David Miscavige
Encyclopedia
David Miscavige is the leader of the Church of Scientology
and affiliated organizations. His title is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center
(RTC), a corporation that controls the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics
and Scientology
. Miscavige was an assistant to Hubbard (a "Commodore's messenger") while a teenager. He rose to a leadership position within the organization by the early 1980s and was named Chairman of the Board of RTC. Miscavige's mandate is to protect the works of L. Ron Hubbard
from distortion or misuse, and to serve as ecclesiastical head of Scientology. He lives and works at Scientology's Gold Base
, which is the main RTC headquarters, in Riverside County, California
, near Hemet
.
Since assuming his leadership position, Miscavige has been faced with press accounts alleging illegal and unethical practices, abuse of authority, and abuse of church members. Miscavige and other top church officials and spokespeople have repeatedly denied these charges with sworn affidavits and witness statements.
. As a child, Miscavige suffered from asthma and severe allergies which prevented him from participating in many sports. During this time his father, a trumpet
player, became interested in Scientology, and he had his son sent to a Scientologist. According to him and his son, a 45-minute Dianetics
session cured his ailments. The family was impressed enough by Scientology to move to the world headquarters in Saint Hill Manor
, England.
. When he was 15, his family returned to Philadelphia, where he went to a local high school
. Miscavige has said that he was appalled by his classmates' drug use, and in 1976, on his sixteenth birthday, he left high school with his father's permission to move to Clearwater, Florida
, and join the Sea Org
anization, an association of Scientologists established in 1968 by Hubbard. Some of his earliest jobs included delivering telex
es, grounds-keeping, serving food and taking photographs for Scientology brochures. He rose in the organization to a point where, still a teenager, he was training and supervising staff many years older than he was, and eventually came to work alongside Hubbard as his closest assistant. In 1977, he worked directly under Hubbard as a cameraman for Scientology training films, in La Quinta, California
. Hubbard appointed him to the Commodore's Messenger Organization
(CMO), responsible for enforcing Hubbard's policies within the individual Scientology organizations; he became head of the CMO in 1979.
, he persuaded Mary Sue Hubbard
to resign from the Guardian's Office (GO), and purged several top GO officials through ethics
proceedings. The St. Petersburg Times, in a 1998 article "The Man Behind Scientology," says: "During two heated encounters, Miscavige persuaded Mary Sue Hubbard to resign. Together they composed a letter to Scientologists confirming her decision -- all without ever talking to L. Ron Hubbard." According to Miscavige, he and Mary Sue Hubbard remained friends thereafter.
In 1982, Miscavige set up a new organizational structure to release Hubbard from personal liability and to handle the Scientology founder's personal wealth through a corporate entity outside of the Scientology organization. He established the Religious Technology Center
, in charge of licensing Scientology's intellectual property, and Author Services Inc.
to manage the proceeds. Miscavige has held the title of Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center since the organization's founding. The Church of Spiritual Technology
was created at the same time with an option
to repurchase all of RTC's intellectual property rights. In a 1982 probate
case, Ronald DeWolf
, Hubbard's estranged son, accused Miscavige of embezzling from and manipulating his father. Hubbard denied this in a written statement, saying that his business affairs were being well managed by Author Services Inc.
, of which Miscavige was the Chairman of the Board. In the same document L. Ron Hubbard called David Miscavige a "trusted associate" and "good friend" who had kept Hubbard's affairs in good order. A judge ruled the statement was authentic. The case was dismissed on June 27, 1983.
In October 1982, Miscavige required Scientology Missions to enter new trademark usage contracts which established stricter policies on the use of Scientology materials. Over the two years following the formation of the RTC, Miscavige and his RTC team replaced most of Scientology's upper and middle management. A number of those ousted attempted to establish breakaway organizations, such as the Advanced Ability Center
led by David Mayo
, a former RTC board member who had also been Hubbard's personal auditor
.
