A Billion Years: My Escape from a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology

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This was the pinnacle of achievement in the Sea Org-I had been selected to become one of the elite. I was thrilled. Since the day I arrived...I had been envious of peers who had been in the CMO and so it was as if I were finally being invited to sit at the cool kids' table."

In Scientology, when a family divides into believers and nonbelievers, disconnection is a common and painful experience. Taryn, Benjamin and Cathy have all released videos in which they claim Rinder abandoned the family when he left Scientology. His eldest children have published an open letter, disowning him – which rather undercuts Rinder’s explicit aim in writing, to reach out to his children. “A book for an audience of two,” he calls it. I harbour hopes that the bubble in which my children live may eventually be burst Mike Rinder started attending a local Church of Scientology International (CSI) center with his parents at age of five. By the time he was fresh out of high school, he signed Sea Org’s billion-year contract. After that, the organization also saw his spat with Matt Lauer in a positive light. “[Cruise] was saying exactly what every Scientologist believes, [that] all psychiatric drugs are bad. ‘I don't care about postpartum depression. I don't even care what drug it is,’” Rinder explains. “So from a Scientology perspective, that stuff was wonderful. This is the problem that they literally exist in a bubble.” Still, Rinder bought into the doctrine that his personal comfort was secondary to the higher purpose of Hubbard’s world-saving mission, swiftly rising through the ranks. In the 1980s, Rinder became Scientology’s international spokesperson and the head of its powerful Office of Special Affairs. He helped negotiate Scientology’s pivotal tax exemption from the IRS and engaged with the organization’s prominent celebrity members, including Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, and John Travolta.

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Remarkably, even after that, Rinder continued in his faith, identifying as a Scientologist while he worked as a car salesman, his first job on the outside. It was really only that he wanted Miscavige to leave. I recently finished the audiobook A Billion Years - My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology written and narrated by Mike Rinder, and I found it to be an incredibly powerful, captivating, and eye-opening account. From his perspective as a former high ranking member of the Church of Scientology, Rinder provides an intimate insight into life within the organization, their practices and beliefs, and their intense indoctrination tactics. His story is gripping yet heartbreaking, as he recounts his struggles with maintaining loyalty to a faith that failed to serve him in return. Mike Rinder wrote his experiences down in a thoughtful, informative, eloquent way. The good and bad of decades of his life. He mostly did it for his two children, who stayed behind in the organization, hoping that they will one day understand and appreciate his message. In that case it was heartbreaking to me as a reader. He writes: I hope you come to see that scientology is a mind prison designed to be nearly impossible to escape'. Next, fifteen years after leaving Scientology Rinder suddenly emerges now as the cause of Scientology's tax exemption. He was mum on the subject for fifteen years - rightly deferring to me on that subject - precisely because he had little to nothing to do with the dozens of court struggles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ROzm...), IRS, Actual Malice on Wright's behalf, ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OOw9...))

It’s at that point, however, that Scientology then begins targeting him with the same cruel vindictiveness that he’s seen it aim at others, and it goes immediately for the jugular: His relationship with his mother, still a Scientologist in Australia, as well as what little connection he still has with his children. I didn't actually consider the dirty work itself to be degrading...It was the humiliation of being sent to do the lowest grunt duties in front of all the Freewinds crew." Mike's narration is superb – engaging and captivating. His voice conveys both emotion and clarity with great precision, allowing listeners to truly feel what he went through during this difficult chapter in his life. Each chapter paints a vivid picture of his experiences as he recounts every detail with accuracy – from the psychological pressures put on him by the organisation to the impact being inside had on his relationships with family, friends, and even himself. The anecdotes interspersed throughout make for a powerful listen that will stay with you long after you've finished listening. We expect that such OSA targets as Gerry Armstrong and Dennis Erlich and Jesse Prince, who are all mentioned in the book, will be left wanting more information about the specific ways that OSA made their lives miserable literally for years as they were targeted for destruction by Scientology. Yes, Rinder covers an incredible amount of information in this book and we’re fortunate that he touches on so many fascinating chapters from Scientology’s history. But expect to hear complaints from OSA’s past victims that its former boss still hasn’t come through with enough detail about the spying, the illegal tactics, and the skullduggery done against them in the name of L. Ron Hubbard and David Miscavige.Thus, Rinder carefully deep sixes any pesky facts that might contradict what Rinder would like to fancy about his history. And that paves the way for the creation of a brand-new then-Rinder: a super hero (the narcissist leg of victim narcissist). To demonstrate the depth of outright fact Scientology [guides] you to coming to an understanding of what these horrible things are that you may have done previously, that caused you to now get run over by a car,” he says. Fair Game

If you go into this book with zero prior knowledge about Scientology, I believe it would be difficult to truly understand the magnitude of the information and follow along with all the jargon. Rinder does provide a glossary of terms which is helpful, but I would highly recommend either watching the aftermath series that he and Leah Remini did on A&E first, or spend some time on Aaron Smith Levin's YouTube channel. The very first information I got on Scientology was reading Leah remini's Troublemaker book a few years ago and I also would recommend that as a good place to start. Both horns of his impossible dilemma are invented. The CST federal court ruling he cites occurred almost a year after the IRS negotiations and audits had begun. Had Rinder actually participated in either the litigation or the negotiations he would have known that the IRS was certain that the lower court judge's opinion was so biased and baseless that the pending appeal would certainly be won by Scientology. In the year since the record review had begun the IRS already conceded that their basis for denying CST exemption was discredited. They were almost embarrassed by the CST federal court ruling when it came out; realizing they could not support the findings with facts. For that reason, the CST decision was more Maybe we can get #ReleaseTheRinderTapes trending in Europe and Australia! And all pester Audible daily/weekly etc till they sort it out. It’s almost as if they have Scientologists behind the scenes putting spanners in the works!For some it changed lives positively, and others had to plan escapes and were traumatized, terrorized, by the organisation's own highly weaponized private army. 'Never give up, never give in' is their driving force to save people from themselves. I’ve witnessed him do this time and again (in the A&E series and on the podcast), and I… ugh… I just love him for it. I am sorry to do this to you again, but CBS Mornings has delayed the airing of their interview with me. I don’t know when it will air, but will try to keep you informed as best I can. Seems they are worried about scientology saber-rattling their paper swords. Sigh.