this is a special edition of "nightline." the father, the son and the faith. >> tonight the all out war been scientology's family. he's the unquestioned leader of the church. a secretive man who rubs shoulders with celebrities such as tom cruz. david miscavige hasn't spoken to since 1992 but now his father is speaking out against him. >> you called the book ruthless. >> yeah. >> that's a damming charge against your child. >> he wasn't always that child. >> ron miscavige said it's cost his relationships with his own daughters and tonight former signtologists complain their

families won't speak to them and they say it's because of one of the most controversial religions in the world. the church pushing back hard and tonight their efforts to discredit ron miscavige. >> ron's daughters have relayed they grew up in a house they would call the chamber of horrors. >> but the emotional reunion, the celebrity scientology person who also defected.

this is a special edition of "nightline." the father, the son and the faith. >> good evening. thanks for joining us. the church of scientology has dealt with many high profile defectors. but the father of the undisputed leader of the church quitting, leaving the church and having a war within scientology's ruling family. >> i have never met a more competent and more intelligent and more tolerant, more compassionate being. >> that is how tom cruise describes david miscavige, the unquestioned leader of

scientology, one of the most controversial new religions on the planet. >> it's a story that affects every scientologist. >> reporter: within the church, he's exalted. >> thank you. it's my pleasure. >> reporter: he rubs shoulders with celebrities such as cruise, john travolta and others. among some former members he's wildly controversial. >> he uses that power to hurt people. >> we were hoping to talk to david miscavige if he's here today. >> i don't think that's possible. today he's busy. >> reporter: miscavige is famously press shy. >> it's not cool to be set up here this afternoon. >> reporter: his live television interview nearly 25 years ago here on "nightline." >> if i may interrupt, there's a little bit of a problem in getting people to talk critically about the church of scientology because they're scared. >> no. >> reporter: but tonight new claims about the secretive world

of scientology and the man at its center. >> let's face it. scientologists have not been treated like members of religions ever. >> reporter: from an unusual source. you spent 12 years here? >> 12 years. >> reporter: ron miscavige, david miscavige's father is speaking out for the first time exclusively to abc news. you have written a whole book about your son, and you've called the book ruthless. it's a pretty damming charge to level against your own child. >> he wasn't always that way. >> reporter: roin miscavige said he wrote the book because of a policy called disconnection which he says tore his family and many others apart. >> i raised him and to come to this, what the hell is this? it's nuts. >> reporter: the church says ron's book co-written by a former church member is filled

with half truths and outright lies. >> it's in my view, a literary forgery. >> reporter: scientology granting us a rare interview with attorney for the church. >> reporter: what has david miscavige's response been to the book? >> on a personal level, i think he's very sad his father would do this. there seems to be no explanation exempt his father is trying to make a buck. >> reporter: while the church is attacking him, he's getting support from a prominent voice. >> i'm going to get there first. >> reporter: leah remny, former star of the king of queens who left the church and wrote a book called "troublemaker". >> you look like a million bucks. it's great seeing you. >> how are you? >> good. you're getting better looking. >> reporter: you haven't seen each other since you were both active scientologists? >> right.

>> he has a right to tell his story. i have a right to tell my story and so do thousands of others. >> reporter: this unusual family history and family feud is set in motion in 1968 when ron, the father of four, a salesman and aspiring musician starts dabbling in scientology after learning about it at a business meeting. >> there are certain ables in society which should cease and we're taking some responsibility for them. >> reporter: he says scientology works wonders for him. >> when i got into scientology, i felt i found what i was looking for. it had a lot of answers to life. on a basic level. >> reporter: so many answers, so many level-changing benefits. ron feels a duty as a parent to introduce his son david to scientology as well. he hopes somehow auditing, a sort of counselling can help

nine-year-old david with his asthma, and after his first session -- >> about 45 min huts later he walks out smiling, bright. what's happened. he said dad it's handle. >> so your view was his asthma was cured by scientology? >> let's put it this way. it mitigated it considerably. i think it was at that moment he decided he's going to do something like this. >> reporter: you think that was the key turning point in his whole life? >> i know it. >> reporter: at age 16 david miscavige joins the see organization, the religious order of the church and develops a close relationship with church founder, l ron hub bard. in 1986 when hub ard days, david takes control taking chairman of the board. by this time, david's father ron has also joined. quickly ron says he noticed his son's sharp edged new management

stage. >> he's tearing my apart backstage cursing, yelling, screaming at me. >> reporter: one night at a church event where ron is performing he says david gives him an extended tongue lashing with other people looking on. when he's scream agent you do you ever think i changed this guy's diapers? >> no kidding. of course i did. and that isn't the only time it happens. >> reporter: and he says life for members deteriorates. he describes crushing workloads, restrictive rules, a rigid lifestyle and a lack of sleep. >> as time went on, it slowly went downhill and got worse and worse. >> reporter: the church rejects the claims telling us long and hard hours and a restrictive lifestyle are part of the lifestyle they sign on for. >> they'll say it couldn't be a better place to work. these people have dedicated

their lives to something they believe in. they believe that scientology can really help mankind and the world in general. and they're working very hard at that. >> reporter: as for ron. >> he was working with first class musicians in one of the best studios in the world. he had nothing to complain about. >> my name is peter. i'm a song writer. >> reporter: the church sent us video testimonials from ron's former band mates. >> ron was an embarrassment to me personally and also letters in which the band mates call him lazy and crude, saying he used racial and ethnic slurs, was a poor musician and a disgusting pig. >> reporter: do you know of any other church that criticizes former members like the church of scientology does? >> i think it depends on the members. when the vatican gets attacked, they say something about the

