Below: The Church of Scientology of Kansas City, 2 East 39th St., Kansas City, Mo.
staph infection. The church sued Wood for access to the autopsy report, including blood work and organ and tissue samples.
A June 13, 2000 article in The Tampa Tribune says criminal charges in the McPherson case were dropped against the Church of Scientology because of "missteps and inconsistent statements by the chief medical examiner." During the trial, Wood changed her autopsy report, saying McPherson's death was accidental. Today, McPherson's family is in the middle of a civil suit against the church.
In a more recent legal battle, the Church of Scientology is suing Gerry Armstrong, of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.
for $10 million. A March 25, 2004 article in The San Francisco Chronicle says that Armstrong, a 12-year member of the church, breached an agreement he had with them from a previous lawsuit. Armstrong signed an agreement saying he could not talk about Scientology in public. At the time, he was one of Scientology's harshest critics.
If Armstrong violated this agreement, he would have to pay $50,000 for every utterance about the church. The church estimates that he has spoken out about Scientology 201 times since signing the agreement, for a total over $10 million. Armstrong's trial is set for some time this month.
Regardless of these suits and troubles surrounding Scientology, Adriance says Scientology helps people, and has no slant or hidden agenda. "There aren't too many genuine things out there. The medical field is so into giving out drugs. It becomes very obvious that the accusations come from people who are slanted," Adriance says. "But as the saying goes, the accuser is always guilty of the crime." Heldal-Lund says Scientologists are opposed to doctors and psychologists/psychiatrists because Hubbard believed they were conspiring against him. He says Hubbard instilled this idea into the church, and today Scientologists believe 100 percent of his writings. "So when Hubbard wrote the document 'Branch 5 Project, Project Squirrel,' all Scientologists have since had to follow and believe his claim that: '1. People who attack Scientology are criminals. 2. If one attacks Scientology, he gets investigated for crimes. 3. If one does not attack Scientology, despite not being with it, one is safe,'" Heldal-Lund says.
it's all in the stars...
Celebrities are important to the success of Scientology because they have an enormous influence on society. Many celebrities have found solace in the religion, including actors Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kristie Alley and Jenna Elfman, and musicians/singers Isaac Hayes and Lisa Marie Presley. Hubbard created the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre to accommodate these artists and celebrities. In What is Scientology?, the Celebrity Centre is described as a place where an artist can rehabilitate the source of his creativity, the human spirit.
Attracting celebrities helps to attract new members of the general public to Scientology. "Attracting celebrities is not different from what our culture as a whole does. Who cares who's dating who?" Miller says. "People tend to drool over celebrities, and it makes Scientology more attractive to people. That's just the way our culture works."
A Personal Choice
This information is just the tip of a mammoth iceberg of Web sites and literature. If you're interested in Scientology, Heldal-Lund suggests looking at both sides of the debate before forming an opinion of the religion. Ultimately though, religion is a personal choice, and as per Scientology belief, "What works for you, works for you. If it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work for you." Scientology must be working for many people," Miller says. As for Eric Locke, he says Scientology helped him realize that he and his wife had different purposes. They are now divorced and Locke has since married. He says both he and his ex-wife are much happier with their lives — all thanks to Scientology.
— Elizabeth Marvel can be reached at emarvel@kansan.com.