Priscilla Presley Quits Scientology After 40 Years [Updated]

Update: According to E News, Priscilla Presley has reported via her rep that she hasn’t quit the Church of Scientology, despite the Daily Mail reporting that Presley quit.

It has taken about 40 years, but 72-year-old Priscilla Presley has finally quit Scientology. According to the Daily Mail, Presley is one of the many celebrities in a string of famous people to leave the Church of Scientology after the religion has come under fire from another former longtime member, Leah Remini. As seen in the below video from A&E, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath has featured many former Scientology members who have alleged all sorts of abuse they claim they suffered while attempting to climb the ladder to Thetan status and beyond while attempting to “go clear.”

Priscilla may have joined the Church of Scientology after her husband Elvis Presley died in 1977, and Presley reached out to John Travolta for help. Priscilla also involved her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in Scientology. However, the 49-year-old Lisa Marie is no longer a member, having left the faith in 2014. Other famous members reportedly still belong to Scientology, such as Tom Cruise and Travolta. However, Presley has allegedly told friends that she is done with Scientology.

The experiences and interviews that Remini has captured from former members of the Church of Scientology appear to be having a great impact upon how the church is viewed.

When Lisa Marie decided to leave the Church of Scientology in 2014, it became more difficult for her mother. According to the Church of Scientology doctrine, people who leave Scientology are urged to shun “suppressive” people and to disconnect from those who leave the religion. It was a religion that was created by writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1955, and has come under fire more in recent months.

Celebrities such as Katie Holmes, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, and Paul Haggis have left Scientology, which has been deemed a cult by Remini.

Scientology practices “auditing,” which are sessions that feature members answering questions and turning over data about their personal lives — a fact that the Church of Scientology claims helps the participants, but it’s one that detractors claim is used to blackmail people into obedience.

Lisa Marie decided to leave Scientology after claiming that the religion made her begin to self-destruct. Presley claimed that Scientology took her soul, money and “everything.” The Church of Scientology often denies the claims that Leah Remini and other former members make against the religion.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images /Cirque du Soleil]