Cause
The effort brought together medical doctors and nurses from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad (Association des Medecins Haitiens a l’Etranger), paramedics and emergency medical technicians from New York City and New Jersey led by the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and Scientology Volunteer Ministers from New York , Tampa and elsewhere.
The group arrived in Port-au-Prince Sunday afternoon, after spending the night in Miami due to delayed departure from JFK as a result of the security alert that closed the airport Saturday afternoon.
Upon arrival in Haiti , the group was escorted to an area of the city where non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and relief organizations are headquartered. They met with officials of other relief organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, to coordinate their efforts and to bring their reinforcements to the greatly overtaxed medical teams.
The Puerto Rican government has chartered a ship arriving Tuesday to bring more Scientology Volunteer Ministers and their 100-foot-by-20-foot bright yellow tent to Haiti . The tent, and a half-dozen other Volunteer Ministers yellow tents donated by Churches of Scientology, will be erected on the grounds of the shattered Presidential Palace to form a hospital and trauma relief and grief counseling center.
Teams of Scientology Volunteer Ministers from throughout the U.S. , Mexico , Europe and elsewhere will provide administrative and organizational support to the medical teams, distribute supplies and provide trauma relief and grief counseling to the victims and their families.
“We had to reach out to provide substantial and meaningful help to the victims of this disaster,” said Pat Harney, a spokesperson for the Scientology Volunteer Ministers who is heading up the team in Haiti . “We have an outpouring of support from Scientologists and others around the world and we are underway in getting much- needed aid to the people of Port-au-Prince .”
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Corps is an embracive program of the Church of Scientology to provide community service, disaster relief and emergency response. Created more than 30 years ago by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, the program has expanded to 203,000 Volunteer Ministers worldwide who have served at 145 worst-case disaster sites, including Ground Zero after 9/11, the Southeast Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
Cheryl Duncan, cheryl@cherylduncanpr.com
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Somehow I don’t think that telling Haitians about Xenu and giving them “Touch Assists” will really help them rebuild their lives. Though I’m sure Scientology will recruit at least a few to bring back as “religious workers” to shine David Miscavige’s shoes.
Andrew,
What are you doing to help?
Why is it religious fanatics are allowed to prey upon these vulnerable people? What they clearly do not need is the mystical exploitation of a group that has been rightly censured in many countries – and designated a cult. Imagine if the inclusion of an e-meter (what a load of un-proven, exploitative rubbish) meant some anti-biotics didn’t get in?
What the Haitians presumably do need is orthodox medicine, water, shelter, food – given without agenda (recruitment, PR).
And Eva – you don’t have to be doing anything to be appalled by the exploitation of the Scientologists and their PR machine. But…for the record…I am and always do get involved via contribution or directly, as part of a non-partisan emergency response team with one of the big aid agencies.
Jim, Andrew are obviously people who do not know a thing about what Scientology can do for people. Reading a book and applying the principles in the books have created miracles for 100′s of thousands across the world. You obviously have not read one book and if you did (which I doubt) you had so many misunderstood words from it, you could not possibly understand it.
I have administered Touch assists and other assists to people and they improved remarkably. A locational assist helps a victim of trauma stay out of shock after the trauma so they are more in control of themselves, and they heal remarkably faster. Drugs administered for psychiatric purposes help to bring on further damage which I have witnessed with hundreds of people on these drugs, including death by suicide. The spiritual help attained using the principles of Scientology (in the books, available in any bookstore or church bookstore) have saved people from a life of misery after full physical recovery.
I spent 10 days in Baton Rouge helping people recover from Katrina. I also scrubbed waste cans to keep them clean, swept floors, gave out a 1000 meals, unloaded trucks, helped people with their old injuries with assists, got McDonalds for a man who wanted Mcdonalds instead of a MRE and bought a football for a young man and eyeglasses for an elderly man who lost his in the flood. I drove many of my fellow ministers around in my big SUV and helped get medicine from the pharmacy at WalMart for the patients.
I got “paid” from the satisfaction of helping someone else who needed my help. I did this in Florida as well in 2007 at a tornado disaster for a week. Imagine losing your entire house and having some guy who you never met bring you coffee because he wanted to help.
