Must-see morning clip: Lawrence Wright talks Scientology on "The Colbert Report"

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author explains how the religion is "a prison of belief"

Published February 7, 2013 2:07PM (EST)

New Yorker writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright was on "The Colbert Report" last night to discuss his controversial and revealing exposé of Scientology: "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief."

He explained to Colbert that "prison" is an almost literal description, saying, "In this case, I framed the 'prison of belief' because I was especially thinking of how in the Sea Org or the clergy ... there is a lot of physical abuse going on according to sources that I've heard from, and a lot of involuntary confinement." Through interviews and research, he also discovered that victims "are not exactly being held against their will, it's their will that's holding them there," explaining, "And that's the prison of belief."


By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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