But first, he had to negotiate growing up in a town, Adelaide, where Scientologists were not only rare but also seen with suspicion. When his family made the pilgrimage to Hubbard’s headquarters in the UK in 1967, Rinder blended in easily, getting to know Hubbard’s own children, who were about his age. In ensuing years, he continued his Zelig-like rise in the organization, being the right guy at the right time, joining Hubbard’s navy then sailing the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Here he lived under 24-hour guard, in a sort of prison camp for fallen Scientology executives, with no access to the outside world and no explanation of what crime had earned the placement. He suffered violence and he inflicted it on others. “It was part of the culture. Anyone who didn’t do it was subjected to discipline.” It was his removal from the Hole for a London mission that gave him his chance to escape. If Scientology’s founder, L Ron Hubbard, were still alive today, I would probably still be there

As the saying goes: 'Silence is violence', right, when you choose to remain silent while there's suffering and ignorance? Mike chose to speak up and share his experiences. So did a multitude of others. One such a book is My Billion Year Contract by Nancy Many(2009). The rest is available on Youtube. 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 Germany to this day have issues with Scientology, according to Mike. There are other countries as well, I just cannot remember right now.

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The audiobook gives a detailed account of Mike's harrowing experiences, from being constantly monitored and controlled by superiors to his eventual realization that he needed to break free. He talks candidly about the physical and emotional tolls that his years in Scientology took on him, but also highlights the strength of will and courage it took for him to eventually find his own way out. It's an inspiring story of someone's resilience in the face of extreme adversity. We’d argue that not only is it a terrific and enlightening book, but it also inhabits a somewhat unique position in the literature that has come before it: Perhaps no other book has managed to put together all of those perspectives in a single volume. L. Ron Hubbard said: A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where is free to rise to greater heights are the aims of Scientology. I was originally going to give this book 3 stars. It was a good book, but did not really provide me with any new details. But then I saw this book:

In this Episode, a conversation with Mike Rinder about The Vow (Season 2) and his book: A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life at the Highest Levels of Scientology 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. So we’d like to hear what your highlights have been over the last decade. A HowdyCon? A court day? Some wild conversation in the comments section? Let us know. Rinder wrote this memoir for his two children who are still entrenched in Scientology, in the hopes they’ll someday read it and begin to question. He carefully recounts for them, and us, his story of being brought into the cult by his parents at a young age, being groomed for cult leadership, and ultimately being crushed to discover the whole thing is a lie. Rhodesia may seem a strange choice, but Hubbard had his reasons. First and foremost, he believed he had been British imperialist Cecil Rhodes (after whom the country was named) in a previous life, and he was going to return to claim his rightful kingdom. (Hubbard did not announce this past life to those outside his inner circle, likely because Rhodes was a racist and often seen as the father of apartheid.) He also believed that the new government there, which had recently broken ties with Britain, would be sympathetic to his own problems with the establishment.Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading Mike Rinder's memoir. A primary source of information and experiences. Watching a few Youtube videos of dissenters, it is clear that there is a impressive cloud of smoke, hiding perhaps a massive fire. His [LRH] demise also raised one of the most puzzling inconsistencies: though he'd had the time and foresight to clearly specify he did not want an autopsy done and wished to be cremated immediately, and though his elaborate estate planning had detailed precisely where his money was to go, he had not provided instructions or even a briefing for scientologists on what was to happen to the organization and who was to be his successor. This was the man who wrote millions of words and delivered thousands of lectures explaining everything from how to wash windows to how to cure yourself of cancer...Despite his supposed 'causative departure' from this earth as he 'discarded his body,' he neither spoke nor wrote anything that laid out his plans for the future or who would be in charge after he left or how long he was planning on being gone. To not have anything from Ron was an enormous omission that should have been a signal flare to every scientologist." (p. 117)

I hate bullies. That's not alleged, that is fact. I'm giving this book five stars because, again, I hate bullies!A Billion Years is an extraordinarily powerful book. It is an essential account from the inside, and while it's a devastating exposé of the abuses of the church, the tone is measured and deeply humanistic. Rinder lets us feel what it's like to fall into a state of blind faith, and how hard it is to break free and see the truth for what it is. Nothing could be more relevant to our current moment."