Here's what's happening on the Scientology cruise ship, the Freewinds

This has led to a number of questions, including: Wait, why does Scientology have a cruise ship?

According to the church, the Free wind is less a holiday and more of a floating religious retreat center. Some former Scientologists have described it in harsher terms, but we'll talk about it later.

Once upon a time, Scientology had a fleet of ships, which was run by its maritime organization. The ships and crew helped Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard to "research" and oversaw church functions around the world, according to the church.

Scientologists compare the "Sea organ" members of a religious order, such as monks and nuns, who dedicate their lives to the faith, often working long hours without pay and living in community. the Free wind the church, she says, is made up entirely of members of the Sea Org, who wear breathtaking naval uniforms.

But there was another reason for Scientologists' methods of navigation, say scholars who studied the church. At the end of 1960s Several countries, including the United States, have begun to scrutinize the new Hubbard movement. He had been expelled from England in 1968, according to Hugh Urban, author of "Church of Scientology: History of a new religion. "

"Thus, Hubbard's transition to a sea-based organization during those years was clearly a part of his inability to function freely in many countries." Urban writes.

CNN asked the Church of Scientology but did not hear from its communication service.

On the high seas, Scientologists were almost free to do what they wanted and the floating religious retreat centers eventually became an essential part of their practice.

In 1985, the church would have bought the building built in Finland. Free wind, which once animated tourists on the Commodore cruise line. Since then, the ship has become her spiritual flagship and her mission is rather ambitious: "the Free wind does not look like any other place on Earth. It's really the beginning of a journey to eternity," says the church.

While what is happening on the Free wind?

Well, besides organizing a birthday party for Cruise, during which he took the mic for a, uh, energetic version of "Old Time Rock n Roll," what happens is a lot of intensive religious study. A church website describes the ship as a "A safe, aesthetic and distraction-free environment, suitable for managing this deeply spiritual level of hearing."

The audit, for Scientologists, is a practice by which an individual can get rid of "spiritual handicapped. "Holding a device called e-meter, which works like a kind of lie detector, the listener questions the audited, looking for areas of "spiritual distress."

The church describes the Free wind like a kind of moving Mount of Olives, the site of Jesus' ascension to heaven. It is the place where Scientologists can reach the highest level of spiritual realization, OT VIII, which means thetan Level 8. What exactly this involves is a mystery (and a bit of suspicion) outside of Scientology, but the church describes it as "the climax of a deeply spiritual journey."

"Years of training and auditing have brought him to this ultimate point. This is the most important spiritual fulfillment of his life and it brings about the full realization of his immortality," says the church.

It should be noted, however, that some former members have much less positive opinions about what is happening on board the ship. Free wind.

In 2011, an Australian said she was taken aboard the ship for what she thought was a two-week vacation. But this has turned into a form of bondage under a 12-year contract, the woman said.

This week, actress Leah Remini, a former scientologist turned fierce critic of the church, has made similar accusations about the Free wind on Twitter. Responding to a Newsweek article on the ship, she said: "This is the tip of the iceberg for which The Staff members Free wind, The ship of Scientology's horrors, must endure while serving people like Tom Cruise and David Miscavige," the current leader of the church.

Remini also said that the apparent measles epidemic this week aboard the Free wind challenges Scientologists' beliefs about their supernatural powers.

"The ship of Scientology, The Free wind, is where they reach one of the highest levels of Scientology and are supposed to be impervious to "Wog's disease,& # 39; " Remini wrote. "A Wog is a pejorative term used to describe all of you, all of whom are average human beings compared to a senior Scientologist."