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Costumed Crowd 'Speedruns' Scientology Building For Social Media Trend (yahoo.com) 89

Posted by EditorDavid from the mission-impossible dept.
Last Saturday someone dressed as Jesus "was among the dozens of people in costumes and masks seen on a video forcing open the door of a Scientology building on Hollywood Boulevard," reports the Los Angeles Times, "after a tug-of-war with a security guard." The footage posted on TikTok and Instagram shows the group sprinting up and down stairs and clashing with black-shirted security guards, giggling and gasping to catch their breath while church members scream at them to leave. On their way out — as security guards approach armed with fire extinguishers — one of the sprinters stops and dances to celebrate their successful escape, a move reminiscent of a taunt from the video game Fortnite. For weeks, groups of people have barged into two of the church's Hollywood properties, racing through hallways and tussling with security guards, trying to see how far they can get before they are forced to leave by church staff...

Church officials say the incidents are not a game and have accused the speed runners of "hate crimes." After dozens on Saturday stormed the Ivar Avenue building that houses an exhibit dedicated to the church's founder, science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, the external door handles were removed from all three of Scientology's properties on Hollywood Boulevard by Sunday morning. Guards could be seen blocking the doorway to one building on Monday afternoon...

No arrests have been made.
A report from the Associated Press cites a joke left on one of the videos: that if runners reach the top of the building, they'll find Tom Cruise. One commenter on a recent TikTok video of a speedrun asked why people are doing this, and another user simply replied, "because it's fun."
The 18-year-old who started the trend told the Hollywood Reporter his original video has been viewed over 100 million times. "From there on out, I pretty much knew that Scientology was like a free gateway to a lot of views."

Vulture notes that "there's even a Roblox re-creation of the trend, made using the 'maps; drawn from actual videos"

Costumed Crowd 'Speedruns' Scientology Building For Social Media Trend More | Reply

Costumed Crowd 'Speedruns' Scientology Building For Social Media Trend

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  • Scientology is an official religion, so there are under numerous protections for places of worship. More so, historically Scientologists are known to be litigious. It is easy to see these social media stunts resulting in criminal charges and civil lawsuits. Especially if you publish evidence all over Internet.

    • Scientology is an official religion

      "Why do people have to fight over their various religious beliefs, can't they just coexist?"

      *Scientology exists*

      "Oh."

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Official religion but it shouldn't be. Just like the highly profitable Mega-Churches. They may be playing in the grey area of the law but sometimes the good of humanity is more important than laws written by the people abusing them. Loopholes are closed all the time.

    • Re:Dangerously stupid stunt (Score:5, Interesting)

      by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Saturday May 02, 2026 @02:42PM (#66124310)
      They aren't just litigious they are known to hire private investigators and outright thugs to hassle and intimidate people.

      It's not so much that this is dangerous anyone taking part in this knows damn well what they're getting into.

      This is what the cool kids call getting into good trouble. It's protest meant to draw attention.

      That said Scientology is really on the ropes right now with collapsing membership and because of the internet it's difficult for their silly brand of nonsense to get much play. So there were probably better targets and better things for the protesters to do but it might have been personal if one of their friends or family members got stuck in the cult or themselves personally.

      I know there are a lot of EX Jehovah witnesses trying to get people out.

      • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

        by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

        That said Scientology is really on the ropes right now with collapsing membership and because of the internet it's difficult for their silly brand of nonsense to get much play.

        It's a bit like The Onion having to buy Infowars to remain relevant. Scientology's brand of batshit crazy religion is largely overshadowed by MAGA which has a far larger membership and in many ways is even more stupid.

      • This is what the cool kids call getting into good trouble. It's protest meant to draw attention.

        Interfering with a persons religious services is a serious crime, see the FACE act.

        What, exactly, are the 'cool kids' trying to draw attention to?

    • It is not an "official religion." It is *recognized* as a religion by the IRS, and receives the same egregiously advantageous financial benefits as other religions, but that doesn't really give it any more weight than Mormonism, Presbyterianism, Catholicism, etc. None of which (thus far) are "official" in this increasingly "best of all possible worlds" >-|

      • A lot of people seem to have trouble distinguishing between "official religion"
        and "officially a religion", alas. But with that snickered over, it at least has that latter distinction, disgustingly.

    • It's a religion to evade taxes.

  • I bet (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Valgrus Thunderaxe ( 8769977 )
    They wouldn't try this in a mosque.
    • Yeah, the line between evil cult and religion is a fuzzy one.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

      Or a church.

    • Re:I bet (Score:5, Interesting)

      by mr100percent ( 57156 ) on Saturday May 02, 2026 @02:39PM (#66124304) Homepage Journal

      Almost all mosques are open to the public and welcoming. If they tried it they'd be told to stop running, would they like to sit down and have some tea?

