This past April The Religious Communications Council awarded 5 posts on Scientology’s STAND League their DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Award.
Of course Scientology is thrilled and crowing about it on their blog.
The following letter has been sent to the Executive Director, Shirley Struchen asking her to reconsider their supporting STAND League and Scientology. There are links to several Scientology items in this letter for Ms Struchen. In my regular blog posts I will no longer be adding links to Scientology’s smear sites.
The address is here in case anyone else would like to contact Ms. Struchen. Her email address is: sstruchen@rcn.com
Please let her know that any support or recognition for Scientology harms their victims and sets back all the work we are trying to do to get the religious exemption revoked.
May 9th, 2019
Shirley Struchen
Executive Director
Religion Communicators Council (RCC)
475 Riverside Dr. Room 1505
New York, NY 10115
Dear Ms Struchen:
My name is Stefani Hutchison and I am the owner of the Twitter account @ultioetveritas and the blog https://azhlynne.wordpress.com
I am dedicated to exposing the abuses of the Cult called Scientology and to standing up for those who have been harmed by their practices.
Legally and for whatever reason our government gave Scientology a religious tax exemption. This was done after years of Fair Game attacks and bullying by COS that wore down those in charge who had already refused the designation.
Given the history of unethical, illegal and abusive actions perpetrated by Scientology combined with the fact that they, in reality, have no true spirituality, it is troubling and concerning that your organization would support them and bestow upon them awards.
Scientology, in spite of the legalities, is not a religion. The only “Supreme Being” they recognize is Man, or rather the alien Thetan who resides inside the body. They promise that when one travels far enough on their Bridge to Total Freedom the will assume Super Powers that enable them to have telekinesis and cure illness with their minds. They teach that the Thetan can achieve godlike status, indeed that the Thetan IS “Creator of Life, Itself”.
There is no spirituality. Only that the Thetan returns over and over living one life after the other. No Heaven or other final spiritual reward. In fact their Source and Founder, L. Ron Hubbard actually taught that Heaven, God and Religion are all false implant designed to mislead Mankind.
Religion aside, it is concerning and disturbing that hate, lies, malice and abuse would be recognized by the RCC. It is my sincere hope and prayer that you might reconsider your support of Scientology and their STAND League group based upon their actions.
Their Policy of Disconnection destroys families, tearing them apart leaving children bereft of parents, spouses separated and devastated, broken lives behind. Scientology denies that they have a policy of Disconnection, stating that it is up to each person whether or not they wish to disconnect from their families. However on their own website the word used is “Prohibition” which is in no way indicative of free choice.
“When someone has been expelled from the religion, that person loses both his or her fellowship with the Church as well as with other Scientologists. The condition lasts until they have been restored to good standing. Once the person has been restored to good standing, the prohibition against fellowship with other Scientologists is lifted.” https://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-attitudes-and-practices/what-is-a-suppressive-person.html
Your organization has given their sub-group STAND League 5 awards. Many of the posts on the STAND League’s blog are ugly, false attacks against Leah Remini and Mike Rinder for allowing those who have escaped from Scientology a platform to tell their stories and share their pain. Children who have endured being sexually molested and re-victimized by being told the molestation was their fault. Adults who were emotionally and financially broken to feed the cult’s coffers at any cost. These are not just some few disgruntled former members but literally thousands of stories over the past 60 years.
STAND League, headed by Edward Parkin, has falsely blamed Rinder and Remini for the crimes committed by others, even going so far as to announce that they have “Blood on their Hands” and were complicit in the stabbing that took place at the Australian Scientology Org in January. Even when the journalist who broke the story made a twitter post refuting this horrible allegation after checking with the authorities there in Australia, STAND League and Parkin continued to publicly, falsely accuse them of complicity to murder.
The very website that your organization has seen fit to award, support and publicly acknowledge is used for ugly Fair Game attacks on innocent people.
Brandon Reisdorf, a former Scientologist who suffers from and struggles with severe mental illness is targeted by this website. Reisdorf, who was not permitted the proper support and treatment he needed by Scientology experienced a psychotic episode and threw a hammer through a Scientology building’s window. Instead of showing understanding, kindness or compassion, they had the young man charged with a hate crime and arrested. Then they falsely stated that Leah Remini and Mike Rinder we’re behind his attack. Even after Reisdorf himself refuted that allegation they continue to lay the incident at Rinder and Remini’s door.
