Can anyone reach salvation by forwarding ridicule, intolerance and hate?

As one looks back through history and religion, one will notice that all wars have been fought over beliefs. It is one thing that is notable about world history. The Christians were thrown to the lions, which was considered great sport at the time. Numerous religions have had their difficulties and detractors through the ages.

The American government was founded, in part, with a constitutional ban on making laws regarding religion, but that has not stopped biased individuals holding up one religion against another. Damning one and uplifting another. Squabbling over beliefs like children, saying, "my religion or no religion is better than yours."

An example is Richard Ostling's article regarding Scientology. He has gone to non-believers to find his information regarding Scientology. What better place to find disinformation but from someone who has barely studied, or only heard rumors regarding a religion? It makes for salacious journalism but reveals no workable truths.

Scientologists do not talk about their sacred documents, much as the individuals of the LDS faith do not talk about what happens within their temples. Many religions have sacred documents and their own special beliefs. That is their right!

Scientology does have millions of parishioners who have found spiritual enlightenment through the applied religious philosophy, developed by L. Ron Hubbard. He was a man, just like all religious leaders, past and present, and is revered, not worshipped.

Ostling brought up the American Psychiatric Association's comments but does not reveal that the president of the APA, Steven Sharfstein, said, "We do not have a clean-cut lab test" regarding its fallacious statements about "chemical imbalance" of the brain. Other noted doctors, such as Elliot Valensteins, Ph.D., have said "(T)here are no tests available for assessing the chemical status of a living person's brain."

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was created by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology in 1969 to investigate and expose psychiatric abuses of human rights, such as brutal electroshock therapy and barbaric lobotomies, which are not "past" therapies as Ostling stated but are unbelievably still being done today. More information can be found at www.cchr.org.

Scientologists understand how drugs, legal and illegal, affect an individual physically, mentally and spiritually. They live drug-free lives and strive to forward that understanding into society.

Scientology follows the same tax codes that all religions now follow within the United States and the laws of other countries. The church, finding individuals not following the laws of the land and who refuse to reform, has expelled such members. Any religion has the right to expel those who do not follow its teachings.

Scientology is a pro-active church, asking individuals to look for themselves, find their own truths and be responsible for their actions. It enables individuals to repair their lives, enrich their families and deal with all facets of life in a better way. Please look for yourself at www.scientology.org/.

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Lora Mengucci is a minister of the Church of Scientology and practitioner for 29 years.