Former Scientology member Astra Woodcraft alleges both sexual and physical assault occurred while she was involved in the Sea Org wing of the religious sect in Clearwater, Florida.The young woman tossed aside the veil of secrecy often associated with life inside the controversial Scientology religion during a recent interview with The Daily Mail. Woodcraft claims she was “chased” by members of the Church of Scientology when “fleeing” to the airport after she broke a new “rule” by becoming pregnant.
Woodcraft moved from the United Kingfom to Florida with her family as a young teen and was enrolled in a “church backed” school, according to her Daily Mail interview. She claims to have seen her mother only once a week and was told to stop calling her “mom” and to start calling her “sir.” Woodcraft also reports that children at the Sea Org branch of the Church of Scientology were kept in a “filthy compound” adorned in “old, torn clothes” and frequently had head lice.
When Woodcraft was just 14 she signed a “billion-years of service” contract with the Church of Scientology. At 15 Astra Woodcraft was married to a 22-year-old man in Las Vegas. The former Scientology member also asserts that she suffered both physical and sexual abuse by other Sea Org church members. Determined to “escape” from the Church of Scientology, Astra intentionally broke a new church rule and became pregnant at 19. The Daily News reports Woodcraft’s claims of being pressured to have an abortion and “fled” to England to live with relatives. Her mother reportedly disowned her and has seen her only one time since she fled Sea Org with her brother in 1998.
“I was miserable and it seemed like there was no other way out. If you simply said you wanted to leave, you had to go through a horrible year-long process. At the end, you still might be labeled suppressive and cut off from everyone you know.”
Woodcraft notes that Scientologists place greater emphasis on titles than gender, so everyone was referred to as “sir.” Two years after arriving at Sea Org, Woodcraft’s mother Leslie had “advanced enough” in the Church of Scientology to move the family to Los Angeles and the teen was placed in a Cadet Org school. Astra told the Daily News that she learned the “basics of reading, writing and math but did not have classes in history or other common high school courses. According to Woodcraft she worked for hours in the basement office of the church doing clerical tasks and often spent the night at the facility with her fellow students.
“There was no real curriculum. Our teacher spent hours reading to us from L. Ron Hubbard’s science-fiction book Battlefield Earth,” Woodcraft noted during the interview.
Woodcraft chose to raise her daughter Kate away from the church and has become an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology in the years since she left the religion. Sea Org has approximately 5,000 members, according to The Daily Beast. When Astra was 12 her father left the family because he was “dissatisfied at the route their lives were going down.” She now works for her father’s architecture firm and credits him with helping her regain her freedom.
Destructive cult or benign religion?
Orthodox religions don't strive to gain control over your money and everyday life.
Cults that are high control are Scientologist and the cult that I was in the Jehovahs Witnesses.Scientology teaches that humans are infected by the souls of dead aliens called Thetans.
Jehovahs Witnesses teach Jesus had his second coming invisibly October 5th or 6th 1914.
Benevolent religions offer hope, compassion, and want peace for your fellow man – even the nonbelievers.
A cult wants power, money, and obedience. All the outsiders must be destroyed (Armageddon). I think that's the big distinction between two different belief systems.
— Danny Haszard.
FMI dannyhaszard(dot)com
Nothing about Scientology makes them better, see they even have pedophiles like the RCC priest scandal.
Destructive cult or benign religion?
Orthodox religions dont strive to gain control over your money and everyday life.Cults that are high control are Scientologist and the cult that I was in the Jehovahs Witnesses.Scientology teaches that humans are infected by the souls of dead aliens called Thetans.
Jehovahs Witnesses teach Jesus had his second coming invisibly October 5th or 6th 1914.
Benevolent religions offer hope, compassion, and want peace for your fellow man – even the nonbelievers.
A cult wants power,money, and obedience. All the outsiders must be destroyed (Armageddon). I think that's the big distinction between two different belief systems.
— Danny Haszard
FMI dannyhaszard(dot)com
The IRS has ample reason to revoke the tax status of Scientology. Look up the Larry Wollersheim case. Scientology decided to settle this case at the last minute, a case they vowed to fight to the bitter end stating “Not one thin dime for Wollersheim.”. Why? Well, the corporate structure of Scientology was going to be exposed. Yes, Scientology is more a business than a religion. In fact Scientology likes to have it both ways when it suits their needs, they claim to be a philosophy or a religion according to their arguments in court. For example, Narconon is a chain of drug rehabilitation centers that uses 100% L. Ron Hubbard “tech”. Medical professionals say their programs are pure quackery and medically dangerous. Yet they operate as secular, for profit businesses. In turn they send money to… Scientology. In fact Scientology IS a lot like organized crime, they are a mafia-like organization. One of the stipulations of the settlement was that the leadership not be enriched. That stipulation has been broken for years. Mr. Miscavige is indeed quite a wealthy man now who lives an extravagant lifestyle. The structure of Scientology has been made very complex on purpose. Now as far as being an agnostic on the abuses perpetrated by Scientology there is no need. Scientology has a long history of abusing the courts, abusing critics and abusing their own members. Look at the case of Paulette Cooper. How about operation Snow White? Well, Scientology used their Office of Special Affairs, a dirty tricks and espionage unit during their battle with the IRS as well. They continue to engage in unethical and illegal behaviors to this very day. Look into Scientology’s activities and their beliefs and you will discover that their “religion” justifies committing unethical and criminal behavior, it is part of their “religious” beliefs. The abuses have been corroborated many times. How about Debbie Cook? No, Scientology cannot make the grade as a religion. It is a business at best, and in reality more like organized crime. It is also a cult, they seek to control their members absolutely. You can find plenty of evidence for this readily available on the internet today. Take a good and close look at the structure of Scientology and its front groups. The deeper you look the more evidence you will find. Of course, if you do so, and decide to report the truth, be prepared for some very heavy handed retaliation from Scientology.