I have followed his story from afar since the first John Sweeney documentary, and I remember the shock and relief I felt when I read he had left scientology. C. on perhaps 2 or 3 occasions over that two-year span as a board member of Church of Scientology International (CSI). In fact, Freedom of Information (FOIA) documents later obtained from the department of justice detailed how the "Armstrong operation" (again, the results not of Rinder's failed efforts - but by those of others) resulted in the government assigning Armstrong the lowest possible potential witness credibility; making the ill-conceived criminal investigation without support.

First, Rinder invents a leading role for himself in the investigation of IRS informant Gerry Armstrong. I truly pray that he is able to one day reconcile with them and show them the unconditional love that they never were afforded before.

The fig tree is there, too, when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, when the teenagers vanish. History teaches us that escapees of ideologies often are brutally prosecuted and killed; religions 'shun' people'. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. I really respect how Rinder doesn’t let himself off the hook for the impact of his actions while working in the highest echelons of Scientology.

Somehow Scientology has always been an interesting topic, mostly because of what you hear about it through modern media, where it's talked about in relevance to actors and celebrities who are involved in this. Having an ex scientology member who used to be in a higher rank talk about his experience seemed extremely interesting, and man, I wasn't wrong. He then claims that the result of the investigation - in fact performed by others - "the hope of getting the IRS to back off was dashed. It was a tactic famously used by Stalin - keep your subordinates divided, fearful, confused, and off-balance.

In the past, Mike has served as an interpreter of sorts, the events of his life discussed mainly when they will further the audience's understanding of the Scientology organization. Mike is a careful and credible witness, and his standing as one of the firstborn of the first generation of Scientologists places him right in the heart of their history. In the early 1980s, Hubbard had believed he deserved one for his 'discoveries' of the Purification Rundown, in which he claimed a regimen of saunas, vitamins, ingesting oil, and huge doses of niacin resulted in drug residues being 'sweated out. It's a flamethrower of a read, burning up the organization's wicked nonsense so all that is left is like so much ash in the ashtray.

I greatly admire Mike for his vocal stance on the destruction this organisation has caused and continues to cause. There’s something so unique about Mike Rinder: an empathy that doesn’t just “feel” for people, but that deftly pinpoints the source of another’s pain and swiftly responds with a skillful word or deed to kiss the hurt, and make it better. Readers will be glad that Anderson eventually turned to writing prose, since the well-told anecdotes and memorable character sketches are what make it a page-turner. Even after he finally escaped he still believed in Hubbard and Scientology for awhile, until he started to see the truth that it was all a sham and Hubbard was just as delusional as Miscavige - just not as personally violent.Former Scientologist, Jon Atack, found the registrations with Hubbard's signatures on for 'The Church Of American Science'; the 'Church of Scientology'; and the 'Church of Human Engineering'. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle.