# Anybody ele watching "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 25, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581 "2016-12-25T02:04:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/1 "2016-12-25T02:04:52Z")
We’ve been watching the A&E show ["Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath](http://www.aetv.com/shows/leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath), and it is fascinating (and terrifying). Anyone else watching and being as horrified as we are? I knew Scientology was pretty bad, but this is blowing my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/2 "2016-12-25T03:32:36Z")
I never know when it is on…! I would quite honestly LOVE to watch that show. (…maybe I can binge-watch it on Comcast?) There are a few Hundred questions I think she’d answer without me ever having to ask. (…and I’d so love to ask!) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/3 "2016-12-25T03:51:19Z")
I don’t get A&E. But if I can find it on streaming, I’ll definitely watch. Thanks for the heads up. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/4 "2016-12-25T04:18:55Z")
I’ve been watching. Leah has joined with other former members (who were higher ranking) to fully explain what Scientology is about. I had no idea that people pay big money to study and move up in the church. I had heard about auditing. They use a machine like a lie detector and question people. The full episodes are on A&E. Sign in with your TV provider. I have DirecTv and watch several programs on their web site. [http://www.aetv.com/shows/leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/season-1/episode-4](http://www.aetv.com/shows/leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/season-1/episode-4) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/5 "2016-12-25T05:55:54Z")
I watched one episode, I think maybe it was the 2nd one, with one formerly very high up enforcer relating his experiences. I found it eye-opening, and yet some part of me was sitting back and saying to myself “Well, that’s his side of the story.” I guess I can’t just lay down my skepticism even for something that seems to hang together as his account did. One thing that bothered me is Remini: some of her reactions seemed over-the-top and stagy, i.e. acting to a script. She can’t still be so naïve now that these revelations would “shock” her in this way. I’m not really questioning the facts so much. Just that instead of showing us objective facts, she feels the need to pound it into our heads that a) Scientology and it’s leaders are horrible; and b) she isn’t. Too bad, I think it could have been handled better. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/6 "2016-12-25T06:21:10Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I had no idea that people pay big money to study and move up in the church. Really ? _Really ?_ _ **Really ?** _ Anyway much as I detest such creeds \*, I am uncomfortable with kiss-and-tell reveal all _exposes_. Better to say as with ex-cocaine or heroin users surviving: “_I was ripped off, but they gave me a lot of pleasure and a reason to live, therefore I will not blackguard my old mentors_.” - Which yes, includes many major religions which started off small. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/7 "2016-12-25T06:28:46Z")
I’ve seen the HBO documentary “Going Clear”, and read the book of the same name. The doc is terrifying; the book is 100,000 times worse. I can’t imagine anyone voluntarily signing up to do something like that if they have any idea what will happen to them if they try to leave, or even question the organization’s beliefs, which is why the higher-ups do their best to keep things under wraps. And of course you’re only hearing that person’s side of the story. That’s why she’s interviewing so many people. Yes, he says David Miscavige, the Scientology head who is actually a small-statured man, beat him up - and he’s not alone in making that claim, nor is Miscavige the only person accused of doing this. To me, the scariest section in “Going Clear” was the one about the Sea Org boat, which would only land in places that didn’t have a harbor suitable for getting off the boat (so they could obtain new supplies but people couldn’t just walk away) AND the higher-ups would punish wrongdoers by locking them in an unheated, windowless compartment with a minimum of clothing and food. As if that wasn’t bad enough, one of the people locked up there was FOUR YEARS OLD. :eek: I’m pretty sure people weren’t even allowed off the boat for medical attention. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/8 "2016-12-25T08:04:25Z")
On the Open Seas, your Captain is God. Commodore Hubbard ran a tight ship. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/9 "2016-12-25T08:31:06Z")
I agree Leah should present a more balanced view. She grudgingly admitted that some of the counseling and therapy at the \*beginning \*levels can be beneficial. I’ve never studied it myself but I can see where working on your own problems can be helpful. You’d get similar help from a good therapist. But beyond the beginning stuff Leah didn’t have much positive to say. Certainly the stuff she’s said about Sea Org is very disturbing. They recruit young teens and pretty much cut them off from their parents. They live in dorms and get a very small weekly stipend. They are totally dependent on Sea Org. No job skills, no savings, or world experience. It’s very difficult to leave Sea Org even if an adult wants too. The big shots in Scientology had to deal directly with David Miscavige. That guy (according to the show) is very easily angered and abusive. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/10 "2016-12-25T18:24:09Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I watched one episode, I think maybe it was the 2nd one, with one formerly very high up enforcer relating his experiences. I found it eye-opening, and yet some part of me was sitting back and saying to myself “Well, that’s his side of the story.” I guess I can’t just lay down my skepticism even for something that seems to hang together as his account did. That’s been my reaction, too, which has prompted me to look into it further. After seeing what Scientology did to get their church/tax-free status back, I have no problem believing the things I’m hearing in this show. I’m still not sure how they get away with what they get away with, though. > [@](#): > > One thing that bothered me is Remini: some of her reactions seemed over-the-top and stagy, i.e. acting to a script. She can’t still be so naïve now that these revelations would “shock” her in this way. I’m not really questioning the facts so much. Just that instead of showing us objective facts, she feels the need to pound it into our heads that a) Scientology and it’s leaders are horrible; and b) she isn’t. Too bad, I think it could have been handled better. A valid criticism. I’m finding the show so compelling that I’m willing to overlook the staged aspects of it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/11 "2016-12-25T18:26:23Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Really ? > _Really ?_ > _ **Really ?** _\ I know so little about Scientology that most of what I’m hearing is new to me. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/12 "2016-12-25T19:24:09Z")
