Mark Rathbun

Mark C. "Marty" Rathbun (born 1957) is an American former Scientologist who served as a senior executive of the Church of Scientology. He last held the post of Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), the organization that is responsible for the protection and enforcement of all Dianetics and Scientology copyrights and trademarks. As the inspector general, Rathbun led the RTC's international Inspector General Network, collectively responsible for internal maintenance and consistency of Scientology's practices and procedures in its organizations, and for ensuring perfect adherence to all Church policies as attributed to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Rathbun left the Church of Scientology in 2004 and became an independent Scientologist, later stating that he considers himself non-religious. Since 2016, Rathbun began criticizing former church members on his blog. He has also spoken out against prominent critics of Scientology, prompting speculation that he may have returned to the Church.

According to his official biography, Rathbun became a Church of Scientology staff member in 1978, and joined the RTC board in 1987. The biography also credits him with having played a major role in various Church victories, including the negotiation of the Church's tax exemption agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 1993. In 1998, Florida newspaper the Tampa Bay Times described Rathbun as "top lieutenant" to Scientology leader David Miscavige.

In 1997, The New York Times reported that according to an internal Scientology publication, Rathbun and Miscavige jump-started stalled negotiations over Scientology's tax status when they made an unscheduled visit to IRS Commissioner Fred T. Goldberg Jr. at the Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington in October 1991. The Church of Scientology and Rathbun later denied that there had been an unscheduled meeting between Goldberg, Rathbun, and Miscavige that day. The Church said that "While an internal publication of three years ago does recount Mr. Miscavige approaching the [IRS], it never states he was granted an unscheduled meeting on demand." Rathbun, in a separate letter to the New York Times, explained that the first meeting he and Miscavige had with Goldberg and other IRS officials was approximately one month after their impromptu visit to the IRS building.

As a Scientology spokesman, Rathbun commented to the same newspaper on the involvement of celebrities in Scientology, saying that "Scientology works for these people, and they just want to give to others what works for them. We don't give them a badge and send them out. They do it on their own." When discussing reluctance among some established churches to collaborate with Scientology under the umbrella of an interfaith organization, he was also quoted as saying that "Bigotry is born out of ignorance."

In May 2010, Rathbun asserted that during his tenure as Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center, Scientology leader David Miscavige issued him orders that the auditing sessions of celebrity Scientology member Tom Cruise be secretly videotaped. Rathbun had himself been the individual responsible for performing auditing counseling with Cruise. Rathbun wrote on his blog that he had been charged with auditing Cruise during the period in 2001 directly after he had separated from Nicole Kidman. Rathbun wrote, "I audited a number of intensives of confessionals on Tom Cruise from July through November 2001. ... By order of Miscavige many of those sessions were secretly recorded by a well-concealed video camera and voice recorder system built into the VIP auditing room at Celebrity Center International." Rathbun subsequently learned that transcripts of the videotapes of Cruise were brought to meetings where they would be discussed by top management of Scientology. Rathbun wrote that Miscavige would read out information from the reports about Cruise's auditing sessions: "While sipping scotch whisky at the end of the night, Miscavige would read Tom's overts and withholds ... joking and laughing about the content of Tom's confessions."

The nature of what was discussed in the confessional sessions by Cruise was not revealed. Rathbun ceased the filming of Cruise in 2002, because he felt it was unethical. Rathbun left the organization in 2004, and since then has given counseling to former members of Scientology. In a post on his blog, Rathbun wrote a statement addressed to Cruise: "Wake up, Tom. It is not too late. Though, time is getting very, very short." As of May 9, 2010^[update], representatives for Cruise had not yet responded to the statements made by Rathbun.

Lynn Hayes of Beliefnet discussed the revelations by Rathbun, writing, "Religion in any form provides a solid structure that can offer comfort and security, and departure from that security can be frightening and painful. As humans we always have a choice, and it will be interesting to see how Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology manage this revelation." El Tiempo commented, "Although Tom Cruise is a staunch supporter and defender of Scientology, apparently other members of this doctrine do not profess the same devotion to the actor."

Rathbun left the Church of Scientology in 2004 and offered counseling and auditing services for other Scientologists who have cut their ties with the Church. Initially, he considered himself an independent Scientologist, but now considers himself non-religious.