When L. Ron Hubbard died in 1986, Miscavige announced the death to Scientologists at the Hollywood Palladium
. Shortly before Hubbard's death, an apparent order from him circulated in the Sea Org that promoted Scientologist Pat Broeker and his wife to the new rank of Loyal Officer, making them the highest-ranking members; Miscavige asserted this order had been forged. After Hubbard's death, Miscavige assumed the position of head of the Scientology organization.
, visited IRS headquarters to arrange a meeting with Commissioner
Fred T. Goldberg, Jr.
. For more than two decades, the IRS had refused to recognize Scientology as a nonprofit charitable organization, a status granted to most established religious organizations. Prior to this meeting, Scientology had filed more than fifty lawsuits against the IRS and, according to the New York Times, "Scientology's lawyers hired private investigators to dig into the private lives of I.R.S. officials and to conduct surveillance operations to uncover potential vulnerabilities... [and] taken documents from an I.R.S. conference and sent them to church officials and created a phony news bureau in Washington to gather information on church critics. The church also financed an organization of I.R.S. whistle-blowers that attacked the agency publicly." At the meeting with Commissioner Goldberg, Miscavige offered to cease Scientology's suits against the I.R.S. in exchange for tax exemptions. This led to a two-year negotiating process, in which IRS tax analysts were ordered to ignore the substantive issues because the issues had been resolved prior to review. Ultimately, the church was granted recognition as a nonprofit religious or charitable organization in the U.S., which creates a tax exemption for the Church of Scientology International and its organizations, and tax deductions for those who contribute to their programs.
To announce the settlement with the IRS, Miscavige gathered members of Scientology in the Los Angeles Sports Arena, where he delivered a two-and-a-half-hour address and proclaimed, "The war is over!" 10,000 members of Scientology attended the event; they gave Miscavige a 10-minute-long standing ovation
.
on the Church described Miscavige as "ringleader" of a "hugely profitable global racket
that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner."
In 2009, the St Petersburg Times published allegations by former high-ranking executives of Scientology that Miscavige routinely humiliates and physically beats his staff. This included testimony from Mike Rinder
, former director of the organization's Office of Special Affairs
who for years had been the official spokesperson for Scientology, and Mark Rathbun
, the former Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center
. According to Rathbun, Miscavige is "constantly denigrating and beating on people."
Similar charges have been reported in previous years. In a 1995 interview for ITV
, Stacy Young, Miscavige's former secretary and the ex-wife of Hubbard's former public relations
spokesman, Robert Vaughn Young
, had previously asserted that Miscavige emotionally tormented staff members on a regular basis. "His viciousness and his cruelty to staff was unlike anything that I had ever experienced in my life," she said. "He just loved to degrade the staff." In a 2008 interview for The Portland Mercury
, Jeff Hawkins, a former marketing guru for Scientology, claimed to have attended a meeting where Miscavige "just jumped up, launched himself across the conference room table in front of 40 people, and beat my face ... I had scratches, and bruising, and my shirt was all ripped. Then he knocked me on the floor, and walked out."
Church representatives have consistently denied such accusations, insisting that the allegations come from apostates motivated by bitterness or attempting to extract money from the church. An issue of the church's "Freedom" magazine was dedicated to praising Miscavige and attacking the "Truth Rundown" series, featuring articles titled "Merchants of Chaos: Journalistic Double-dealing at the St. Petersburg Times." and "The Bigotry Behind the Times’ Facade of Responsible Journalism." Miscavige sent an open letter to the newspaper challenging the integrity of the reporters and labeling their sources as "lying" after the persons in question had been removed from the organization for "fundamental crimes against the Scientology religion." The church also commissioned an independent review of the St. Petersburg Timess reporting, but have not, to date, released those findings.
"Inside Scientology: The Truth Rundown" was recognized with journalistic honors, including the 2010 Gold Medal for Public Service award from the Florida Society of News Editors. The series was cited as a basis for subsequent journalistic investigations, including a weeklong series hosted on the CNN network by Anderson Cooper
.
