IN RESPONSE TO:
Scientology: The Story from the April 25, 2013 issue
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Francisco de Goya: Riña de gatos, 1786
To the Editors:
Diane Johnson’s sophomoric line claiming that you can spot a Scientologist by their “glazed look” tells you everything you need to know about her bias and prejudice toward the global religious movement and why she was the wrong person to objectively review Lawrence Wright’s book [“Scientology: The Story,”NYR, April 25]. This does a great disservice to readers of The New York Review of Books.
Among Ms. Johnson’s misstatements:
• Like Mr. Wright, Ms. Johnson regurgitates the false allegation that L. Ron Hubbard once said that “he’d like to start a religion because that’s where the money is.” This myth was exposed years ago via several court judgments in two countries that established that Mr. Hubbard never made such a statement.
• Ms. Johnson seeks to perpetuate the myth that lawsuits “are Scientology’s principal weapons against its outside critics.” Yet she can cite no example more recent that 1971, and for good reason. In fact, the Church has not filed suit against a media organization in more than two decades. While we reserve the right to sue over defamation and the spreading of egregious falsehoods, the public record is clear: we go to great lengths to avoid litigation.
• She extols Lawrence Wright’s fact checkers, but omits completely that the Church has documented dozens of factual inaccuracies and undermined the credibility of key sources for his book. These inaccuracies include everything from citing an interview with a source with whom Wright never corresponded or met to claiming that the Church owns banks and schools in Clearwater, Florida, which a simple check of public records shows is false. He even botched the year a prominent celebrity Scientologist was married even though the wedding was covered by scores of media worldwide. Add to that tales Mr. Wright printed from news clippings without mentioning they were later recanted, along with allegations he prints from court cases that conveniently neglect to mention they were tossed out as baseless during judicial proceedings. In one case, Wright attributes a bizarre, unsubstantiated tale about a phantom crime even though police and court records show no such crime ever took place. Mr. Wright’s source: a man who once publicly claimed that his daughter and father had committed suicide with the Reverend Jim Jones in 1978, but later admitted he made it all up.
• Her sweeping pronouncement that “Scientology is a moneymaking outfit” flies in the face of six decades of reasoned conclusions to the contrary reached by judges, government administrative bodies, and religious experts worldwide.
• Ms. Johnson refers to Lawrence Wright relying on the work of Dr. Robert J. Lifton to condemn Scientology. Something Ms. Johnson and Mr. Wright failed to note is that in 1987 Dr. Lifton himself sharply criticized any use of his theories of coercive persuasion when applied to participation in new religious movements.
• The review happily embraces a small collection of former Scientologists and self-promoters behind an orchestrated media campaign. In an attempt to sell self-published books, they invent new, increasingly bizarre tales while “corroborating” each other. Yet they can’t find outside sources, police reports, public records, or any other objective, third-party means to verify their allegations.
We believe your readers should be able to judge for themselves whether Mr. Wright did his homework, or whether he merely compiled a laundry list of exaggerated claims and allegations made to newspaper and TV reporters by disgruntled ex-members. Publishers in the United Kingdom and Canada chose not to publish the book, which we believe speaks to quality of the facts, allegations, and sources Mr. Wright used. And while we are aware libel laws are stricter in those countries, if a book and its sources tell the truth there should be no cause for concern by a publisher….
Karin Pouw
Public Affairs Director
Church of Scientology International
Los Angeles, California
Public Affairs Director
Church of Scientology International
Los Angeles, California
Diane Johnson replies:
It seems to me that the Church of Scientology’s quarrel is more with Mr. Wright than with my review of his book. In addition to a statement concerning Wright’s book at www.scientologynews.org/lawrencewright, the church has posted an elaborate website to discuss what it claims are his errors: www.lawrencewrightgoingclear.com.
Readers can decide, based on their experience with the reliability of The New Yorker magazine and books published by Knopf, whom they will choose to believe. Knopf has published a statement of its own policies and methods of fact-checking: knopfdoubleday.com/2013/01/17/a-statement-from-knopf-about-going-clear-by-lawrence-wright.
For the record, the glazed Scientology stare that I mentioned is also described by Jenna Miscavige Hill, Scientology leader David Miscavige’s niece, in Beyond Belief, her account of escaping from the group: Scientologists “recognizable by their uniforms and their blank stares” (p. 394), and elsewhere “a correct Scientology stare” (p. 117). She describes learning to stare: “The stated aim was to learn how to face another person without anxiety but, in actuality, it felt more like a mindless staring contest. In time, the stare would morph into a hypnotic trance…” (p. 69).
My piece concludes in part that “any merit of [L. Ron] Hubbard’s methods and thought is being lost through misguided institutional paranoia and secrecy,” of which the church’s response to Wright (and me) is an example. Perhaps defensiveness is a tendency of other religious groups, too, especially in the early years of their foundation; perhaps it is even a necessity for promoting cohesiveness and loyalty among the followers who don’t fall away.
