Here is the first draft of the letter I am sending to my credit card companies in order to get my refund. Any suggestions?

Credit Card Fraud Division To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is to inform you that I have been a victim of credit card fraud perpetrated by the Church of Scientology and the International Association of Scientologists.

The Church of Scientology is not what it claims to be. It is an organization that purports to possess a technology capable of producing total spiritual freedom but in reality possesses only a nominally workable self-help ideology. Through its promotional literature (I have included examples), the Church of Scientology claims to be able to cure people of various mental and spiritual difficulties. They even go so far as to promise supernatural abilities (after doing "advanced" levels) such as out-of-body experiences and telepathy. Of course, they have yet to provide any actual scientific evidence that they are capable of delivering these results, making their claims patently fraudulent.

Scientology and Dianetics (its forerunner) were founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Scientologists engage in a form of counseling called "auditing," in which traumatic, subconscious experiences from past lives are recounted in an effort to alleviate their harmful effects. The product of this counseling is what Hubbard called the state of "Clear," in which an individual is no longer affected by painful subconscious memories. After Clear, the individual moves on to secret upper levels (called "OT" levels) which the church claims produce advanced spiritual states.

New converts (Hubbard referred to them as "raw meat") are drawn in with inexpensive courses that teach basic platitudes about life, communication, relationships, etc. After the "raw meat" has had significant exposure to the introductory material, he or she is pressured to "donate" more and more money for increasingly expensive "services." It is not at all uncommon for people to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars under very-high-pressure, deceptive, psychologically manipulative tactics routinely employed by church salespeople. Since most people do not have immediate access to large sums of money, they make these hefty "donations" by amassing huge amounts of debt, usually with credit cards. In fact, putting large Scientology "donations" on credit cards is highly and routinely encouraged by church salespeople, regardless of whether or not the cardholder can actually afford it.

I became involved in the Church of Scientology as a young man in an effort to get help for the mild depression and anxiety I was experiencing at the time. I was promised by church salespeople that Scientology would solve all of my problems and make me a well and happy individual. To make a long story short, over the following years I spent a significant amount of time and money on their counseling in an effort to improve my life. It was only after going through their lengthy program that I discovered the promised results were not to be had.

The psychological dynamics at work inside Scientology and the psychological effects of Scientology and Dianetic counseling are an interesting study in cult mind control techniques. Members are continually told that Scientology is the only path to spiritual freedom and that it is the only hope for mankind. Through his writings, L. Ron Hubbard firmly asserted that Scientology technology works in all cases and that if it does not, it is due to the shortcomings or unethical acts of the person receiving the counseling. Group validation and peer-pressure techniques are also a part of the Scientology environment.

Dianetic and Scientology counseling create a temporary euphoria and a sense of well being that is not uncommon to therapies of this type. For this reason, members often extol the virtues of Scientology and the "miraculous"

changes it has made in their lives. After returning to the real world, however, one quickly discovers that the expensive counseling is simply a placebo and that the benefits of the counseling are short lived and highly dependent on one’s continued involvement in the group dynamics of the Church of Scientology.

My disillusionment with the church began after discovering the contents of the "advanced" levels on the Internet. These levels are supposed to be confidential and before the advent of the Internet were a closely-held secret of the Church of Scientology. They were kept secret because Hubbard claimed that anyone exposed to these materials prematurely (i.e., without having gone through the expensive lower levels first) would die of pneumonia. These levels are now widely known, having been published in court documents and on various Internet sites. The "advanced" levels of Scientology are based on nothing but a silly science fiction story (fabricated by Hubbard) of a galactic holocaust that supposedly occurred on this planet (then called "Teegeeack") 75,000,000 years ago.

I also discovered, through various documents available on the Internet, that the Church of Scientology consistently and knowingly misrepresents L. Ron Hubbard’s military, educational, marital, familial, and philosophical backgrounds.

My discovery of this information, coupled with the poor results of my own counseling, resulted in my exodus from the Church of Scientology. I am now an ardent opponent of this organization.

The Church of Scientology is "mental health" quackery hiding behind the façade of religion. It is, in fact and deed, an abusive, greedy, litigious, dishonest, dangerous, paranoid, bizarre business that preys on people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

The Church of Scientology and the International Association of Scientologists (an organization formed to protect Scientology) extract huge sums of money from members under the premise that the person making the donation is helping in the "salvation" of this planet (documentation attached). These funds are then used to sue and harass critics and ex-members and to launch propaganda campaigns to recruit new members.

I am aware that I am beyond the time limit for disputing credit card charges. However, I am disturbed by the knowledge that my hard-earned money is being used by a dangerous cult bent on taking over the world (they call it "clearing the planet"). I have written letters to the Church of Scientology requesting refunds, all of which have been ignored. I cannot sue them because they are a well-financed legal machine known for manipulating the judicial system to bankrupt opponents with prolonged litigation. I am therefore asking for your assistance in the recovery of "donations" made as a result of their fraudulent and empty promises. I have enclosed a schedule of charges made to my account by various Scientology organizations.

If you need to speak with me about any of this information, please call me at [deleted].

Thank you, [deleted] -- The Anti-Reg, ATS (Actual Trouble Source) "I got regged one too many times!"
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"They smell of all the baths they didnt take.
The trouble with China is, there are too
many chinks here." - LRH's teenage diary

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