Though he and the Scientology organization have been the subject of much press attention, Miscavige has rarely spoken directly to the press. Exceptions include a televised 1992 interview by Ted Koppel
of ABC News
, a 1998 newspaper interview with the St. Petersburg Times
, and a 1998 appearance in an A&E
Investigative Reports installment called "Inside Scientology."
near Hemet, California
. Scientologists often refer to him as "DM", or "C.O.B.", for Chairman of the Board. In their 2007 book, Extraordinary Groups: An Examination of Unconventional Lifestyles, W. W. Zellner and Richard T. Schaefer noted that "David Miscavige has been the driving force behind the Church of Scientology for the past two decades" and that "Miscavige's biography and speeches are second only to Hubbard in dominating the official Scientology Web site. [...] He is acknowledged as the ultimate ecclesiastical authority regarding the standard and pure application of L. Ron Hubbard's religious theories."
Miscavige's is portrayed within Scientology as "a servant of Hubbard's message, not an agent in his own right." Miscavige uses church publications as well as professionally produced videos of gala events, at which he acts as master of ceremonies
, to communicate with Scientologists worldwide.
David Miscavige initiated a strategy in 2003 to build new Churches of Scientology in every major city in the world. Since then, twenty-four new Churches have been opened, a number of them in the world's cultural capitals, including Madrid, New York, London, and Berlin. Another 60 Churches are in design, planning or construction phases, including over a quarter of a million square feet under construction in Tel Aviv, Twin Cities and Tampa. Within Scientology, Miscavige has spearheaded and devoted himself to a large-scale, 25-year project of issuing unreleased, expanded and corrected editions of Hubbard's books and lectures, including translating many works into other languages. Miscavige's work has been described by Scientologists as bringing about a renaissance of Scientology materials.
-based company Digital Lightwave, where she was linked to an accounting scandal. Ronald's daughter Jenna Miscavige Hill
, niece of David Miscavige, remained in the Sea Org until 2005, and since has become an outspoken critic of the Scientology organization.
Miscavige is close to actor Tom Cruise, and served as best man at Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes
.
Miscavige is a firearms enthusiast who enjoys skeet shooting
. In the 1998 St. Petersburg Times interview he named playing the piano, underwater photography and trail biking among his other hobbies.
News media
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
and affiliated organizations. His title is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center
Religious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
(RTC), a corporation that controls the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics
Dianetics
Dianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body that was invented by the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard and is practiced by followers of Scientology...
and Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
. Miscavige was an assistant to Hubbard (a "Commodore's messenger") while a teenager. He rose to a leadership position within the organization by the early 1980s and was named Chairman of the Board of RTC. Miscavige's mandate is to protect the works of L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
from distortion or misuse, and to serve as ecclesiastical head of Scientology. He lives and works at Scientology's Gold Base
Gold Base
The Gold Base is the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology on a parcel of land in unincorporated Riverside County, California, outside of San Jacinto, and north of Hemet....
, which is the main RTC headquarters, in Riverside County, California
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, near Hemet
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
.
Since assuming his leadership position, Miscavige has been faced with press accounts alleging illegal and unethical practices, abuse of authority, and abuse of church members. Miscavige and other top church officials and spokespeople have repeatedly denied these charges with sworn affidavits and witness statements.
Early life
David Miscavige and his twin sister were born in 1960 in Philadelphia to Ronald "Ron" Miscavige, Sr. and his wife Loretta, the youngest of their four children. The Polish-Italian family was Roman Catholic. Miscavige was raised in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. As a child, Miscavige suffered from asthma and severe allergies which prevented him from participating in many sports. During this time his father, a trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player, became interested in Scientology, and he had his son sent to a Scientologist. According to him and his son, a 45-minute Dianetics
Dianetics
Dianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body that was invented by the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard and is practiced by followers of Scientology...
session cured his ailments. The family was impressed enough by Scientology to move to the world headquarters in Saint Hill Manor
Saint Hill Manor
Saint Hill Manor is a country house at Saint Hill Green, Mid Sussex, near East Grinstead, West Sussex, England that serves as the location of the head office for the Church of Scientology in the United Kingdom.-Early history:...
