Clear Water Final

Caleb Dowdy Professor Lewandowski ENC 1101 December 3, 2009 Clearwater’s Cult: Scientology “There is a cancer at the core of Scientology and that has not changed.”(Childs, 2009) That was an editorial quote from the Truth Rundown, St. Petersburg Times series. The Church of Scientology is protected in the US by the 1st amendment giving them the legal immunity they need to be considered a religion, but Scientology should not be considered a religion because Scientology is a dangerous cult designed to scam people out of their money and break up families. The Definition of a religion is a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons. The term “Religion” can be used when referring to the individual or group practices, and goes by several different names, such as “faith” or “belief system”. As Americans citizens can believe in what they want to believe in. This is how Scientology was formed, and protected under the first amendment. The first amendment states, “Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion.” This grants a new religion the legal immunity to create and establish their set of beliefs. (Convention, 2008) “If you want to make a little money, write a book. If you want to make a lot of money, create a religion,” that was a quote from the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology should not be considered a religion because Scientology is a scam designed to take money from innocent families. Scientology is not designed for the financially weak, with costs ranging from $16.95 for the Dianetics handbook, to $220,000 required donation to take a two-year, 16-course upper-level training program, called the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course. Another example of why Scientology should not be considered a religion is the cost of taking their beginning auditing sessions on Dianetics through the church. The cost of only a week of beginning auditing sessions comes with a price tag of $200 (Tobin, 2009) The most important reason Scientology should not be considered a religion is because Scientology is a dangerous cult. According to the Scientology doctrine, people who criticize the Church of Scientology practices or policy are criminals. Critics of these policies, former members, or people in the church who fall out of favor with the church are declared “Suppressive Persons” (SP). The following is an excerpt regarding SPs from HUBBARD COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE POLIC LETTEROctober 18, 1967 ENEMY SP Order. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed. (HUBBARD, 1967) Scientologists will deny that this policy exists, or they’ll claim that it was cancelled. In reality only the term “Fair game” was cancelled due to PR reasons, the policy

Caleb Dowdy Professor Lewandowski ENC 1101 December 3, 2009 itself remains unchanged and in effect. Another example of why Scientology should not be considered a religion is because of the “Lisa McPherson Trials”. 17 days before she died Lisa McPherson was in a minor car accident amounting to nothing more than a finder-bender. She was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where doctors discussed having her committed for psychiatric evaluation under Florida’s Baker Act. Lisa was instructed to deny medical attention and use the Churches services instead, because the Church of Scientology considers psychiatry and psychiatric drugs evil. Instead the church offers a less intrusive and more humane treatment plan. Lisa McPherson, 36-years-old, spent 17 days in a guarded room at the church’s Fort Harrison Hotel. When this less intrusive treatment plan had all but killed Lisa McPherson, they ordered her to be taken to a hospital. Lisa died in the back seat of a van that was driving her to a hospital in the next county, passing 4 other hospitals on their route. The coroner’s report stated Lisa was underweight, severely dehydrated, hundreds of bug bites and bruising all over her body. This was just an average fender-bender; she did not have to die.(Jacobsen, 2008) As time magazine put it Scientology is “The Thriving cult of Greed and Power.”(Behar, 1991) Although the definition of a religion is a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices, Scientology should not be considered a religion for two main reasons. The first reason being Religion should be free and Scientology isn’t. However the most important reason is Scientology is a dangerous scam designed to take money from innocent families. The so called “Church of Scientology” is nothing more than a cult, using the tax break that religions receive for being nonprofit organizations.

Works Cited Childs, J., & Tobin, T. C. (2009). Scientology: The Truth Rundown, Part 1 of 3 in a special report on the Church of Scientology. St.Petersburg Times . Convention, D. o. (2008, December 5). GPO access . Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/019.pdf HUBBARD, L. R. (1967). HCO Policy Letter. HCO Policy Letter Issue IV (p. 1). Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex: L. RON HUBBARD. Jacobsen, J. (2008, October 3). Lisa McPherson Memorial Page: killed by the Church of Scientology. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.lisamcpherson.org/ Tobin, T. C. (2009, June 22). Death In Slow Motion . St. Petersburg Times , p. Not in consecutive order.

Caleb Dowdy Professor Lewandowski ENC 1101 December 3, 2009