Leah Remini Reveals Reason For Leaving Scientology: "They Didn't Care About Doing The Right Thing"
By Nick Hill in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 27 February 2014
Leah Remini reflects on her decision to walk away from Scientology, which led to a reconciliation with the actress' mother, and an improved relationship with her family.
Leah Remini gets very candid about the controversial religion Scientology, which she was a member of since childhood.
The 43 year-old gained wide spread attention when leaving the Church of Scientology last summer (2013), but now she brands the movement as a total "lie", and even calls herself a "hypocrite."
For the first time since Remini's exit from the religion, she opens up about what made her decide to walk away, in an interview with BuzzFeed.
"I don't want to be known as this bitter, ex-Scientologist," Remini says. "I'm not trying to bash anybody and I'm not trying to be controversial. I just want people to know the truth."
Even though there were several factors that lead to her departure, the actress admits the main one was due to her 9 year-old daughter Sofia. The youngster was approaching the age of auditing, which is the process someone goes through before being allowed to become a member of the Scientology.
"In my house, it's family first-but I was spending most of my time at the church," Remini explains. "So, I was saying 'family first,' but I wasn't showing that. I didn't like the message that sent my daughter."
The former 'King of Queens' star lost many friends due to her actions, and quickly realized she could not make a change by herself, as "they only cared that their lives would be disrupted if they stood with me. They didn't care about doing the right thing."
"We had a chance to make a change from within, but they didn't want to," Leah continues. "That showed me they didn't actually care, which went against everything I thought we stood for."
However, as well as losing close companions after leaving the religion, Remini was also able to build bridges on others, especially with her mother, who she "resented" for spending more time at Church than at home during the actress' youth.
"The fact my mother stood by me after all her years in the Church totally took away any resentment I may have been harbouring," she recalls. "When it mattered the most, my mother was there for me. It was the moment that erased all those days she wasn't there. That moment proved to me she was with me. 'Ride or Die.'"
Remini was part of the Churhc of Scientology since childhood
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