The Haitians need help and my hat goes off to anyone with the guts to go there and help, whether they are a jew, a catholic, a baptist, or an atheist, whether they are black, white hispanic, native american, or eskimo. People are people and they all have their faith. So get over it. Oh by the way, the Red Cross thinks we are really good people who wanna help. They welcome us.
Hey Tom – I know exactly what Scientology can do to people, having helped exit-counsel people from a range of cults, this one included. It’s characteristics are identical to all other cults (which is why it is so easy to label it as such).
Your methods are validated by who outside of the cult? Absolutely no one. And that is because they are false – patently so. And you know it: were it not the case Scientology would be successful in law prosecuting the likes of me for making claims that would be libellous were they not true.
A few points:
1) The Scientology-cult uses methods that they will not submit to the rigours of independent scientific method. They are demonstrably rubbish therefore. Claiming “experience” as evidence really doesn’t wash – when those involved have paid large sums to gain that experience! What counts is evidence. Many people in all types of cult have experiences. That does not make them evidence of truth!
2) The Scientology-cult takes huge amounts of money from individuals, usually making them very poor and making the leaders stunningly wealthy. It’s called exploitation and charlatanism. As you probably know the founder, Ron Hubbard, was a convicted charlatan.
3) The Scientology-cult preys on the weak and vulnerable – like any other cult.
4) The Scientology-cult humiliates any members who question the leadership – whoever mad the views put forward are. Again – this is 100% in line with all other cults.
5) It makes extreme lifestyle demands of members with no reasonable basis. Again, a well used ploy by every cult the world over to force commitment.
There is enormous irony in Scientology claiming it helps people, when demonstrably it causes suffering to thousands of people based on it’s charlatan claims. These people then end up back in the mainstream needing professional help once they have no more time or money to give to Scientology!
And let’s be clear: no one I worked alongside in the red Cross/Red Crescent (Rwanda, Burundi, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, Congo, Geneva, Aceh) ever welcomed religious proselytisers. Or any one else with anything other than an agenda to get involved. Scientiologists (like every other cult) have a big agenda that has nothing to do with helping people. Helping people is a means to an end, the end being PR and conversion. It’s pretty sick stuff!
It blows me away when I read such hateful e-mails. The volunteer ministers are unpaid people who take leaves from their jobs to feed, listen to and deliver assists to help people who have lost everything including family. Only a truely destructive and psychotic person would be against this. Go to volunteerministers.org and see what these people are doing.
Interesting article. Were did you receive all the info from…
The vulture ministers in Haiti have a definite agenda: to recruit, to build their own stats, and to build “white” PR (as opposed to black PR) for $cientology. Meanwhile, back home, $cientologists continue to break up families; force people in bankruptcy; stalk, bully, and threaten those who resist; enslave children, young adults and vulnerable adults, as they enjoy a tax-exempt status while claiming “religious” privilege. I know from first-hand experience–give us back our sons and daughters. We will never stop protesting until this greedy, cancerous cult has self-destructed, and that will be soon. IRS: Tax the cult!
I suspect these ugly comments come from people who haven’t lifted their finger to help in Haiti at all. I’m a Scientology Volunteer and have spent countless hours working on the situation in Haiti. The comments are not only biased, they are ignorant.
Here are a few of the things that the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have done in Haiti in a week and a half:
transported more than 350 medical professionals (surgeons and other MDs, nurses and emergency medical technicians [EMTs]) to Haiti to help give critical care
transported many tons of food, medical and other supplies
helped set up an emergency room
tended to hundreds of patients in severe misery, including amputees
delivered seven babies
…just a few things. When the tragedy happened we, like many others, sprung into action.
I am not going to let this go unchallenged because of information that I know that makes these comments completely disgusting. Here’s one: in the tsunami, two Scientology Volunteer Ministers ran the morgue; they’s right, they tagged bodies.
The people who are familiar with our work, whose lives we have touched, love us.
Critics? What have you done? I suspect nothing but type your drivel about my religion. Bigotry is bigotry and it is ugly.
