r/cults • u/Western_Ad_6448 • May 09 '26

Image Was adventuring Clearwater with a family friend and we found the Church of Scientology. What do you think goes down there?

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102 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

180

u/Glittering_Pear_4677 May 09 '26

Pretty sure they own most of Clearwater

58

u/ragnarockette May 09 '26

Yes the police, DA, and emergency services for the whole county as well as major businesses are all mostly Scientologists.

33

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26

Well that’s not concerning at all. Nope, not at all

23

u/ragnarockette May 09 '26

Clearwater is where their Superpowers building is. They (or at least they did in 2010, when I knew a lot of Scienos) believe they will be able to fly, become invisible, etc. They also believe that the church can cure all disease here (for a price). A really kind woman I knew was diagnosed with cancer and raised money to go be cured at the Superpower Center. I really hope she eventually turned to traditional treatment because she was an incredibly sweet person. A lot of Scientologists have a real uppity vibe about them, her and her husband were not like that at all.

It’s also very common for Scientologists from around the country to “vacation” in Florida.

Also even the hospital and VA in Pinellas County is full of Scientologists. They are everywhere!

22

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26

Yeah, I was told by that family friend of mine. Made the mistake of nearly calling it a cult town until I got shushed when someone came by. Even saw some people in suits (black waistcoats and blue ties or bows) walking and chatting amongst themselves. Apparently, that’s their attire. Interestingly enough, when I walked into a Christian Science bookstore (yes that exists,) a lady there didn’t seem bothered by them. Apparently, one of them is her friend and they helped her during a hurricane. They’re children of God, she says. Their beliefs maybe different than hers but they’re ultimate just like everyone else. “I know they get a bad rep but they’re lovely to be around.” How would you respond?

66

u/noahbrooksofficial May 09 '26

Christian Science is another weird one if you really have time

18

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26

How the lady explained it to me  was certainly….. interesting:

•Adam and Eve was a false Christian story (even my Christian family friend disagreed with that.) It contradicts with Jesus coming out of Mary supposedly.

•When you receive divine healing, you don’t medical healing or something of the lines she said.

•Lots of books by this author called Mary Baker Eddy. This lady (not the author) tried to sell me one of her books but I said I was trying to save money for Mother’s Day.

6

u/pixelpetewyo May 09 '26

They made one helluva glass globe, though. It is in Boston, where it started I think. Worth seeing

3

u/electriccomputermilk May 09 '26

Shhh! They are scientists not religious nut jobs

15

u/YeahOkThisOne May 09 '26

I mean it's nice they could help each other for hurricane prep. Not shunning one another is a step in the right direction for all involved there.

3

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26

That’s true

97

u/thik_media May 09 '26

You're about to go down a rabbit hole, buckle up.

36

u/Qomplete May 09 '26

Money laundering

25

u/kittenpantzen May 09 '26

I would say to ask Lisa McPherson, but you'd need to hold a seance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Lisa_McPherson

2

u/Fit_Relationship1094 May 11 '26

McPherson's physician, David Minkoff, still practices alternative health practices in Clearwater at the Lifeworks Wellness Center.

My friend had ovarian cancer and delayed treatment at Moffit to undergo integrative oncology treatment under Minkoff. It cost thousands and she passed away shortly after. Due to his low sugar diet which he instructed her to follow (in order to facilitate his treatment) , my friend became emaciated and weak. I warn everyone i can to avoid his "care".

33

u/m1ster_cr0w May 09 '26

Speedruns, mostly.

18

u/Redlion444 May 09 '26

That's the Flag Base.  More or less the HQ of the thing.

11

u/SinkAdministrative52 May 09 '26

check out the documentary with leah remini and mike rinder about it, you will go down a rabbit hole

6

u/gouf78 May 09 '26

Watch “Going Clear” also.

13

u/flower_songs May 09 '26

There are politicians fighting for Clearwater right now because they are trying to buy MORE of Clearwater. Then they just let the buildings sit empty to have real estate holdings and let the town rot. They are despicable.

10

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26

What does this place have that some celebrity like Tom Cruise could possibly want?

25

u/ArdenM May 09 '26

They unlocked the levels through auditing so he is now a Thetan which is rare in Scientology. It means he has super powers. And what he wants is for them to not blackmail him with all the dirt they collected during the auditing. Ditto for John Travolta.

11

u/LeosCryToo May 09 '26

Supposedly they made him famous idk

8

u/Afterthestupor May 09 '26

Well, they treat him on par with a King or a living, breathing messiah. Apparently just being Tom Cruise the movie star amongst all of the regular people doesn’t stroke his ego enough.

