Wednesday, April 03, 2013

'I feel brainwashed – a robot of Scientology'

Jenna Miscavige Hill lives a quiet life in San Diego with her husband, Dallas, and their two children, three-year-old Archie and 11-month-old Winnie. But the beginning of her life was anything but ordinary and only now, having written a book about how she lost her childhood to Scientology, is she coming to terms with growing up in a church filled with child labour, cruel punishments, family separation and bullying. Her revelations are all the more explosive as she is the niece of the movement's leader, David Miscavige.

Jenna was the third generation of Scientologists in her family and grew up on a compound in California. At the age of seven, she was admitted to the "Sea Organisation" (Sea Org) – the executive branch of Scientology's most dedicated followers. She was made to sign a billion-year contract that bound her immortal spirit (known as the "Thetan") to lifetime after lifetime of dedication to the organisation. She was also, as camp medical liaison officer, responsible for the health and well-being of her fellow trainees. "None of this struck me as odd at the time," she says. "Looking back I feel completely brainwashed. I didn't even know what I liked or what sort of person I was. I was just a robot of the church."

Jenna says that she was made to incur several hours a day of gruelling labour from the age of six until she was 12. "We wore uniforms and would be digging trench holes for irrigation and rock hauling. We would be doing 25 hours of heavy-duty labour a week. My hands were always full of blisters." Any dissent from the group could result in a bucket of ice water thrown over their heads or "pigs berthing" – spending the night on an old mattress in a dilapidated room filled with bats. Those who resisted authority were declared "suppressives" and cast out. Full story...

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  5. Scientology leader David Miscavige's wife has been missing since 2006...
  6. Senior Scientologist in Australia charged for 'intimidating' 11-year-old sex abuse victim...
  7. Ex-Scientology member harassed at his house...
  8. Two former Scientology members talk of their childhood ordeal and trauma...

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