      • They wouldn't even have to run in the first place since they could take their time and freely look around.

      • As a reminder, they put on costumes (to hide their identity), assaulted the security guards, trespassed, likely did some damage, and likely interfered/interrupted some sort of religious service going on somewhere inside the building.

        I don't think the Muslims in a mosque would be as compliant as you want them to be - I can't see them being very accepting of costumed individuals running into the building as some kind of "tik-tok" challenge...

    • It's not at all uncommon for right wingers to go harass Muslims at places of worship.

      One of my all-time famous stories is a bunch of magats showing up with rifles at a mosque and then realizing they just showed up at a Nation of Islam mosque and turning tail and running when they noticed the guys out front with guns.

      Religion is harmless when you don't give it any political power and you don't let it rip people off. At that point to devolves into a social club with a bit of spiritualism.

      The proble

      • It's not at all COMMON for right wingers to go harass Muslims at places of worship.

        FTFY

        If you want to claim it is somehow "not uncommon" (AKA "common") for right-wingers to harass Muslims at places of worship you really need to cite AT LEAST one specific instance, not a vague reference to an urban legend story with ZERO specifics...

    • Why would they? A mosque is a place of worship, not a place of fraud fleecing members for money to have their Thetans measured. If you want something comparable to storming a building full of fraudsters who do nothing but lie, steal from people, and literally send thugs after people to threaten them you should say: "I bet... They wouldn't try this in the White House."

  • Hey, that's not nice (Score:5, Funny)

    by RitchCraft ( 6454710 ) on Saturday May 02, 2026 @02:08PM (#66124248)

    Let's be mindful of their religion and ask ourselves, "What would Tom Cruise do?"

    • Maybe jump on a couch?

      Bonus points next round for playing The Floor is Lava!

    • Well, being a reacher of the top of the building is an almost impossible mission, a pretty risky business specially for outsiders. I'd join a few good man, train all the right moves, and avoid any collateral damage, so we can get there and become legend. I bet the guards will be losin'it.
      I wonder what secrets are up there. Maybe vanilla skies? The mummy of Ron Hubbard?
      But I suspect that after that, days of thunder will be upon us. Scientologists have an endless love for their secrets. They'll hire the best

  • questionable (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Ok look, to all of you claiming this is a religion, prove it. This is some science fiction fantasy bullshit dressed up like religion and operating more like a cult. I'm pretty sure L Ron is a vampire and Satoshi too, which is as real as Scientology is a religion.

    • Re:questionable (Score:4, Interesting)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 ) on Saturday May 02, 2026 @02:53PM (#66124336)

      Google is your friend. In the US the IRS recognizes it as a religion, as does the DOD. Other countries are more skeptical.

      This is some science fiction fantasy bullshit dressed up like religion and operating more like a cult.

      You've just said "religion" three ways: a descriptive phrase, a noun and another noun.

      • In the US the IRS recognizes it as a religion, as does the DOD.

        DoD? As in the Department of Defense?

        The US Government recognizes Scientology as a tax-exempt religious organization. The Department of Defense is part of the US Government, so it does as well.

        But so what? How does this affect DoD operations? There are no Scientology chaplains in the DoD. Maybe Scientologists who are serving can obtain religious exceptions to policies of one kind or another, or time off for observances, just like any other service-member? Is that what you meant?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

          The US Government recognizes Scientology as a tax-exempt religious organization. The Department of Defense is part of the US Government, so it does as well.

          Yeah, the US government isn't that consistent.

          How does this affect DoD operations?... Maybe Scientologists who are serving can obtain religious exceptions to policies of one kind or another, or time off for observances, just like any other service-member?

          Guess you answered your own question.

          But so what?

          OP asked for proof Scientology is a religion (Slashd

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Tom ( 822 )

        Google is your friend. In the US the IRS recognizes it as a religion,

        Yeah, but isn't the bar for that ridiculously low in the US? Like the Jedi "religion" being tax-exempt on religious grounds? And there's no discussion that that one is based purely on fiction.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      You don't ask for that burden of proof from other religions. At least we can touch an eMeter, so where's the talking snake?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by znrt ( 2424692 )

      Ok look, to all of you claiming this is a religion, prove it.

      religion is a quite fuzzy term, there is no consensus on what a religion is and we don't even know the exact etymology of the word.

      This is some science fiction fantasy bullshit dressed up like religion

      you mean like angels, miracles, resurrections, prophecies, afterlife (with virgins!), halls of the slain, flying spaghetti, spiritual machines?

      and operating more like a cult.

      i don't know of any religion that doesn't have a "cult" to be followed, that is, a set of rites or norms expected to be observed, and a set of followers. those ofc vary greatly. and most religions also expect offerings and use part of the

      • you haven't pointed to a single characteristic which could uniquely define a "religion" as "real" in a way in which scientology would not qualify.