, England.
Early activities
Miscavige joined Scientology in 1971. By the time he was 12 years old, he was assisting others to experience Scientology by conducting auditing sessionsAuditing (Scientology)
Auditing was developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and is described by the Church of Scientology as "spiritual counseling which is the central practice of Dianetics and Scientology".-Description:...
. When he was 15, his family returned to Philadelphia, where he went to a local high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Miscavige has said that he was appalled by his classmates' drug use, and in 1976, on his sixteenth birthday, he left high school with his father's permission to move to Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, and join the Sea Org
Sea Org
The Sea Organization or Sea Org is an association of Scientologists established in 1968 by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology. Its members are found in the central management organizations of the Church of Scientology as well as in individual churches...
anization, an association of Scientologists established in 1968 by Hubbard. Some of his earliest jobs included delivering telex
Telex
Telex may refer to:* Telex , , a communications network** Teleprinter, the device used on the above network* Telex , a Belgian pop group...
es, grounds-keeping, serving food and taking photographs for Scientology brochures. He rose in the organization to a point where, still a teenager, he was training and supervising staff many years older than he was, and eventually came to work alongside Hubbard as his closest assistant. In 1977, he worked directly under Hubbard as a cameraman for Scientology training films, in La Quinta, California
La Quinta, California
La Quinta is a resort city in Riverside County, California, USA, specifically in the Coachella Valley between Indian Wells and Indio. The population was 37,467 at the 2010 census, up from 23,694 at the 2000 census. The Robb Report credits La Quinta as the nation's leading golf destination...
. Hubbard appointed him to the Commodore's Messenger Organization
Commodore's Messenger Organization
The Commodore's Messenger Organization is a unit in the Church of Scientology organization that communicates and enforces policies of the Religious Technology Center....
(CMO), responsible for enforcing Hubbard's policies within the individual Scientology organizations; he became head of the CMO in 1979.
Rise to leadership
By 1980, L. Ron Hubbard was not appearing at public functions related to Scientology, and Miscavige took effective control of the organization. In 1981, he was placed in charge of the Watchdog Committee and the All Clear Unit, with the task of handling the various legal claims against Hubbard. After the Guardian's Office's criminal involvement in Operation Snow WhiteOperation Snow White
Operation Snow White was the Church of Scientology's name for a conspiracy during the 1970s to purge unfavorable records about Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard...
, he persuaded Mary Sue Hubbard
Mary Sue Hubbard
Mary Sue Hubbard was the third wife of L. Ron Hubbard, from 1952 to his death in 1986, and was a leading figure in Scientology for much of her life...
to resign from the Guardian's Office (GO), and purged several top GO officials through ethics
Ethics (Scientology)
According to the Church of Scientology, "Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice."...
proceedings. The St. Petersburg Times, in a 1998 article "The Man Behind Scientology," says: "During two heated encounters, Miscavige persuaded Mary Sue Hubbard to resign. Together they composed a letter to Scientologists confirming her decision -- all without ever talking to L. Ron Hubbard." According to Miscavige, he and Mary Sue Hubbard remained friends thereafter.
In 1982, Miscavige set up a new organizational structure to release Hubbard from personal liability and to handle the Scientology founder's personal wealth through a corporate entity outside of the Scientology organization. He established the Religious Technology Center
Religious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
, in charge of licensing Scientology's intellectual property, and Author Services Inc.
Author Services Inc.
