Scientology Targeting Black Communities As It's Finding It More Difficult to Hoodwink Knowledgeable Whites

The Scientology Cult Considers Everyone A Fair Target: From black children to black elders.

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Strange Bedfellows: Scientology and The Nation of Islam

By Patrick Coffee
You may not have heard about The Church of Scientology opening a new “national affairs office” in Washington, DC’s historic Fraser Mansion last month. Small PR potatoes, right?

RELATED STORY: Visit NY Scientology Church, Get Harassed for the Rest of Your Life

We would normally agree–but this week The New Republic published a fascinating story that caught our eye: It would appear that The Church and The Nation of Islam—which may well be our country’s two least favorite native religious groups—have decided to join hands in the interest of faith and public relations. It’s quite bizarre.

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Louis Farrakhan Justifies Handing the Nation of Islam Over to the Scientology Cult:
"I Wanted To Get More Knowledge" 
(The truth is, he wanted to get paid - He gets a fee for each new cult member)

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Some might say that Scientology is going through a bit of PR crisis right now. After Paul Haggis’s big 2011 New Yorker takedown, the church’s famous PR team seems to have slowed down a bit—they haven’t even truly responded to PT Anderson’s thinly-veiled L. Ron Hubbard film “The Master” or the inflammatory headlines that have appeared on gossip rags in the wake of the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes split.

In fact, the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey found that the number of Americans who identified as Scientologists had dropped by more than 50% in the previous seven years. While the church denies this shift, there’s little doubt that it could stand to gain a few new members.

Turns out that current Nation leader Louis Farrakhan found himself drawn to Scientology’s message about creating a purer self after speaking to a former Nation member turned Scientologist in the early aughts at the same time that church leader David Miscavige grew especially interested in attracting black Americans! According to a formerly high-ranking church defector, Miscavige thought that “the ghetto is hip. … In order to make us hip, we are going to infiltrate that sector.”

Wow.

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Controversy over Scientology influence clouds future of Pinellas charter school

Opened to serve a low-income Clearwater neighborhood and advertising classes in computers and modern dance, Life Force had begun pushing Hubbard's "study technology," which critics call a Trojan horse Scientology uses to infiltrate public classrooms.

By Drew Harwell
One Friday afternoon in December, leaders of a tax-funded elementary school called Life Force Arts and Technology Academy shepherded students into a Scientology church in Tampa's Ybor Square.

The children were fed candy and pizza, given Scientology books and DVDs, and shown a performance of a play written by Scientology's late founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Some posed for photos with Santa Claus in front of a silver Scientology cross.

RELATED STORY: Teenager Loses Finger Working for Scientology Organization — Forced to Return to Work Two Days Later - "Signed 'Billion Year Contract" at Age of Five (Lawsuit)

It was, as Life Force leaders had promised, a Christmas party, the school's first since a small Clearwater company called Art of Management had been hired to reorganize the school as it filed for bankruptcy.

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Fully aware of the black community's affinity for religion, the Scientology cult drapes itself in the veneer
of a "church".

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Though company president Hanan Islam was also executive director of the World Literacy Crusade, a California organization that promotes Scientology study methods, she had reassured parents then that her group would "not push any religion" at the school.

But as Life Force parents stood in one of Scientology's newest churches, dedicated last year by Scientology's worldwide leader, David Miscavige, some felt their trust had been betrayed.

Some parents and former teachers at Life Force, which receives about $800,000 a year in public funding, say the Pinellas County charter school has become a Scientology recruiting post targeting children.

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Using gullible Hip Hop artists to attract new targets has become a
favorite new tactic of the Scientology cult.

RELATED STORY: Will Smith Gives $122,000 to Scientology

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Opened to serve a low-income Clearwater neighborhood and advertising classes in computers and modern dance, Life Force had begun pushing Hubbard's "study technology," which critics call a Trojan horse Scientology uses to infiltrate public classrooms.

And while Life Force students and teachers worked in poorly stocked classrooms and teachers went unpaid, the bankrupt school funneled tens of thousands of dollars more to Islam's business interests than she told the bankruptcy court she would charge.

"There can be no accountability when this kind of stuff goes on," said teacher Tim Roach, who said he was fired from Life Force last month after criticizing the school. "It's the students who are going to suffer."

Though mixing public education with religious doctrine is not allowed by the Pinellas County School District, which oversees charter schools, the district has been stymied in attempts to close Life Force because it is under bankruptcy protection.

