It seems like this thread is based on a "blame everything bad on Scientology because we don't like them" attitude. I am no fan of Scientology but the conclusions drawn by the OP are formed on whole lot of baseless speculation. This thread just stinks of personal attack agenda.

Originally posted by Terapin
It is very sad that Jett died at such a young age. Any death is tragic, but when a parent has to burry their child, it is doubly so. I just wonder how things might have been if instead of hiring nannies and vacuuming the carpet, if they had instead spent the money on professional therapists who had experience with Autistic children. Ignoring his Autism certainly did not make his life any better.

And Yes, Christian Scientists are not the only religion that believes in the power of prayer instead of the science of medicine. Scientologists, not to be confused with Christian Scientists, believe that they are Alien Ghosts, (Thetans to be exact,) and that things like Autism do not exist. They also believe that if you reach level OT-8 in the Cult, that you can fly.

I wonder if Tom Cruise can fly yet? So far, I have only seen him get slightly airborn when jumping on a couch.

[edit on 3/1/09 by Terapin]

Wow.

So you are entitled to be the judge, unequivocally, as to what made another man and his childs life, better or not, despite having never met either of them.

Then, from merely wondering about whether they hired professional therapists instead of nannies and carpet cleaners (while making a ludicrous suggestion through your wondering that they were a replacement for them) you can suggest that their religious beliefs might have had a part to play in this teenagers death.

Wow.

No evidence, pure speculation and a lack of integrity by using the death of a scientologist's teenager to manipulatively promote your issues with scientology. They are not the same thing.

Classy.

The negative responses in here are beginning to get amusing.

Do I think that John and Kelly did not love their child? I am certain that they fully loved Jett as much as any parent loves their child, and that they felt like they were doing everything that they could for him.

Do I think that they deliberately caused harm to their son. No. I never said that. I am certain that they would never willingly seek to cause harm to Jett or anyone. John and Kelly are two peaceful and loving, well meaning individuals.

Do I think that Jetts death was something more sinister than just a tragic accident. No. Jett fell in the bathroom, hit his head, and died from the trauma, and that is exactly what I assume the autopsy will show.

People make the assumption that I am simply reading supermarket tabloids, and that I have no understanding of the issue. You all saw the thread topic, and some then came in here to complain. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to be here as there are plenty of other threads on ATS. Some assume that I am simply bashing for the sake of bashing, and kicking John Travolta when he is down. They choose not to see the issue.

John and Kelly loved their son just as as everyone loves their child and the death of Jett is indeed a sad and tragic accident. I do know however that because of their cult beliefs, Jett did not receive all the medical care he could have had. Scientologists believe that Autism does not exist. They believe the problem is simply that his inner Alien Ghost (Thetan) is confused and out of contact with the body. They treat Autism, and all mental illnesses the same way. Detoxification and vitamin packs. Period. Despite six pediatricians diagnosing Jett with autism, Cult beliefs prevented Jett from having professional therapists and medication for autism. John and Kelly continued to deny Jetts autism and stuck with explaining his health problems as a side effect of Kawasakis Disease. That... is the issue. It is clearly stated in the OP. That is the discussion. Not about the love of a parent for their child, and the sadness of the tragedy, that is without dispute. The subject is, Cult beliefs which result in the denial of appropriate medical therapy.

Many seem to make the assumption that I don't know what I am talking about, that I know nothing about John Travoltas life other than what one may read in a supermarket tabloid. They may be surprised to learn that I work in the entertainment industry, that I have worked for Disney, Universal, Viacom, etc., and may just have a bit more personal experience and insight into the life behind the story. Assume what you wish to.

Feel free to come in here, knowing the topic of the thread, and to simply post negative comments. You can choose to deny that Scientology had a definite impact on the quality of Jetts life all you want. I know the truth. I choose to deny ignorance.

Scientology limited the caliber of care that Jett received. Scientology has done so with other individuals, and sometimes it has directly lead to their death. It will happen again unless people speak out.

So, attack the thread. Drink the Kool-aid that Jim Jones offers you. Pray for John and Kellys soul and perhaps they may wake up. Remember, they still have another child. What happens when she may need medical attention in the future?

