'Parenthood' Star Erika Christensen Opens Up About Being Raised as a Scientologist
Erika Christensen talked about her relationship with Scientology and defended her religion from criticisms from the media, particularly from former co-member Leah Remini.
In an interview with former "Parenthood" co-star Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast on Monday, the 35-year-old star revealed how she became a part of the Church of Scientology. According to the actress, her journey within the religion began with her parents.
Christensen acknowledged how hard it must be for her parents to raise someone as a Scientologist since it is not a belief but a way of life. Her parents just used a parenting approach using the Scientology point of view.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"I can see that in the way that they approached me as a kid and really tried to do what I'm doing now as a parent, which is trying to temper absolutely necessary discipline and rules and structure with fostering independent thought and freedom of personality. It has to be true for you," the actress who is pregnant with her second child with husband Cole Maness stated.
She also said that her parents never obliged her to go to church. Instead, they asked her to research more about Scientology so that she can gauge her feelings about it.
When Shepard asked her why she opted not to watch the critically-acclaimed HBO documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," which centered on the lives of the former members of the church as well as their experiences with the religion, the actress said that the statements of the ex-Scientologists are irrelevant.
The actress explained that the documentary has nothing to do with anything that has been thought by the church. She also said that the book where it was based from was not even published in several English-speaking countries since the libel laws in those countries are sterner compared to the US.
She also mentioned that both the documentary, the book, as well as former Scientology member and actress Leah Remini's show "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" has immaterial sources. "There's so much that is actually...talking about sources. They have proved themselves to be irrelevant...There's no relevance in what they're saying," the actress also stated.
She also revealed that despite the strict rules that are being implemented by the church, Scientology still allows their members to drink alcohol. But she also claimed that doing drugs is definitely prohibited.
"Drinking and drugs and stuff like that, we basically think it's counter-productive," she also said in the podcast, as reported by People.
While Christensen praised the principles of Scientology, Remini is determined to expose the controversial church's abuses in the third season of her A&E's award-winning series.
In an interview with Deadline during The Contenders Emmy event in May, Remini and her co-host, Mike Rinder, said that they are now looking into the abusive practices of the church now that they are no longer part of it.
Aside from Christensen and Remini, other popular celebrities who have past and present connection to Scientology include Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley, Beck, Laura Prepon, Giovanni Ribisi, Kelly Preston, as well as John Travolta.
