This is the commercial for Scientology that aired in a handful of local markets during tonight’s Super Bowl:

It’s the sixth straight year they’ve run an ad during the big game. The Church’s previous Super Bowl ads, however, always focused on human behavior and the sort of spiritual mumbo-jumbo you’d expect from someone like Oprah. So it’s an interesting strategy to encourage people this year to go online to find out the “truth” about the cult, considering that access to the internet has done more damage to religion than any force since the Scientific Revolution.

If people do go online to explore Scientology, though, let’s hope they discover some facts about the group. If you criticize the Church, you’re considered a “suppressive” person. If you condemn Tom Cruise, you’re considered “evil.” If you question the cult’s inner workings, you may be sued. If you question them at all, they think you’re a criminal.

It’s unclear how much was spent on the ad, but considering it wasn’t one that aired nationally, it’s probably nowhere near the $5 million+ paid by other companies blanketing the country with their products tonight.

(Portions of this article were published earlier)