For the rest of you who know how dangerous the cult of Scientology truly is, keep educating others and Deny Ignorance.

Originally posted by zerotime
It seems like this thread is based on a "blame everything bad on Scientology because we don't like them" attitude. I am no fan of Scientology but the conclusions drawn by the OP are formed on whole lot of baseless speculation. This thread just stinks of personal attack agenda.

The reason why some are blaming the CULT is because of its teachings in regards to medical care. If the Travolta's neglected to give their child medical care due to their Scientology beliefs, then they should be held accountable and so should the cult.

THAT is why there is a connection with the story and the cult.

Now with that said, until there is an autopsy and people start speaking....we have no idea if their son was receiving proper medical care or not for whatever condition he had. We just dont know.

But if there is a history of this cult and others having deaths due to medical care neglect then IMO, its a valid point to discuss.





[edit on 1/4/2009 by greeneyedleo]

Originally posted by Terapin
Scientology limited the caliber of care that Jett received. Scientology has done so with other individuals, and sometimes it has directly lead to their death. It will happen again unless people speak out.

Whether or not they "believed" in autism is besides the point. There is NO CURE for it. The kid had a decent quality of life, it is not like he did not receive any therapy and was simply locked in a closet, or shut away in an institution.

They gave him a lot of attention, took him everywhere, hired people to help watch over him. Perhaps if he had treatment he might have been "somewhat" better but all things considered I don't think it really matters. He was NOT abused, he was not shunned because of his condition, he was apparently adored, and he lived a good quality of life.

I don't know why it hasn't already been mentioned here that Jett had taken anti-seizure medication- Depakote- which he had been taking for years, and initially it worked, but after some time his body became tolerant to the effects and it was no longer working, he was still getting the seizures so with the advice of the neurospecialist who were guiding them they took him off a med that was no longer able to stop the seizures anymore.

Terapin you seem to be on top of this whole story, but yet I didn't see you mention this fact, which had come out hours earlier today. We don't know for sure if a head injury or a seizure caused this passing. But from the statements from friends and relatives, it seems that John cared about this kid vary much and did try his best. We don't know if this kid has special allergies or whatnot- it seems from a young age he was affected by toxins.


I've seen some really nasty stuff said about this kid such as a few comments s " John's retard" and somebody made a video on youtube joking that his father beat him with a bat and making real nasty comments.

This is a sad story, an accident, and obviously the parents did try to help their son... and it's too early to point fingers and say that they did not just because their choice of religion. Just because he would not parade his son around too much , does not mean he was embarrassed of him, the flashing lights from paparazzi can induce seizures as well. We don't no yet if he had some rare disease.

Originally posted by Terapin

Yes, there is no cure for Autism, but there most definitely is treatment and therapy. There are also medications that would have treated his seizures so that he was not having massive seizures every four days. What kind of quality of life could it be if he was constantly having seizures?

Some individuals who are given proper therapy for their autism make remarkable progress.

Well if he was able to live a reasonable life, and those around him were not suffering, I don't see what the big deal is whether he received therapy for autism or not. Why should he? Just so he could seem "more normal"? His parents were in a position to take care of him well for his entire life, regardless.

And drug resistant seizures are apparently not that unusual:

While about 80 percent of people with epilepsy gain significant relief from drug therapy, the remaining 20 percent have seizures that cannot be controlled by medications. Many of these people have a particular type of epilepsy called partial epilepsy. A new study shows that people with partial epilepsy often have seizures controlled by medications for years before their seizures become drug-resistant. The study also found that periods when seizures stopped for a year or more are common in these patients.

If fell in my bathtub about two weeks ago.

Fortunately, I was not seriously injured, but it was a quick and painful reminder of how it is that so many people meet their demise in bathtubs or from injuries sustained in bathtub falls.

So little seems to be known about this child or his condition or conditions that it does not seem proper to speculate prior to the release of autopsy results.

I don't have any conditions that caused my fall, but it could have been fatal, if only one or two variables had been different.

It's not right at this juncture to be pointing fingers at this family.



[edit on 2009/1/4 by GradyPhilpott]