        Can you think of a single religion that has a paywall?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by znrt ( 2424692 )

          most religious congregations use ruses to fund themselves. i don't think the particular way to do this is a defining characteristic of "not-a-religion". it is indeed gross, but it's also quite in sync with modern capitalist mentality, and it's not very different from paying indulgences to ensure fast-track access to end-game content (aka heaven), a practice employed for centuries by one of the most extended and recognized religions in the world.

          i mean, i get your point, i'm not defending scientology by any

      • i don't know of any religion that doesn't have a "cult" to be followed, that is, a set of rites or norms expected to be observed, and a set of followers.

        A "cult" has come to mean a group (religious or otherwise) that exploits or abuses its members in one or more ways. Not all religions are cults, and not all cults are religions.

        There have been many efforts to characterize what constitutes a cult. One of the better ones I have heard of is the BITE model. [freedomofmind.com]

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by znrt ( 2424692 )

          good observation. i had to tuck "cult" in there somehow :-)

          then again note that even bite doesn't limit "cult" (mind control) to religions. many cults will use some god concept or faith as a channel or pretext, but mind control is actually a separate thing from religion and happens in many contexts. you'll notice that many of their listed characteristics apply perfectly well to other entities, like governments, ideologies, lobby groups ... i like their definition: "manipulative groups".

          Not all religions are cults, and not all cults are religions

          i would say not all c

          • [...] note that even bite doesn't limit "cult" (mind control) to religions. many cults will use some god concept or faith as a channel or pretext, but mind control is actually a separate thing from religion and happens in many contexts. you'll notice that many of their listed characteristics apply perfectly well to other entities, like governments, ideologies, lobby groups ... i like their definition: "manipulative groups".

            Yes, as I said, not all cults are religions. (And not all religions are cults -- see below.) For example, psychological cults, such as est which began in the 1970s, are generally areligious -- no god required.

            i would say not all cults are religions but definitely every religion embodies some form of mind control, by definition. for good or worse, that's another matter. i guess the threshold is in "to exploit or abuse", but there are again many nuances to that!

            There's nothing wrong with a group, religious or otherwise, having rules its members are expected to follow. As you say, the key issue is whether those rules are exploitative or abusive, and there's a judgement call involved with that.

            Many religions just offer fellowship in a particular spiritual tradi

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by znrt ( 2424692 )

              (And not all religions are cults -- see below.)

              Many religions just offer fellowship in a particular spiritual tradition, and don't seek to "control" the minds of their members.

              i just don't see that cults have to be necessarily exploitative, so i would go with "not all religions are cults that abuse or exploit", and i'm maybe spliting hairs but i'm not sure that this is the exclusive meaning (although it is often implied), there are many groups we call "cults" in casual speech that aren't, some groups are called cults because their beliefs are extreme, but that doesn't necessarily imply abuse or exploitation. which is why i said "all religions embody some form of mind control".

              aga

    • All forms of magical thinking, whether deemed "cult" or "religion", ultimately depend upon appeal to authority, appeal to "religious" text, shared delusions, or invisible, unprovable "belief". The differentiation between them is how much SA, financial abuse, genocide, misogyny, and/or socio-political control each one engages in.
  • Great director, great actors and though not named directly, 'The Cause' is really Scientology.

    Anderson finally admitted outright a couple weeks ago that he based the charismatic leader Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) on Hubbard, adding that much of the film “related to the early days of Dianetics.”

    https://slate.com/culture/2012... [slate.com]

  • The so called church of scientology needs to be fully exposed and shutdown for the obvious scam that it is. For profit enlightenment, campaigns of harassment, forced labor in international waters, disappearances..and theyre worried about kids making tiktok videos.
    • That's more or less true of many religions. Only once people give up their superstitions and mythological nonsensical "beliefs", can people seek humanistic enlightenment and education that free them from manipulation, exploitation, and bad ideas that hold them back.

  • Last Saturday someone dressed as Jesus "was among the dozens of people in costumes and masks seen on a video forcing open the door of a Scientology building on Hollywood Boulevard," reports the Los Angeles Times, "after a tug-of-war with a security guard."

    It wasn't Trump. :-)

    (Not even "Doctor" Trump [theguardian.com] this time. /s)

  • The 18-year-old who started the trend told the Hollywood Reporter his original video has been viewed over 100 million times. "From there on out, I pretty much knew that Scientology was like a free gateway to a lot of views."

    So it's about monetization of one's content. I'm sure L Ron Hubbard would approve. ;-)

    You see folks, the preceding is a joke. It mocks a group without invading their "home", without being an entitled a-hole who imagines they possess the moral superiority to trespass onto someone else's "refuge".

  • they'd use the attention for recruiting, setting up big signs and a Q&A desk.

