BACK
There are some features of scientology which are so ludicrous that there may be a tendency to regard scientology as silly and its practitioners as harmless cranks. To do so would be gravely to misunderstand the tenor of the Board's conclusions. This Report should be read, it is submitted, with these prefatory observations constantly in mind. Scientology is evil; its techniques evil; its practice a serious threat to the community, medically, morally and socially; and its adherents sadly deluded and often mentally ill.
Many scientology techniques, beyond the elementary stages, are essentially those of command or authoritative hypnosis, and are potentially dangerous to mental health. Scientology processing or "auditing" is administered by scientology trained "auditors" who have no knowledge or appreciation of, or skill in, orthodox psychiatry or psychology; they are generally unaware of the dangers of the techniques which they practice and are unable to detect in their patients a variety of symptoms which would indicate to a medical practitioner or a trained psychologist mental and physical conditions which may require professional treatment.
A pseudo-science called "Dianetics", also founded by Hubbard and claimed by him to be "the modern science of mental health", is an important part of scientology and categorically but falsely claims to cure 70 per cent. of man's ailments. Though scientology formally professes not to treat or cure physical or mental ailments, in a covert way it creates the impression that it does, and it frequently processes individuals for the purpose of curing or alleviating their ailments.
Scientology procedures have done very considerable mental harm to individuals who have been persuaded to undergo processing and training. In many cases, mental derangement and a loss of critical faculties have resulted from scientology processing and have continued long after the individuals concerned have ceased active association with scientology. In a number of instances the direct result of scientology processing has been to produce mental derangement which has required hospital treatment.
Scientology offers to "make the able more able", to remove "suppression", to improve IQ and personality, to proof people against mental and physical illness and to bestow a variety of other benefits, offering sure success by allegedly infallible means. All these claims are entirely unjustified.
The principles and practices of scientology are contrary to accepted principles and practices of medicine and science, and constitute a grave danger to the health, particularly the mental health, of the community. Expert opinion to this effect was fully confirmed by the considerable number of specific cases of damage to mental health of which the Board heard evidence.
Scientology has highly undesirable processes, many of which are hypnotic, wherein normal inhibitions and restraints are in abeyance. Sexual matters, normal and abnormal, are frequently dwelt upon extensively and erotically.
Scientology is not, and does not claim to be, a religion. The general attitude of its founder is hostile to and disparaging of religion.
Scientology is a grave threat to family and home life. As well as causing financial hardship, it engenders dissension, suspicion and mistrust amongst members of the family. Scientology has caused many family estrangements.
The Board has been unable to find any worth-while redeeming feature in scientology. It constitutes a serious medical, moral and social threat to individuals and to the community generally.