Type4_PTS
Well-known member
This is an article that was in The Hollywood Reporter a couple of weeks ago:
Joy Villa on Leaving Church of Scientology After 15 Years: “It Was Slowly Destroying Me”
“I did not want to die, but I no longer wanted to live,” the singer reveals about her spiritual collapse in an essay to mark her exit from the religious cult.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
Excerpt:
Joy Villa has opened up about getting up the courage to defect from the Church of Scientology after 15 years in its service, and not before being in the religious cult took a steep toll on her physical and mental health.
“From the outside, my life inside Scientology looked like a success story. Inside, it was slowly destroying me,” the singer told the Evie publication in an essay to explain her departure. Villa argued her years inside Scientology coincided with appearances at the Grammy Awards, Billboard chart hits and many TV appearances.
“I was visible, successful, and influential. And Scientology took credit for all of it. Every achievement was attributed not to God, not to talent, not to perseverance, but to auditing, donations, and loyalty to the organization. My success became propaganda. My life became marketing,” she wrote in the online publication.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Villa elaborated on why she was announcing her exit from the Church of Scientology at this time: “Silence protects systems of abuse. I’m speaking now because no one should be interrogated for praying or punished for seeking a church. I am now fully surrendered to Jesus Christ, rebaptized, and committed to helping others recover from cult abuse and coercive control through my nonprofit, The Fearless Joy Foundation. We support survivors in rebuilding their lives, reclaiming their faith, and finding peace after years of manipulation.”
In the Evie essay, Villa claimed she gave the Church of Scientology $2 million in donations, and added her fans never saw the personal cost as she was finally rendered “spiritually bankrupt.” “I was working twelve-hour days, mentally depleted, spiritually numb, emotionally unraveling. I was deeply depressed. So depressed that I began to scare myself. I did not want to die, but I no longer wanted to live,” she wrote.
<snip> Full article at link above
Joy Villa on Leaving Church of Scientology After 15 Years: “It Was Slowly Destroying Me”
“I did not want to die, but I no longer wanted to live,” the singer reveals about her spiritual collapse in an essay to mark her exit from the religious cult.
Joy Villa on Leaving Church of Scientology After 15 Years: “It Was Slowly Destroying Me”
“I did not want to die, but I no longer wanted to live,” the singer reveals about her spiritual collapse in an essay to mark her exit from the religious cult.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
Excerpt:
Joy Villa has opened up about getting up the courage to defect from the Church of Scientology after 15 years in its service, and not before being in the religious cult took a steep toll on her physical and mental health.
“From the outside, my life inside Scientology looked like a success story. Inside, it was slowly destroying me,” the singer told the Evie publication in an essay to explain her departure. Villa argued her years inside Scientology coincided with appearances at the Grammy Awards, Billboard chart hits and many TV appearances.
“I was visible, successful, and influential. And Scientology took credit for all of it. Every achievement was attributed not to God, not to talent, not to perseverance, but to auditing, donations, and loyalty to the organization. My success became propaganda. My life became marketing,” she wrote in the online publication.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Villa elaborated on why she was announcing her exit from the Church of Scientology at this time: “Silence protects systems of abuse. I’m speaking now because no one should be interrogated for praying or punished for seeking a church. I am now fully surrendered to Jesus Christ, rebaptized, and committed to helping others recover from cult abuse and coercive control through my nonprofit, The Fearless Joy Foundation. We support survivors in rebuilding their lives, reclaiming their faith, and finding peace after years of manipulation.”
In the Evie essay, Villa claimed she gave the Church of Scientology $2 million in donations, and added her fans never saw the personal cost as she was finally rendered “spiritually bankrupt.” “I was working twelve-hour days, mentally depleted, spiritually numb, emotionally unraveling. I was deeply depressed. So depressed that I began to scare myself. I did not want to die, but I no longer wanted to live,” she wrote.
<snip> Full article at link above
