Aaron Smith-Levin

There's no theater.

Right.

I mean, even as I've described Scientology so far, none of what I've said is something I even subject to ridicule.

This is pretty common sense stuff, actually.

I mean, if you believe in spirituality or spirits at all, there's nothing I've described so far that's crazy.

Yeah.

You know, believing in past lives isn't particularly unique or special.

Right.

Right.

The fact that Scientology does this little dance of pretending to believe in a God, I mean, it's even like a PR line.

Scientology representatives will tell you you can be a Christian and be a Scientologist.

Well, let me tell you what.

Christians don't believe in past lives and lives on other galaxies and planets and universes.

And Scientology knows that.

Scientology knows you can't be a Christian and be a Scientologist, but they will say that.

It's just an example of sort of the fundamental baked-in dishonesty.

While going through that process with the IRS, for the second time, by the way, Scientology actually had tax exemption in the early days, and the IRS pulled it, and then they got it back in 1993.

While going through that process again, the IRS actually took issue with the fact that Scientology was claiming you could be a Scientologist.

and a member of another religion.

The IRS actually said, pump the brakes there.