From http://www.mmegi.bw/2005/August/Thursday25/7843995921693.html

Scientologists are less than open
Thursday 25 August 2005

I was greatly amused to see the letter from Paul Sondergaard from the Scientologists in South Africa in response to my article published on August 5.

Sondergaard makes a number of allegations in his letter that I think I should address. He suggests that because I have stated my distrust of the Scientologists in the past, that I must have some vested interest. Well, if distrusting an organisation whose senior staff went to jail for burgling and bugged the United States' agencies investigating them is having a vested interest, then, yes I'm guilty. If opposing an organisation that was founded by a convicted felon, a liar and a drug abuser is having a vested interest then, yes I'm guilty. If distrusting an organisation that, according to its own Public Affairs' Director, has scriptures that "are confidential" then, yes I'm guilty.

I plead guilty to thinking that the people deserve to know the truth about Scientology, not the sanitised nonsense that they spread about wanting to end insanity, criminality, war and cruelty to small furry animals. OK, I made up that last bit but I find it very hard to treat them seriously.

He also suggests, rather rashly, that I have "spread libellous information" about them and their founder, that I have threatened them, that I am "sprouting false information" and that I lied in the article. Sondergaard, please either tell me what it was that I wrote that was a lie or sue me. Your choice.

Above all, why does he refuse to deal with the issue of the aliens? In the article, I wrote that once Scientologists reach a level of study called "Operating Thetan Level 3" they are finally told one of the core discoveries of the founder of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard.

This is that 75 million years ago, Xemu, the head of the Galactic Federation, decided to cure his over-population problems by murdering excess aliens by bringing them to Earth and killing them with hydrogen bombs. The souls of these people now haunt us all and cause us all our mental health problems.

If this nonsense is NOT part of your belief system, Sondergaard then please deny it. Of course, if you want to deny it perhaps you can explain the copy of the original handwritten note by your founder outlining the alien business which can be seen at the following website (yes, I confess that I surf the web): http://www.xenu.net/archive/OTIII-scholar. Before you suggest that it's all lies or one of the confidential scriptures, then perhaps the following quote from Warren McShane, the president of the Religious Technology Centre (part of the Scientology group) will help. He said, under oath in court in Colorado, that "the explosions, the Galactic confederation 75 million years ago, and a gentleman by the name Xemu ..... are not trade secrets."

Let me say once again that I have no vested interest in opposing the Scientologists. I'm not selling a product that competes with theirs. I support religious freedom. I believe in the right of the Scientologists to exist in Botswana.

However, I think they should be honest with us. I believe they should be completely and not partially honest about what they are and what they do. I believe they shouldn't themselves threaten those of us who try to spread the truth about them.

In my original article, I ended with a quote from L Ron Hubbard. When discussing opponents of Scientology, he said that they "may be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed."

Within two weeks of publishing my article, I can feel this starting to happen. However, Sondergaard, please rest assured that I'm not going to stop spreading the truth about Scientology.

With best regards.

Richard Harriman

Gaborone

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