alt_religion_scientology/FACTNetARS19971231

Subject: Millions watch as 60 Minutes exposes fanatical cult's abuses of legal system, free speech, and critics.

Date: 1997/12/31

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60 Minutes, considered to be the United States' premiere investigative

news television program, this week featured a scathing 25-minute expose

of Scientology's actions regarding a nonprofit organization called the

Cult Awareness Network (CAN). CAN was the largest organization in the

United States which aided cult victims, especially assisting parents

whose children became trapped in dangerous cults. Scientology filed 44

frivolous and malicious lawsuits against CAN, almost simultaneously, for

the purpose of suing the organization out of existence and silencing its

criticism of Scientology.

60 Minutes aired the Scientology piece two months later than originally

planned. During that time, Scientology demonstrated a continuous effort

to intimidate 60 Minutes and CBS into squelching the program. 60 Minutes

courageously showed the documentary December 28th in spite of

Scientology's threats, but some of the most important parts of the story

were not told, particularly Scientology's other outrageous abuses of the

legal system and its infamous efforts to curtail its critics free speech

on the Internet.

What 60 Minutes may have been afraid to include in its expose of

Scientology:

1. Scientology is currently using the same tactics of legal abuse which

it employed to close CAN against another nonprofit organization which

helps cult victims and their families. This second organization,

FACTNet, has been the object of Scientology's frivolous lawsuits over

the past few years as Scientology attempts to silence the free speech

criticism of this organization and drive it out of existence. For more

information, see:

2. Scientology has enacted a massive effort to crush free speech and

criticism on the Internet. For more information, see:

3. Scientology has attempted to destroy the effectiveness of the legal

process both in and out of U.S. courts. For more information, see:

4. Scientology has been connected with numerous other human rights

abuses aside from silencing critics. For more information,

see:

5. Scientology has been accused of religious persecution of its former

members. For more information, see:

6. Scientology's secret religious beliefs and initiations are shocking.

For more information, see:

7. Scientology uses and/or abuses celebrities like John Travolta, Tom

Cruise, Kirstie Alley, and Nicole Kidman to defend itself and promote

itself to unsuspecting and naive recruit targets. For more information,

see:

8. There has been massive negative worldwide reaction to Scientology's

human rights abuses in the form of pickets, protests, and boycotts. For

more information, see:

9. Mysterious deaths, suicide attempts, suicides, and other mental and

physical abuses of past and current members, have been associated with

Scientology. For more information, see:

For other information on Scientology and Dianetics from the largest

online reference library in the world, see

.

If you would like a transcript or video of the 60 Minutes show, go to

CBS's web page at .