Jett Travolta's death sparks Scientology debate among readers

When The Juice published the news of the death of Jett Travolta, the teenage son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston on Friday, discussion quickly turned to Scientology.

Jett died after apparently hitting his head on the bathtub while the family was vacationing at their home in the Bahamas. The parents, both avowed Scientologists, are planning to have an autopsy performed on their son, who had a history of seizures.

Preston and Travolta have said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, an illness that leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children. The parents have blamed household cleaners and fertilizers, and said that a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to an Associated Press story.

The first tampabay.com reader to comment on the news, Jorge wrote: "Looks like Scientology didn't help him with that."

One reader, Jean, called Jorge's comment "hateful." Another reader quickly jumped in with: "That wasn't nice, this was his son.  I'm sorry to hear, no one should suffer a loss like that," Terri wrote.

Despite their calls for compassion, the debate continues to focus on Scientology, with many condemning the religion. "Scientologists don't believe in medical treatment, so I'm sure he was not on anti-seizure meds," Tin wrote.

According to the AP story, it is unclear whether Jett was taking any medications for his seizures.

Sue writes in defense of the Travoltas -- who live in Ocala -- and Scientology:

"What any of this has to do with the Church is beyond me. Albeit, they were members, so what? At a time like this, does it have anything to do with the child's accidental death? I personally have seen the Travolta's locally at the pool with their children and have never seen a more caring loving family.

Hundreds of people have posted condolences on a guestbook. Post your tribute to Jett.

AP photo

Comments

[Godless Heathen]

"It takes some level of IQ to believe in God. To be a scientologist (sp?) or atheist, take very little IQ."

This is without doubt the dumbest f#@king thing I have EVER read on here - and I've read some spectactularly stupid stuff by my fellow "readers."

[David]

Scientologists are well documented in their hatred of psychiatric medicine. They equal "psychs" with Nazis, mostly because of Hubbard's paranoid delusions of how they treated him.

They DO refuse modern medicine. They DO refuse anti-psychotic and anti-seizure meds to their "followers."

All because a grandiose nutcase was delusional about psychiatry.

Sad.

[anonymous]

"bonehead" wow such an explitive term, one of extreme intelligence. he who is in charge of the "caps lock" keydom.

["0"]

Yes the truth is that if anyone is still contributing to this line of BS, well..............

signing off permanently

[CTJ]

Sue, are you a bonehead and don't realize the Caps Lock key is on?

compassion please? You are in control of the keyboard, turn off the caps lock.

One and all can't you simply just reflect on a loss like this. Nothing more nothing less. No religion. Just a loss of a child, can't you all just reflect on what has really happened here, its not about anything other than "loss" a parent, relative, friend and even worse a child. Any mother who has carried a child for 9 months and bore that child healthy or not the loss of that is not definable. It is awful and unthinkable and unimaginable.

[KatOfTarpon]

It takes some level of IQ to believe in God. To be a scientologist (sp?) or atheist, take very little IQ.

[Sue]

Excuse my "cap locks" the message remains the same, some compassion please.

[CTJ]

Joseph, your poems suck

I remember when Clearwater was a lovely, quaint little place. Now I never spend a penny there. I don't want to support Scientology.I lived there for a short time and was continually accosted by them. The continual bad poetry shows your brain has been affected unless it was originally like that.

[R.I.P. Jet]

All you need to know about Scientology vs. medicine right here.

http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

Indeed it does Godless... indeed it does.

Hey, how about those monkeys at the zoo! False imprisonment I guess!

... simp

[Al]

All Religions are cults. Some are more mainstream because they duped more people earlier on. Santa, Xenu, God and the tooth fairy are all man-made.
If you believe in any of them, you are wasting valuable time living.

[Xenu]

Bow before me puny humans, lest I nuke more planets and bring the thetans here again!

Sue, learn to use your keyboard or give your machine to someone else. Anyone typing purely with ALLCAPS is considered a retard online, or someone who is SHOUTING. You ain't the latter.

[Godless Heathen]

"Good luck in hell… simp!"

So, being logical and looking to the physical universe for answers to life's mysteries makes ME the simpleton? Wow.

It takes a “little bit of logic” to be an atheist?

OK; I’ll give you that one. Good luck in hell… simp!

... oh, and Sue... lay off the happy juice toots!

[Godless Heathen]

Sue, when you're a celebrity who courts and welcomes all the good stuff that comes along with it (like a private resort home in the Bahamas, maybe?), you unfortunately get no privacy when tragedy befalls you. You may not like it, but it's the way of the world.

[Sue]

CAN YOU ALL STOP A MOMENT AND RESPECT THE FAMILY, THEIR PRIVACY AND RIGHT TO GRIEVE.

THE AUTOPSY WILL BE OUT.

BLAH BLAH BLAH, YOU ARE ALL BEING VERY RUDE AND INTOLERANT OF THIS FAMILY'S PAIN AND SUFFERING AT THE LOSS OF THEIR FIRST BORN SON.

[Godless Heathen]

Xenu, I generally agree, but here's the deal on Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...

[Godless Heathen]

"It takes a lot of “faith” to be an atheist!"
No, it takes just a little bit of logic.

[Xenu]

Slit Skirt, yes... Scientology is more weird than the mainstream religions. They believe that a galactic overlord named Xenu and 75 billion years ago he had a overpopulation problem so he sent his people on spaceships that look like DC-8. The spaceships went to Earth which they called Teegeeack and dropped off aliens in volcanoes around the world (Mount Hood and Killawaya are a couple). The aliens then died and turned into spirits called thetans. Which they were sucked up into giant soul cachers which they were tied up and brainwashed in big movie pic-tah theathers and saw images which are called engrams (of every world event). THen they were released and stuck into clusters in everybodys body. So now we have to get these thetans by spending 1000 dollars via their methods called auditing.

The Virgin Birth is peanuts compared to Scientology's Space Opera (which would be a watermelon)

[neil]

ALL religion is nothing more than myth and fairy tales. Religion is a crutch for weak minded people.

[Garreth]

All religions are cults that depend on belief in unknowable things. All force upon their adherents rules that prejudice and repress. There is no religion better than another.

The health of all people should be a concern to everyone. We should also be just as careful not to foist too much medicine on patients (Scientologists' perspective?) as we may be concerned about neglecting patients.

John Travolta and family, my condolences to you.

It takes a lot of “faith” to be an atheist!

Irony can be so ironic sometimes… don’t you think?…zzzzzzzzz… OUCH!

… damn, time for another lime jello shooter!