Scientology: Ein Glaubensgefängnis

I was involved with Scientology from 1978-1990 and encountered some of the human rights abuses that Alex Gibney exposed in his documentary. The Sea Org people, who sign Billion Year contracts, bore the brunt of the mistreatment and are well represented in this film. Most former members will know of details that were not included in the show, but the topics that became the focus received a more complete treatment as a result.

The humanity of these survivors shown through in each interview and should evoke empathy in anyone willing to accept the truth in the story. I never felt that someone was embellishing or seeking attention; in fact, quite the opposite.

A huge thank you to HBO for having the guts to air this and not back down.

It is an excellent documentary, interviewing people that have been down through the void and scheme of scientology, so it carries a lot of weight.I found it really amusing and thorough, especially the way things about the religion are explained.It provides 2 hours of great amusement, 2 hours that will consume you totally. We are all interested in learning more about the "mistery" that surrounds this cult movement,and how it has obtained so many followers, and even more the colossal fortune. Watch it, it is worth the time spent....You'll learn a thing or two about how easily a person can be manipulated...Even the smartest one of us.

It's about time the truth of what goes on in Scientology behind closed doors is revealed in a mass media format. This documentary has opened up the flood gates, so all of the world can hear first- hand from ex-members what this cult is REALLY all about. Believe everything you hear and see. The abuse is completely accurate. Sea Org members (staff) are slaves and at the whim of their sadistic masters...anything goes. I know this first-hand; I was one of their slaves. This documentary is a must see!

This movie lays out and proves through engaging interviews with disaffected members that Scientology is like any powerful organized "religion." It's run by a few "untouchables" who hold the reins to all the power. Those few who are not held accountable for their actions, believe the human code of ethics does not apply to them. Their reasoning is the end justifies the means. To keep control, dehumanizing tactics are necessary to control the rank and file. The film plays an important role in documenting the eyewitness testimony of the many inhumane abuses that occur in this organization. Cloaked in secrecy and hidden from the light of scrutiny, the executives of this cult do as they please. The physical, mental, and emotional abuse is like a POW camp. I just finished reading the book "Unbroken" and the stories I heard in this documentary remind me of what happened to Louis Zamperini when he was under the control of "The Bird." My hope is that this film opens up a dialogue for a call to action to help those who have been at the mercy of the "few."

This documentary is an extraordinary one, and has been attacked by Scientology for the simple reason that it exposes many of the destructive and sociopathic policies it mandates because they are Hubbard's orders, now etched on apocalypse-proof stainless steel plates.

The only defense the 'church' can field is bold-faced denial and (as per Hubbard's unchangeable orders) relentless attacks on any who speak against it. It may come as little surprise that the 'church' actually provides specialized training and drills to help its spokesmen deliver blatant lies more believably.

The moral justification for telling these lies is built-in to Scientology and separates it from every other 'religion' except for (predictably) Satanism, namely the fact that there is no overriding moral code forbidding murder, bearing false witness and the like.

Hubbard wrote materials expressly for the public intended to give the appearance of morality and decency, but ultimately, whatever profits the 'church' is Good and whatever 'impedes' it is Evil and no holds are barred where either is concerned. The result is the nightmare that is Scientology.

There are a number of documentaries about this having accumulated since the 60s, but the phenomenon is that each new documentary reveals new more shocking facts about the business and its mentality than the previous ones, apparently because the material is still accumulating. There is very much important data from earlier documentaries missing here, many key persons are left out of the picture, which nevertheless is completed by the new ones appearing, corroborating all previous testimonies. It's a vitally important documentary, most of all because in the world society we are living in today so many, if not the majority of people, are not aware that it is an age of brainwash, and they still haven't learned to protect themselves against it. What you marvel at in this documentary, which many of the participants honestly do, is that they keep swallowing the racket for years before they can bring themselves to accept that they have been swindled, in most cases of their lives, which they don't realize until their lives are lost or completely devastated. In an effort to concentrate on the good things in Scientology I wrote an article some years back where I posed the open question - what went wrong? Apparently everything went wrong from the beginning, the founder having no self-criticism and no objective distance to what he was doing, but simply himself first of all falling a victim to the delusions of his own science fiction fantasies. Of course, there must be something good in Scientology, there must be a corn of truth in it somewhere, but whatever once was good and even of some worthwhile philosophical common sense and rational wisdom was flooded by the bolting derailing vicious circle of greed fueled by unrestricted paranoia, the constant validation of which seems to be the very substance and force of the organization.