N. H. I.

The article is about Milton Katselas, an acting coach in Los Angeles who is also a devoted Scientologist. Listen to the podcast now—read the article this weekend. Scientology has been called a cult, a sect, a destroyer of families. It has been parodied on South Park, and it had to fight a lengthy legal battle with the IRS to gain tax-exempt status. It has also been hailed by celebrities like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Kirstie Alley as the religion that changed their lives. I sat down with John Carmichael, a thoughtful, middle-aged Cornell alumnus who heads the Church of Scientology’s branch in Times Square, and he did his best — what Scientology’s opponents would call his biased, self-serving best — to help me separate fact from fiction. I found the discussion illuminating, a focused look at a Scientologist who is not a celebrity and clearly not a cultist either. And you can subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode!