Your view: Scientology defended

Dear Editor,

I had thought the Standard Democrat was alive and well in the 21st Century, but the column written on the Scientology religion was strictly out of the Dark Ages. The misinformation was so abundant, I hardly know where to begin, but I would like to set the record straight on two primary points:

The Scientology religion has been independently studied by religious scholars the world over and the unanimous conclusion is that the Church is one of the world's bona fide religions. One of the Churches of Scientology in the Midwest was recently acknowledged by both houses of the state legislature for their work in the community, including the restoration of 34 low-income homes, the painting of entire school buildings and creation of four playgrounds by their Volunteer Ministers. These Scientology Volunteer Ministers and others from around the country have provided relief in disasters such as the Oklahoma City tragedy, the "9/11" Twin Towers calamity in New York City, the great Tsunami in the Far East and last year's Katrina catastrophe.

The founder of the Scientology religion, L. Ron Hubbard, was first and foremost, a humanitarian who has received proclamations from around the world in appreciation for his work, which has helped millions in the areas of criminal reform, drug rehabilitation and a study technology which has empowered over three million people to read and write, where they could not before.

This is not a group deserving of denigration or defamatory rhetoric.

Sincerely,

Bradley Bauman