Scientology Targeted "South Park" Creators After Spoof Episode

Long before Trey Parker and Matt Stone were Tony Award winners for skewering Mormonism lovingly, they were causing controversy within Scientology. Specifically, a 2005 episode of South Park which poked fun at Scientologist beliefs along with many of its practitioners (Tom Cruise, obviously, and John Travolta, to name two). 

The airing prompted Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist who had voiced the role of the Chef for many years, to quit his role. Cruise threatened to stymie publicity efforts for Paramount Pictures' Mission Impossible III if the episode was re-aired on Comedy Central (both were Viacom holdings; it was not rerun).

But that wasn't the only backlash. Today the Village Voice points out that Marty Rathbun, defected Scientologist, has published an alleged internal memo that says Parker and Stone were targeted for their humorous critique of the famously insular religion:  READ MORE