Peter Reimers
3218 South St. Joseph Street
South Bend, IN46614-1828
February 14, 2008
The Honorable Richard Lugar
306 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC20510
Dear Senator Lugar:
I am writing you today to ask that you revoke the Church of Scientology's tax exempt status. As a concerned voter, I am troubled by the Church of Scientology. Their activities and operating procedures are not in line with what the United States historically considers to be a religion.
They require payment before allowing members to view their religious texts and participate in church-mandated “auditing,” rather than soliciting voluntary donations as do most mainstream churches. Those who do not have the money to pay for this participation are required to work for the church in exchange for its services, paid at a rate far below that of even undocumented laborers. Former members have reported that members as young as twelve years old are taken out of school and required to work long hours to pay for their own and their parents’ religious education. This is against child labor laws, not to mention our society’s morals and ethics.
They legally prosecute anyone who speaks out against them or reveals their religious materials. Their founder, L. Ron Hubbard, said that he considers the purpose of the courts not to seek justice, but to destroy people financially, mentally, and emotionally. L. Ron Hubbard said that the object of a lawsuit is not to win, but to harass and badger the defendant into submission, poverty, or insanity.
Under their policy of “Fair Game,” any person declared a “Suppressive Person” (anyone who is critical of Scientology), “may be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.” (Hubbard, Penalties For Lower Conditions, 1967) Critics of the church and former members are subjected to stalking, harassment, physical attacks, libel, and slander. These tactics are official church policy, well-documented, and continue to this day, despite what church spokespeople claim.
Many high-ranking members of the church participated in “Operation Snow White,” the largest infiltration of the United States government in our history. Their aim was to suppress unfavorable information about the church in official records, obtain tax-exempt status for the church, and gain confidential information about their enemies. In 1977, an FBI raid of the church revealed information about other conspiracies inside the church to influence the government and persecute the church’s detractors.
Please take action by looking further into the actions of Scientology and its leadership. This group should not be allowed to continue operating in the United States as a church, and should perhaps not be allowed to operate at all.
Sincerely,
Peter Reimers