Author Services Inc. represents the literary, theatrical and musical works of the late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Church of Spiritual Technology....
to manage the proceeds. Miscavige has held the title of Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center since the organization's founding. The Church of Spiritual Technology
Church of Spiritual Technology
The Church of Spiritual Technology, also known as CST, is a Californian 501 non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1982, which owns all the copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard. The CST is doing business as L. Ron Hubbard Library...
was created at the same time with an option
Option (finance)
In finance, an option is a derivative financial instrument that specifies a contract between two parties for a future transaction on an asset at a reference price. The buyer of the option gains the right, but not the obligation, to engage in that transaction, while the seller incurs the...
to repurchase all of RTC's intellectual property rights. In a 1982 probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
case, Ronald DeWolf
Ronald DeWolf
Ronald Edward DeWolf , born Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, Jr., also known as "Nibs" Hubbard, was the eldest child of Scientology founder L...
, Hubbard's estranged son, accused Miscavige of embezzling from and manipulating his father. Hubbard denied this in a written statement, saying that his business affairs were being well managed by Author Services Inc.
Author Services Inc.
Author Services Inc. represents the literary, theatrical and musical works of the late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Church of Spiritual Technology....
, of which Miscavige was the Chairman of the Board. In the same document L. Ron Hubbard called David Miscavige a "trusted associate" and "good friend" who had kept Hubbard's affairs in good order. A judge ruled the statement was authentic. The case was dismissed on June 27, 1983.
In October 1982, Miscavige required Scientology Missions to enter new trademark usage contracts which established stricter policies on the use of Scientology materials. Over the two years following the formation of the RTC, Miscavige and his RTC team replaced most of Scientology's upper and middle management. A number of those ousted attempted to establish breakaway organizations, such as the Advanced Ability Center
Advanced Ability Center
The Advanced Ability Center was a breakaway organization from the Church of Scientology established by former Scientologist David Mayo after the latter left the Church in February 1983 – a time when most of Scientology's upper and middle management was removed following the formation of the...
led by David Mayo
David Mayo
David Mayo is a former member of Church of Scientology and affiliated organizations.Mayo is best known for being the leader of the Advanced Ability Center, a breakaway organization of the Church of Scientology....
, a former RTC board member who had also been Hubbard's personal auditor
Auditing (Scientology)
Auditing was developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and is described by the Church of Scientology as "spiritual counseling which is the central practice of Dianetics and Scientology".-Description:...
.
When L. Ron Hubbard died in 1986, Miscavige announced the death to Scientologists at the Hollywood Palladium
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an 11,200 square foot dance floor with room for up to 4,000 people.-History:...
. Shortly before Hubbard's death, an apparent order from him circulated in the Sea Org that promoted Scientologist Pat Broeker and his wife to the new rank of Loyal Officer, making them the highest-ranking members; Miscavige asserted this order had been forged. After Hubbard's death, Miscavige assumed the position of head of the Scientology organization.
Negotiations with IRS
In 1991 Miscavige, together with Mark RathbunMark Rathbun
Mark "Marty" C. Rathbun was Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center , the organization that controls the copyrights and trademarks of the materials relating to Dianetics and Scientology...
, visited IRS headquarters to arrange a meeting with Commissioner
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service , a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury.The office of Commissioner was created by Congress by the Revenue Act of 1862...
Fred T. Goldberg, Jr.
Fred T. Goldberg, Jr.
Fred T. Goldberg, Jr. is an American tax lawyer who has served in high ranking positions in the United States Government, including holding the position of Commissioner of Internal Revenue.-Education:...
. For more than two decades, the IRS had refused to recognize Scientology as a nonprofit charitable organization, a status granted to most established religious organizations. Prior to this meeting, Scientology had filed more than fifty lawsuits against the IRS and, according to the New York Times, "Scientology's lawyers hired private investigators to dig into the private lives of I.R.S. officials and to conduct surveillance operations to uncover potential vulnerabilities... [and] taken documents from an I.R.S. conference and sent them to church officials and created a phony news bureau in Washington to gather information on church critics. The church also financed an organization of I.R.S. whistle-blowers that attacked the agency publicly." At the meeting with Commissioner Goldberg, Miscavige offered to cease Scientology's suits against the I.R.S. in exchange for tax exemptions. This led to a two-year negotiating process, in which IRS tax analysts were ordered to ignore the substantive issues because the issues had been resolved prior to review. Ultimately, the church was granted recognition as a nonprofit religious or charitable organization in the U.S., which creates a tax exemption for the Church of Scientology International and its organizations, and tax deductions for those who contribute to their programs.
