In Other News – Scientology

Tony Ortega, former Managing Editor for The Pitch,

In this show, we are going into detail about the power of the belief system known as Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard, the creator of Scientology was born in March 1911, and passed January 1986. Early in his writing career, he was known for his science fiction and fantasy stories. At some point later, Hubbard outlined a metaphysical self help system called Dianetics. These concepts evolved into a set of rituals and eventually became a foundation for the Church of Scientology. The church was established in 1954. It was later recognized as a tax-exempt religion in the United States. Scientology branched out around the world, to South Africa, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. Today the Church of Scientology continues to launch massive campaigns and recruit new members while amassing billions.

When you hear about Scientology in the mainstream media, it’s usually when a celebrity disconnects from the church, or when a former member is being stalked, and harassed by the church for leaving. Tony Ortega former Managing Editor for The Pitch, keeps a close eye on the current staff leading the church of Scientology. He’s been writing about it since 1995 and is the executive editor of the Raw Story and formerly the editor of the Village Voice. Tony jokingly calls his website the Underground Bunker. It can be found at TonyOrtega.org. We get a fascinating insight into the belief systems within Scientology and talk about the HBO film by Oscar winner Alex Gibney called Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. The film is based on Lawrence Wright’s book Going Clear, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief. Interestingly we did this interview in an empty apartment under renovation on the upper east side. A perfect setting.


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