Viral TikTok videos are circulating of people dashing through Church of Scientology centers in multiple cities. And while the Gen Z pranksters believe it’s harmless fun, the famously secretive religious group wants real consequences.
What are the videos about?
They feature participants “recording themselves ‘speed-running,’ as if in a video game,” through Scientology’s buildings, often “dodging screaming church members and security guards” until they are kicked out, said NBC News. The TikTokers are going inside these properties because Scientology is a “highly controversial organization known to be secretive, shrouded in darkness and mystique,” said Forbes.
The church, which has big-name celebrity followers like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, is often described as “shady at best” and reportedly believes in “space alien magic,” including an intergalactic warlord named Xenu, said Vice. And the speed runners are trying to “rack up as many social media validation points as they can” because of the religion’s unique nature.
The fad began in Los Angeles, including at the religion’s Hollywood headquarters. And the videos have since spread to other cities across the country and abroad. Detectives in New York City began investigating after “young people stormed and ransacked parts of the Church of Scientology in Midtown Manhattan,” said WABC-TV New York. And the fad had since gone international; chaos erupted in Vancouver when “hundreds of people, mostly youths, tried to force their way into the city’s Church of Scientology building,” said CBC News.
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What has the response been?
Church officials are taking the joke seriously, accusing the videos of being equivalent to a religious hate crime. Scientology buildings are “peaceful spaces designed to welcome parishioners, visitors and members of the public,” said Scientology spokesperson David Bloomberg in a statement to The Guardian. “Turning them into targets for viral stunts is not journalism, protest or civic activity. It’s trespass, harassment and disruption of religious facilities.”
After a speed-running incident in April, the Los Angeles Police Department began investigating the incident as an “alleged hate crime,” said the department to the Los Angeles Times. The LAPD “remains committed to ensuring the safety of all houses of worship.” The point of the speed runs is “raising awareness, getting people to ask questions, and of course, love of the game,” one person involved in the practice told the Times anonymously. “I enjoy questioning authority.”
Some Scientology buildings have removed their door handles to prevent people from entering the premises. And even some who were previously associated with Scientology have said the trend is harmful. Actor Leah Remini, who left the organization in 2013 and has accused Scientology of widespread abuses, lambasted the speed runners on social media.
Whether the speed runners are “doing it for social media clout or to genuinely expose the abuses of Scientology, what they are doing is unhelpful, and by engaging in these actions, they are unwittingly helping Scientology,” said Remini on X. Scientologists are “deeply indoctrinated and radicalized and believe they are helping people,” and “running through a building is not going to break that or lead them to reconsider what they have given up their entire lives for.”
