Scientology has always been shrouded in mystery.

But that's no longer the case due to recent ex-Scientologist

Leah Remini, star of TV shows The King

of Queens and The Talk.

She and a growing chorus of former members

reveal its disturbing practices, incorporating

patterns of coercion, control, and abuse of power.

Where do we begin?

Scientology's reach into a family's life

extends to their most special and private moments,

including childbirth.

Women are instructed to give birth quietly

in an aptly named silent birth so the newborns impressionable

mind isn't exposed to the negative effects of screaming.

To make matters more difficult, the mothers

are forbidden from using any method of pain relief,

such as an epidural.

Scientology also holds an interesting view

on young children whom they believe are spiritual beings.

According to their beliefs, they are on a higher spiritual plane

and, as such, are treated like adults.

This means children are allocated adult

responsibilities, such as memorization of L. Ron Hubbard

quotes, manual labor, and the signing

of a billion-year contract.

Asserting their influence early increases the likelihood

that if family members ever want to leave,

the children would stay with the church.

They, after all, know nothing outside of the organization.

The specific aim of the indoctrination

is to brainwash members into distrusting

any outside information, giving them a single-minded vision

of the religion.

Reading TIME Magazine, for example, is wrong.

Members are expected to confess to reading outside materials,

at which point they will be met with the punishment

at their expense, including intensive interrogation

and thought modification.

In Clearwater, Florida is a facility

called the Flag Land Base for the Sea Organization or Sea Org

for short.

The Sea Org is considered the militaristic branch

of the religious order.

Remini and her family moved there

when she was a kid where she signed

the infamous billion-year contract,

wore a sailor uniform, and performed harsh manual labor.

They were also forced to live under harsh conditions

in dormitories infested with roaches

despite the wealth of the organization.

Due to allegations in recent years,

Scientology claims they no longer employ children

at the Sea Org.

Scientology distances members from the outside world

and coerces them to sign their life away and perform

hard labor.

To reach the upper echelon of Scientology,

it cost thousands of dollars and years of study.

On a Scientologist's journey, they

must go through many levels.

One level is Operating Thetan Level Three,

which former members call the story of Xenu.

This tale features an intergalactic warlord

who kidnaps millions of humans and relocates them to volcanoes

where he blows them up.

There, leftover souls called Thetans

clamp onto human consciousness, thus providing the origin

of human psychological trauma.

Scientologists are told that all will

be revealed when they reach the final level called the Bridge,

also known as OTP Eight.

However, when Remini finally reached it,

she was shocked to hear that God is a lie for L. Ron Hubbard

and there are more levels ahead, which will cost hundreds

of thousands of dollars.

There is simply no end.

Maybe unsurprisingly now, there are more shocking aspects,

such as their view on sex education

and the procedures surrounding sexual abuse.

Scientology adheres to a strict view of sex,

instructing their members to refrain

from all physical contact until marriage.

They also enforce a policy called

the second dynamic, which contains

a complicated system of numbers that quantifies sexual urges.

Sexual abuse within the organization

is dealt with internally and not reported to the police.

Such was the case when Remini discovered that a high ranking

and influential official in his 30s

was having sex with her 16-year-old friend.

In fact, it is considered an enemy act

to prosecute another member, which

suggests that they believe their organization does not need

to adhere to the rule of law.

Many outsiders perceive Scientology as a celebrity

religion, containing highly visible members such as John

Travolta, Elizabeth Moss, and, of course,

the most talked about member, Tom Cruise.

However, Remini commented during her Ask Me Anything

on Reddit that Scientology's numbers are small in comparison

to the number of people involved in the entertainment industry.

Remini claimed Scientology has done an amazing job convincing

people that there is a great number of celebrities

in the church.

Celebrities attract new members.

So Scientologists actively try to recruit famous people.

According to Remini, she was pressured

into inviting her friend Jennifer Lopez to Cruise

and Katie Holmes' wedding.

Remini was on the outs with the organization at this point

and was kept away from Lopez the entire wedding.

Since the passing of Hubbard, Tom Cruise

has become the face of Scientology,

and his influence reportedly rivals that of the creator.

As such, to criticize Cruise now is

considered an attack against the aims and goals of Scientology.

Her mother pulled her and her sister Nicole into the religion

when Leah was nine.

She had doubts from the beginning,

but she was scared that if she left she would never

see her family again.

By the time she reached Operating Thetan Level Three,

she questioned the sanity of Scientology, saying,

are you [BLEEP] nuts?

But her mom and sister weren't ready to leave,

so she stayed as well.

In an interview with 20/20, she revealed

that she was ready to part from everything she'd ever known.

Her sister Nicole had already left the church,

but their mom was still a believer

who was willing to accept that she would have

to cut ties with her daughters.

In 2016, Remini teamed up with A&E

to create a documentary series called Leah Remini, Scientology

and the Aftermath, which gave her

and other former Scientologists a place

to talk about their experiences.

Not only was it therapeutic for former members,

it became a source of shocking revelations

craved by the public.

Despite Scientology's harassment and negative PR campaign

against her since her departure, Leah Remini

has forged a new life path and has continued her career.

She's come to terms with her past

and vows to keep helping other former members while shining

a light on the practices of the Church of Scientology.