A HollyWOO Report: Scientology and Travolta
Is John Travolta through with Scientology? The Hollywood rumor mill is running wild, and there is still no actual evidence other than a report of John Travolta, grief stricken, driving his golf cart in the wee hours of the night.
There has been no actual statement from the family and other than the golf cart reports and the spotting of a bloated Travolta eating junk food. We haven’t heard a word from the family. Still, speculation runs wild. The main rumor is that a distraught Mr.Travolta may be leaving the church based on Scientology’s denial of autism and mental illness. Travolta’s dead son, Jett, was taken off his anti-seizure medication just prior to his death and Scientology refuses to acknowledge autism as an actual illness. In fact, Scientology considers all mental illness to be psychosomatic and is forcefully against any kind of medication for mental illness. One could understand how this could cause a grieving parent to reconsider the teachings of a church that in this case, could quite possibly have done more harm than good.
If indeed John is considering leaving the church, he will have to face the vicious backlash that is known to be standard operating procedure of Scientology. All members of the church go through continual auditing. Auditing is Scientology’s version of confession, and unlike other churches who consider confession to be private exchange between a priest and a God and the confessor, Scientology keeps detailed files on the confessions of the people being audited so that they may use that information against the person to rope them in should they attempt to leave the church.
I will update if any new information comes out and until then a site has been set up so that we can show our support to Mr. Travolta should he decide to leave the church. I for one wish him and his family the best and stand by him should he choose to leave. You can show your virtual support by clicking on the link below.
This is all very sad :(
I know this sounds cruel, but what could the CoS do to him? Isn’t Battlefield Earth already punishment enough?
I mean, seriously. When Paris Hilton is famous for no reason at all, and Brittney Spears records sell better when she shows off her vulva, and Chris Tucker is famous for talking about it, what could they reveal that would not simply make him a meme and increase his popularity? Shamelessness in the new commodity.
I always liked Travolta, and I would hate to see his family’s pain used to tear down at the CoS, but enough’s enough:
http://scienceblogs.com/primatediaries/2009/07/leaked_scientology_documents_r.php
@truthwalker: Puppy eating. Nuff said.
That link is really lovely, gave me a wee twinge of of the old humani nihil a me alienum puto.
I certainly hope that if the CoS is vicious enough to resort to slander, it will reflect only on them. Preferably in a highly public fashion.
El Ron speed, Mr. Travolta!
Remember before Michael Jackson died, the local Tampa paper had a scathing 3 part exposé on Scientology? I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but then Michael Jackson died and everyone forgot about it, and the focus was on MJ for a good long while. Pretty convenient if you ask me.
I can imagine the CoS publishing confession of Travolta being… *gasp* GAY!
And not realizing that the world outside stopped considering it scandalous some 20 years ago.
The CoS might love to defame and sue ex-members but I am not sure that they would go after somebody that has the fame and financial means to defend himself…
@truthwalker:
Just a few weeks ago we got an example of what CoS is willing to do when some Scientology defectors talked in an article in the St. Petersburg Times. Go to that link and search for “ethics files” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Basically, CoS forces you as a matter of practice to reveal your deepest darkest secrets in auditing sessions, and those secrets are recorded in special files called “ethics files”. If there is ever a problem between you and the church, out come those files and they are used against you.
Essentially, its like your shrink comes after you and has no client-patient confidentiality rule.
@truthwalker: I don’t know that his career would REALLY be dead if he left CoS and they released all his dirty info, but the fear of that is probably enough to keep many people silent.
@marilove: I agree, I don’t think there can possibly be anything in that file that would do much damage to him. An affair maybe? Not a big deal if he already confessed it to his wife and kids. Really, what would be so devastating? Just the fact that he’s considering leaving the church (if it is, in fact, true) probably means he’s not too worried about that file, and is just worried about fabrications.
@krelnik: That could conceviably work against the CoS, though. In this day and age, people as a whole are more accepting of “dirty secrets” like being gay or having an affair. Unless John Travolta has done something REALLY bad, like kill someone, if he played it right, this could actually work for him — what if he instead put out all those “dirty secrets” on his OWN, then left the CoS?
People hate the CoS. I think it might take someone – or several someones – high up in CoS to do exactly that: Say fuck it, release their own secrets, and release lots of dirty CoS secrets, and go, “What now, assholes? I have no more secrets!”
@Outsider: Yeah, exactly. He has tons of money and tons of lawyers. He might actually be worried about the gay rumours, true or not. If they are true, I could understand why he’d be hesitant to just leave right away without first coming up with a plan. That won’t be easy on his family (unless his wife is aware, which is 100% possible).
I watched Battlefield Earth once. Oh, oh, oh, oh….
Ow!
His wife is still a zombie (according to the news articles I just read) so it wouldn’t just be leaving his church (hard for anyone) but could end in divorce… and loss of visitation with his other child.
Another really sad part, the son died in the Bahamas and…
Travolta and wife Kelly Preston must return to the Bahamas in September for the trial of an ambulance driver called to treat Jett the day he died. He is accused of trying to blackmail the couple for millions of dollars.
That’s just sick
I wonder if we could fund a movie so he’s got a job if/after he leaves.
About the link, probably the CoS is collecting our IPs, but then again, I feel good for having saved everyone in my family.
I think he probably also has some big time guilt…. which can (and many times will) lead people INTO the folds of the cult, err I mean Chruch.
