John Travolta, a well-known scientologist, appeared on Good Morning America (GMA) this past Monday to discuss his leading role in the upcoming film “The Forger.” But, that wasn’t what was most interesting.
Half-way through the interview, they get onto the topic of the church of scientology. They begin the segment with a startlingly vague mention of a recent documentary called “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.” Both interviewer and interviewee refused to name it aloud.
It's understandable, since it alleges that the church has been involved with things like slave labor, tax fraud and physical abuse. With indignation, scientologists have called the film a “bigoted propaganda piece” that features sources who "spew false, embellished and hyperbolic tales to create sensationalistic hatred toward the Church with a portrait none of its parishioners, staff or clergy recognize."
GMA asked Travolta why critics pay so much attention to scientology. He said thinks that people just don’t understand it and advises them to “read a book.” Right on queue, Travolta pushes infamous scientology books, like “Dianetics," that are publicized as being so… “enlightening.” He goes on to say, “If you really read it, you’ll understand. But, unless you do, you’ll speculate and I think it’s a mistake to do that.”
GMA then asks why scientology has become a target. Travolta says it’s because it “really works well.” He cites his involvement with the church for 40 years and says that he has loved "every minute of it." He’s even saved lives with it, apparently, saying “It’s been a beautiful thing for me. I’ve saved lives with it. I’ve saved my own life with it several times,” and explains that scientology helped him deal with the loss of his teenage son Jett.
Scientology may have actually been why Jett didn’t receive the medical attention he may have needed, since they frown upon any medical treatment to ailments they deem as “psychosomatic.” They take “it’s all in your head” very seriously. They believe that any sort of sickness, even one that manifests physically, is only a wound to the spirit that can be traced back to a “reactive mind.”
See the interview below: