The following is a release by Gerry Armstrong, one of the best documented cases of judicial abuse
and persecution by Scientology, as per his public email
from Oct. 18, 2002:
Gerry Armstrong announces
new website defying Scientology suppression
www.gerryarmstrong.org
The U.S.-based Scientology enterprise says that every mention Gerry
Armstrong makes of his cult experiences is worth $50,000. Every person he assists in any way
against Scientology persecution - ka-ching! - $50,000. Every time he mentions any Scientology
organization, any of their front groups, any of their directors,
employees, volunteers, or L. Ron Hubbard, cult founder and the creator
of their "scriptures" - ka-ching! - $50,000. If
Armstrong mentions any of their private investigators, their covertintelligence
operatives, or even any of their hundreds of lawyers -ka-ching!
- another 50 grand.
And Scientology has filed a new $10 million plus lawsuit to give
credence to this monstrous value they've put on Armstrong's words.
Scientology says that they can assault Armstrong, which they've
done on multiple occasions, and he can't talk about it. They can
sue him, but he may not tell anyone. They can run covert intelligence
operations on him, but he may not inform even the authorities. They
can libel him, but he may not publicly refute the libel.
They can ruin him utterly, and he may not say a word in defense.
Scientology says that all of its directors, employees, volunteers,
agents and lawyers can say whatever they want about Armstrong, no
matter how false or perverse, and he may not respond. If Armstrong
responds, in addition to having to pay Scientology $50,000 per response,
he is subject to being jailed and fined.
Armstrong's position is that Scientology, by judicially prohibiting
him from responding to their attacks, and punishing him with imprisonment
and fines if he does respond, has created a new type of slavery,
which has U.S. Government support in flagrant violation of its own
Constitution. Armstrong says that because the U.S. confers
on Scientology the status and privileges of religion, what this
cult is doing to him, with U.S. Government support, is comparable
to jailing and fining someone for mentioning Christ or God or the
person's religious experiences in the Christian religion.
Since no U.S. Court would conceive of jailing and fining someone
for discussing his religious experiences in any other religion,
and since the U.S. government would not support such an obscene
concept for any other religion, the favoritism that U.S. Courts
and the Government give Scientology to persecute and enslave its
victims makes it the American State Religion. What Scientology,
with U.S. Government support, is doing to Armstrong, and hundreds
of other citizens like him, is specifically prohibited by the Establishment
Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, yet not
one U.S. official has ever objected. Why?
Armstrong is now in Germany, where Scientology is seen as an organization
with criminal potential, where the nation's Constitution is not
so easily ignored, and where he has the Constitutionally guaranteed
freedom to respond to this cult's continuing attacks.
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/media/focus-2002-10-14.html
Contact:
Gerry Armstrong
Dialog Zentrum Berlin
Heimat 27
D-14165 Berlin-Zehlendorf
Tel: +49-(0)30-847-23958
Fax: +49-(0)1212-5-205-27-015 gerry@gerryarmstrong.org
June:
Exit Issues regarding the Watchtower and other undue influence
groups (cults)
Cult expert Steven Hassan and exit counselor Randall Watters conducted an interview in June
2002 regarding issues face after leaving a cult.
Steve explored three questions persons often ask about leaving their organization:
Some of us have left a high-control religious organization
(such as the Watchtower) and we have proven to itself that it
is not of God, but still at times we seem to struggle with feelings
of guilt or fear. How can this be overcome?
For those of us who have been raised in a high-control organization
and have never had a life outside of it, how can we start over
and gain a new life and a new identity?
Many of us are in the process of leaving our organization after
years or bondage to it, and we would like to get beyond our past
and our painful memories, but some members of our family remain
in the group as a common reminder. How can we cope with them?
May:
Special Note on News Concerning Scientology
There are always so many stories about Scientology that it will
only be possible to have a fraction of them here. A good weekly
summary of Scientology news stories is Rod Keller's weekly email
"A.R.S. Week in Review", archived at
www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/. If you wish
to subscribe, write to Rod at rkeller@voicenet.com.
Another excellent resource for Scientology news is Mark Bunker's
site, www.xenutv.com.
Banquet planned to honor 20th anniversary of Washington Times newspaper
May 14, 2002. -- On Tuesday, May 21, Sun Myung Moon will hold a banquet in honor
of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Washington Times
newspaper, a leading "conservative" newspaper which is
in reality a propaganda device for Moon's Unification Church. Please
see this
link for more.
April:
Article on Jews, Judaism and Sun Myung Moon's Divine
Principle posted.
