Fact check
Is it true: Scientology: Disconnection and the 1993 IRS Tax-Exempt Deal?
Partly — it's more complicated than the claim suggests.
Disconnection is a documented Church practice confirmed by court testimony, named ex-members (Mike Rinder, Leah Remini, Paul Haggis), and journalism (Lawrence Wright's Going Clear). The 1993 IRS tax-exempt settlement is a documented event; its terms were not made public, which sustains the "secret deal" framing. The contested element is whether the settlement resulted from improper coercion rather than legitimate legal resolution — that specific claim remains unproven.
The claim
Two distinct documented patterns are examined here. First, disconnection: the Church of Scientology's documented practice of requiring members to sever contact with family members and friends who are
Key evidence
Disconnection confirmed by court testimony and named ex-members
Church describes disconnection as a personal choice
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