attackers. >> reporter: if someone leaves the catholic church, do you think they're on this level? >> not if they go off and live their life? >> reporter: people leave and criticize the catholic church all the time. >> exactly, and i think if people in the church are asked for their opinion of this particular person, that you may well get the same kind of r criticism. >> reporter: this is the church itself asking videotaping it giving it to us. >> well, again, the facts are what they are. >> reporter: ron says the facts are that by 2012 he can no longer bear life in the sea organization. so along with his life who he married after divorcing david's mother. he quits. when leah remny hears that ron, the chairman of the board's father has left, she reaches out. >> i tracked him down. i called him. and i offered my support immediately because i know he

must have felt alone when leaving, and i just wanted him to know that we were willing to take them in. >> that's a big offer. what made you feel motivated to do that? >> because there is no -- there really is no place for them to go unless they have family. which is very rare, outside of the church. >> reporter: ron says quitting the church creates a whole new host of profound problems for him. coming up, it's father versus son as ron's departure exposes deep familial riffs erupting into public view. >> i've never met some of my great grandchildren. i don't know how many there are. that's terrible. that's why i'm doing this. >> reporter: stay with us. i'm mary ellen, and i quit smoking with chantix. i always came back to smoking. i was absolutely frustrated, absolutely.

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just last month in los angeles this billboard goes up condemning a scientology policy called disconnection where according to critics church officials pressure parishioners to cease communicating with family or friends who leave and criticize the church. >> i think it's terrible. i don't think you could do a worse thing to a person than have them split up their family so they won't talk to you anymore. you lose your children. and they do it. >> reporter: this is what ron says happens with his two daughters, denise and lori, not long after he leaves the church. >> they won't talk to me. my grandchildren don't talk to me, and i've never met some of my great grandchildren. i don't know how many there are. that is terrible. that is terrible.

okay? that's why i'm doing this, dan. >> reporter: you have a number of great grandchildren and you don't know the number? >> hang on a second. sorry. i got to get focussed. i'm sorry, buddy. >> reporter: no problem. this is tough. >> you're [ bleep ] right it's tough. >> reporter: scientology says this is a blatant example of ron telling the whole story. >> roin miscavige is saying his daughters were pressured to disconnect from him. it's not true. the church never entered into giving them pressure. >> reporter: ron's daughters declined an interview but through an attorney say they have good reasons to cut off all ties with their father. >> ron's daughters have relayed they grew up in a house they would call a chamber of horrors. >> reporter: they alleged he physically abused their mother and them as well striking them frequently with his fists and

belt. ron says he did spank the girls occasionally and sometimes struck his wife, but he says his daughter's claims are greatly exaggerated. >> i never thought they would resort to this. i knew i was going to be discredited, and david probably wrote this stuff. you come on television and confront me in person. >> reporter: his daughters tell us perhaps the last straw for them was when their father moved in with their older brother, ronnie , who they say abused them physically. ronnie miscavige wouldn't speak to us but ron addressed the charged. >> he denied it. when they grew up, i never heard any of it went on. >> reporter: as it was church, it says there is a policy of disconnection, but it's a voluntary choice of the members. not under pressure. >> they know the policy. it's a policy they want to abide by. they believe their spiritual

progress would be impeded if they continue to communicate with someone who just attacks the church nonstop. that's what they believe. so they can decide that they want to follow that policy. >> reporter: we gather a group of former sicientologists who show us photos of family members who they say have disconnected from them. the church denounces these people as enemies of scientology whose family members had ample reason to cut ties. >> this is my sister. >> these are my children. >> reporter: lori raises her chirn as sign tolgss but she says when the church and her ex-husband wants their children to drop out of school and join the sea organization, he objects. >> she says she wants to dedicate her life to scientol y scientology, the world is going to blow up. she was terrified to go to

school. >> reporter: three years later her son joins the sea organization. she starts speaking out against the church. in these texts from 2011 j she asks her son if she can visit him for mother's day saying i want to see you and i miss you so very much. he texts back and says what you're doing is not okay with me. if she wants to speak with him, she must get back in good standing with the church. >> i said i can't. just let me be your mom. i want to be in your life. >> reporter: as of now, both of her children refuse to speak to her. >> it's not right. what they're doing to families. it's not just my family. there's many families all around the world that are broken up to this disconnection. >> reporter: the church provided abc news with video statements from both of her children. >> she keeps going to the media and putting our personal information and our life for the world to see with false

information. which is just going to upset us. >> i don't believe that she really wants a relationship with me. i think it is more important for her to have the this vendetta against my church. >> reporter: when the church says to us this idea that we break up families is completely untrue, how do you respond to that? >> people are not lying. their pain is real. their daughters are not talking to them. their sons are not talking to them. there are people who don't know, have never met their grandchildren. these are -- this is real. it's a real thing. >> look, the reason i wrote the book is so i can do something effective to change that policy of the church which is disconnecting families from each other. that's why i'm talking to you here. >> despite all the nastiness now erupting into public view, ron miscavige insists he still nurses hope for reconciliation.

>> reporter: after everything you say has happened, can you forgive him? >> yeah. it's the only way anybody can move forward. >> reporter: ron said that he forgives his son. >> he has nothing to forgive. his son has done nothing to him but care for him. >> reporter: do you still love him? >> yes. hard to believe, isn't it? if he were here, and he would do it, i'd shake his hand and give him a hug. ♪ >> reporter: and we'll be right back.

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thanks for watching "nightline" tonight. i'll be back in the morning with good morning america.

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