Charity Commission for England and Wales

Request for Denial of Charity Status

Note: URLs have been updated

P.O. Box 14786
Las Vegas, NV 89114 USA
23 July 1999

Charity Commission for England and Wales
St. Alban's House
57 / 60 Haymarket
London
SW1Y 4QX

To Whom It May Concern:

We understand that the Charity Commission is considering the application by the Church of Scientology for charitable status in the United Kingdom.

We are not citizens of the United Kingdom and thus have no official standing in this case. However, we wish to call your attention to the Church's pattern of misbehavior that should prevent it from being recognized as a charity.

As you must be aware, the Church has a controversial history, including:

Greece
Scientology was found by the courts to be "an organization with totalitarian structures and trends, which essentially despises man". The courts also recognized that "it sometimes appears under the cover of religious movement in order to receive constitutional protection and enjoy the advantages of 'religion' such as tax and currency easing." The courts ordered Scientology to shut down permanently and liquidate its properties.

APOGEVMATINI (newspaper), 4 January 1998
<http:// www.lermanet.com/ cos/ finalgreek.html>
<http:// w4u.eexi.gr/ ~antbos/ SHUTDOWN.HTM>

Spain
Sixty-nine Scientologists were arrested on suspicion of fraud, embezzlement and coercion. Among those arrested was Heber Jentzsch, President of the Church of Scientology International. The judge said, "The records show that their first objective was to make money and their last was to make even more." The case is still pending and is scheduled to begin later this year.

London Times, 22 November 1988
El Pais (newspaper), 6 February 1999
<http:// www.lermanet.com/ cos/ spain.html>

Note: This case has been dismissed.

Canada
Scientology was convicted of "breach of public trust" for the infiltration of government offices and the theft of government documents. Judge Rosenberg said the offences "represented a deliberate attempt to undermine the effectiveness of the law-enforcement agencies" and that the Church "at no time … expressed remorse for its involvement."

Edmonton Journal, 12 September 1992
Globe and Mail, 19 April 1997

United States
The Church of Scientology is currently under felony indictment in connection with the death of member Lisa McPherson. "Ms. McPherson was hyperactive, delusional and hallucinating. …she tried to harm herself and others and was repeatedly restrained and prevented from leaving her room." Under 24-hour watch in accordance with Scientology policy, Ms. McPherson died after 17 days, of a blood clot caused by dehydration.

New York Times, 14 November 1998
<http:// www.kcii.com/ ~dallara/ indictment2.html

Note: This case was dropped when witnesses/participants involved in Ms. McPherson's care disappeared and the medical examiner was pressured by the Church to change her autopsy report, without which the state had little evidence; the wrongful-death civil suit was settled out of court in 2004.

United Kingdom
Former Scientologist Bonnie Woods wins her libel suit against Scientology, forcing the Church to pay a £155,000 fine and issue a public apology. The Church had distributed leaflets calling her a "hate campaigner". Please note that the libel and other harassment that Ms. Woods suffered is in keeping with the Church doctrine of "Fair Game", which instructs members that enemies (anyone 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 Communications Office Policy Letter of 18 October 1967, Issue IV)

The Sunday Times, 9 June 1999
The Daily Mail, 9 June 1999
<http:// www.demon.co.uk/ castle/ woods.html>

These serious acts should weigh heavily against the Church's case as they clearly illustrate the criminal and dangerous nature of Scientology. What's more, these represent only a small portion of the Church's "uncharitable" acts.

Although the Charity Commission is not ruling on whether Scientology is a religion, we believe the essay "Scientology—Is This a Religion?" by Professor Stephen A. Kent of the University of Alberta, addresses some of the issues that should be considered for the determination of charity status. The paper's abstract:

Although some social scientists insist that Scientology is a religion, the more appropriate position to take is that the organization is a multi-faceted transnational that has religion as only one of its many components. Other components include political aspirations, business ventures, cultural productions, pseudo-medical practices, pseudo-psychiatric claims, and (among its most devoted members who have joined the Sea Organization), an alternative family structure. Sea Organization's job demands appear to allow little time for quality child rearing. Most disturbing, however, about Sea Organization life is that members can be subject to extremely severe and intrusive punishments through security checks, internal hearings called "Committees of Evidence," and a forced labour and re-indoctrination program known as the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) and its harshest companion, the RPF's RPF. Taken together, these harsh and intrusive punishments likely violate a number of human rights clauses as outlined by two United Nations statements.

<http:// www.solitarytrees.net/ pubs/ skent/ isthis.htm>

Certainly an organization whose practices are "likely to violate a number of human rights clauses" should not be accorded charity status.

The information above represents only a small part of the danger inherent in the Church of Scientology. We do not wish to overwhelm the Commission and thus will simply list a few selected controversial aspects of the organization. We can provide corroborative information upon request. The Church of Scientology:

  • routinely harasses its critics and attempts to intimidate them or their family, friends and coworkers in order to silence them;
  • requires its own members to use filtering software so that they will not see critical information on the Internet;
  • has training lessons to teach its adherents to lie;
  • claims its educational and administrative material is secular while at the same time [it] emphatically states [that] all of L. Ron Hubbard's material is sacred scripture;
  • advocates the quarantine or "disposal" of part of the population;
  • uses its "social reform" groups and other associations as vehicles for proselytization;
  • has a secret service;
  • is racist, sexist and homophobic.

Therefore, we strongly urge the Charity Commission to deny charity status to the Church of Scientology.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Ted Mayett
Ted.Mayett@worldnet.att.net
P.O. Box 14786
Las Vegas, NV 89114 USA
(702) 696-1966
Keshet
keshet@cyberpass.net
Use of an alias may lessen my credibility but allows me to engage in critical activities while protecting my family from Church harassment. I may be reached by email, or postal mail in care of Mr. Mayett.

L. Ron Hubbard - Scientology - Dianetics and Racism
http://www.solitarytrees.net/racism/
Where prejudice exists it always discolors our thoughts -Mark Twain

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Charity Commission Reply

We note what you say, which will be taken into account in the general context of our consideration of the application. The Commission is under a duty to consider very carefully organisations which approach us for registration as a charity. This is particularly the case where representations have been received against the organization.

Charity Commission Decision

  1. That CoS is not charitable as an organisation established for the charitable purpose of the advancement of religion because, having regard to the relevant law and evidence, Scientology is not a religion for the purposes of English charity law.

  2. That CoS was not established for the charitable purpose of promoting the moral or spiritual welfare and improvement of the community.

  3. That CoS was not established for the public benefit.