This article states things as they are. I was shocked to read the comments though. Who are these evil people who attack a group that brings help and comfort even under the risk of losing their lives. How many flights did you slime-bags organize to get help to Haiti fast enough before epidemics take hold from the dead bodies that are buried under the rubble of caved in buildings?
I know the Scientology Volunteer Minister’s work and their intentions. I have seen dozens of them in action and so should you. If you are too scared to join a shoulder-to-shoulder effort with the volunteer ministers in Haiti you can check out their website at blog.volunteerministers.org and donate.
Your claims are bizarre! I’ve stated clearly who I am. I am someone outside Scientology who knows all about it. I am a professional aid worker – with extensive experience of both emergency and development – gained all over the world. So don’t give me that ‘get involved’ rubbish. I am always involved in every emergency – either on the ground (Rwanda, Aceh, Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Serbia) or I donate. Get your accusations right predator-exploiters.
Cheryl you say: “Critics? What have you done? I suspect nothing but type your drivel about my religion. Bigotry is bigotry and it is ugly.”
It ain’t drivel Cheryl. It’s all true. Open your eyes! And strangely – what I do, I keep to myself (but it ain’t “nothing”).
I also know a fair bit about cults (I was brought up in one) – so have few difficulties in spotting one. And yours is truly disgusting: it was founded by a convicted charlatan and continues his appalling methods since.
So stop the hate/evil/psychotic drivel (that stuff can go two ways but strangely doesn’t add much to the debate so I will desist) and face a few facts. Or address a single one of the points I made?
Jim, what a disgusting “profession” you’re involved in–faith breaking people. Descended from witch hunters are you? Would you like me to go into the documented litany of crimes that deprogrammers have performed? Happy to do so. Kidnapping, assault to name a few, not to mention the destroyed families. perhaps you’re not here in America where we have freedom of religion.
What makes me so happy is knowing what the reaction to your comments would be to the people we have helped in Haiti, those we have fed (sometimes with our own hands), those whose babies we have helped deliver, those the Scientology Volunteer Ministers are fighting for their lives every day in our work in Haiti. And, yes, some of our people there are health care workers as well as Scientology Volunteer Ministers. Our guys don’t have a lot of time to post lies about people’s religions as you are doing as they have left their comfy homes and are working around the clock in horrible conditions to help others less fortunate. Those that are not health care workers are confronting some of the most horrific injuries, amputations, burns, etc.
And since you asked…personally, when I found out that we had a group of doctors and nurses who could go I spent countless hours working on finding them transportation. And I personally helped to put the people together that helped get that first plane out to Haiti. And I helped get people there, promoted for supplies and helped in many, many, many others ways.
And Jim, you know nothing of Scientology and the many governments who have ruled for our religious recognition and the many court cases that the Church has won–the U.S. included. Jim, the IRS knows much more about Scientology than you and, I dare say, any Scientologist, having been given a million pages of documentation and finding that the church is operated exclusively for religious purposes and that our affiliated social betterment organizations also fully charitable.
Well, Jim, I have to go. I have positive effects to create, people to help, places to go.
Cheryl,
You’re an angry woman – no question. So angry that you have missed the point – and spent a while slinging some badly aimed mud. Really – witch hunters? What are you talking about? Are you acusing me of kidnap and/or assault, Cheryl? Someone you have never met, living and working in a different continent?
Even you must be able to see that is pretty unbalanced! You know nothing about me – nor the exit-counselling I have been involved with (on both sides of the table in fact).
So exit-counselling is not my profession – but is something I do have a little experience of. By day, I’m an accountant in fact! Just a very ordinary guy – with some experience of the dangers of your sect. Do you want to make up some stuff about accountants as well?
Exit-counselling of the kind I know about occurs when hurt individuals voluntarily seek help to escape from cults/sects who are pressurising them to stay.
That pressure is usually enormous – and of a pschological and financial nature. Both are easily demonstrably true of your sect from the huge body of well documented cases from around the world.
How easy would you personally find it to leave? Ask yourself, what would happen if you were to air the possibility one day? I know the answer. I know people who have been through that trauma – and then the pieces need picking up by medical professionals, trained in real science, not bogus nonsense.
