Melbourne Australia - Scientology Dead Agent Material from Melbourne Australia Protest

'Pat Broeker', Sun 10 Sep 1995

From: windowssux@ibm.net (Pat Broeker)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Scientology Dead Agent Material from Melbourne Australia Protest
Date: 10 Sep 1995 06:27:07 GMT
Organization: Enturbulators Anonymous
Lines: 161
Message-ID: <42u0fr$n4c@harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au>
NNTP-Posting-Host: giaeb.cc.monash.edu.au
X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.92.6+

All material below this line was handed out to Melbourne protestors by
the Church of Scientology Reps.



Regarding the Church of Scientology


Dear Sir or Madam,

In the interests of presenting the truth about claims being
made, this flier has been prepared.

The Church of Scientology. What is it?

The Chrurch is an international religious body which was
formed to make the materials of Scientology Applied Religious
Philosophy broadly avaliable and to provide Scientology and
Dianetics counsellor training and pastoral counsellor 
services. The Church is manned by voluntary staff dedicated
to helping individuals to attain spiritual freedom and create
a world without war, crime or insanity.

Scientolgists recognise the value of L. Ron Hubbard's gifts
to mankind in developing these two disciplines and they take
responsibility to ensure the purity of his work. The
soundness and effectiveness of original workable
technologies can be degraded by interpretations or use by
untrained persons. Copyright protection has helped reduce the
number of imitations of the Church's services by unscrupulous
individuals who pirate works and alter procedures.


Confidential (sacred) materials.

A small body of L. Ron Hubbards research that concerns
advanced spiritual states is held aside by the Church and not
broadly distributed in the same way as the vast majority of
the Church's scriptures. This work is reserved by the Church
for those Scientologists who have passed through earlier
spiritual levels and have a thorough understanding of the
principles involved and are at a higher ethical level. All
Scientologists and former members of the Chruch are aware of
the sacred status of these materials and know that it is an
ethical transgression of the highest order to reveal these to
persons who have not been adequetely prepared or who are of
low ethical calibre. This is not unlike many other Churches.


Arnaldo Lerma is a former Scientologist who had disagreements
with the Church. He joined Larry Wollershiem (an ex-
communicated Scientologist who blamed and sued the Church)
and otehr similar persons in running a computer service
designed to spread negative material about Scientology to
users of the Internet.

Lerma and these others attacked Scientology publicly on the
Internet but Lerma was not content with simply vilifying his
former Church; he felt he had to publicly reveal the Church's
sacred materials and he did so. Far from being a matter of


<end page 1>



"free speech" this was actually an attempt to destroy by
holding up its beleifs to mockery.

Scientologists, bound by ethical codes to protect the
integrity of the scriptures used legal means offered by 
copyright law and brough suits against Lerma and others who
defied legal notices that they were to stop their
unauthorised re-publishings. Their supporters argued in the
Internet that it is permissable to violate copyright in the
"public interest" or similar fancy justifications but these
are nothing more than attempts to justify totally unethical
(and illegal) actions. These same individuals would no doubt
argue that individuals have a right to keep private
information protected, yet they will trample over the rights
of a religious group working dedicatedly to improve the state
of individuals and societies.


Protest.

The Church's action against Arnaldo Lerma is one of the main
reasons for today's protest, but the cries of "unfair!" are
not what they seem. While the internet is making broad
communication possible as never before, there is no reason
why social protections such as copyright law should be thrown
out as no longer being relevant. Technologies change but
basic ideas of what is right and what is wrong whould not be
so easily discarded.

Who is accusing whom? Tony McClelland (of Cult aware) has for
some time made other vicious and false charges against the
Chruch and offered "assistance" to families; but in this
regard I quote a letter from a young man in Brisbane who
experienced the effect of such accusations and "assistance"
first hand:

"Tony McClelland has slanderously misused information about
myself and my involvement with the Church of Scientology to
make it seem that the Church of Scientology is dishonest and
harmful. This was done totally without and approval from me
and I have expressly asked this individual on many occasions
not to publish information of slanderous or defamatory
nature.

"In many cases (McClelland) has gained the confidence of
members of the family. I personally know of four families
this individual has done this to. In each case, his
interference has been detrimental to the family."

A Melbourne woman wrote:

"However, I can't agree with your version of CultAware's
mission. CultaWare's (and McCellland's) mission is violation
of the religious freedoms and civil rights of others.


<end page two>



"I am an experienced teacher and grandmother of a Scientology
family. My daughter and her husband are happy and
enthusiastic Scientologists of many years standing. They
adore their young son and care for him in the best possible
ways. I was hurt and outraged when a total stranger to us
attempted to interfere in our beliefs and out lives."

Information

THe Church of Scientology in Melbourne, as elsewhere, is open
to any person who wishes to inquire about its aims and
philosophy, its work and procedures and the services
avaliable. If you want to clear up anything you have heard or
want more information about the Church itself or its social
improvement activities or about the claims made against the
Church, please contact me on the number below and I will 
provide any information you seek, either in person or by
correspondence.

We live in a world which is deteriorating in many ways. Some
people work to improve things. Are the others doing anything
about it?

Sincerely


Mary Anderson
Community Relations
Church of Scientology, Melbourne

(03) 6548970
(03) 6548655
FAX: (03) 6546460


<end page three>



Typos and grammar errors on the original document are included intact.