The Church of Scientology slams Alex Gibney’s documentary “Going Clear”

[inanna]

Source: Salon

Tuesday, Jan 27, 2015 09:39 AM EST

The Church of Scientology has released a statement slamming Alex Gibney’s HBO documentary “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” which premiered to rave reviews at Sundance earlier this week. Based on New Yorker writer’s Lawrence Wright’s 2013 national bestseller of the same name, the film is a searing exposé about life inside the Church. In particular, it features damning revelations about Scientology’s star member Tom Cruise, including that the Church tapped his ex-wife Nicole Kidman’s phone as part of attempts to intimidate Kidman and split up the couple.

Here’s an excerpt from the Church’s statement:

“The Church has documented evidence that those featured in Gibney’s film regurgitating their stale, discredited allegations are admitted perjurers, admitted liars and professional anti-Scientologists whose living depends on the filing of false claims. All have been gone so long from the Church they know nothing of it today. Yet Gibney and HBO stonewalled more than a dozen requests by the Church to offer relevant information about them, with more than 25 individuals with firsthand information eager to speak. To this day, neither HBO nor Gibney can deny that they have yet to present the Church with a single allegation from the film so the Church may have an opportunity to respond. The Church never sought special treatment, only fair treatment.”

<snip>

HBO, for its part, was well-prepared for blowback from the famously litigious Church, telling The Hollywood Reporter back in November that they had “probably 160 lawyers” looking at the film. Lawyering up was a smart move: Wright’s book was met by a barrage of criticism from the Church when it came out, which led to it being dropped by its British and Canadian publishers.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2015/01/27/the_church_of_scientology_slams_alex_gibneys_documentary_going_clear/

[Fred Sanders]

2. Or Snowmaggedon Lite, curious Americans want to know that first, then they will judge you.

[samsingh]

3. i wonder how an anti-scientologist make a living as such?

[snooper2]

4. Scientology a bunch of fucking nuts...

Watch the first couple of minutes of this (or whole thing)...BBC reporter exposed them in 2007 and went OFF!

Here he is doing it again

[inanna]

5. Thanks for reposting this.

I think it needs to be seen.

[crim son]

13. Just watched the whole thing.

Wow.

[7962]

6. I cant believe they dont like this movie! Ha.

They'll do everything they can to stop the rest of us from seeing it too.

[Fuddnik]

7. Trey Parker and Matt Stone need to make a Broadway musical about them!

I know Chef went crazy when they went after them in South Park.

I went to see Book of Mormon over the week-end, and about pissed myself.

[samsingh]

8. interesting that HBO prints everything the church puts out and yet the church

argues that they were not contacted by the moviemakers.

well the church was allowed to put out a press release that has been circulated so why not rebut specific points instead of the usual 'proven purjurors, thrown out members (aren't Churches supposed to be tolerant?), and vicious and demeaning words to describe human beings.

[7962]

9. Churches ARE supposed to be tolerant; cults not so much! nt

[samsingh]

10. CHURCH of Scientology

[7962]

11. In name only, apparently!

[samsingh]

12. agreed

[zappaman]

14. In other news...Water: Still Wet. n/t