Leah Remini is fighting the good fight against Scientology with her new A&E series and with her efforts to promote it. She’s telling the harrowing stories of everyday Scientologists who lost life savings, free will and their basic safety and wellbeing to the cult. This isn’t new information to those of us who have followed Scientology, but there’s still a large percentage of the public who have been hoodwinked by the cult, which hides behind a veneer of religious freedom, and who don’t realize how egregious their human rights violations can be. So what better place to talk about the show than on Larry King’s talk show, Larry King Now, where she again broke it down into understandable concepts which seemed necessary for Larry to get it. You can watch the full video at this link, a video segment is below and here’s some of what she said. I left out some of the details we’ve heard already.

Why Scientologists don’t question the cult
Of course we had access to that information, but taking that information to your church – you would get interrogated for even asking and you would have to pay for that interrogation, which costs thousands and thousands of dollars. As a young Scientologist you learn early on that anything coming from the press is a lie.

“Did you see people get better [in Scientology]?”
I saw people get better in ways that I can’t say they couldn’t have received that same help by talking to a bonafide therapist or a good friend… Scientology as a whole is fraudulent. Everything in Scientology is a promise that ‘when you get to these upper levels you will handle this in yourself.’ Those upper levels are confidential and they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a pay-as-you-go religion. I’ve seen people cash in their 401ks, living [in] a way that is sacrificing their lives, their children.

They put up a front that they believe in God or that it’s secular that you can believe in anything. That’s a front, that’s a lie. I, like most Scientologists believe that what I was doing was good. I was a liar. I knew that I was lying.

“Tom Cruise believes [in Scientology]. I don’t think he’s out to fool you.”
No but Tom is very well aware of what is Scientology truthfully. He is very well aware that it’s an organization that is defrauding people out of their lives. But in his heart I believe that he believes it.

“Is this whole thing a fraud?”
I can’t say that. But what I will say it’s not worth giving up your whole life for. It’s abusive, it’s mentally damaging to people. Scientology demands that you put in two and a half hours minimum every day.

On Scientology’s claims against her
A lot of the teaching of Scientology is how to attack your critics, so I understand it. I’m sad for them because I know how hateful they are to anyone speaking out.

On Amy Scobee’s rape at 14 by a 35 year-old supervisor
[I’ve heard about situations like that] over and over again. I don’t want anyone to take my word for it. You don’t need to believe me. Google it. There’s story after story after story.

Fair game policy was replaced by ‘dealing with suppressive people’
Dealing with suppressive people means go after them, try to destroy their lives, try to find any crimes they have committed, you can lie about them. They have Scientologists picketing in front of people’s houses going ‘don’t trust your neighbor.’ They go after your jobs, when that doesn’t work they go after your family.

What would [Tom Cruise] say to you?
He wouldn’t say anything because he thinks that I’m the devil. All Scientologists are taught to believe that people like me are the devil [and] that we mean them harm… I believe that he, like me, has been lied to.

“You were in there quite a while. You must have liked it.”
Do people who are brainwashed like the circumstances they’re in? No, there were many times I wanted to get out. If I say goodbye I’m saying goodbye to [my family].

On Scientology claiming that ex-Scientologists are lying
They should sue us. It’s as simple as that. If we’re lying. They say this on every outlet they can. They have said this about every person who has spoken out and not one lawsuit has been brought against anybody. They’re a litigious group. If that were true they would simply sue us.

[From Larry King Now on Ora.tv]

This woman’s sheer patience and persistence are amazing. She’s so well spoken, matter-of-fact and thoughtful about what she went through, and what cult members continue to go through under Scientology. She also isn’t acting like she’s a savior or a martyr at all, just like she has celebrity privilege which insulates her from blowback, she has good lawyers and she’s going for it.

We have been asked to do recaps of Leah’s show, Scientology and The Aftermath, but honestly I haven’t watched it yet. Things have been so busy leading up to the holidays. We’ll continue covering Leah when possible and giving her the support and kudos she’s earned by being a hardworking badass. She continues to impress me so much. On Larry King she said she’s received “hundreds of letters” of support and that she’s also received letters saying she’s helped discourage people from joining the cult.

photos credit: Getty Images and WENN