May I recommend [_Operation Clambake_](http://www.xenu.net/) . . . when your jaw starts to ache it means you’re making progress! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/13 "2016-12-25T20:17:58Z")
I highly recommend her book. I worry for her safety. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/14 "2016-12-26T03:39:11Z")
Just saw the first episode. Fascinating. Got the DVR programmed to catch up on the other episdie Previously TV has a long threads on each episodes. Here is episode #1 thread. [http://forums.previously.tv/topic/50989-s01e01-disconnection/](http://forums.previously.tv/topic/50989-s01e01-disconnection/) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/15 "2016-12-26T21:30:03Z")
I’ve watched it, and while I wasn’t a fan of Leah Remini, she’s my new hero. I’ve never been in the church, or been E-metered, or gone through Dianetics, but I’ve studied it off and on for most of my life, beginning with Fads and Fallacies. I remember when [this](http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/penthouse-LRonHubbardJr-interview-1983.htm) interview came out with L. Ron Hubbard, Jr (aka Ron DeWolf). It was fascinating. Those interested should also check out [http://www.survivingscientologyradio.com/](http://www.survivingscientologyradio.com/) where Jeffrey Augustine interviews very high ranking ex-members of the church (including Mike Rinder, who was on Remini’s show). There really is so much information about the church, how it operates, and Miscaviage’s violent, narcissicistic, psychopathic personality from so many different sources, that Remini’s POV is very persuasive. **Aceplace** : You’d like a more balanced view from Remini. Fine, only that Scientology _won’t let a balanced view be presented_. They argue that everything is distorted, twisted, and lied about when they try to tell their side. The only way to get that is if they call her bluff: [Leah Remini calls Scientology's bluff: If I lied about anything, sue me - Raw Story](https://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/leah-remini-calls-scientologys-bluff-if-i-lied-about-anything-sue-me/) > [@](#): > > In a interview on Larry King Now Thursday, reformed Scientologist Leah Remini challenged the church’s criticism of her reality show Scientology and the Aftermath, arguing if they want to call her and her fellow defectors liars, “they should sue.” Scientology is an evil organization. Fortunately, their time is limited. According to Augustine’s show, there are more ex-Scientologists than active ones. It’s a matter of time before it falls. If the U.S. government got off their asses and rescinded the church’s tax exempt status (they were bullied into it to begin with (see: [Operation Snow White](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Snow_White) ), it’d collapse in short order. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/16 "2016-12-26T21:43:48Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I highly recommend her book. I worry for her safety. Agreed. What she is doing is very dangerous and the so called church of Scientology with its legal maneuvering has been very successful in thwarting all challenges. Even the IRS will not touch them. She is in great danger. And she is fucking with the ultimate modern Mafia family. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/17 "2016-12-26T21:50:13Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > I remember when [this](http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/penthouse-LRonHubbardJr-interview-1983.htm) interview came out with L. Ron Hubbard, Jr (aka Ron DeWolf). It was fascinating. I’m a little younger than you–I remember reading [this](https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Fishman/time-behar.html) Time Magazine article in 1991, while I was in high school. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/18 "2016-12-26T23:24:18Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Agreed. What she is doing is very dangerous and the so called church of Scientology with its legal maneuvering has been very successful in thwarting all challenges. Even the IRS will not touch them. > > She is in great danger. And she is fucking with the ultimate modern Mafia family. She is a hero for doing it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tragically\_Dip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Tragically\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tragically_Dip)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/19 "2016-12-27T01:49:04Z")
For another in depth look at Scientology, I would suggest the podcast “Oh no Ross and Carrie”. The two hosts join Scientology and report on their findings. I’m not doing the podcast any favors with that description, but it is simply incredible. Note: the Scientology episodes are about 10-12 total. The podcast isn’t strictly about that. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581/20 "2016-12-27T03:17:07Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Agreed. What she is doing is very dangerous and the so called church of Scientology with its legal maneuvering has been very successful in thwarting all challenges. Even the IRS will not touch them. > > She is in great danger. And she is fucking with the ultimate modern Mafia family. I disagree. What she’s doing is laudable and courageous. And the church has lost several lawsuits: [List of lawsuits lost by Scientology | Why We Protest Scientology Wiki | Fandom](http://whyweprotest.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_lawsuits_lost_by_Scientology) (I’ve not investigated the claims, but I know they’re not bullet proof). The church claims membership of over 10 million. [Tony Ortega](http://tonyortega.org/2014/08/31/sunday-funnies-oops-scientology-reveals-a-key-fact-about-the-size-of-its-membership/) says it’s closer to 30,000–worldwide! Scientology is evil and cruel, but hardly as powerful as you make it out to be. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-ele-watching-leah-remini-scientology-and-the-aftermath/775581.md?page=2)