To announce the settlement with the IRS, Miscavige gathered members of Scientology in the Los Angeles Sports Arena, where he delivered a two-and-a-half-hour address and proclaimed, "The war is over!" 10,000 members of Scientology attended the event; they gave Miscavige a 10-minute-long standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
.
Criticism of leadership
Since assuming his leadership role, Miscavige has been faced with press accounts regarding alleged illegal and unethical practices of the Church of Scientology or by Miscavige himself. A 1991 Time magazine cover storyThe Thriving Cult of Greed and Power
"The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" is an article, written in 1991 by U.S. investigative journalist Richard Behar, which is highly critical of Scientology. It was first published by Time magazine on May 6, 1991, as an eight-page cover story, and was later published in Reader's Digest in October...
on the Church described Miscavige as "ringleader" of a "hugely profitable global racket
Racket (crime)
A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering.Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes...
that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner."
In 2009, the St Petersburg Times published allegations by former high-ranking executives of Scientology that Miscavige routinely humiliates and physically beats his staff. This included testimony from Mike Rinder
Mike Rinder
Michael "Mike" Rinder is an Australian Scientologist who was a former chief spokesman of the Church of Scientology. Rinder served as Executive Director of the Office of Special Affairs and was a director of the Church of Scientology International...
, former director of the organization's Office of Special Affairs
Office of Special Affairs
The Office of Special Affairs or OSA is a department of the Church of Scientology. According to the Church, the OSA is responsible for directing legal affairs, public relations, pursuing investigations, publicizing the Church's "social betterment works," and "oversee[ing its] social reform programs"...
who for years had been the official spokesperson for Scientology, and Mark Rathbun
Mark Rathbun
Mark "Marty" C. Rathbun was Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center , the organization that controls the copyrights and trademarks of the materials relating to Dianetics and Scientology...
, the former Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center
Religious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
. According to Rathbun, Miscavige is "constantly denigrating and beating on people."
Similar charges have been reported in previous years. In a 1995 interview for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, Stacy Young, Miscavige's former secretary and the ex-wife of Hubbard's former public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
spokesman, Robert Vaughn Young
Robert Vaughn Young
Robert Vaughn Young commonly known by his initials RVY, was a whistleblower against the Church of Scientology after working high inside their organization for over twenty years.-In Scientology:...
, had previously asserted that Miscavige emotionally tormented staff members on a regular basis. "His viciousness and his cruelty to staff was unlike anything that I had ever experienced in my life," she said. "He just loved to degrade the staff." In a 2008 interview for The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
, Jeff Hawkins, a former marketing guru for Scientology, claimed to have attended a meeting where Miscavige "just jumped up, launched himself across the conference room table in front of 40 people, and beat my face ... I had scratches, and bruising, and my shirt was all ripped. Then he knocked me on the floor, and walked out."
Church representatives have consistently denied such accusations, insisting that the allegations come from apostates motivated by bitterness or attempting to extract money from the church. An issue of the church's "Freedom" magazine was dedicated to praising Miscavige and attacking the "Truth Rundown" series, featuring articles titled "Merchants of Chaos: Journalistic Double-dealing at the St. Petersburg Times." and "The Bigotry Behind the Times’ Facade of Responsible Journalism." Miscavige sent an open letter to the newspaper challenging the integrity of the reporters and labeling their sources as "lying" after the persons in question had been removed from the organization for "fundamental crimes against the Scientology religion." The church also commissioned an independent review of the St. Petersburg Timess reporting, but have not, to date, released those findings.
"Inside Scientology: The Truth Rundown" was recognized with journalistic honors, including the 2010 Gold Medal for Public Service award from the Florida Society of News Editors. The series was cited as a basis for subsequent journalistic investigations, including a weeklong series hosted on the CNN network by Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
.