You miss the point entirely though: ruling for religious recognition is the correct recognition that people should be free to believe whatever they want to – however stupid it is and inspite of whatever intellectual perversion it involves. We allow all sorts of patently absuive cults to exist, both in your country with it’s fine history of religious tolerance (sadly being eroded right now by religious bigots of all flavours) and mine (the UK).
And I agree with that: you should be able to believe what you like, practice what you like. All fine. Well – a load of old exploitative rubbish in fact, but if that’s what you want – then go for it! The state should not stop it. Our freedoms are too important. I think the French were quite right to brand Scientology a sect – but that’s just a distinction: they didn’t ban it. Just pointed out the obvious dangers to vulnerable people.
What I object to (as do the international organisations I mentioned previously by the way) is proseltyzing sealots tunring up to prey on those who have just suffered a huge trauma. You can wrap that up in any kind of verbiage you want. But we all know what the real agenda is – because it is there for all to see in practice in all of your work and literature. It’s all about the motivation! That perverting motivation (of conversion) pollutes all else – as it does for most religiously motivated action.
Plus the pioint you keep ignoring: Ron Hubbard was a convicted charlatan. And his organisation continues in exactly the same vein today – but with better lawyers! They can afford them of course – with the huge sums of money they extract from their enslaved followers of course.
Cheryl: sorry – but you are wrong. I know all about your sect. As – of course – do so many people now.
Could I propose you read your answer before hitting the send button – and maybe take out the more rabid, insane accusations before going ahead? I’m not a litigious type of bloke – but the last was quite fair past what is reasonable. You might, instead, like to consider addressing some of the specific accusations (Ron Hubbard for eg? Or the whole cash thing? Or the pseudo science? Or….???)
PS I didn’t, in fact, ask what you were doing personally for Haiti, in fact, though you’ve been very keen to tell me, and have gone to some lengths to tell us all several times. What a very good woman you obviously are. The world stands very impressed, I am sure, with your indignant self righteousness and your wild (and insane) accusations… Keep up the good work of defending those charlatans at Scientology Inc! the beauty is they’ve persuaded you to be so vehement – and I bet you’re not even on the payroll! You really believe it! A fantastic achievement by any charlatan’s standards, if I may say so.
Dear Jim,
We are helping lots of people. It seems that the very thought of that must drive you crazy.
I have been a Scientologist for many years, have met and talked with Scientologists from many countries, worked for Scientologists, hired Scientologists in my business, spent thousands of hours with Scientologists, read L. Ron Hubbard’s works, used L. Ron Hubbard’s works and seen people helped with the subject for more than two decades. My eyes are open. I have seen and what I have seen is good and helpful. I have subjective reality that I am a spiritual being thanks to Hubbard, repaired a contentious relationship with my mother before she died, etc. etc. I’m also very high IQ and your condescension is not appreciated. Frankly, I can only think of one of two things: you have been egregiously lied to about Scientology or you are one of those kind of people who likes to lie about others…for pleasure.
Scientology’s aims are a civilization without war, insanity and crime, where honest beings have rights. And every day Scientologists around the world work toward this.
What you cannot defend are the crimes that exit counselors have committed. For you to embrace that field, to consider yourself one of them. Yuck!
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers’ good work at 9/11, Katrina, with the California wildfires, after the tsunami, etc. etc. are very well documented. And, Jim, just for you, I’m going to do some stuff to ensure that at least another 500,000 people know what we are actually doing, rather than the lies you are spreading. You and your ilk have become my personal inspiration.
Hey Cheryl,
This is fun – hey?
Shall we get a few things straight? Your style of discussion is absolutely consistent with what the world has come to expect of Scientology. You propose an argument that I am supposed to have made and then knock it down. The point about this style of argument is that:
1) it suggests (pretty strongly!) that you don’t want to deal with the real issues raised (what a shock!);
2) it’s dishonest (readers – draw your own conclusions).
I did not ever suggest you were unintelligent. I have no idea – I’ve never met you (but glad to see you shout about your high IQ so vehemently!). I know many intelligent people who believe all sorts of mad and crazy things. You are a bit unhinged in your views about me though – no question. So apologies if you think I am patronising – but then: if you don’t want people laughing at you beliefs, don’t believe such funny things!
