Scientology form letter

Revision as of 11:16, 31 January 2008

This page is to be a form letter to your local Federal Member of Parlement regarding the tax free status of the Church of Scientology.

Letter

Firstname Lastname

Street Address

Town/Suburb, State

Dear Name of Representative,

I am contacting you in regards to some serious concerns I have about the Church of Scientology (CoS) in Australia. My understanding is that the CoS enjoys a tax exempt status on the basis that it is a Religous organisation. The law defines a tax exempt religous organisation as 1 - belief in a supernatural Being, Thing or Principle; and 2 - acceptance and observance of canon of conduct in order to give effect to that belief.

My main concern is that these qualifiers of a taxfree status for religous oganisation are too broad and are easily taken advantage of. I understand that defining a religous organisation too finely can have an adverse effect, however, I would like to see ongoing oversight in the practices that exempt them from tax. My view is that the CoS has taken advantage of the broad definition of a religous organisation for the sole purpose of their financial benefit.

In Chapter 20 of the Report of the Inquiry into the Definition of Charities and Related Organisations of 2001, the Committee's conclusions say: "Organisations that have as their dominant purpose the advancement of religion are for the public benefit because they aim to satisfy the spiritual needs of the community". My understanding is that the CoS requires donations before being able to read the teachings. The CoS does not portray itself to be advancing their religion for the benefit of the community.

Moreover, if the community provides the CoS with a tax exempt status, the CoS should be accountable to the community. All of the financial records of the CoS should be available for public scrutiny. It is near impossible to find reliable information on where the tax exempt funds are spent. The CoS appears to have large sums of money to wage legal battles against information that may show them in their true spirit. The court cases against the publication of Andrew Morton's book and the attempts to remove a Tom Cruise video are both against the spirit of free speech and appear extremely wasteful when the CoS should be benefiting the community.

I would like to point your attention to the Anderson Report of 1965 by Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C., which was the basis of the prohibition of the CoS in the states of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia in the late 1960's. The enquiry was presented with documents revealing "a most alarming feature of scientology, namely, the tremendous power which the HASI is in a position to exercise over its preclears, for they contain the record of intimate disclosures made by thousands of preclears at a time when normal inhibitions and restraints were suspended and they were revealing their most secret hopes and fears, their shame and grief and guilt." These disclosures are carefully archived by the CoS and used for harrassment, blackmail and slander against members of the CoS that may want to leave the organisation and speak out against it according to personal accounts listed on www.xenu.net.

The Anderson report also says: "One of the great dangers of scientology is that it poisons the minds of its followers against the medical profession and generates an abhorrence of medical treatment generally, and psychiatric and psychological treatment in particular." and "Thinly disguised as something of quality and value, scientology has insidiously infiltrated the community. In reality it is a dangerous medical cult, with special though not exclusive interest in mental health, and it is concerned primarily to discredit orthodox medicine and psychology and in lieu thereof offer its deluded victims dangerous hypnotic and other techniques which falsely masquerade as scientific." These are qualities that definately do not benifit the community. The detriment to the community can be seen in the recent double murder in Revesby, NSW on the 5th of July, 2007, which was caused by the denial of psychiatric help by the teachings of the CoS.

The prohibition on the CoS was lifted only have a long and expensive legal battle, specifically the cases 1. Hubbard Association of Scientologists -v- Anderson (1971) VR 788; 2. Hubbard Association of Scientologists v. Anderson (1972) VR 340 [appeal of 1971 VR 740]; 3. Hubbard Association of Scientologists International v Anderson and Just (No 2) (1972) VR 577. Paulette Cooper outlines the arguments used to overturn the Anderson report in her book, The Scandal of Scientology. The reaction to the publication of this book by the CoS is most distrurbing. Operation Freakout mounted by the CoS to discredit Paulette Cooper by any means possible, including many illegal mean. These are not qualities of a religous organisation that is for the public benifit.

In conclusion, I am seriously concerned about the honesty and ethics of the CoS and it's conduct here in Australia. I implore you to take action against the tax exempt status of this so called church. The CoS is raising tax exempt funds and using them for mysterious and unknown goals. In addition, I implore you to seek more information and take action on the medical practices used and recommended by this group. Many countries in Europe are reviewing the status of the CoS and Germany has classified it as a business, even going as far as considering a ban. It is time for Australian law to recognise the CoS as a commercial enterprised, thinly disguised as a religion. L Ron Hubbard admitted himself in 1948: "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."

I look forward to hearing from you on this issue.

More to come?

Thank you,

SIGNATURE

Firstname, Lastname

Ammunition

Please list any information ammunition for this letter. The actual writing can wait. I am looking for information on their tax status and how they got it (litigation), why the CoS was banned in 3 Australian States and then unbanned a few years later, what the requirements are for an organisation to be a tax exempt religion, etc etc. Please hit the government websites and list the info here. This information can then be collated into the actual letter.

Charities Definition Inquiry Final Report

How do I get my hands on this document?

The Anderson Report 1965

Scientology cited in killings

Full text of The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper

Links

List of Federal Members by Electorate

PDF document with contact details of all Federal Members