  • > .. if runners reach the top of the building, they'll find Tom Cruise.

    L. Ron Hubbard shurly :o

    Technology Cocktail [tonyortega.org]:

    L. Ron Hubbard: “A service facsimile is a brother to R/Ses and evil intentions. This is easily seen when one understands the anatomy of the service fac and the right/wrong, dominate and survive computations that enter into it. And when one understands that an R/S always means a hidden, evil intention and that the total reason for an R/S is to make wrong. In order to get someon

    • I had to google for it, so for those who are wondering: "R/S" stands for Rock Slam -- a particular sudden needle-movement that occurs on an e-meter when someone is being audited. Scientology auditors usually associate it with negative thoughts about the organization.

      What was right about it is now wrong about it and what was once wrong is now right. A=A=A enters into the situation where rightness becomes wrongness.

      Chilling. The equation or confusion of opposites is one of the standard methods of mind control.

  • "if runners reach the top of the building, they'll find Tom Cruise." - What if they go to the basement? Will they find David Miscavige's wife?

    "Scientology is an official religion"
    + Scientology was not a recognized religion in the U.S. until 1993.
    + Before that their members still wrote their donations off their taxes as "religious deductions".
    + IRS charged them penalties.
    + Several Scientologists filed lawsuits against the IRS.
    + Members of the House/Senate were worried donations to their campaign from Scientology members would be made public if those IRS cases came to court.
    + Solution: They were given religious status and the lawsuits were dropped.

    So, why was it so important elected officials wouldn't want to be tied to Scientology? Because of Operation: Snow White.

    WIK: "Operation Snow White was a criminal conspiracy by the Church of Scientology during the 1970s to purge unfavorable records about Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. This project included a series of infiltrations into and thefts from 136 government agencies, foreign embassies and consulates, as well as private organizations critical of Scientology, carried out by Church members in more than 30 countries. It was one of the largest infiltrations of the United States government in history, with up to 5,000 covert agents."

    "Mary Sue Hubbard, Cindy Raymond, Gerald Bennett Wolfe, Henning Heldt, Duke Snider, Gregory Willardson, Richard Weigand, Mitchell Herman, Sharon Thomas, Jane Kember, and Mo Budlong, all high-ranking Scientologists, were convicted; prison sentences were as long as six years, though no defendant served that amount. L. Ron Hubbard was named by federal prosecutors as an "unindicted co-conspirator" and went into hiding for the rest of his life."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

    And yet, Charles Grassley (R-IA) still spearheaded the move to give them official religious status.

  • If they get you, they will dump all the thetans in you.
    You will be the entire church's thetan bucket.

    • Damn, I didn't even consider the possibility that they have Ghostbusters-style Thetan Traps!

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Z80a ( 971949 )

        Of course they do!
        And the big power switch to turn it off as well, which i do not recommend pulling if you're doing a really good run

  • There'd be a public uproar if this happened at a Buddhist temple or Muslim Mosque, or Christian church. So people find it acceptable to do this with an organization because they don't consider it a religion when adherents do? This isn't cool, fun, or even funny. It's disrespectful.
    • I strongly suspect that more adults are opposed to this activity than endorse it. It's getting attention but not much of the good kind.

    • From the FACE act:

      (2) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship; or
      (3) intentionally damages or destroys the property of a facility, or attempts to do so, because such facility provides reproductive health services, or intentionally damages or destroys the property of a place of religious worship,

      This is the law Don Lemon and the protesters violated when they stormed the church in Minneapolis because they thought a part-time preacher there was an ICE agent.

      See: https://www.law.cornell.edu/us... [cornell.edu]

  • When I heard "Scientology Speedrun" I was hoping it would mean getting to operating level thetan as soon as possible. That would have been more interesting than some jokers trying to quickly run through a building I've never seen.
  • Did they get their clearances audited and a hard sell?

  • I have ZERO positive to say about scientology; it's a scam setup by the world's worst SciFi author.

    That said, however, the people who did this are scum.

    You have NO RIGHT to enter somebody else's facility (no matter how much you disagree with them or hate them) and mock them, wreak havok, sew discord, make a scene, etc. That's NOT a party, or a gag, or a joke, or a protest. These jerks would call the cops if a pack of scientologists did this to THEM in their homes or some place THEY care about, or some place

    • Well said; I commented much the same thing, and I utterly detest Scientology and everyone involved in it.

      With that said, even these brain-warped Scientologists have a right to do what they do without interference or having their building invaded.

  • As much as I detest Scientology, I have a hard time condoning this.

    Everyone thinks stuff like this is hilarious until it affects them or their job, and suddenly it's not so funny.

    I'm not defending Scientology or any of their kooky shit, but even they have a right to do what they do without interference or having their building invaded.

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