Lies Debunked: Scientologists In the Know

Scientology's® Claims

From: publicrelations@scientology.org
Subject: Scientologists In the Know
Date: 2000/01/27

Dear All,

I have seen it claimed here that Scientologists "are not told what is really going on inside the Church." There are variations on this, such as that Scientologists are not told about the litigation or are given only a rosy picture when the truth -- the poster alleges --is different.

These claims are false for several obvious reasons.

First, "what is going on in the Church", according to the posters who make that claim, is always what the "critic" claims it is. But the "critics" are invariably a) expelled Scientologists who have not been inside a Church of Scientology for years, or b) individuals who have never been Scientologists and who wouldn't know anyway. The first category interprets their experiences in a way to justify themselves and their departure from the Church, exactly as the distinguished sociologist of religion Bryan Wilson found apostates do.

The second category doesn't know, having never been inside the Church, and are compelled to rely on the claims of apostates. They usually have their own axes to grind.

Now, if it were really true that allegedly horrendous things were happening inside the Church of Scientology, you can be absolutely sure of one thing: the Church would not exist. No organization responsible for one tenth of one percent of the acts that have been alleged against it on this newsgroup would have survived a year, let alone 40 years AND expanded into more than 120 countries. The courts and governments of this planet have been notoriously intolerant of new religions and certainly would not have given the Church of Scientology any leeway. If there were any truth to these allegations, they would have been investigated by the authorities, the individuals responsible brought to justice and the Church closed down.

But this hasn't happened. Instead, the Church has been recognized by courts all over the world as a religion and has been fully acknowledged by the IRS as an organization organized and operated "exclusively for religious and charitable purposes." It has grown to an international movement with more than 2,300 churches, missions and groups all over the world. Scientology materials have been translated into more than 30 languages.

So there must be a great deal more to Scientology than is recognized on this newsgroup.

Scientologists, of course, know this. That is why they are Scientologists. It is also one reason why most of them don't bother posting here.

The second point is that Scientologists attend their Church regularly and also go to several annual events where they are briefed on the latest developments by international management. Many parishioners personally know the Church's leaders, who do not hold themselves aloof but mix and mingle freely with the membership. While many of those on ars who make allegations against Church executives hide behind anonymity, the Church's leaders are highly visible and prominent.

Given this degree of interaction, if the Church's leadership were really engaging in the acts alleged on ars, than the membership would have picked up that something was amiss. Instead, surveys of Church membership show that parishioners hold the Church's leading executives in very high regard personally.

There is a quality known as sincerity and it communicates more powerfully than words alone. The sincerity and dedication of the Church's management is self-evident in the actions they have taken over the years to make Scientology available to parishioners and the general public, to upgrade the quality of religious counseling and training and to renovate and restore Church buildings, including the homes of staff members. This care is why parishioners trust them with the safety and growth of the Church.

As for the claim that Scientologists are prevented from learning of allegations made against the Church, it is self-evidently untrue. Scientologists have known about these claims for forty years. They are sick of hearing them, which is why you do not see more Scientologists on ars.

Scientologists heard these allegations in the US in the 1950s when the AMA and the APA were trying to shut down the Church.

They heard them in Australia in the 60s when a witchhunt developed in Victoria when led to a ban on the word "Scientology."

They heard them from the IRS in the 1980s as corrupt officials from the tax agency collaborated with money-motivated apostates to bring the Church to its knees through heresy trials.

And today, in the 1990s, they hear them in Germany from bigoted and intolerant government officials who have not learned the lessons of their own country's history.

And yet what has been the outcome of these battles?

The Church has gained full religious recognition in the U.S. from numerous courts. The psychiatrists who originally attacked it are now the ones under investigation for their own crimes against humanity.

The unconstitutional law "prohibiting" the practice of Scientology in Victoria and West Australia was repealed, the Deputy Premier of West Australia personally apologized and in 1983 the Church gained full religious recognition and tax exemption in a unanimous decision of the highest court in Australia -- and then went on to accomplish important reforms in the field of mental health.

The IRS granted the Church full tax exemption in October 1993 after an examination of unprecedented scope and thoroughness.

The battle in Germany is still being waged. But it too will be won. Several international human rights organizations as well as the U.S. State Department have communicated to the German government their concern at the systemic discrimination against Scientologists in that country.

Robert

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