In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, "King of Queens" actress Leah Remini opens up about her decision to leave the Church of Scientology. Last year, news broke that Remini was splitting from the controversial religion.
The story made headlines and Remini said she spent most of last year "hysterically crying as friend after friend abandoned her for doing what she considered 'the right thing,'" Buzzfeed writes. Amongst those friends, many of which Remini had known for years, was actress Kirstie Alley who publicly lashed out at Remini on Twitter and during interviews.
At the time, Remini never really explained what prompted her exit from the Church but told Buzzfeed her 9-year-old daughter, Sofia, had a lot to do with her decision.
"[Sofia] was getting to the age where the acclimation into the Church would have to start," she said, explaining that the Church begins to question children in a sort of audit process at that age.
Some of the questions asked include: "Have you ever been a coward? Have you ever pretended to be ill? Have you ever decided you didn't like some member of your family?"
The actress said she recalled her own experiences in the Church as a child and didn't know if she wanted her daughter to have the same experiences.
"I started thinking of my own childhood and how I grew up resenting my mother because she was never home," she said. "It's funny; someone my father, the guy who left his kids and never paid child support, was excluded from my resentment and I grew up resenting my mother for not being home to make food, like all my friends' moms were. By my mom thought she was doing something good; she thought she was helping the planet. That's what the Church tells you."
According to Remini the Church operates under a "Church first" mantra which became harder and harder for her to agree to. Before leaving the Church she explained that she tried to fix things and stared talking to her Scientology friends about making changes within the Church.
Her attempts were often ignored so Remini said she finally made the decision to leave. However, that choice came with serious backlash and repercussions.
"That showed me they didn't actually care, which went against everything I thought we stood for... They didn't care about doing the right thing. That showed me everything the Church taught me was a lie," she said.
Despite everything she's been though the actress remains positive and continues to focus on her career and family.