When you accuse me of spreading lies about Scientology, please could you identify one lie I have told about your sect?
I do not deny that they are on the ground in many emergencies. I do not deny that they believe that they are doing good. I just point out that a proseltyzing agenda in an emergency is abusive. And consistent with Scientology’s approach generally. I know you believe all this stuff – but science is science (ie provable, repeatable etc) and Scientology sits in the realms of leprachauns, fairies and dreams.
Now, my knowledge of Scientology comes from:
a) much time spent discussing with Scientologists at the Tottenham Ct Rd in London;
b) some time spent (very distressing too) with ex-Scientologists. The appalling psychology (and financial) abuse they had suffered was deeply disturbing;
c) The official literature (which is disturbingly foolish!)
d) knowledge learned from reading the papers etc.
Anyway – enough of all of that for now. The point about good and bad deeds is that they stand by themselves. So Scientologists helping people is great. Scientology helping people to repair their broken relationships is also great.
However, such behaviour is not unique (clearly – this is what every sect does) and it in no way validates the abuse that always goes along side it. Or the lies. Or pseudo science. Or financial and psychological exploitation.
So when Scientologists turn up on the ground in an aid situation, the overwhelming response from the professionals is one of concern. I have seen otherwise gentle and caring proefssionals become angry and hostile when they see Scientologists dispensing their voodoo nonsense. Understandably.
Distributing food can be helpful (if done in coordination with the lead agency). e-meters and touch-assists on the other hand are unproven technology (that’s the best I can come to: others have been more explicit). And going in with the aim of spreading the message of Scientology is clearly exploitative in an aid situation.
Let’s come back to the ‘crimes’ of exit counsellors. I know nothing of what happens in the US so perhaps there is a difference. In the UK, exit counsellors do not commit crimes of assault or kidnap as far as I know. I have known parents attempt to kidnap their children back from abusive cults, but that is rarely helpful – and can be criminal. Understandable though! But that’s not exit-counsellors.
They get involved when the authorities request help in dealing with someone who wants to or has recently exited a cult. They provide support through that trauma, a listening ear and standard professional counselling services to deeply traumatised and abused people – in the context of the local health authority. The individuals are referred by hositals, the police, social services etc.
So your continuation of those insane accusations of criminality really are quite rabid – and particularly ironic coming from someone inside one of the serially abusing organisations that causes exit-counselling services to be needed! Where do you get your information?
So off you go and do your “stuff” Cheryl. The world in general knows about Scientology and how they prey on the vulnerable. Rationality will defeat your organisation eventually – but not before many more have been bankrupt and scarred unfortunately.
Now how about some honesty: how much cash have you personally parted with to Scientology?
If there are any doubts about whether Scientologists are a total nightmare in an emergency (what planet do they live on?) – have a read of this recent report from Haiti – http://gawker.com/5462117/scientologists-in-haiti-a-firsthand-account?skyline=true&s=i
This is the text of the article.
I arrived at JFK last week, ready to go.
I knew we were traveling with doctors and EMTs, but I didn’t expect to see 50 scientologists, in their yellow shirts with Volunteer Minister on them. They were completely unprepared for going to a third world country, let alone a disaster zone. One girl was in designer cowboy boots. I asked her if she’d brought any sturdier footwear.
“Oh no, these’ll be fine.”
I asked another guy what he’d packed and he said he hadn’t bothered to bring soap or toilet paper or food, but that he’d just “buy whatever I need at Port-au-Prince airport.” I couldn’t break it to him.
They had no place to stay, and no supplies — their idea was to use the ton of money they had to buy food to distribute when they got there. But there was no food and no water. That was the point.
By the time we arrived in Haiti, after a stopover in Miami, we had missed three landing slots at the airport. Aid agencies — genuine aid agencies — from other countries were being turned away, refused permission to land. But we still got a slot straight away. The guy who ran our charter seemed to think that the Scientologists had some real influence with the US Government, who were assigning the slots.
The doctors and EMTs in our party headed straight downtown to start working. The Scientologists had nowhere to go, and nowhere to put up the big yellow tent they’d brought for touch healing people in. They went to the UN, and managed to get on to their list of approved NGOs somehow. That meant they could set up in the UN grounds.