This young man struggles with mental illness and is now being used as a tool by Scientology for their Fair Game Policy. This is NOT religion.
Nor is it commendable.
—https://www.standleague.org/bigotry-and-hate/exposed/brandon-reisdorf.html
A simple search on STAND League’s site for Mike Rinder will reveal horrible attacks on this man who’s only crime is that he fled after over 30 years. Once he left and was offered a job and friendship by Robert Almblad, an inventor and former Scientologist, the Cult sent Private Investigators to follow both men, root through their trash, watch their homes, photograph their families as they went about their lives and finally, chaotically interrupted Mr. Almblad’s business to such an extent that he lost millions.
All because he befriended Mike Rinder and offered him a job to get back on his feet and support himself.
STAND League and Scientology publicly and falsely accuse Rinder of Domestic Violence against his former wife who is still in the Cult. In spite of a Pinellas County, FL police report describing the incident in question and exonerating Rinder of any crime, they continue to fling the most horrible accusations at him in an attempt to destroy his reputation and his career. Falsely accusing a man of deeply egregious violence is a serious and terrible thing.
Of receiving their awards from your organization STAND League wrote “STAND is proud of its members and their accomplishments as exemplified by these awards,” said Bari Berger. “Many Scientologists and non-Scientologists have contributed their writing and their passion to the STANDLeague website since its launch in February 2017, establishing its vital role in fighting discrimination, providing truth, and dispelling falsehoods.”
The fact that STAND League’s website is filled with lies, false accusations and twisted “facts” in order to ruin the reputations, character and even livelihoods of those who have chosen to leave puts paid to their assertions of truth.
As for their fighting discrimination, while STAND League proclaims their acceptance and inclusion of all religions it is important to remember that Scientology’s own Founder wrote that Jesus was a molester of little boys. Further, Scientology is in partnership with Minister Louis Farrakhan, Leader of the Nation of Islam who is one of the most outspoken Anti-Semitic bigots of our times. Scientology has awarded their highest honor, the Medal of Freedom, to Tony Mohammed and Farrakhan has referred to L. Ron Hubbard as a “Saint”.
(This “Saint” wrote as part of Scientology “scripture”: “The seven-year-old girl who shudders because a man kisses her is not computing; she is reacting to an engram since at seven she should see nothing wrong in a kiss, not even a passionate one. There must have been an earlier experience, possibly prenatal, which made men or kissing very bad.”)
How can one be in bed with NOI and claim they are fighters for religious freedom?
Scientology is publicly proclaiming the awards you have bestowed upon them. For them it is a legitimizing of their ugly, hate filled website.
You have awarded their Fair Game attacks on innocent people who have been truly and deeply hurt by the policies and practices of this Cult.
One of the posts your organization has chosen to recognize is Laurie Bartilson’s piece on Cults.
She writes of her astonishment that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are referred to as an “extreme cult”.
Are you aware that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are currently protecting literally thousands of child molesters? That when a child in their organization is sexually abused or raped, they have a “2 Witness Rule” that must apply before anything at all is even considered. This means that if a child reaches out for help because someone is molesting them, they are not believed unless she has TWO witnesses to the crime. How many child molesters are going to abuse their victims where witnesses will see? — https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-jehovas-witness-org-kept-secret-list-child-molestation-reports-20190325-jg5v3iyqtrgnlplmhopj7qu7xq-story.html
The Jehovah’s Witnesses also practice the tearing apart of families, called disfellowship.
Although in the JW’s a man can freely beat his wife without punishment, getting caught smoking will get them disfellowshipped.
That you presented an award to Ms. Bartilson for her defense of another abusive cult that destroys people’s lives is…concerning.
I am sincerely asking you to reconsider your support of this malicious cult. Any public recognition of Scientology just helps them promote themselves as a legitimate religion. In the meantime so many people are working tirelessly to have the religious exemption revoked so that the crimes and abuses can be brought out into the light. By showing your support for STAND League you are helping Scientology keep their actions hidden and you are helping this dangerous cult keep their victims silenced and afraid.
I respectfully and fervently ask you to reconsider those awards.
Sincerely,
Stefani A. Hutchison
Confront And Shatter 
BRAVO!!!!!!!
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