The Lisa McPherson Trust---some revisions

From: Bob Minton <bob@minton.org>
Subject: The Lisa McPherson Trust---some revisions
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 21:20:07 -0500
Organization: The Lisa McPherson Trust, Inc., Clearwater, Florida Message-ID: <d97a8so16vmb1olgpfcrheskg3kcmsnscv@4ax.com>

As things at LMT are evolving rather rapidly, I thought I should update the posting of just a few days ago as there are now new domains (to be effective next week), revised position statements, a correction was made due to a staff omission and new people have been added to the advisory board.

The Lisa McPherson Trust
33 North Fort Harrison Avenue
Clearwater, Florida 33755
Tel: (727) 467-9335
Fax: (727) 467-9345
Email: info@lisatrust.net
Web: www.lisatrust.net
Our Mission Statement To expose the abusive and deceptive practices of the Church 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 the Church of 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 the Church 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 the Church of 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 Scientologists in recovering from their unique personal experience with the abusive and deceptive practices of the Church of Scientology. We will offer counsel to Scientologists who choose to hear the truth about how the Church of 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 the Church of 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 the Church of 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 the Church of Scientology.

The Church of 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 the Church of 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 members of the Church of Scientology in the world today. What is clear is that the vast majority of people who join the Church of 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 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 world came together through the Internet to oppose the abuses occurring in the Church of Scientology.

The Reform of the Church 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 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) Revoke the policies and practices that violate the civil and human rights of Scientologists and those who criticize or disagree with Scientology.

5) Revoke the policy of 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) Revoke the policy and practice of 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.

Scientologists 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 and Staff 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
Grady Ward, Webmaster and Security Director
Our Board Peter Alexander
Stacy Brooks
Gabe Cazares
Patricia Greenway
Brian Haney
Jeff Jacobsen
Rod Keller
Kim Krenek
Dell Liebreich
Ed Lottick
Bob Minton
Duncan Pierce
Jesse Prince
Our Advisory Committee Gerry Armstrong
Ida Camburn
Priscilla Coates
Paulette Cooper
Ken Dandar
Ray Emmons
Steve Hassan
Keith Henson
Ralph Hilton
Dan Leipold
Arnie Lerma
Frank Oliver
Margaret Thaler Singer
Margery Wakefield
Lawrence Wollersheim
Internet Resources http://www.xenu.net
http://www.xenutv.com
http://www.lisamcpherson.org
http://www.lisatrust.net
http://www.xenu-city.net
http://www.freedomofmind.org
http://www.entheta.net
http://www.cisar.org
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/
Helpful Books Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves
Steven Hassan Captive Hearts, Captive Minds
Madeleine Tobias and Janja Lalich Combatting Cult Mind Control
Steven Hassan Cults In Our Midst
Margaret Thaler Singer A Piece of Blue Sky
Jon Atack The Scandal of Scientology
Paulette Cooper We trust there will be many who will join us in our crusade.