Tommy Davis refuses to utter "Jehova"

Murray Luther · Joined: 08 Sep 2005 Posts: 91

I just watched Davis' interview on Nightline and it really cracked me up. It reminded me of the scene from Monty Python's "Life of Brian" where the townspeople are trying to stone a heretic for saying the unmentionable "Jehovah." It would take too long to describe it--so google it or search it on YouTube--or whatever.

"He said Xenu! Stone him!"

Judith Anderson · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 793

To me, Tommy Davis' response and abrupt exit seems to be a phobic reaction more than anything.

Many religions believe in and openly discuss things that their detractors view as irrational - such as miracles, virgin birth, the Resurrection, etc. When asked to do so they are not hesitant to air these beliefs in public and they don't start bleating about infringement of religious rights. Tommy Davis probably clammed up and walked out because he had been conditioned to believe that if he talked about Xenu he could be struck down, not by lightning, but by the pneumonia bug. The average viewer doesn't know this, which makes Davis' exit even more puzzling and insulting.

One of the worst things Hubbard ever did for Scientology was to fabricate Xenu. I believe that eventually it will be one of the things that will lead to its dissolution. His adherents are hard put to fit it in so they lie about it. The public must never know about Xenu. To the parishioners, OT111 becomes more than a leap of faith. Many religions have a sequence of such leaps, but they come in a natural flow of events. Xenu takes the believer by stealth, like a mugger in an alley. Xenu demands that the believer distrusts his own senses and runs headlong through a wall of fire, disregarding everything that is patently absurd, everything that belies science and the sequence of natural events. Believing what is not believable, defying one's own senses is the ultimate test of loyalty to the cult.

Inventing Xenu was probably a source of amusement for Hubbard as he knew it was a crock and he got off on watching people struggle when they got to the wall. He was a sadistic man who enjoyed toying with his victims, i.e. parishioners and watching them pant and squirm. That's why I believe that what is wrong with Scientology started with him, not DM. After he died, DM took it and ran with it, proving to be the greater psychopath. Tommy Davis ended up being the fall guy saddled with dodging questions about the weakest link in Scientology's "scriptures" - the story of Xenu.

But all that being said, if you are a spokesperson at a nationally televised interview you don't walk out if you don't like the interviewer's questions. You just don't do that. Like Xenu, Davis is another weak link.

Wieber · Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 4675

It's scientology policy to treat journalists with disrespect and be rude to them. L. Ron Hubbard hated the press almost as much as he hated psychiatrists and policemen.

60 Minutes did an episode on scientology in which Heber Jentzsch was totally rude to Mike Wallace.

As usual almost all the scientologists watching those shows think that their scientology spokespeople have done a great job in shattering those awful journalists. I'll wager that the talk going on among people in scientology who watched Tommy Davis is that he was just the best.

Meantime what scientology and especially the office of special affairs don't get, and they don't get it in spades, is that the audience watching the show have come to identify the journalist hosting the show as their friend and even a part of their family. To see some butt hole like Tommy Davis abusing their friend, who many of them look on as family, is insulting to them.

(Tommy, if you don't like being called a butt hole stop acting like one.)
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Reading List: http://www.worldcat.org./profiles/Wieber/lists/563909 scientology is a cult. -1 +1 "Then they fight you, then you win." Gandhi. scientology, check your six.

Don Carlo · Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 4138

Glosslip has eloquent comment at http://glosslip.com/2009/10/23/abcs-dateline-takes-a-look-inside-the-evils-of-scientology/

I wish the interviewer had started by saying, "Can I ask you a yes or no question? (Tommy Davis nods) Can you say the word Xenu, yes or no?"

Rikuna · Joined: 18 Mar 2006 Posts: 186

particlewave · Joined: 04 Feb 2008 Posts: 66

they should be confronted as often as possible on this superstition. its obvious to most sane individuals that something is wrong when a spokeperson reacts like this over the name 'xenu'

tommy boy did surprise me when he mentioned the volcano's and i thought that was a perfect opportunity for the interviewer to talk about such.

it was another priceless moment.

I'mglib · Joined: 29 Jul 2005 Posts: 2610

This topic reminds me of something.

A while back, maybe 2-3 years, Tom Cruise was interviewed by someone, where TC almost walked out on the guy. I remember that it was a really benign question. It might have been about Nicole Kidman or something, and he got really snotty with the interviewer. So the interviewer backs down, I think he might have even apologized, and TC allowed the interviewer to continue.

Anyone else remember this?
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radieux · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 168

Just a point of curiosity... what level OT is Tommy? Is he even OT III himself?

I bring this up because it's unnecessary to "confront" non-OT Scientologists with the Xenu thing, given that their superiors will simply "handle" them.... and I doubt they'd simply offload someone over it, not as desperate as they are for new members. In other words, they'd just end up squeezing their members for sec checks and handling actions--you'd only be harming the people you're trying to reach, no?

No, Xenu is much more a rallying point for critics and the media to reach the uninitiated. Though to be honest, other than being a comparatively nascent movement based in space opera, how is the Xenu story any less credible than any other religion's allegories?

I remember the South Park episode that referenced the OT III materials with the caption "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE." How would going through the events of the Old Testament or Revelations or the runic sagas or the native American mythos or Hinduism, or any other mythological system dead or alive?

The only difference, I'd imagine, is that they wouldn't go apeshit at the mention of it on national TV--well, maybe the Vikings would. But that's what Vikings do. Dude should have played it cool and either outright said it was a lie (because nobody under OT III in the church would know anyway) or simply said "It's an allegorical tale, just like the Great Flood or the story of Eris' Golden Apple."

That would at least gain back SOME of their lost reputation and make them look like a legitimate movement.

4truth2 · Joined: 20 Mar 2006 Posts: 447 Location: Decatur, GA

This thread brings up some interesting points, a couple of which I’d like to address.

For one, how many people at the top of the Scientology food chain besides Miscavige know that Scientology is complete and utter bull shit? Rinder and Rathbun are still clinging to the “tech” and are primarily focused on Miscavige’s many psychotic abuses, not Hubbard’s nor the incalculable damage Scientology has inflicted on so many people and their friends and families. Perhaps Earl Cooley was, but since he recently passed away, who knows? Yet it does beg the question of how many ex-executives knew it was all a lie and a delusion but were just interested in remaining in due to their own greed and misanthropy.

Plus, it puts Tommy Davis in a no-win situation since if he acknowledges the Xenu myth it makes Scientologists look like deluded fools (to say nothing of possibly being RPF’d by Miscavige), yet if he denies it, given the wealth of information about the OT levels on the internet, he comes across as a liar and further undermines Scientology’s increasingly shaky credibility.

Given Miscavige’s cruelty, I wonder if he likes seeing Davis squirm before the camera, since he has such contempt for the entire human race.
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"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
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SeeYaBye · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 260

particlewave · Joined: 04 Feb 2008 Posts: 66

radieux · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 168

Wogette · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 25 Location: Tampa, Florida

I can't remember when I've ever enjoyed a Scientology Interview this much!

Rikuna · Joined: 18 Mar 2006 Posts: 186

I_feel_great! · Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 107 Location: USA

I vagyely recall this too. I think he was in Australia. I didn't see the original interview, but I believe the portion of it being referred to here was shown in the French documentary about Tom, which was linked to from here some time ago.
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Here are some of the drills used by the cult to teach its members how to be effective at destroying people they don't like.