Judicial statements regarding the Nature of Scientology
"Scientology is evil; its techniques are evil; its practice is a
serious threat to the community, medically, morally, and socially; and its
adherents are sadly deluded and often mentally ill... (Scientology is) the
world's largest organization of unqualified persons engaged in the
practice of dangerous techniques which masquerade as mental therapy."
--Justice Anderson, Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia
"The government is satisfied that Scientology is socially harmful.
It alienates members of families from each other and attributes squalid
and disgraceful motives to all who oppose it; its authoritarian principles
and practice are a potential menace to the personality and well being of
those so deluded as to become followers; above all, its methods can be a
serious danger to the health of those who submit to them... There is no
power under existing law to prohibit the practice of Scientology; but the
government has concluded that it is so objectionable that it would be
right to take all steps within its power to curb its growth."
--Kenneth Robinson, British Minister of Health
"The crime committed by these defendants is of a breadth and scope
previously unheard of. No building, office, desk, or file was safe from
their snooping and prying. No individual or organization was free from
their despicable conspiratorial minds. The tools of their trade were
miniature transmitters, lock picks, secret codes, forged credentials and
any other device they found necessary to carry out their conspiratorial
schemes."
--Federal prosecutor's memorandum to the judge urging stiff jail sentences
for 9 top leaders of Scientology who had pleaded guilty to criminal
charges
"Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious...It is
corrupt sinister and dangerous. It is corrupt because it is based on lies
and deceit and has its real objective money and power for Mr. Hubbard...
It is sinister because it indulges in infamous practices both to its
adherents who do not toe the line unquestionly and to those who criticize
it or oppose it. It is dangerous because it is out to capture people and
to indoctrinate and brainwash them so they become the unquestioning
captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living,
and relationships with others."
--Justice Latey, ruling in the High Court of London
"[The court record is] replete with evidence [that Scientology] is
nothing in reality but a vast enterprise to extract the maximum amount of
money from its adepts by pseudo scientific theories... and to exercise a
kind of blackmail against persons who do not wish to continue with their
sect.... The organization clearly is schizophrenic and paranoid, and this
bizarre combination seems to be a reflection of its founder, L.Ron
Hubbard."
--Judge Breckenridge, Los Angeles Superior Court
"In addition to violating and abusing its own members' civil
rights, the organization over the years with its 'fair game' doctrine has
harassed and abused those persons not in the church whom it perceives as
enemies."
--Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul Breckenridge, June 1984, in the Gerry Armstrong case
"In January 1980, fearing a raid by law enforcement agencies,
Hubbard's representatives ordered the shredding of all documents showing
that Hubbard controlled Scientology organizations, finances, personnel, or
the property at Gilman Hot Springs. In a two week period, approximately
one million pages were shredded pursuant to this order."
--California appellate court, 2nd. district, 3rd. division, July 29, 1991,
B025920 & B038975, Super. Ct. No. C 420153
"It is common knowledge among senior executives of the
organization and it is the policy of CSC that members of the Boards of
Directors are mere figureheads, without authority or control, not for
internal corporate reasons, but rather to vest control in Mr. Hubbard. I
have personal knowledge that in order to carry out this corporate fraud,
organizational executives have engaged in the various unethical practices
including backdating phony Board minutes and forging signatures."
--Affidavit of Gerry Armstrong , former member
"When a person is subjected to coercive persuasion [as in
Scientology] without his knowledge or consent ...[he may] develop serious
and sometimes irreversible physical and psychiatric disorders, up to and
including schizophrenia, self-mutilation, and suicide."
--California Supreme Court, United States v. Lee [455 U.S. 252,257,258
(1982)]
"Substantial evidence supports the conclusion Scientology leaders
made the deliberate decision to ruin Wollersheim economically and possible
psychologically....We do not mean to suggest Scientology's retributive
program... represented a full scale modern day 'inquisition.' Nevertheless
there are some parallels in purpose and effect. 'Fair game,' like the
'inquisition,' targeted heretics. "Other testimony established
Scientology is a hierarchal organization which exhibits near paranoid
attitudes toward certain institutions and individuals -- in particular the
government, mental health professions, disaffected members, and others who
criticize the organization or its leadership... During trial,
Wollersheim's experts testified Scientology's 'auditing' and 'disconnect'
practices constituted 'brainwashing' and 'thought reform' akin to what the
Chinese and North Koreans practiced on American prisoners of war...
"Using its position as religious leader, the church and its agents
coerced Wollersheim into continuing auditing even though his sanity was
repeatedly threatened by this practice... Thus there is adequate proof the
religious practice in this instance caused real harm to the individual and
the appellant's outrageous conduct caused that harm... Church practices
conducted in a coercive environment are not qualified to be voluntary
religious practices entitled to first amendment religious freedom
guarantees... "We hold that the state has a compelling interest in
allowing its citizens to recover for serious emotional injuries they
suffer through religious practices they are coerced into accepting. Such
conduct is too outrageous to be protected under the constitution and too
unworthy to be privileged under the law of torts."
-California appellate court, 2nd district, 7th division, Wollersheim v.
Church of Scientology of California, Civ. No. B023193 Cal. Super. (1986)
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