Tom Cruise and Scientology in the December issue of GQ: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041115/nym199_1.html

My letter to GQ follows:

I just read the December GQ article about Tom Cruise. When he stated in People Magazine that his dyslexia had been cured by Scientology's "study tech" in 2003, it created a furor in legitimate circles.

"There is not a lot of science to support the claims that the teachings of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard are appropriate to overcoming dyslexia," said J Thomas Viall, executive director of the International Dyslexia Association.

There is not a lot of science supporting any of the other Scientology programs Cruise endorses. His donations and endorsement of the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, for example, is nothing more than the thoroughly debunked and dangerous Purification Rundown, a melange of pseudoscientific drivel from science fiction writer and college dropout L. Ron Hubbard.

It's also L. Ronic that Cruise takes a position on human rights, when the "Church" of Scientology actively suppresses the rights of its members and critics. In its fifty year history, Scientology has left a wake of destroyed lives and minds, as well as a long list of criminal behavior.

As a devout follower of L. Ron Hubbard, Tom Cruise will not be exposed to anything critical of his so-called religion. He is living in the fantasy bubble created by Hubbard, and truly believes he is "helping" humanity with his efforts. Let's take a brief look at the results of this "help."

Scientology believes that, to achieve a utopian world, it must "clear the planet." Hubbard estimated that 2% of the population would resist being turned into Scientologists. That percent, Hubbard wrote, would be "disposed of quietly, and without sorrow."

Cruise also supports front groups which promote the Purification Rundown, a mandatory "detox" regimen for members, and sold to the public under many names. Narconon, Second Chance, and the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project all sell the Purif. It has been dismissed by qualified evaluators as potentially dangerous junk science, involving toxic doses of vitamins and extensive hours in a sauna, coupled with courses identical to the ones purchased by Scientology practitioners. Side effects can include blindness and permanent liver damage from the excessive doses of niacin and other vitamins administered. Narconon's Drug Education program was recently evaluated in California. Experts determined that the program was rife with inaccuracies and unscientific theories. Narconon was expelled from the San Francisco and Los Angeles public school systems.

Human rights? Right now, there are Scientologists being held in the Rehabilitation Project Force, or RPF, doing hard labor under squalid living conditions.

Moreover, all new Scientologists are required to sign what has come to be termed the "Lisa Clause," a form that, in part, grants the church permission to isolate you from friends and family, withhold psychiatric treatment, and hold you indefinately. The Lisa Clause is named for Lisa McPherson, a Scientologist who died while in the care of church members.

High profile Scientologists like Tom Cruise have a lot to worry about should they choose to leave the cult. You see, members undergo a process called Auditing, where their deepest secrets are exposed and written down in a folder. Members are told that auditing is analogous to the Catholic confession. However, should they become a problem, the material in these folders will be made public. It's essentially blackmail, and very effective in keeping ex-members from speaking out, especially if they have something to hide. Like homosexuality, for example.

A google search combining Scientology with some of the topics I've addressed here will give interesting results of items not found in any Scientology promotional material. But I seriously doubt that Tom Cruise would ever be allowed to look at xenu.net. Fortunately, your readers still have the ability, despite Scientology's repeated attempts to censor the Net in their favor. -- --barb Chaplain,ARSCC

"Imagine a church so dangerous, you must sign a release form before you can receive its "spiritual assistance." This assistance might involve holding you against your will for an indefinite period, isolating you from friends and family, and denying you access to appropriate medical care. You will of course be billed for this treatment - assuming you survive it. If not, the release form absolves your caretakers of all responsibility for your suffering and death.

Welcome to the Church of Scientology."

--Dr. Dave Touretzky Peter Alexander

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