Alex Gibney didn’t just make a movie. He cracked a vault. When Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief premiered at Sundance in 2015, the atmosphere was electric with a specific kind of dread. People were actually looking over their shoulders in the theater. It sounds dramatic, but that’s the reality of dealing with the Church of Scientology.
The documentary, based on Lawrence Wright’s meticulously researched book, isn't just a "tell-all." It’s a psychological autopsy. It looks at how smart, successful people end up handing over their bank accounts and their souls to an organization founded by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard.
Most people think they’re too smart to get "caught" by a cult. They aren't.
The Hubbard Mythos and the Birth of a Religion
L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific pulp fiction writer. That’s a fact. He was also a man who once reportedly told a writers' convention that if you really want to get rich, you start a religion. Whether that quote is apocryphal or not, the trajectory of his life certainly followed that blueprint.
Hubbard’s Dianetics was the spark. It promised a way to "clear" the human mind of "engrams"—basically traumatic memories that hold us back. It felt like science. It looked like self-help. In the post-war 1950s, people were hungry for answers that traditional religion wasn't giving them. They wanted a technology for the soul.
The film spends a lot of time on Hubbard’s early days. It’s wild. You see a man who was charming, erratic, and deeply paranoid. He spent years at sea on the Apollo, the flagship of his private navy, the Sea Org. This wasn't just a hobby; it was the beginning of a military-style hierarchy that still governs the Church today. Members sign billion-year contracts. Yes, billion with a "B." It’s symbolic, sure, but it’s also a terrifying indicator of the level of commitment required.
Scientology isn't just about belief. It's about auditing. This is the process where a member holds two metal canisters—the E-Meter—while a supervisor asks deeply personal questions. The machine measures galvanic skin response. In any other context, this is a therapy session. In Scientology, it’s a way to document every "sin" or "overt" a person has ever committed.
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Imagine giving your darkest secrets to an organization that explicitly views "suppressive persons" (critics) as fair game for harassment. That's the leverage.
The Celebrity Factor: Cruise and Travolta
You can’t talk about Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief without talking about Tom Cruise and John Travolta. They are the faces of the organization. But the film suggests their experiences are worlds away from the average staffer working for pennies in Los Angeles or Clearwater.
John Travolta joined in the 70s. For him, the Church provided a sense of stability when his career was just starting. He’s often spoken about how their technology helped him navigate grief. But the documentary suggests a darker side to this loyalty. If Travolta were to leave, what happens to those decades of auditing records? The film doesn't state it as a certainty, but the implication of "blackmail" hangs heavy in the air.
Then there’s Tom Cruise.
Cruise isn't just a member; he’s a deity-adjacent figure within the Church. His relationship with David Miscavige, the current leader, is portrayed as a bromance fueled by power and shared intensity. The film details the lengths the Church supposedly went to in order to facilitate Cruise’s lifestyle—from customizing his motorcycles to allegedly influencing his breakup with Nicole Kidman.
Kidman was a "Potential Trouble Source" because her father was a psychologist. In Scientology, psychiatry is the ultimate evil. It’s a literal war.
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David Miscavige and the "Hole"
When Hubbard died in 1986, David Miscavige took the reins. He was young, aggressive, and reportedly much more ruthless. The documentary features harrowing testimony from former high-ranking executives like Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder. These weren't low-level recruits; they were the guys who knew where the bodies were buried. Literally.
They describe "The Hole."
This is a double-wide trailer at the Gold Base in California where executives were allegedly held against their will, forced to play musical chairs to Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody," and made to confess to imaginary crimes. The Church denies this. They say it’s all disgruntled former members lying for money. But when you see several different people, interviewed separately, telling the exact same story with the same physiological triggers of trauma, it's hard to look away.
It’s about the "prison of belief." Why didn't they just walk out?
If your entire family is in the Church, leaving means "disconnection." You are declared a Suppressive Person (SP). Your mother, your wife, your children—they are forbidden from speaking to you. If they do, they risk being declared SPs themselves. It is a social death sentence.
Tax Exemption: The Ultimate Victory
One of the most informative parts of the film covers the war with the IRS. For years, the IRS refused to recognize Scientology as a religion, hitting them with massive tax bills.
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Scientology’s response? They didn't just sue the IRS. They filed thousands of individual lawsuits against IRS employees. They hired private investigators to dig into the personal lives of agents. Eventually, the IRS buckled. In 1993, they granted the tax-exempt status.
This was a turning point. It gave the Church billions of dollars in "war chest" money. It allowed them to buy up prime real estate in Hollywood and around the world. Today, the Church is essentially a giant real estate holding company that happens to practice a religion. Their buildings are often empty, but they are pristine. They are monuments to a power that cannot be taxed.
Why the Documentary Matters Now
Even years after its release, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief remains the gold standard for investigative filmmaking. It’s because it doesn't just mock the beliefs (which involve a galactic overlord named Xenu and frozen souls in volcanoes—stuff that sounds like a B-movie). Instead, it focuses on the human cost.
It’s about the girl who was forced to scrub floors with a toothbrush. It’s about the mother who wasn't allowed to see her sick child. It’s about the psychological trickery that makes a person believe they are the only ones who can save the planet, provided they pay for the next "Bridge to Total Freedom" level.
The Church’s response to the film was predictable. They created a full-page ad in the New York Times comparing the film to a tabloid. They released videos attacking the whistleblowers. But the sheer volume of corroborating evidence in Gibney’s work made it hard for the general public to keep buying the "official" version of events.
Actionable Insights: How to Spot High-Control Groups
If you’ve watched the documentary or read the book, you might be wondering how to protect yourself or others from similar organizations. High-control groups don't always look like religions. They can be business coaching programs, wellness retreats, or political movements.
- Look for Love Bombing: If a group showers you with intense affection and attention the moment you join, be wary. It’s a tactic to create an immediate emotional bond.
- The Pay-to-Play Model: If the "secrets" to success or enlightenment are always one expensive seminar away, it’s a business, not a spiritual journey.
- Isolation Tactics: Does the group encourage you to distance yourself from friends and family who are "negative" or "unsupportive" of your new path? That’s a massive red flag.
- The "Us vs. Them" Mentality: High-control groups survive by creating an external enemy. In Scientology, it’s "wogs" (non-Scientologists) and psychiatrists.
- Information Control: If you are told only to read "approved" literature and that looking at "apostate" websites will damage your soul/progress, you are in a bubble.
The most important takeaway from the story of Scientology is that the human mind is vulnerable. We all want to belong. We all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The "prison of belief" is built with our own desires. Understanding how those desires are exploited is the only way to stay free.
If you're interested in the deeper mechanics of this, looking into the "BITE" model of authoritarian control by Steven Hassan provides a great framework for understanding how these groups operate. It covers Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control. Seeing it laid out like that makes the "magic" of these organizations disappear pretty quickly.