South Park Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone Ridicule Scientology In Broadway Musical
The South Park episode that makes fun of Scientology is possibly one of the most accurate and hilarious depictions of Scientology on the Internet. Apparently, we may now be getting a full blown musical version of that!
South Park head honchos, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, hit gold with ‘The Book of Mormon’, which pretty much gives them free reign to do whatever they want to. And what they want is to reportedly make a full length, no holds barred musical on Xenu and Scientology. Yeah, Tom Cruise is NOT going to be happy about this.
According to Contact Music, Tom is worried that he’ll be the ‘butt of the jokes’ like he was in the episode ‘Trapped in the Closet’ [a true masterpiece if you haven’t seen it]. A source close to Tom reportedly said, “It’s still being written but Tom is concerned he’ll be the butt of the jokes. Tom caught wind of their plans and wasn’t happy but then realized there isn’t much he can do to stop it.”
It’s certainly true that there isn’t much he can do to stop it. Once upon a time, when he was the biggest movie star on the planet, maybe. Now, there’s simply no way he’d have the clout to stop them, especially when he can’t even manage to stop Vanity Fair and the Hollywood Reporter from publishing articles about Scientology. Besides, Stone and Parker could probably care less about being threatened by Scientology.
No doubt, whatever Stone and Parker come up with will be great – The Book of Mormon proved that their musical and parody skills are pretty much unrivaled. I can already see the Scientology musical selling out across Broadway.
Would you guys go watch a musical based making fun of Scientology? Let us know in the comments.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2318084/Will-Smith-kids-lookalike-son-Jaden-promote-new-sci-fi-movie-Japan.html#ixzz2SC7GDqgJ
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How low can you go: Will Smith's son Jaden wears ridiculously baggy trousers to promote their new sci-fi movie in Japan
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Despite his tender years, Will Smith's son Jaden has already forged a successful career as movie star, recording artist and most recently a fashion designer.
But judging by his most recent choice of outfit, it seems that the 14-year-old's personal style still leaves a lot to be desired.
At a Tokyo photocall for his new movie - also starring his father Will - Jaden opted for a pair of ridiculously baggy harem trousers, oddly matched by a high-collared shirt.
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Strange ensemble: Actor Will Smith is joined by his son Jaden who appears to be wearing a pair of pajamas as they promote their new film After Earth in together Tokyo
Fashion faux-pas: Will Smith seemed unconcerned with his son's bizarre choice of trousers at the After Earth press conference
Showing the love: Will Smith and his son Jaden make a heart with the hands during a photocall for their new sci-fi film After Earth in Tokyo on Thursday
Jaden's fashion line MSFTS has been described as being 'casual wear with an edgy twist', and by the looks of it the results are more bizarre than they are fashionable.
Explaining his strange fashion sense, Jaden has said: 'I have this image in my head of what I think an amazing fashion person would look like, and I really just take whatever I would want to wear and I just put it on.'
But perhaps Jaden could have done with having one last check with a stylist before he arrived at the press conference on Thursday.
Horsing around: The pair stood in front of a giant poster of their movie, playfully bearing the same expression as their characters
Get serious, Dad: Will pulled a funny face while Jaden looked on as the pair stood among a group of Japanese schoolchildren.
Meanwhile, Jaden's father Will looked dashing in a grey suit, black dress shoes and a black-and-white patterned tie as he stood with his arm around his middle child.
And while the rest of the world may be left bemused at Jaden's black skinny trousers, hopefully the ill-advised ensemble was a hit with the young schoolchildren in attendance.
Instead of smart shoes, Jaden also went for Nike trainers showing off some loud white-and-black patterned socks.
Peace out: Will holds out his finger in a peace sign as he poses with his son during the news conference
I'm watching you: Will playfully points at his son who smiles nervously as they answer questions during the conference
The pair have been traveling the world to promote director M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie, After Earth.
The movie is a survival story about a son who must rescue his father after they crash land on a futuristic Earth.
Jaden portrays Kitai Raige and Will portrays his on-screen father, Cypher Raige. They also had father-son roles in the 2006 feel-good homeless drama, The Pursuit of Happyness.
After Earth sees the pair strengthen their father-son bond as Kitai fights wild animals and an alien creature to get the help his father needs.
The movie is due out May 31 in the U.S. and June 7 in the UK.
Epic: Jaden plays Kitai Raige, who must rescue his father Cypher - played by Will - after they crash land on a futuristic Earth
Brings them closer: The pair strengthen their father-son bond as Kitai fights wild animals and an alien creature to get the help his father needs
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2318084/Will-Smith-kids-lookalike-son-Jaden-promote-new-sci-fi-movie-Japan.html#ixzz2SC7GDqgJ
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