Scientology Is Officially Recruiting at Cannes

By Jo Piazza Posted May 19th 2011 01:15PM

Hollywood has imported more than film and celebrity to the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France. It's also brought along its pet religion, Scientology.

Yes, a Scientology recruiting outpost has been set up just off the festival's main drag, a couple blocks from the Palais des Festivals, since the start of the film orgy last week.

This center has a crew that speaks five languages, consisting of Scientologists flown to Cannes from around the world. They mainly seem to spend their days hollering on the sidewalk, asking passersby if they can "show them something" inside the center, which is festooned with a sign boldly declaring 'La Dianétique,' or 'Dianetics,' the religion's leading text.

Scientology, for those unfamiliar, is a religion based on the teachings of science fiction writer and global adventurer L. Ron Hubbard. The religion boasts a loyal celebrity following including Tom Cruise and John Travolta and is often maligned for somewhat unorthodox beliefs about the creation of humanity.

In Cannes, after three separate incidents of being accosted by representatives with wide smiles even brighter than their flashy red shirts, I acquiesced to a visit and was personally escorted into the center by Gregory (who refused to give his last name) from the Celebrity Center in Paris (there are approximately 45,000 Scientologists in France, I was told). Gregory handed me two cylindrical metal panels hooked up to one of Scientology's gadgets, the e-meter, which purports to measure the conductivity of electricity in the skin to determine where you have stress in your life. One of the tenets of Scientology is auditing, a process meant to cleanse the auditee of his or her stress triggers and demons.

Gregory told me many celebrities have visited the Scientology outpost during the festival but declined to name any by name. Then the pretty blonde Frenchman asked me a series of questions about people who stress me out in my life, my job and my finances. He finally just flat-out asked, "What bothers you in your life?"

"Nothing really," I told him. "I'm in France ... doing work. That rocks."

Having given up on finding my stress trigger Gregory tried another tactic -- recommending I purchase the Hubbard tome 'Self Analysis' for 16 Euros and visit the Celebrity Center in New York City when I get home. I told him I had been there. That's probably when they decided to Google me.

Once the Scientology staffers realized I was a reporter they chased me down the street, demanding I give them my contact information so that a PR representative could contact me to tell me more about their operation.

When I told them I was fine, they insisted and I handed over my email. I started my mission as a curious religion enthusiast. They had turned on the reporter in me. Sure enough, an hour later I received word from Eric Roux, Scientology spokesman involved specifically with the Celebrity Center.

He was very happy to answer questions over email. He told me this was not a one-off thing. They had been setting up shop in Cannes for 10 years.

"We are very well-received there," Roux said in an email. "As you may know, we, as Scientologists, love to spread our religion and make it known. Best way for people to know about it is to get them the opportunity to read L. Ron Hubbard books."

Roux stressed that Scientology is a religion that embraces people who work in the arts, making Cannes an excellent place to proselytize.

"Cannes, beside the 'people' side of the festival, is also a great place for artists during this festival. And we have a lot of demand for Scientology, so we are here to respond to it," Roux said.

I asked Roux which celebs had visited the center since it had been in Cannes. He was as tight-lipped as Gregory.

"Regarding celebrities, I never talk about that. If celebrities want to talk about it, they do it, but I respect them too much to talk either in their name, either about them and Scientology, which is their business. I hope you understand," Roux said.

More Cannes Celebrity Coverage from Jo Piazza:
Director Makes Things Awkward with Kirsten Dunst Depression Comment

Tags: Cannes, Scientology

Comments

(29)

Thursday 19 May

By frenchblue367

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Well, if that's the case, I guess I can cancel my car-repair appointment.

By trmnatr2

Cancel the car repair appt and we void the warranty!!

By mdennish

Show the film where Tom Cruise was jumping up and down on the sofa while proclaiming his love, That should win them over!

By Wm O

This is obviously a puff piece written by a scientogist zombie. It's a CULT! It's a dangerous CULT! L. Ron Hubbard wasn't an adventurer any more than he was a science fiction writer (he truly sucked at that aspect). Most of his "adventuring" was living on a boat trying to avoid the law. He finally came up with a scam that enabled his to achieve financial success at the expense of all those zombies who became his "followers", Such as Cruise and Travolta. Good thing we can ALWAYS depend on celebrities to make the absolute right choice.

By Pete

it's all bull s#it and it's bad for you, Gorge Carlin

By Brenda

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I don't care for any "religion" that won't take no for an answer when you tell them you aren't interested. I have my own beliefs, but I sure don't force them on anyone. I prefer to lead by example. I don't believe in condeming people for their life or religious choices. And, I sure don't like all these "perfect" people telling anyone that they are going to die and go to hell if they don't believe a certain way.

Friday 20 May

By valerie

scientology is a clut, i tried getting those space cadets off my back for years until i told them that i was going to report them to the feds and have the feds deal with them and that was in the 70's and the 80's i believe yes i had them on my back for 20 years for once the federal government did something in their lives to get rid of them for me.
and as for all those fools listening to their s**t they don't have mines of their own to get up and get the hell out their meetings or space balls things. because anyone how joins that "so called" religeon have very weak mines and they listen to all that garbage they dish out.
as for katie did you all know she is breeding another one of them now for sure she can't get away from them and now suri i feel so sorry for the little spudnik will have a little sibiling to play with like they say and then they were 2 o h g what has katie done. i bet she eating her words that she said when she was a teenager "one day i'm going to marry that "man" because hes a controlling s o b and shes is dumb enough to listen to him and them. and i would take a d n a test to make sure it his i hear shoots blanks.

By Dave

Yes...Scientology has such silly beliefs!
I mean they don't believe an invisible super being that no one has seen or can prove the existence of made the world in 6 days a few thousand years ago!
Silly people.

I mean they think their 'Gods' are actual biological beings living in the Universe. How silly of them!

Please...Scientology is no more, indeed less, silly than all the other supernatural delusions we call religions.

Saturday 04 June

By Fern

The Scientology cult is looking for more raw celebrity meat, and in the age of the web, are having trouble attracting younger people, because they have the means to research this abusive brainwashing scam.

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