Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and my Harrowing Escape
Jenna Miscavige Hill's memoir, Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and my Harrowing Escape, recalls her experience with Scientology from her birth until her ultimate escape in 2005. Hill discusses the countless experiences she had within the Church that led to her decision to leave, and notes how her childhood was drastically different than most. Hill reveals her first hand account of life inside Scientology, especially as a young child. Because Hill's parents were highly involved in the Sea Org, a high commitment organization within Scientology, Hill spent her early years being raised on a communal ranch with other Scientology children. From a very young age, she operated on a strict and rigorous schedule that involved manual labor, education, and Scientology lessons day and night. As Jenna grew up, "her rigorous training and education punctuated by seemingly random and terrifying restrictions and punishments continued" (Rudin). Jenna herself joined the Sea Org at the age of twelve. However, as the years progressed, Hill gained more and more reasons to escape, eventually causing her to leave with her husband, Dallas Hill. Looking back on her escape, Hill states, "...it all seems worth it. Having a close knit family is an experience I may have never gotten the chance to have if I had not left the Church" (Hill 212). During Hill's time on the communal ranch, she saw her parents for a few hours each weekend at most. After her mother was involved in an affair, Hill did not see her for years because of her intense punishment by the Church. Along with this, the Church refused to allow Hill and her husband to have children, even when they were married. Being deprived of a close sense of family for most of her life likely motivated Hill to escape the Church in order to create a different life for herself and her children.
Works Cited
Hill, Jenna Miscavige., et al. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape. Blackstone Audio, Inc., 2014.
Rudin, Marcia R. “Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape.” International Journal of Cultic Studies, vol. 5, Feb. 2014, pp. 64–67. EBSCOhost, proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=95781128&site=eds-live.