David Miscavige: Church

“Fifty-six years after its founding by the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986, the church is fighting off calls by former members for a Reformation. The defectors say Sea Org members were repeatedly beaten by the church’s chairman, David Miscavige, often during planning meetings; pressured to have abortions; forced to work without sleep on little pay; and held incommunicado if they wanted to leave. The church says the defectors are lying.”

David Miscavige

[Laurie, Goodstein, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/us/07scientology.html, Defectors Say Church of Scientology Hides Abuse, The New York Times, The New York Times Company, A1, March 6, 2010, 2010-07-03].
About

Lying , Sleep , Science , Fight

“Marty Rathbun, who served on the church's board and was a top lieutenant of Miscavige's, said he was often ordered by Miscavige to attack others.”

David Miscavige

[Associated Press, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/22/national/main5102700.shtml, Scientology Smackdown: Report Claims Abuse - Leader Of Church Accused Of Hitting Subordinates, Ex-Officials Tell Newspaper, CBS News, CBS, June 22, 2009, 2010-07-03].
About

“I have been advised that you have decided to move forward with your story without my interview. This, despite the fact confirmed more than three weeks ago that I would make myself available on a date certain (6 July), after you spoke to other relevant Church personnel and toured Church facilities, and that I would provide information annihilating the credibility of your sources including the fundamental crimes against the Scientology religion that were the reasons for their removal from post.”

David Miscavige

June 2009 letter by Miscavige to journalists Thomas C. Tobin and Joe Childs, regarding investigation of accounts of abuse of Scientology staff members by Miscavige for "The Truth Rundown" series in the St. Petersburg Times —[Thomas C. Tobin, Joe Childs, A letter from David Miscavige, http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1012140.ece, St Petersburg Times, June 23, 2009, 2010-07-03].

Religion

“The leader of the controversial Church of Scientology routinely physically attacked members of his management team, according to former executives, a Florida newspaper has reported. Defectors from the controversial organisation who spoke to the St Petersburg Times told the paper that David Miscavige was "constantly denigrating and beating on people". Mike Rinder, the church's spokesman for decades, said he was attacked by Miscavige some 50 times.”

David Miscavige

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About

People , Time

“Here's what I find wrong and here's what I find the common mistake the media makes. I can give you a hundred thousand Scientologists who will say unbelievably positive things about their church to every one you add on there, and I not only am upset about those people not being interviewed, they are, too. And the funny thing about it, and why you find this not really being that one who speaks in the media, is because not just myself, any Scientologist, will open up a paper, will watch this program, they're probably laughing right now, saying, "That isn't Scientology." That's what makes media. Media is controversy. I understand that. And if you really looked at the big picture of what's happening in Scientology, it isn't really controversial, certainly to a Scientologist.”

David Miscavige

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People , Understanding

“In 1980 Hubbard ceased making public appearances, and the management of the Church of Scientology was effectively taken over by David Miscavige.”

David Miscavige

[Chryssides, George D., The A to Z of New Religious Movements, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006, 0810855887, 163].
About

Appearance

“The most famous Scientology wedding was between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes on November 18, 2006, in Italy. Although it may seem frivolous to focus on such an event when considering an extraordinary group, this wedding for much of the world brought Scientology to the front page. … The significance of Scientology to Cruise was underscored by his selection of David Miscavige, head of the Church of Scientology since the death of L. Ron Hubbard, as his best man.”

David Miscavige

[Zellner, William W., Richard T. Schaefer, Extraordinary Groups: An Examination of Unconventional Lifestyles, Worth Publishers, 2007, Church of Scientology: Social Positions, 304, 0716770342].
About

Death , World , Wedding

“Scientology is now run by David Miscavige, 31, a high school dropout and second-generation church member. Defectors describe him as cunning, ruthless and so paranoid about perceived enemies that he kept plastic wrap over his glass of water.”

David Miscavige

[Richard, Behar, Richard Behar, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972865,00.html, The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power, Time, May 6, 1991, 2010-07-03].
About

School , Water

“Scientologists are at war with a member of their own family - the outspoken niece of the church's powerful leader, David Miscavige. Jenna Hill Miscavige, 24, the daughter of David's older brother Ron, recently came out in support of Andrew Morton's "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography," and slammed the star for "supporting a religion that tears apart families, both in the media and monetarily."”

David Miscavige

Since then, Jenna claims she's been subjected to harassment.
[Richard Johnson, Paula Froelich, Bill Hoffmann, Corynne Steindler, Marianne Garvey, http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/item_cTEbjaLicw7fDz7Gu2jFoK;jsessionid=A8156F120CCA0D16F233E470F02315D7, Family Feud In Tom's Church, New York Post, NYP Holdings, Inc, February 6, 2008, 2010-07-03].
About

War , Family , Religion , Star