@Kaylia_Marie: Oh no. :( Now I can definitely see why it could be so difficult for John. He would also lose a LOT of friends and support in the business. I hope he has non-scientology friends and loved ones to lean on.
@Chupacabras: The Scientology building in Phoenix was just down the street from my apartment (the sign recently disappeared so I think they closed or moved), and during the Anon protests, I thought about going to protest with them for about a split second, but then realized I might have Scientology stalkers on my ass, and so I changed my mind.
@marilove: There was a CoS near one of my old offices, I walked past it everyay to get to work. There was a “now hiring” sign there for a while, and I was almost desperate enough to apply within… thankfully monster.com ended up coming through…..
When Thetan’s lie.
@truthwalker:
Vulva? Please, here at skepchick we use the term “vajayjay.”
@jrpowell:
Thank you for clarifying that. We wouldn’t want to upset the Oprah-verse as well, now would we?
@Chupacabras: Uh, I wouldn’t worry about that… They’re being watched themselves…
No secret could be as bad as Battlefield Earth. None.
His son died. What could be worse?
@jrpowell:
Scientologists refer to it as the Xenu hoohoo.
Hey I demand respect
@marilove: Oh, so Michael Jackson did not have tons of money and lawyers, so anything said against him was a dirty smear??
It was heinous of me to make a point about the “king of pop”, but any kind of pointed comment about John Travolta’s child’s death due to scientology is ok?? They are people too. We may make judgments about the choices that they made based on their belief systems (I’m not immune to that… scientology is bat-shit crazy), but if you give the “king of perv” a free pass, how about Vinny Barbarino? “Battleship Earth,” notwithstanding, John Travolta has put up a decent mix of popular/action/edgy film roles (and the bastard can fly a 737 aeroplane!). Ohh… MJ can moon walk… he was also a nutter.
I would hope that the death of his son would be punishment enough.
@xenu: Here you go:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
@xenu: Well,
I don’t know about you, but I respect your Au-Thor-A-Tayy.
Press: This just in, John Travolta is a homosexual, homicidal, necrophiliac, communist, cannibal, transgendered, drug addicted, tax evading, child molester.
Populace at large: So? Will this expose include a sex tape?
And while vajayjay is the dandy term for vagina. (If it’s 1890, you wear a monocle, and faint when proper words for the organs of regeneration are used.) I’ve never seen Brittney Spear’s vagina, because I don’t have a speculum. I’ve seen her vulva. Does Opera have cool word for that too? Like Vulvanator or vulvarino? Ohhhh or maybe Vultron!
@truthwalker:
Mr Spock’s sister has a neat trick called the Vulvacan nerve pinch. Be wary if you screw with her!
@Amazing: Losing the rest of his family, maybe? He’s already lost his son, and if he leaves the CoS, he could very well lose the rest of his family.
Why does scientology consider autism a “mental illness”? It’s not. It’s a neurological disorder, not a mental illness. Or do they not acknowledge ANYTHING wrong with the brain at all? So like, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are made up too? The lack of internal logical consistency in anything they say is baffling.
@Finn McR: Wait, what are you talking about? MJ had plenty of money and lawyers, as well and…I never said he didn’t. What in the worldare you going on about?
Wait, when did we say this? Please read the comments. We’re all making pointed comments about John Travolta, his son, his son’s death, and Scientology’s role in his son’s death.
What I was actually saying was that if he does leave the CoS, he has a lot of money and a lot of lawyers to help fight the slander that will almost surely come from the CoS. They will try and ruin him. That’s how they role. However, John Travolta has a lot of clout, hopefully also outside of the CoS circle (this is key, it’s possible he doesn’t have much support outside of the CoS), and can use his money and lawyers to help fight them. If you actually read everything else I’ve said, I suggested that he should let his own secrets out first, before the CoS can do it. Perhaps write a tell-all book and make millions while doing it. This way he has control over it, and the CoS doesn’t, and therefore the CoS no longer has any power over him — and it could very well start a train reaction, so that others feel comfortable leaving the CoS as well.
So I have no idea what you’re going on about, but clearly I do think that John Travolta has suffered enough, and I hope he is able to get out of the CoS’ stronghold.
@Finn McR: Also, there is a huge difference between discussing something — in this case, John Travolta, the CoS, and what the CoS may have had to do with John’s death, and what John could have done to prevent it (in this case, not bein the CoS) — and calling MJ a “perv” and saying nasty, inappropriate jokes a day after he died.
@MiddleMan
@Finn McR
I thank you, I was this close to throwing the lot of you into a volcano. Lucky for you all my airplane shaped space ship is in the shop.
I hope Travolta leaves the COS. He could show the world the upper workings of that cult. He might even be strong enough to take them on. How high up was he?
@xenu:
I believe Travolta is OT VII but I am not positive.
@Kimbo Jones:
Actually, Scientology does not consider autism a mental illness. They do not think that it exists at all. They believe all problems with the brain are psychosomatic or caused by “thetans”. The words “mental illness” was just my attempt at generalizing.
@Amy: Ok thanks for the clarification. So by their logic upper motor disorders are also fiction. Wow. They are even worse than I thought.
Sorry, upper motor NEURON disorders.
Looks like Travolta is staying with COS. As per the Chicago Tribune.
I guess we will have to wait and see. Technically, we still haven’t heard from him directly, just his “spokesperson” but odds are that he will stay. Bummer.
@Amy: He still might leave eventually. Once the doubt is there, it’s hard to ignore. It just might take a while for him to make the move. But yeah, I dunno. :(