Recently it was revealed that the Church of Scientology may have investigated Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the hit animated television show South Park. The church looked into the duo as a form of payback after they released an episode in which they made fun of the religion.
The new revelation came to light when an individual posted internal church documentations online this past weekend. Marty Rathbun, who left the church in 2004 after being devout for many years, leaked a document on his blog in which it was suggested that followers of the church probe Parker and Stone as a form of retaliation. Members were to look extensively into their backgrounds as an attempt to gather any damaging information.
The church was furious after the airing of the South Park episode “Trapped in the Closet”. In the episode, Stan joins the church and is deemed as the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. Throughout the episode, notable hollywood actors who follow the religion, John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and singer R. Kelly make appearances. Overall, the episode mocks the religion itself, as well as uses the R. Kelly song “Trapped in the Closet” to make fun of Tom Cruise and his sexuality. Despite much controversy, the episode was nominated for an Emmy.
Additionally, Rathbun has alleged that the Office of Special Affairs (OSA) for Scientology wanted its members to “conduct public-record checks of friends of Stone and Parker, hoping to find irregularities or vulnerabilities, such as evidence of arrests, divorces or tax problems.” The church went on to physically name some friends of Parker and Stone to investigate as well. The church also debated the use of “special collections” in order to collect more findings. According to Rathburn this includes, “digging through trash to find dirt in phone records, bank records, personal letters, prescriptions taken, etc.”