Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

Everybody settle.

All right, do you want to start it?

Rolling, let's settle.

We're rolling. Speed.

Okay, quiet, please.

When the history of this planet

is finally told,

it will be a tale of a determined few

who rose up against overwhelming odds

and stood firm for the rights of man.

Today, we're going to be discussing

Scientology's propaganda arms.

These propaganda arms,

they claim they are taking care of drug...

the drug problem.

They're taking care of illiteracy.

They're bringing relief to people

who have suffered natural disasters.

They are helping eradicate psychiatry.

They are doing away with crime.

They are somehow taking care

of the broad problems in society.

These organizations have three purposes.

One, to create goodwill and public relations

- for Scientology. - Okay, second?

Second, to convince Scientologists

that Scientology is having a massive effect

around the world.

Right, because why do these things, Mike?

Why give up your life savings, your children and everything

if we're not making any change

- in the world? - Exactly.

Our hallmark is unrelenting commitment

and enduring compassion,

extending a hand however, wherever and whenever.

We are the IAS!

And then three, fundraising,

because Scientologists are hammered constantly

to give money to support these "humanitarian" objectives.

These propaganda arms

are proving to Scientologists

that Scientology is single-handedly

taking care of this planet.

It really affects you when you see these events.

There are five mandatory events in Scientology

that all Scientologists have to attend,

and if you can't attend,

they make sure that you watch the video of it.

It's an amazing sales tool.

What happens is, to people like me

who go to these events and I see the horses, you know,

and the flag.

"Scientology is saving this sector of the universe,

and we are saving mankind".

You know, it does work on me.

I mean, I got goose bumps

when I used to sit in that audience,

and I used to say to myself like, "Wow, Leah,

"you've been so critical of your church.

"These people have accepted your church.

"Look at these amazing things

that they're doing in the world".

There are these groups

that go out and say, well,

"We're the Way to Happiness Foundation,"

and they don't tell anybody

that they are a Scientology propaganda arm.

And, for the person who might be, you know,

brighter than the average schmuck,

they say, "Well, hang on a second.

It says L. Ron Hubbard. What's the answer to that?"

This is not related to the Church of Scientology.

This L. Ron Hubbard wrote various things.

They are applicable to all of life.

We're just doing good works in the community.

The thing is that when they tell those people that

and someone then says,

"Well, thank you so much for your great work

that you have done,"

and they say "Well, would you please give us a letter,

or would you sign a proclamation?"

Or we just happen to have a camera crew

and a dolly set up. We just happen to have that.

Would you do us a quick favor

and just say to the camera...

That statement is now going to be shown

to convince Scientologists

that the government of X, Y, and Z country,

the mayor of this place,

all of these people are supporting Scientology

and our programs.

But if you go to those people and say,

are you aware of the fact that your statement

was shown at an event for Scientology,

it was put in the Scientology magazines?

- They're like "We had no idea". - Right.

It really affects you when you see these events.

For somebody like me who's just a civilian Scientologist,

I go "What? The President of Uganda?"

For which there now comes

an official partnership with the office

of Uganda's President.

And that says to Scientologists

that the world at large is accepting Scientology.

Hey, Mike, I have a question for you.

- Yeah? - When you did those events...

- Yeah. - And you came out onstage...

Please welcome Mr. Mike Rinder.

We've continued our events, conferences,

and hand-to-hand distribution,

reaching no less than 131 million worldwide this year.

At the time, did you believe that that was true?

I always knew that everything was being presented

in the best possible light,

and that's probably the kindest way of putting it.

Even if what was being shown wasn't exactly that,

- there was... - Some truth to it.

- There was some truth. - So it worked on you too

- as a Sea Org member? - Sort of, yeah.

I mean, I could tell you that I believed it

when I was like, you know, with my attitude,

like, you know, don't attack Scientology.

You know, without Scientology, there would be no like...

Without any Scientology organization,

things are not going to change on this planet.

We are the most ethical group you're ever going to find

and actually the only group

that's really making change for mankind.

And I really believed it.

I really believed we were doing those things.

Yeah, well, you were supposed to.

So, that's what we're going to cover.

So who are we going to be talking to tonight?

Well, we're going to be talking to Tony Ortega.

He's a journalist who's been reporting on

and exposing abuses in Scientology for decades.

Fred Oxaal, a 30-year Scientologist,

who was one of the people that helped start

the Way To Happiness Foundation.

- Welcome, gentlemen. - Thank you.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

Back in the '60s, there were a couple of people

who took what Hubbard had done

and turned it into a drug rehabilitation program,

which ultimately became Narconon.

And then a couple of people had taken

Hubbard's study technology

and were starting to use it in a secular setting.

And they generated some goodwill,

and L. Ron Hubbard reviewed this and said,

"Look, these things are generating

good public relations for Scientology".

Right.

"So let's formalize their organization,"

and the instruction was

expand these things to keep generating goodwill

- and good PR for Scientology. - Right.

That is the history of the start

of all of this,

which has now reached the level

where these propaganda arms are all over,

- and there are many of them. - Yeah, they're popping up,

- and they're changing names. - They're... they're everywhere.

Scientology makes these astonishing claims

about both the efficacy and the reach

of its propaganda arms.

This is Guatemala.

With 2.3 million copies,

federal statistics reported a full 21% drop in homicides.

Through campaigns to disseminate

the truth about drugs,

we've reached more than half a billion people

just this year alone,

and all while 27 million people

now safe from psych abuse

through your support of the IAS.

And this is something that is a very important thing

that is used to convince Scientologists

that they need to give money,

because if he just kept standing there

and saying "This is what we're doing,

give us your money,"

and there was nothing to show people,

then they wouldn't keep giving the money.

But the real focus of this

is Scientologists are being hoodwinked

into giving money for things that aren't happening.

Narconon is another one of the organizations

that Scientology uses to generate propaganda.

And, just to be clear,

Narconon is a drug rehabilitation program.

There is an answer

to the nightmare of addiction...

the Narconon Drug Rehabilitation Program.

Narconon will admit that it uses L. Ron Hubbard's...

- Technology. - Ideas.

They do their best

not to say anything about Scientology.

The argument that gets made is, yes,

but there are other religious drug rehab programs,