Church Of Scientology Finally Fires Back At Leah Remini
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath will soon air its seventh episode in the freshman season of the A&E docu-series, and up until now, the Church of Scientology has been content to largely ignore Remini’s exposé. In fact, Scientology officials have only responded in the form of a blanket statement, which, as fans of the Leah Remini series know, has been used as a kind of a disclaimer throughout previous episodes. Now, it seems Ms. Remini has hit a nerve, because the Church of Scientology is now defending themselves and attacking Remini’s series by taking a much more aggressive stance.
Did Leah Touch A Sore Spot In the latest episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath?
Over and over in her exposé of Scientology, Leah has stated she’s doing the series because she wants to open people’s eyes and bring attention to the inner workings of the Church of Scientology. As Newsy reports, Ms. Remini may have done just that, because she’s finally getting the public response she has been wanting from Scientology’s upper echelon.
Monique E. Yingling, a lawyer on retainer for the Church of Scientology, has finally appeared in a public interview, condemning Leah and her Scientology docu-series for harassing the religion and placing church leaders, including David Miscavige, in peril. During the interview, Yingling says Church of Scientology leaders want to express their wish that Remini would drop her vendetta against the organization and get on with living her own life.
“When people espouse these kinds of lies about an organization like the Church of Scientology is stirs up a lot of religious hatred and bigotry and that results in people believing they somehow have to act it out,” Ms. Yingling says in an interview on ABC’s 20/20 on Friday night.
In a recent episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, guests alleged that abuses were committed by Scientology leadership, including forcing members to terminate all pregnancies. Accusations that David Miscavige has an explosive temper and had attacked members of the organization have also been made by former members of the Scientology leader’s inner circle.
As a result, Monique Yingling says there have been numerous death threats made against Miscavige.
Leah Remini Won’t Back Down Until Her Endgame Is Victorious
In an interview shared by Daily Mail, Leah Remini reveals that she has a concrete goal in her attack on the Church of Scientology. Certainly she wants to expose as many of the injustices committed by Scientology leadership as she can, but Remini now reveals her ultimate goal is to have Scientology’s tax exempt status revoked by the IRS.
Speaking of money, the Church of Scientology has repeatedly issued statements declaring that Leah is a washed up actress, seeking monetary gain by creating controversy surrounding the Church of Scientology’s activities. Until now, Ms. Remini hasn’t addressed those claims.
“I don’t work for free, this is a very demanding job,” said Remini, who travels the country to meet with former Scientology members. “I’m not saying, ‘hey I’m the savior of your world. I have all the solutions to your life.'”
In her 20/20 interview, Ms. Remini revealed that her docu-series won’t end with next week’s season finale. The actress-turned-investigative reporter says she’s in talks to confirm a second season of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
During the first season of the series, Leah emphasizes Scientology’s practice of tearing families apart for the sake of ensuring loyalty to the organization. In one such instance, Aaron Smith-Levin, a 29-year Scientology member who left the church in 2014, spoke about his dedication to the religion and shared the experience of informing on his own brother, Collin.
“I would compare my state of mind at the time to the Hitler youth,” said Smith-Levin. “It’s just blind, unflinching allegiance and no remorse.”
The next episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath airs on January 10 on A&E.
[Featured Image by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]
