Aussie Scientologists Accused of Torture

Pregnancies punished with shunning

(NEWSER) - Women in the Scientology sect who became pregnant were ordered to have abortions—and were punished with manual labor, interrogation, shunning, and separation from their husbands if they resisted, according to a lengthy expose in the St. Petersburg Times . Former members of the group known as Sea Org also recount having to fake suicide attempts or run away to escape the organization, and call the working conditions in the religious order "human trafficking." More»

The Republican candidate wasn't always so religious

(NEWSER) - Rick Santorum wasn't always a strict Catholic who spoke out against prenatal testing and wanted to "throw up" at the thought of separating Church and state. Neither was his wife, Karen, who dated an abortion doctor and moved in liberal circles in the 1980s. But when the pair met in 1988, they resembled "two halves of a circle coming together," says a Santorum aide: two people with half-forgotten Catholic roots who returned to family, God, and deeply conservative politics, the New York Times reports. More»

Prosecutors say royalties from book on Guantanamo violate law

(NEWSER) - An Australian man who was captured fighting with Taliban forces in Afghanistan and spent five years in Guantanamo Bay prison , where he says he was tortured, has had a family trust frozen by the Australian Supreme Court, reports ABC News in Australia. The trust contains money David Hicks earned from his book Guantanamo My Journey , which the prosecutor's office says violates the Proceeds of Crime Act. More»

Extensive Paul Haggis profile reveals allegations against church

(NEWSER) - The New Yorker ’s massive, 26-page takedown of Scientology is here, and it discloses—among other things—that the FBI has been investigating the church on suspicion of human trafficking for more than a year. Staff writer Lawrence Wright offers an extensive profile of ex-Scientologist Paul Haggis, the writer-director whose resignation rocked the church in 2009 , and his experiences in the church and reasons for leaving. A book from Wright will follow, Gawker notes. Highlights from the article:

• The FBI has been investigating allegations of abuse by David Miscavige—L. Ron Hubbard’s protégé, Tom Cruise’s best man, and the church’s current leader—since at least December 2009. Many former members of Scientology’s religious order, Sea Org, show signs that they may have been the victims of human trafficking or enslavement.

After 33 years, Larry Anderson wants out

(NEWSER) - After 33 years as a Scientologist and a star turn in a widely disseminated orientation video, actor Larry Anderson wants out—and he wants his money back. Anderson, a magician turned TV actor and game-show host, says the organization owes him $120,000. A Scientology rep tells the St. Petersburg Times Anderson's payments were donations, and "any refund of donations lies within the sole discretion of the church." More»