: The Reform of Scientology

The Reform of Scientology
From: Bob Minton  <bob@minton.org>
Subject: The Reform of Scientology
Date: 2000/01/14
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Organization: The Lisa McPherson Trust, 33 North Fort Harrison Avenue, 
Clearwater, Florida 33755  Telephone: (727) 467-9335 Fax: (727) 467-9345
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Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology


The Lisa McPherson Trust

33 North Fort Harrison Avenue
Clearwater, Florida 33755

Tel: (727) 467-9335
Fax: (727) 467-9345
Email: info@lisamcphersontrust.net
Web:  www.lisamcphersontrust.net


Our Mission Statement

To expose the abusive and deceptive practices of Scientology and to
help those who have been victimized by it. These were the final wishes
of Lisa McPherson's mother, Fannie, who died before Scientology was
held to account for Lisa's death.

Our Objectives

To accomplish our mission, we will demystify and thereby make
transparent the coercive processes and practices of Scientology. In
this way, informed consumers can make an educated decision about
whether Scientology can meet their psychological or spiritual needs.

We will expose Scientology's abuse of the human, civil and privacy
rights of its members and critics.  We will reveal its deceptive
advertising practices that border on consumer fraud. We will bring to
light those "religious practices" that violate civil or criminal law.
At the same time, we will respect the right of all Scientologists to
embrace any religious belief they may choose.

We will assist former Scientologists in recovering from their unique
personal experience with the abusive and deceptive practices of
Scientology.  We will offer counsel to Scientologists who choose to
hear the truth about how Scientology uses deceptive mind control
techniques. Our dedicated staff will provide the information, love and
support to Scientologists that will enable them to release the bonds
of cult mind control.

Finally, all of the people involved in the Lisa McPherson Trust will
respect the dignity and innate human goodness of all current, former
and recovering Scientologists.

                                        
Our Philosophy

The Board of Directors, Advisory Committee and staff of the Lisa
McPherson Trust include a number of former Scientologists who have had
firsthand experience with Scientology's abuse, and they are all in
some way still recovering from it. They are decent, caring and
compassionate human beings who have chosen to help others that have
made similar uninformed decisions about Scientology.  Moreover, they
are willing and able to share their innermost personal experiences in
the Sea Organization or as Public Scientologists in order to educate
and immunize others against the abuses and deceptions of Scientology.

Scientology draws its members from a broad cross-section of society,
and, like other destructive cults, uses a sophisticated combination of
deceptive recruiting methods, false promises, hypnosis, behavior
modification, sleep deprivation, dietary manipulation, information
control, phobia indoctrination and other mind control techniques to
entice and control its members. There is no shame in having been
seduced into a group like Scientology. Likewise, there need be no
reluctance to leave after discovering that the organization is not
capable of delivering on its promise of a "Road to Total Freedom."

Real freedom begins and ends with the never-ending quest of the human
spirit to be free. This perpetual quest is the single most important
factor that keeps mind control from being irreversible. Organized
Scientology's claim of eight million members is a deception. Informed
estimates indicate that there are at most 200,000 active
Scientologists in the world today. What is clear is that the vast
majority of people who try Scientology reject it, because this
organization does not deliver on its promises.

The Board of Directors, Advisory Committee and staff of the Lisa
McPherson Trust will do our part in Clearwater, Florida, to see that
the human spirit of all Scientologists will always have a pathway to
real freedom.

Lisa's Story

The story of Lisa McPherson's death broke in 1996, a year after she
died in the Church of Scientology's Fort Harrison Hotel after being
held against her will for seventeen days. As the details of her tragic
and senseless death began to be publicized, more and more people
across the country came together through the Internet to oppose the
abuses occurring in Scientology.

The Reform of Scientology

The Lisa McPherson Trust started operations in Clearwater, Florida on
January 6, 2000. It was formed after decades of exhaustive
investigation by media and government agencies as well as firsthand
accounts from hundreds of former Scientologists. For more than
twenty-five years there have been outcries that the Church of
Scientology abandon its abusive and deceptive practices. But until
now, there has been no formal organization committed to stopping these
abuses. The Lisa McPherson Trust was established for that purpose, and
we are now calling for the Church of Scientology to make the following
reforms:

1) Tell their members and the public the truth about the life of
    Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
2) Tell their members and the public the truth about true story of the
    history of Dianetics and Scientology.
3) Cease all illegal, unethical and harassing activities against their
    own members and those who criticize or disagree with Scientology.
4) Stop violating the civil and human rights of Scientologists and
    those who criticize or disagree with Scientology..
5) Stop practicing medicine without a license and preventing people
    from receiving proper medical treatment.
6) Stop using and abusing the legal system as a means of harassment.
7) Stop keeping the technology of Scientology secret if it truly has
    the power to help the human race.
8) Encourage Scientologists to speak freely among themselves. Urge
    them to communicate with family and friends, even those who may
    disagree with Scientology. End the practice of "disconnection."
9) Stop using private and personal material from confidential
    counseling sessions to blackmail, harass and intimidate.
10) Stop using duress to extract exorbitant sums of money from their

 members.

The Lisa McPherson Trust firmly believes in religious freedom for all.
But we do not believe that anyone has the right to engage in behavior
that violates other people's rights or the laws of the land.
ScientologistsThe Church of Scientology has have every right to
participate in the world's religious community in practicing their
sincerely held religious beliefs. However, the Church of Scientology
needs to cease its abusive and deceptive practices. 

Our Officers

Stacy Brooks, President
Jesse Prince, Executive Vice President
Kim Baker, Vice President
Mark Bunker, Vice President
David Cecere, Vice President
Brian Haney, Secretary
Duncan Pierce, Treasurer

Our Board

Peter Alexander 
Stacy Brooks
Gabe Cazares
Patricia Greenway
Brian Haney 
Jeff Jacobsen 
Rod Keller 
Kim Krenek
Dell Liebreich
Ed Lottick
BobRobert  Minton
Duncan Pierce
Jesse Prince

Our Advisory Committee

Gerry Armstrong
Ida Camburn
Priscilla Coates
Paulette Cooper
Ken Dandar
Ray Emmons
Steve Hassan
Keith Henson
Dan Leipold
Arnie Lerma
Frank Oliver
Margaret Thaler Singer
Lawrence Wollersheim

We trust that there are many who will join us in our crusade.

Bob Minton,
Chairman
The Lisa McPherson Trust