But they had no-one who spoke Creole, and they brought the weirdness of touch healing into a very superstitious society. They’d leave the tent and come into the general hospital downtown, and try healing people. One of the doctors and one of the nurses told me that the wounded started coming to them to tell them they didn’t want to be treated by the people in the yellow shirts.
One nurse told me that the Scientologists actually caused harm — they gave food to people who were scheduled to go into surgery. That then led to complications in the operating theater.
On the way back, the plane stopped in Miami and did not go on to New York, stranding all the doctors and EMTs and journalists who expected to get back. After much fighting, the Scientologist representative agreed to fly any of the EMTs that “absolutely couldn’t afford the ticket” on Jet Blue from Fort Lauderdale. I heard there were complications but had bought my own ticket because I was fed up with their weirdness.
Wow Cheryl. What flavor was the kool aid?
That’s what they also said about the Little Red Book…
Never mind that recent conviction of fraud in France.
The IRS knows that if they tax Scientology, they also have to tax lots of Christian churches in order to stay fair. There are lots who tell the faithful how to vote… it’s all illegal, but the outcry from the faithheads would be too loud, so nothing is done.
That means you’re good at drawing the right conclusions from information. It doesn’t mean you have all the necessary information. Neither does it mean you can’t be deluded or hoodwinked.
That’s easy to say…
Hang on a second. You want to magically prevent physical brain damage?
Fraud, extortion, general money-grubbing…
“Make money. Make more money.”
– L. Ron Hubbard
“Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dolars, the best way would be to start his own religion.”
– L. Ron Hubbard, in 1949 – when he didn’t sell his bad science-fiction as science yet.
Firsthand account of “the ineptitude, quackery and irresponsibility” of Volunteer Ministers who went to Haiti without even having grasped that that country is wrecked.
“They had no place to stay, and no supplies — their idea was to use the ton of money they had to buy food to distribute when they got there. But there was no food and no water. That was the point.”
Here is a link to some factual information about scientology:
http://www.xenu.net/
or you can judge Scientology by the the founder’s own words: “Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion”
- L. Ron Hubbard
Cheryl, you keep missing the point. Please address them. We posit that your cult is helping (like many other cults/religions) only to try and convert people in vulnerable situations. Secondly that you have no magic healing abilities and that it’s harmful to keep people from proper treatment. Helping with food, shelter and *real* medical aid? Wonderful and thank you. But that no excuse for the atrocious behavior exhibited by your cult. Please address the points being made, your elusive behavior is telling.
Cheryl said:”the IRS knows much more about Scientology than you and, I dare say, any Scientologist, having been given a million pages of documentation and finding that the church is operated exclusively for religious purposes and that our affiliated social betterment organizations also fully charitable.”
Kind of a reverse Operation Snow White, Cheryl?
http://www.xenu.net
Nice to see the Scientology mentality displayed here.
Logic – You’re doing it WRONG!
Anyone who claims that Scientology VM’s are going to Haiti just to “help out” without proselytizing is seriously misguided.
They’re taking full advantage of this disaster by bilking $500-$3000 donations from their membership — NOT to donate to the relief effort, but to buy freaking books and pamphlets from Scientology’s Bridge Publications. DIRECTLY LINING SCIENTOLOGY’S POCKETS.
http://forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=15994
Example of one of the emails they’re sending to their members regarding Haiti below. Feel free to call Patrick and verify this scam yourself.
—-
From: “Patrick Howson”
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 21
Subject: Your urgent help is needed for Haiti…
Hello ,
As you know just several days ago there was a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti.
As a direct result of this catastrophe tens of thousands of people have died and an entire nation has gone into total chaos.
The Church of Scientology has started to ship out dozens of Volunteer Ministers to give aid to the tens of thousands that need it. Similar to the situation when 911 hit the USA, we need to get as much Scientology technology into the hands of the Haitian people.
As we steadily increase the number of VMs being sent, so must we also increase the amount of Scientology tech into the hands of people.
