Interesting…I wonder if they were skaters. J. Lewis was married to a skater for a while, and there have been at least a couple of others involved in scientology, aside from Lee. Maybe the ladies were working on a minor infiltration of that community back in the day, who knows?

Pretty sure she brought Jason Lee into it, don't know about others. But Scientology certainly has never been above using "honeypot tech."

Well, feel free to judge away in TC's case because scientology isn't a religion. And see some of the discussion above for what makes it so different from the others you mention.

From what I can tell, Beck's timeline with the CoS was born into it > schooled in it > courses at the Celebrity Center (late 80s—completions list is online) > likely off lines the better part of the 90s > recovered late 90s > married into hardcore > still there. But like I said, the hold is starting to loosen on…

If you're a fan, don't give up hope. He does seem to have been effectively off lines in the early-mid 90s. And with the crumbling state of the CoS now, and his niece's defection, it's possible some members of that extended Ribisi clique will start to wake up soon. Fingers crossed, right?

No, it's not like that at all. There is no grounded view of scientology. Their doctrine is: you're in or you're out, you're with us or against us. (KSW, baby! All scientologists are reminded of that policy at the start of every course.) Celebs are allowed a certain leeway, and not shit on quite as much as Sea Org,…

The born-ins have a very unique relationship to scientology, and you are spot-on that breaking those chains is a singular challenge for them, for a variety of reasons. I think they are a group that needs special attention, since old-timers and born-ins are really all that's left of the cult membership. If the younger…

You need to come hang out with us in The Underground Bunker, my friend. You will fit right in…

Oh right, that was the occasion of the cookie dough incident! Must've been when he was "dating" Naz Boniadi, then.

Yep. No hubris there, right? I think that story was in Remini's book, though I can't remember off the top of my head whether she witnessed it in person or heard it second-hand. At any rate, TC and DM think of themselves as the planet's Big Beings, though there are those of us who prefer to think of them as Big Beans.

Heh heh…You mean when Miscavige had the executives he was holding captive in The Hole compete for their salvation to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody? Yeah, that's one of those stories that makes sane people go: "Wait, no…This can't be for real. These people have to be exaggerating." But years of ex members getting out…

Eh, there's some talk that he may be out or under the radar now. I could never stand the dude, but good on him if he finally woke up.

I once saw scientology described as "Mean Girls meets the mafia" and that's pretty much been my go-to description ever since.

I vote for Nabin to take on "Texas Tropics."