A Billion Years

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One of the highest-ranking defectors from Scientology reveals the inner workings of this powerful organization in a remarkable memoir. Mike Rinder's journey began at age five when his parents took him to a local Scientology center. After high school, he signed a billion-year contract and joined the elite Sea Organization, where he was promised advanced training but instead found himself performing menial tasks. Despite this, Rinder embraced the belief that his personal comfort was secondary to L. Ron Hubbard's world-saving mission, quickly rising through the ranks. In the 1980s, he became Scientology's international spokesperson and led the Office of Special Affairs, negotiating the organization's crucial tax exemption and interacting with celebrity members like Tom Cruise and John Travolta. However, he grew increasingly uneasy as Hubbard's promises went unfulfilled, and under the leadership of David Miscavige, he faced confinement in a makeshift prison known as the Hole. At fifty-two, Rinder escaped Scientology, becoming a public enemy of the organization, which subjected him to harassment and surveillance. Undeterred, he now aids others in leaving Scientology, revealing the dark truths of the religion and sharing a story of resilience and personal liberation.