FULL STORY

I stand by my opinion that Scientology is a cult

Jim Beebe
Northbrook, Ill.
Letter to the Editor

Posted on Friday, August 16, 2002

I must respond to the malevolent letter written about me by Mary Anne Ahmad of the Chicago Church of Scientology. I find it shocking that The Times would print such a slanderous letter.

Nothing I had written could match the vitriolic hatred in these two sentences in her letter, published July 31: "The July 28 letter from Jim Beebe is the trademark of someone who lives his life filled with hatred. He is an authority in hatred."

Mary Anne Ahmad wrote that I worked for the "now-defunct, anti-religious group" called the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) until its bankruptcy filing in 1996 and that a Seattle Christian was awarded a large sum of money in damages from CAN "for the organization's participation in his kidnapping and holding him against his will."

I did work as a staff member with the Cult Awareness Network. This was an enlightening, educational and disturbing experience. I learned firsthand of the havoc wrought by destructive groups and cults. I talked with desperate parents, husbands and wives from around the country who had a family member lured into a coercive, mind-controlling cult. The network got the most calls of concern about the Church of Scientology. An extensive campaign of harassment initiated by the Church of Scientology forced CAN into bankruptcy.

It's interesting that Ahmad would accuse me of denigrating religious projects. I found from personal experience when I was a Scientology member that Scientology tries covertly to subvert various religious groups. I was in Scientology when founder L. Ron Hubbard realized he could get out of paying taxes by declaring his Scientology-Dianetics concoction a religion. We were told to wear clerical collars and call ourselves ministers so the public would perceive us as a real church. It was a farce then and a dangerous con now.

Ms. Ahmad said the Church of Scientology has long been the front-runner in ridding the world of drugs and that 100 percent of Scientologists are drug free. She said Narconon was founded in 1966 by an inmate in the Arizona State Prison and based the program on the research and writings of Hubbard.

I found firsthand from personal experience that Scientology's Narconon is a phony drug rehab program that is used to recruit people into Scientology. Narconon uses untrained Scientologists with uncertified procedures and charges staggering fees. Many parents have paid $20,000 and sent their kids to Naroncon only to find later that their kids were recruited into Scientology.

The rest of Ahmad's letter has more remarks that should be addressed, but I have chosen the comments that pertain to the interest of the public at large rather than her personal grudges against me.

Jim Beebe

Northbrook, Ill.

[TheTimesOnline.com]

Letter to Editor.

I am dismayed --- indeed, even a bit irate --- at Ms. Ahmad's vulgar and choleric tirade against the human rights activist Jim Beebe. I have read hundreds of articles written by Mr. Beebe, totaling hundreds of thousands of words, and he has never given the slightest hint of being "hateful" as Ms. Ahmad asserts. Of a certainty, Mr. Beebe has consistently demonstrated his vast compassion and humanitarianism, his empathy for all human beings, his love of liberty, his passion for defending civil and human rights, and his support of community. His words and his deeds, during the six years that I have "known" him (through his public writings, his public speeches, and his private correspondence), all demonstrate

that he is a white knight in the war against human rights abuses. To have Ms. Ahmad characterize him as anything less than a living saint is an outrage! Mr. Beebe only knows of hatred from his being subjected to it; the trait is not itself found within him.

Ms. Ahmad also characterized the Cult Awareness as "Anti- religious." C.A.N. was not against religion: it was against the crimes and human rights abuses that some churches committed (and still commit) against their own members. The vast majority of C.A.N. members were deeply religious. To assert Mr. Beebe's criticism of criminal and abusive behavior is "anti- religious" is absurd: it is tantamount to asserting that committing crimes and abusing people is a "religious right!" It is not, as the United States Justice Department has consistently held.

Molko v. Holy Spirit (46 Cal. 3d 1092; 762 P.2d 46; 1988 Cal. LEXIS 236; 252 Cal. Rptr. 122) to wit: "However, while religious belief is absolutely protected, religiously motivated conduct is not." (Sherbert v. Verner (1963) 374 U.S. 398, 402-403 [10 L.Ed.2d 965, 969-970, 83 S.Ct. 1790]; People v. Woody (1964) 61 Cal.2d 716, 718 [40 Cal.Rptr. 69, 394 P.2d 813].) "Such conduct remains subject to regulation for the protection of society." (Cantwell v. Connecticut, supra, 310 U.S. at p. 304 [84 L.Ed. at p. 1218].)

It is disingenuous for Ms. Ahmad to ignore the criticisms against Narconon that Mr. Beebe brought up, but, rather, attacked him personally. The independent study Ms. Ahmad mentioned found Narconon's "success rate" to be 6.6%, not the "84.6%" Ms. Ahmad falsely claimed. This study observed 61 people who had been subjected to the "treatment." Of those 61 people, only 4 admitted they were not back to abusing drugs a year later--- a "success rate" of 6.6%. The study was performed in May of 1981, by social worker Peter Gerdman in Stockholm. Swiss doctors, such as Dr. Vigilli Venzin, stated emphatically that Narconon's "treatment" is "... absolute rubbish and medically questionable."

Scientology Inc. refuses to allow independent studies of Narconon and its "success rate." Flat out REFUSES, and no amount of begging has been able to sway them to allow such tests. This is excellent evidence that the Scientology organization knows full well that their Narconon "treatment" is worthless.

The Narconon "treatment" has been universally condemned by the medical community throughout the world as both dangerous and worthless. The Oklahoma State Board of Health stated:

"Moreover, the multiple findings of fact heretofore entered by the Board establish that Narconon's program is not safe.

"[....] The Board determines that the Narconon Program is not effective in the treatment of chemical dependency.

"The Board concludes that the program offered by Narconon-Chilocco is not medically safe.

"The Board has reviewed the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted by the Department and Narconon. Any proposed finding of fact and / or conclusion of law inconsistent with those entered by the Board is denied.

"Certification is denied."

The State of Utah ceased sending new victims to Narconon once it discovered that Narconon is merely a recruiting front for Scientology. This story was aired on FOX News-13 Tuesday February 22, 2000 at 9:00PM MST and had several follow-ups during the week after.

----
http://desertphile.org
Terrorists do not frighten me. George Bush does!

Go Back