Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

The Gist: An in-depth look at the cult of the Church of Scientology. How it sweeps people into its folds and how hard it is to come out of it unscathed.

Through the years I've read enough about this so-called church to firmly believe it's nothing but a cleverly designed front to make money, evade paying taxes, avoid paying for any work, and launder all sorts of shadily and forcibly obtained funds.

This documentary decidedly shows that Scientology is not a real church, abuses its followers, severely punishes any acts of disobedience, and is free to operate under the sun because it strong-armed the US federal government into approving its church status, which for all intents and purposes puts all those responsible of any wrongdoing beyond the reaches of the law.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is as explosive an indictment as I've ever seen and it's utterly incredible that an organization such as this, which corrupts and mistreat those who fall for its lies and promises, is allowed not only to legally operate, but to flourish.

I hope someday there'll be enough proof to take the whole scheme down once and for all.

The Bottom Line: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a fantastic documentary that, appallingly, wasn't nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar this year (I'm sure in no small measure thanks to the threats and called in favors from all the Academy members the church was able to reach). It should be watched by everybody and those in a position to do something about stopping David Miscavige should get to work.

Grade: 9