Source: CNN
There a religion called scientology!!!?? After 30 years as a Scientologist, actor Leah Remini turned her back on the church in anger. She's written a book, in which she harshly criticizes her former faith, in part over incidents related to one of its most high-profile figures -- Tom Cruise.
On Friday, she appeared in an exclusive interview on the ABC news magazine "20/20," ahead of the release of her memoir, "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology," to voice her sentiments.
The Church of Scientology said in a statement to the media that Remini's criticism had more to do with her than with it.
Remini is best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan in the TV sitcom "The King of Queens," which ran from 1998 -- 2007.
Scientology's mission is to save the planet, Remini, whose mother introduced her to the religion as a child, told "20/20."
That may sound good but has very negative consequences, "because Scientologists view children as spiritual beings, you're not treated as a kid, so you're given a lot of responsibility," she said. "Your ego becomes extremely inflated."
Her mother enlisted her in the Sea Org, a highly disciplined part of Scientology, and she signed a billion year contract with them, she said. Scientologists believe in reincarnation, and Sea Org members are expected to rejoin when they are reborn.
Remini felt she was exploited as youth labor while living in rundown conditions, "20/20" reported. She said she got into unreasonably severe trouble when her boyfriend then touched her in an enticing but not really salacious way.
