Following the Church of Scientology's bolstering attack on the A&E docu-series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath," Leah Remini is slamming the religion for allegedly scamming members out of billions of dollars.
According to Pop Culture, the latest episode of her program reveals all levels of tricks and pressure church leaders make to make money.
Co-host Mike Rinder explained that the Church of Scientology assigns members fixed prices for different spiritual goals, unlike other religion's tactic that only ask a portion of one's income. What's more is that when members try to get a refund, they are instantly branded suppressive and become a persona non grata in the eyes of the church. In case of legal troubles, the church makes sure all members sign an ironclad legal contract so all efforts would fail.
"Why doesn't somebody see this and say this is bulls**t?" Remini asked.
To back up the claims, they invited Mat Pesch, a former Scientologist of 28 years. The special guest used to work as a registrar on the finance department of a Clearwater, Florida for 7 years.
He told the program that he and his co-workers were tasked to solicit donations from all members of the church, regardless of their financial status. They reportedly make $2 million every week using the scheme.
"It's a machine and it's all set up to get maximum money from you," Pesch said.
Remini, who was a member of the religion for 30 years, recalled how the registrars came to her house unannounced, yelling at her to donate more. She said this strong-arm tactic did not work on her, but her desire to help other people often pushed her to give in.
"More heartfelt stuff did work on me," the actress explained. "I guess I knew the system was set up, but I guess I never knew how much."
Remini has been a vocal opponent of the church since she quit in 2013. She hosted the Emmy Award-winning show that "gives a voice to the victims of the Church of Scientology despite public attempts to discredit it."
In retaliation, the church has been attacking her A&E program, most recently sending emails to advertisers to boycott the show. Supporters argue that "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" "promotes hatred, religious bigotry, and slander" against the religion.
Per Wall Street Journal, a few companies including Geico have pulled their advertisements from the show but not from the network. As far as A&E is concerned, they are defending the show, noting its recent Emmy win that affirms its quality and importance. A representative said they will continue sharing brave stories with the viewers.
"Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" airs Tuesdays, at 10 p.m. EDT on A&E.