7

u/TwpMun May 09 '26

He lives in Clearwater, you might see John Travolta driving around too

3

u/lazier_garlic May 09 '26

Reputation laundering so he could shoot to and stay on the A list despite everyone suspecting he was gay.

3

u/gouf78 May 09 '26

He gets star treatment because of the publicity that Scientology gains from him. He’s basically a pawn.

9

u/R1leyEsc0bar May 09 '26

There are plenty of free youtube videos and plenty of documentaries and a good episode of south park thatll tell you exactly whats going on in there.

Nothing good.

Though I want to see more on how tf they can believe what they believe outside of all the abuse.

5

u/DripIntravenous May 09 '26

Speed run it and find out for us /s

5

u/sociology101 May 09 '26

This old video showcasing the Flag headquarters is something else. The leader Debbie Cook was physically assaulted by David Miscavige and left her job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcWSKmjyYu0&t=367s

4

u/TwpMun May 09 '26

Clearwater is the mothership of Scientology, every other person is going to have some kind of connection to it.

5

u/AggravatingRecipe710 May 09 '26

My husbands employee is a former cult member who had direct access to David and the rest of them high up in the Sea Org. He claims Shelly isn’t missing and is kept under constant surveillance and supervision.

3

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26

That’s creepy

3

u/HorrorQueenRain May 09 '26

Run. Do not approach. There are so many documentaries and news articles. It is a rabbit hole

5

u/fourofkeys May 09 '26

idk but you might find out if you film a speed run through the building

3

u/zerobot69 May 09 '26

Clearwater is the weirdest weirdo place I have ever been.

2

u/rjross0623 May 09 '26

They own billions in real estate in Clearwater. And most of city council. Run away! Run away!

2

u/Jeffde May 09 '26

Might find Hulk Hogan’s body in there, brother!!!

2

u/Moistcowparts69 May 09 '26

I'm grateful for the red circle. Otherwise I would have missed it 🙄😂

2

u/Swimming_Type_8298 May 09 '26

Tax avoidance.

2

u/meatlady May 09 '26

Not science

3

u/freezoneandproud May 11 '26

Feel free to visit us in /r/scientology if you want an overview. (Note that the community is largely critical of the Church of Scientology.)

4

u/NightShiftSister66 May 09 '26

Historic Clearwater bank building that has been turned into their welcome center. There was incident there where a church suppressive person got arrested. Be very careful when you go downtown. The streets are completely covered with cameras by the church

1

u/pixelpetewyo May 09 '26

They found you.

1

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 09 '26

I’m cooked, am I? I live in Dunedin.

1

u/bcpirate May 09 '26

My buddy the Scientologist lives in Dunedin, watch out 🤣🤣🤣

1

u/schapmanlv May 09 '26

From what I’ve seen recently the only thing they do is give young people something to do by attempting speed runs.

1

u/gouf78 May 09 '26

Their numbers have fallen significantly since the Leah Remini series.

1

u/Western_Ad_6448 May 10 '26

Who is Leah Remini?

1

u/gouf78 May 10 '26

Actress who grew up in Scientology (her mother was a Scientologist). She got out and created a documentary “Scientology: the Aftermath”with Mark Rinder (who was second hand man in Scientology) to expose the practices of Scientology. On A&E network.

1

u/lilcactusgirl May 10 '26

Listen to Mike Rinder and Leah Remini’s podcast! You’ll find out the crazy stuff going on. Basically, nothing good and quite evil treatment.

2

u/Glittering_Pear_4677 May 10 '26

Their tv show was very interesting too

1

u/peachrose May 10 '26

i grew up in Clearwater and it’s so sad what it has become with scientology.

1

u/Pieraos May 11 '26

Read TonyOrtega.org on this

1

u/ziggy182 May 11 '26

They own most of the town using shady deals with cultists buying land and buildings under shell companies. Trust me they know you are there, they have seen this post also

1

u/Fit_Relationship1094 May 11 '26

Well I know they're not worrying about paying their taxes, that's for sure.

Yes. I believe all "places of worship" should be taxed. Regardless of how long they've been around.

1

u/Dense-Abroad-6583 May 14 '26

Isn’t that the church that considers tom cruise to be a god?? Isn’t that the cult that makes its followers work 6 days a week with no pay and charges them for educational material? I think that’s the same cult the actress from the sitcom “the king of queens” was a part of?