-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with murdering her father and younger sister at their Revesby home in Sydney's south-west in July 2007. She has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder her mother. The court previously heard the woman was diagnosed with a mental ...

What do you expect when a program as mainstream as Nightline tries to take on a moving story like the new, growing opposition to Scientology? Certainly not something this weak. Stumbling in the footsteps of a recent terrific story by John Cook at Radar, Nightline tried to tell the story of Jenna Miscavige Hill last night. Why is her story important? She’s niece to the tiny leader of Scientology, David Miscavige, so her defection, and subsequent allegations about how her family ...

The Church of Scientology made it clear from its first contacts with "Nightline" that it would not publicly discuss the ecclesiastical circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Mrs. Hill from Church staff, regardless of the nature of her allegations. The Church will not discuss matters surrounding Mrs. Hill, because given the thrust of her claims, she has used her name to make an otherwise ecclesiastical issue into a family matter and a personal attack on a family member. The Church will not ...

He's one of the biggest box-office draws in history, but in recent years Tom Cruise has become more than just the face of his films. He has also become the face of his religion – Scientology. A recent video of Cruise – made for a Scientology event and leaked online – showed the star's unbridled passion for his religion and piqued the public's interest in a belief system that has long been surrounded by controversy. "I think it's a privilege to ...

A Sydney woman has been ordered to stand trial after pleading not guilty to the stabbing murders of her father and sister. The 26-year-old will also defend a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder her mother. The attack allegedly happened at the family's Revesby home in Sydney's south-west in July last year. The Supreme Court was told mental health will be an issue at the trial, which will start in July. It is alleged that the woman ...

The controversial group has been labeled secretive, inspirational, dangerous and misunderstood. The Church of Scientology? [Picture]Disguised members of an internet-based group called Anonymous protest near buildings associated with the Church of Scientology on Saturday, March 15, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Chris Weeks/AP Photo) No, it's a mysterious group of masked men and computer hackers called Anonymous who say are committed to dismantling the powerful religious organization renowned for its celebrity members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Over the past ...

Watch Tom Cruise goes Missing [G, 2:51min.] (Help): Play The video But there are some people whose tender feelings receive a lot more consideration from the News Ltd empire. On the same day that News's website carried a link to The Australian's piece about Carey's childhood, it carried another story right next door. Global Scientology protests begin in Australia. — News.com.au website, Global Scientology protests begin in Australia But what's this? A pixelated poster? What can it have ...

They're ubiquitous at almost every disaster zone, assisting the wounded and consoling grieving families, from Ground Zero to Indonesia to New Orleans and now Minneapolis. The Church of Scientology and its globetrotting team of volunteer ministers have been active over the last several years, arousing the ire of critics who read unholy motives into the group's charitable works. Soon after Wednesday's bridge collapse, at least 20 Scientology volunteers in Minneapolis and surrounding areas headed to the disaster zone, according to a ...

(New York - WABC, April 20, 2007) (WABC) – Tom Cruise appeared at a private dinner fundraiser on Thursday night for the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, a program he co-founded in 2002. The Scientology-based program offers free treatment to emergency workers who suffer breathing difficulties and other health problems stemming from exposure to toxins at ground zero after 9/11 terror attacks. "Nearly six years later, many are still paying a price for their heroic service at the World Trade ...