Scientology's David Miscavige in 2004. (AFP/Getty)
Didn’t anyone tell The Atlantic never to side with Scientology? The Atlantic pulled an advertorial paid for by the Church of Scientology from its website Monday night, hours after it posted and received backlash. The post, which praised Scientology leader David Miscavige, had the look of a regular Atlantic article but with the banner “Sponsored Content.” “The driving force behind this unparalleled era of growth is David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion,” the ad read. The advertorial went up just days before New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright’s upcoming new history of Scientology, called Going Clear.