April 28, 2002 -- In light of the mass blessing that took place yesterday, we recommend
this
excellent piece by Rabbi A. James Rudin on Judaism, and the
Divine Principle. Though dating from 1976, we feel it's still quite
relevant, and helps shed light on Moon's true views on the relationship
of Jews and Judaism in the Divine Principle.
Moon mass wedding, including clergy "blessings",
taking place Saturday, April 27
April 24, 2002 -- Sun Myung Moon plans to bless several clergy couples at a Washington
DC hotel this Saturday, allegedly as part of a mass worldwide mass
wedding involving 144,000 couples. For more information, please
read this
press release.
Febuary 24, 2002 -- If you can, please tune in today, Feb. 24, to listen to an interview
Steve Hassan is giving on LA radio station KFI-AM. Steve will appear
on the "Rabbi Mentz" show, which runs 10pm-12mid LA time.
This is a follow-up show to one that was done last week with two
ex-members of Scientology.
Those in LA can listen by tuning in to 640 on the AM dial; those
out of range may listen over the Internet, at this
link.
Leader of 'Tvind' arrested.
Febuary 24, 2002 -- The leader of the Denmark-based group Tvind,
Amdi Petersen, has been arrested in LA on tax abuse charges, and
is currently being held in custody pending his extradition to Denmark.
You can find out the latest details at the Tvind
Alert web site.
January:
Boston Globe reports on Boston-area Kabbalah Center
opening, quotes Steve Hassan
January 31, 2002 -- Freedom of Mind has serious concerns about this group, headed
by Philip Berg. In the article, Steve speaks about his recent counseling
of a member of the group. We also invite you to read our
page on the Kabbalah Centre for more information.
January 31, 2002 -- We invite you to read
Cruising for Scientology (Reuters via CBS News), a Reuters article on Tom Cruise defending
Scientology while recently in Germany. For those of you who may not be aware,
the Germany government doesn't consider Scientology a church, but
an organization which defrauds and exploits its members. The German
state of Bavaria has even started a resource center for those hurt
by Scientology's practices. For more info, please see our
page on Scientology.
Talk at Cal State on how to be aware of pressure
from destructive cultic groups.
January 27, 2002 -- The cult education group
CultsonCampus.com, which tries to educate
those in university settings about the presence of cults on their
campuses and what they can do about the issue, is holding a talk
at Cal State on Tuesday, January 29. For more information, please
see their upcoming events page.
Also, please feel free to browse around their Cults
on Campus web site.
More Sexual Abuse Suits Against Jehovah's Witnesses
Will Follow, Predicts Ex-Church Elder
January 23, 2002 -- Press release from silentlambs, inc. regarding a
civil sexual abuse lawsuit filed in Washington State against the
Brooklyn, NY-based Jehovah's Witnesses' organization.
Course for Mental Health Professionals on the Effects
of Cults
January 19, 2002 -- Mental health professionals should be aware of a course offered
in New York City this upcoming April on the traumatic effects of
cults. The course, titled "The Dark Side of Enlightenment:
Trauma and Recovery From Abuse in Cults", is being offered
by the National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP) and the
NIP Professional Association (NIPPA). We highly recommend all mental
health professionals consider taking this excellent course to better
understand the effects of cults in the lives of current and former
members, and perhaps more effectively counsel such individuals in
their own practices. For more information, please contact Daniel
Shaw, CSW, NCPsyA by phone at (212) 581-6658 or by email at shawdan@aol.com.
Also, more information is available at Daniel
Shaw's web site.
MD Legislature to Establish Task Force to Study Effects
of Cults in MD Universities
January 19, 2002 -- The Maryland House has passed a joint resolution to form
and fund a task force to study the effects of cults on the campuses
of the universities in the Maryland system, as well as St. Mary's
College and Morgan State University. We invite you to read about
this resolution at the below link on the web site of the MD House:
Father of former Twelve Tribes member responds to Boston Globe column.
January 5, 2002 -- In response to a tongue in cheek column in the Boston Globe about the Twelve Tribes
run restaurant Common Ground, a father of a former member of the Twelve Tribes sent in this letter:
"... Cultism in the United States is an epidemic.
It's not voluntary; it's not truthful; it's not God. It is very much misunderstood.
Unfortunately, like many in the judicial, social welfare and religious branches of our
society, you let your stomach get in the way. ..."
Freedomofmind.com fully supports religious
freedom and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The fact that a person’s name or group appears on our website
does not necessarily mean they are a destructive mind control cult.
They appear because we have received inquiries and have established
a file on the group.
The Freedom of Mind Resource Center Inc. was established by cult expert Steve Hassan.
Scientology's Salman Rushdie Goes Global