Though he and the Scientology organization have been the subject of much press attention, Miscavige has rarely spoken directly to the press. Exceptions include a televised 1992 interview by Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
Edward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008...
of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, a 1998 newspaper interview with the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
, and a 1998 appearance in an A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
Investigative Reports installment called "Inside Scientology."
Miscavige's current role in Scientology
As Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center, David Miscavige works primarily from Scientology's Gold BaseGold Base
The Gold Base is the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology on a parcel of land in unincorporated Riverside County, California, outside of San Jacinto, and north of Hemet....
near Hemet, California
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
. Scientologists often refer to him as "DM", or "C.O.B.", for Chairman of the Board. In their 2007 book, Extraordinary Groups: An Examination of Unconventional Lifestyles, W. W. Zellner and Richard T. Schaefer noted that "David Miscavige has been the driving force behind the Church of Scientology for the past two decades" and that "Miscavige's biography and speeches are second only to Hubbard in dominating the official Scientology Web site. [...] He is acknowledged as the ultimate ecclesiastical authority regarding the standard and pure application of L. Ron Hubbard's religious theories."
Miscavige's is portrayed within Scientology as "a servant of Hubbard's message, not an agent in his own right." Miscavige uses church publications as well as professionally produced videos of gala events, at which he acts as master of ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
, to communicate with Scientologists worldwide.
David Miscavige initiated a strategy in 2003 to build new Churches of Scientology in every major city in the world. Since then, twenty-four new Churches have been opened, a number of them in the world's cultural capitals, including Madrid, New York, London, and Berlin. Another 60 Churches are in design, planning or construction phases, including over a quarter of a million square feet under construction in Tel Aviv, Twin Cities and Tampa. Within Scientology, Miscavige has spearheaded and devoted himself to a large-scale, 25-year project of issuing unreleased, expanded and corrected editions of Hubbard's books and lectures, including translating many works into other languages. Miscavige's work has been described by Scientologists as bringing about a renaissance of Scientology materials.
Family and personal life
Miscavige is married to fellow Sea Org member Shelly Miscavige, who, according to Lawrence Wright in The New Yorker, "disappeared" in 2006, and "her current status is unknown." Wright's sources allege that her disappearance occurred after she "filled several job vacancies without her husband’s permission." His older brother Ronald Miscavige, Jr. was an executive in the Sea Organization for a time, but left the Church of Scientology in 2000. His sister, Denise Licciardi, was hired by major Scientology donor Bryan Zwan as a top executive for the Clearwater, FloridaClearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
-based company Digital Lightwave, where she was linked to an accounting scandal. Ronald's daughter Jenna Miscavige Hill
Jenna Miscavige Hill
Jenna Miscavige Hill is a former Scientologist who, after leaving the Church of Scientology in 2005, has become one of its most prominent critics. She is the daughter of Ron Miscavige, Jr. and the niece of current church leader David Miscavige....
, niece of David Miscavige, remained in the Sea Org until 2005, and since has become an outspoken critic of the Scientology organization.
Miscavige is close to actor Tom Cruise, and served as best man at Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
.
Miscavige is a firearms enthusiast who enjoys skeet shooting
Skeet shooting
Skeet shooting is one of the three major types of competitive shotgun target shooting sports . There are several types of skeet, including one with Olympic status , and many with only national recognition.- General principles :Skeet is a recreational and competitive activity where...
. In the 1998 St. Petersburg Times interview he named playing the piano, underwater photography and trail biking among his other hobbies.
See also
- List of Scientology officials
- Religious Technology CenterReligious Technology CenterThe Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
External links
Church of Scientology official- Church of Scientology resources about Miscavige.
- Religious Technology Center, Official biography of Miscavige.
News media
- "The Man Behind Scientology". A 1998 interview with David Miscavige in the St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
. - "The Truth Rundown." Investigative reports and interviews about Scientology, largely focused on Miscavige, St. Petersburg Times, June–August 2009.