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Scientologists Profiteering in Haiti

By Ravi SomaiyaOur Scientology sources tell us there's an interesting reason that some members of the church are swarming into Haiti. And it's even more appalling than you might have thought — tragedy profiteering.

RELATED STORY: Travolta Flies More Scientologists to Haiti

John Travolta arranged for one plane of supplies to get to Port-au-Prince, and personally flew another Boeing 707 there himself. Those planes contained much needed food and equipment and genuine doctors. But they also contained volunteer ministers, ready to spread the word of Scientology.

Many Scientologists, says one of our sources, a longtime veteran of the church, "genuinely think that only they can help in an emergency." They are misguided, but well-intentioned. But there are others who "are just total buzzards." Those, he says, are engaging in a vain attempt to profit from the tragedy — a tale corroborated by another former church member. This email is doing the rounds:

By 'help', they mean money. And if those seminars result in confused and vulnerable Haitians signing up for any further courses in Scientology — unlikely as that seems, given the poverty in that country — these Global Pioneers get a 12 per cent cut of their future course fees. Our source says that over 100 plan to go to Port-au-Prince, and that he gets email and Facebook spam all day from 'Pioneers' seeking donations.

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Scientology Member John Travolta Doesn't Give A Damn What Scientology Does To Its Members — As Long As It Treats HIM Well

Scientology Targets the Rich and Famous: For their money and their ability to attract members to
Scientology - Tom Cruise and John Travolta are both long-time Scientology members and advocates.
(Photo by HGI)

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John Travolta: I Won't Watch 'Going Clear' Documentary

By Kirthana Ramisetti
When it comes to Scientology, John Travolta is keeping the faith.

The Oscar-nominated actor broke his silence about HBO documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" - and reasserted his devotion to the religion.

RELATED STORY: Scientology Under FBI Investigation For Work Done For Tom Cruise -  Appears Cruise Got 'Free' (Slave) Labor

While promoting his new film "The Forger," he was asked by the Tampa Bay Times if he would watch the doc.

"No, I haven't," he responded. "And I don't really care to."

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RELATED STORY: Travolta Flies More Scientologists to Haiti

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Along with Tom Cruise, the "Pulp Fiction" star has been one of Scientology's most famous devotees, having been a member for more than 40 years.

Travolta asserted that despite the claims made in director Alex Gibney's expose, which alleged that members were physically abused and blackmailed if they sought to leave the church, he never has been treated in such a manner.

"I haven't experienced anything that the hearsay has (claimed), so why would I communicate something that wasn't true for me?" he said.

"It wouldn't make sense, nor would it for Tom, I imagine."

The documentary, which debuted March 29 and is based on Lawrence Wright’s nonfiction book of a similar name, features some former members stating that the church’s alleged abuses could be stopped if Travolta or Cruise urged reform.

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10 Things We Learned From The Scientology Documentary 'Going Clear' — Recently Aired on HBO

Left: Photo by Dominic Alves; Right: Photo by Joe Howell.

By Eric Thurm
...HBO aired Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Alex Gibney's documentary exposé of the Church of Scientology and its founder, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. While much of the information contained within the film isn't technically new (especially since the doc is based on executive producer Lawrence Wright's book of the same name), it does forcefully, brutally put faces to many of the stories, and assembles a meticulous, damning case against the church. The organization had taken aggressive action to counterattack (including a full-page ad in The New York Times) after the movie's premiere at Sundance last January, and now that the film has finally aired on the cable channel, they're likely to go on the offensive as a whole new audience begins to discuss some of the Scientology's more terrifying, disturbing practices. Here are 10 of Going Clear's biggest talking points.

• L. Ron Hubbard's (the founder of Scientology) life was built on a series of lies and bullying
• Hubbard sent letters about Dianetics to the American Psychological Association (even though Scientologists claim they don't believe in psychology.
• Scientology's clergy formed as a response to investigations
• The "secret" behind Scientology alienated many of the church's members
• The church essentially went to war with the IRS over tax exemption
• Scientology's win over the IRS allowed the church to rake in money
• Members of Sea Org who criticize the church are "destressed" through torture
• Scientology blackmails its members with private "audit" sessions
• The church broke up Tom Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman
• Miscavige (the current leader of Scientology) created a prison camp for Sea Org members

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