From: scully3428@aol.com (Scully3428)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Why Am I Against Scientology?
Message-ID: <1998071700305600.UAA11881@ladder01.news.aol.com>
Date: 17 Jul 1998 00:30:56 GMT
I have never been personally in the cult. I have <thank goodness> never known anyone who was. So why am I, a simple woman in her mid 20s, involved in a fight against a so-called religion on the Internet and in real life, educating people about the dangers of Scientology among my family and friends?
My dad asked me this question today when he was on his way to bed. He understands the fight against cults, but doesn't understand why I've singled out Scientology in particular. It was hard to explain to him, and sometimes I can't explain it to myself why I got involved in this fight. All I know is that the whole thing touched off a nerve in me the more research I did on it.
It started after the Heaven's Gate suicides last year. I was going to create a web page dedicated to cults in general and how their beliefs compare to what the Bible says (I'm a Born Again Christian), so I started doing research here and there on different groups like Hare Krishnas, B'Nai B'Rith, Moonies and the like, just collecting materials on all these cults to use on the page. But when I got to Scientology, I just couldn't believe what I was reading. I had heard the stories very briefly about the war on the net with the church regarding some sacred documents, but didn't realize how widespread their terrorism on the net was until I read this nwesgroup for the first time. I started asking questions about things that I had read such as the incident involving the Judge's dog and so forth. Then I found the story of Lisa McPherson. And that was what made me realize that something needed to be done.
I've been on and off on my participation in this newsgroup (now on again after watching the Dateline NBC story they did on Bob Minton), and getting back into my research by reading "Dianetics" and "Fundamentals of Thought" for myself, trying to find out for myself why people get involved in these groups, and thinking of starting my own online group devoted to educating people about cults and Scientology in particular.
Then the incident started as I got back into my research: I posted in this room a story about my chat with my brother stationed out in California, and asking if anyone had a copy of OTIII for me to send to him to make him more educated about the group. Soon after that post was in the newsgroup, I got an e-mail from Helena Kobrin telling me to stop "soliciting copyrighted material". I found it amusing at first, then it made me mad to think that someone (or some organization) would try to stifle me from asking for information in a newsgroup on the Internet, a place that I've always considered the mecca for free speech.
So now, I'm in this for the long haul. I plan to picket next month in Boston. My resolve to start the online group to educate people about cults has gotten stronger to the point where I am planning everything out at this point, and I intend to tell all my friends and family about this group that promises "spiritual enlightenment", but in reality practices mind control and censorship of its critics. I've even started talking to people at work about it.
They can do what they want to me, but I can assure you, they can't do anything more to me than they could anyone else in this newsgroup. Unlike a lot of people, I have nothing to lose in this. And I intend to fight all the way until this group is no longer in existence.
So to answer the question my dad posed to me, why am I involved with fighting against Scientology in particular and not some other cult groups? Because they are the biggest cult in existence right now, they will do anything to censor the public about what really goes on inside the group, and I intend to make it known what they really do to their members.
Lori Ann Chauvette (SP4) *** ScullyToo@yahoo.com *** Lori Ann's Own Little Play
Place -- http://members.aol.com/scully3428/index.htm
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