Scientologist and actress Elisabeth Moss spoke to the New Yorker recently and while she spoke about the cult she embraces, it was cautious, general and with some very familiar terms.
Zack Sharf’s editorial about the article for Variety leads with “Elisabeth Moss Speaks out about Scientology…”
But she doesn’t.
Not really.
Per Hubbard policy Moss’ comments are carefully neutral and underwhelming in their lack of substance.
When asked how Scientology has helped her she, as Mike Rinder points out, goes the safe “it’s made me a better communicator” route.
Moss attested to Clear at 15.
At Cause over the M.E.S.T universe, granted super powers and incredible abilities; yet all she could mention was that she was better at communication.
If we could detect the saline content of our very cells or hear our shoelaces we’d surely find something more fantastic to crow about than an ability to communicate. Even Tom Cruise did better in his leaked video; insisting that Scientologists could create whole new realities.
In fact Elisabeth Moss’ interview reveals only the same old public relations stance sanctioned by her cult; answer the press by not answering.
When asked about the abuses exposed by former members Moss evades addressing them and employs misdirection in her response.
“‘I would just encourage people to find out for themselves,’ Moss said, a line she would repeat several times. ‘I’ve certainly been guilty of reading an article or watching something and taking that as gospel.’ She said that she thought it was important to reflect her own values in the work she does. ‘And obviously something like religious freedom and resistance against a theocracy is very important to me.’”
Moss clearly appears to be saying that the allegations are not true then intimates that whatever the claims may be, religious freedom protects the cult’s right to perpetrate them.
Scientology is most definitely a theocracy when one considers that L. Ron Hubbard is the cult’s Source, founder, creator and deity. His words are sacred scripture and only through him can Mankind be saved.
Negative, disobedient thoughts against Source results in punishment and condemnation.
The biggest takeaway from Moss’ interview is her advice for people to “find out for themselves”.
Scientology is notoriously secretive and virulently protective of what they consider to be their proprietary tech. If it weren’t for lawsuits and former members exposing Scientology documentation much of their policy, practices and doctrine would still be unknown.
Even current members of the organization are not privy to the details of higher level courses until they finally work their way up and pay thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to get there.
When confronted with policy letters, Hubbard quotes from his books or bulletins or any Scientology sourced material, members deny or dispute the information as having been invented by religious bigots to harm COS, claim it is misquoted or otherwise dismiss the uncomfortable facts.
How the public is supposed to discover for themselves what Scientology truly espouses is a mystery.
“‘It’s not really a closed-off religion. It’s a place that is very open to, like, welcoming in somebody who wants to learn more about it. I think that’s the thing that is probably the most misunderstood.’”
So open and welcoming that fellow Scientologist Kirstie Alley quickly shut down Rodrigo in Celebrity Big Brother when he asked her about her so-called religion with sincerity.
So open and welcoming that the only way to actually learn the real ideology of Scientology is to ultimately sign an obsessively restricting enrollment agreement waiving one’s rights in perpetuity.
During his interview of Moss, Michael Schulman asked about her walking out of the 2017 Television Critics Association Awards when Leah Remini was onstage accepting her award for Scientology and The Aftermath.
“‘I went to the bathroom…I wish it was more exciting than that.’”
Expecting anyone to believe that is on par with believing in Xenu.
Moss had to have known her actions would not go unnoticed or unremarked. It was no simple coincidence that she suddenly exited the room as Remini gave her speech.
Neither of these articles reveal any new information about Elizabeth Moss’ conglomerate cult.
They do however reveal how deeply Scientology policy influences its members.
One might proffer that as a proud and dedicated Scientologist, Moss would want to proclaim her achievements within the organization. At the very least Kirstie Alley promotes Narconon while Tom Cruise waxes positively poetic about the paranormal powers bestowed.
Achieving the State of Clear comes only after years of work. With such an opportunity to laud her religious achievement why did she straddle the fence between ambiguity and prevarication?
Why no mention of the Volunteer Ministers, the CCHR or Stay Well? Such an opportunity missed to garner good PR for her failing church.
Rather, Moss chose evasion and carefully considered responses.
As a celebrity Elisabeth Moss is exempt from the fear of the RPF even under vicious dictator Miscavige.
Isn’t she?
Confront And Shatter 
“‘It’s not really a closed-off religion. It’s a place that is very open to, like, welcoming in somebody who wants to learn more about it. I think that’s the thing that is probably the most misunderstood.’”
Now it’s me who has to rush to the bathroom before my fit of laughter will lead to collateral embarrassment. Not closed-off? What other church has its own secret service? (With the dubious distinction of having 11 of its key members imprisoned for their crimes). What other church has security at the door? What other church requires that you register before you show up? What other church requires substantial pre-payment before they allow you to partake in any of their “religious” rituals; in fact, before they even tell you what their “doctrine” is. What other church is so open that it separates families and forces “believers” to shun non-believers.
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AMEN!
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“‘I would just encourage people to find out for themselves,’ Moss said, a line she would repeat several times. ‘I’ve certainly been guilty of reading an article or watching something and taking that as gospel.’”
If this is true, you can’t have an opinion on the “church” and its “teachings” and practices until you tried it yourself. In fact, everything that you learned “reading an article or watching something”–including and especially the lived experience of others and wide-spread reporting on the “church’s” continued malfeasance–is merely “guilty” knowledge that cannot be trusted.
What she deliberately fails to state is that you can NOT “see for yourself” unless you are willing to submit to the absolute authority of the “church”, sign all kinds of onerous, one-sided agreements and pay in advance. Even then, the breakthrough experience is always in the NEXT step that you haven’t tried (and paid for) yet. She deliberately conflates having significant knowledge about something–“not good enough”–with actually doing it. Well, I have never jumped out of a window on the tenth floor, but I will defy Moss and claim “as gospel” what would happen to me if I did.
There is also a great deal of hypocrisy in this. Scientology will only accept members that make it clear that they haven’t and will not participate in psychiatry, haven’t done certain drugs (applies to Sea Org candidates) and ideally, will limit their secular education for the sake of cult indoctrination. Yet, the cult has its member pose as authorities on education, drug treatment and especially, psychiatry. Whatever happened to “try if first for yourself, or shut up”?
As the interviewer noticed, this is a mantra that Moss keeps repeating. It’s worth noting that she did NOT come up with this idea. This is the party line that ANY scientologist keeps repeating for dear life. This uniformity of response does not bode well for a free-thinking organization; it’s clearly indicative of a cult that trains and enforces uniform thinking.
One other requirement remains unstated. As a celebrity, Moss may have liberties that the rank and file does not. However, no scientologist is permitted to even speak to interviewers about their “church” unless they receive the cult’s pre-approval. This includes that the prospective interviewer submit a list of questions in advance but is likely to be denied anyway. Tellingly, this Feb 14 marked the THIRTIETH anniversary of the last time Miscavige himself faced the press!
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