Mike Rinder is a former executive of the Church of Scientology who was removed from his position for incompetence and gross malfeasance. Despite generous attempts by seniors to help him straighten out and come clean, Rinder eventually deserted his church, his wife of over thirty years and his two children and skulked off. He ignored every attempt by his family to communicate with him and instead soon took up with a younger woman and became a used car salesman. After failing just as miserably at that career, Rinder threw in with another apostate, Mark “Marty” Rathbun. Together they are involved in a scheme to discredit the Church of Scientology and its leadership for the purpose of lining their own pockets.
A History of Neglect and Corruption
Mike Rinder has a weakness for status and the limelight. As a spokesman for the international Church, he was admittedly incompetent and in over his head, but also admitted that he was so slick, arrogant and underhanded that for years he hid it well, blaming his transgressions and incompetence on circumstances, other staff, even the press he was charged with informing. In truth, his history as a staff member was one of laziness, negligence and corruption aided by the fact that he was often in the field and able to fabricate events and his statistics to make himself look good. But the truth was ugly. During one aborted attempt to come clean, Mike Rinder wrote of himself:
“I fell asleep at my desk many times. This was when working on events—virtually every one I’ve done in the last 5 years. I was not confronting the writing of speeches. In fact, I was not wanting to confront what I was doing at the time—being irresponsible… I am now known for falling asleep. This has happened 50 times in the last 5 years and probably 20 times at my desk in the last 2 years.”
“I was very lazy and did everything based on the ‘seat of my pants.’ From the outset I have been off purpose and out ethics.”
“I wanted to be important and maintain my status and I put that well before the well being [sic] of the organization. I have been anti-organization. I have had to lessen the importance of the organization and group in order to continue to live with the overts [transgressions] I committed.”
“I avoided responsibility by deliberately remaining ignorant of situations, hoping that a junior would handle them. This ‘it’s got nothing to do with me’ attitude in flying my hats right up the Org Board. This was motivated by a cowardly desire to have someone other than me to blame if the situation blows up. It ignored the actual consequences, because when these situations explode, it has always been Chairman of the Board who handled them… I have done this many times throughout the years—from legal cases to media situations and government attacks.”
“The cost to the Church through my neglect of situations has been huge, because these situations have blown up and turned into hugely expensive matters in terms of both money and distraction.”
— Mike Rinder
Rinder’s list of transgressions goes on and can be viewed here.