Right now we (Bridge Publications Inc.) are requesting that every single Scientologist lend a hand in this. We will be shipping thousands upon thousands of Scientology Handbook booklets and other various basic Scientology tools to the VMs on site. They in turn will distribute these to the public on the ground while hatting them on how to use the tech.
All donations for fully tax deductible.
I am asking you for a donation to this cause. The minimum donation being asked is $500. Any one making a donation of $3,000 or more will receive a very special commendation that will go directly into their ethics file.
To make a donation, call directly to (323) 899-1034, or email me back your information.
You can also make your $500 donation on-line here:
http://www.lrh-books.com/new/donation_to_haiti
Thank you in advance for your support!
Sincerely,
Patrick Howson
Mail Order Manager
Bridge Publications Inc.
(323) 899-1034
Here’s another fine example of Scientology Volunteer Ministers doing “good work” at the disaster sites of the 9/11 attack in NYC and the 7/7 bombing in the UK.
And by “good work,” I mean sneaking onto the scene and deliberately obstructing victims from receiving psychological counseling.
This is a transcript of a BBC Radio undercover report on what transpired:
http://www.newsfrombree.co.uk/stolgy_25.htm
A team of Scientologists, or of any other organisation, should be allowed to help out in Haiti, if they are only there to provide food, shelter, and professional medical attention, without precondition. No other motives are acceptable.
Can you honestly say this is the case, Cheryl?
Every one of your allegations was answered by the U.S. government which looked into every conceivable allegation and found what we always knew was true, that the Church of Scientology is operated exclusively for charitable purposes. Members like myself donated hard-earned cash to get planes full of MDs, nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics to Haiti to get them the help they needed. Folks who have worked with us love us and appreciate the reliable help we offer. And Robert, I’m not so much for sugary drinks.
wow, Cheryl got quiet…
the truth can sting worse than any venom.
Scientology won’t be able to hide their intentions forever…
If you ask me, the best thing Scientology could do is stay home, stay ut of the way of the people who know what they’re doing, and donate all that money they spent getting there to the Red Cross.
That’s what I did to help.
With my only simple knowledge of First Aid, I’d be next to useless- I know its good to have good intentions, but when you have no idea how to handle yourself in a disaster zone, sometimes its better to let the major league swingers step up to bat rather than rely on your limped right arm.
So yeah, that’s what I did, I let the real workers have the slots to get to Haiti and help these people, I donated a little money (I don’t have much…) and some clothing to the Red Cross.
Can I say I was there and wore a gigantic arrow over my head to show everyone I was there (and being only useful for remedial labor and absolutely useless in the face of disaster and emergencies) no, I can’t say I have, but I did what I thought was best- I opened my heart to the people of Haiti and donated what I could and stayed out of the way of the people who knew what the hell they were doing.
Cheryl, have you got any response to the article detailing the stunning incompetence of the Scientology-sent “clear” volunteers? About their utter unpreparedness in the face of the disaster? About their interference with legitimate medical treatments? About their waste of resources and time?
“Any one making a donation of $3,000 or more will receive a very special commendation that will go directly into their ethics file.”
Wow.
Explain to us, Cheryl, why an “ethics file” is kept on members of your cult religion? And why does one get a “special commendation” for giving money?
Sounds a lot like the Catholic church in the Dark and Middle Ages.
Glad to hear you helped Brandon. We decided to help in a different way. Having heard news of the situation we knew medical attention was needed by people trapped under buildings so we were happy to arrange transportation to the site for medical professionals who wanted to go. There we’ve done everything from clean latrines to, with training in what’s like a war zone, sterilizing instruments for the surgeons. I’d heard that our guys had organized the medical supply area of one of the facilities but today I heard that before we did that people were dying because they couldn’t find IVs. I’m so proud of what we are doing there to assist and help get the job done. I’m so happy to be a part of it and having worked personally to get the doctors there.
Cheryl,
you still haven’t answered any of Jim’s specific questions. Your evasiveness is not doing your cause a lot of good.
Here’s my take on this.
In Haiti, there is aboslutely no shortage of volunteers willing to do untrained work. There are tens, if not hundreds of thousands of displaced Haitians who can act as porters, distribute supplies, and do any and all jobs that are currently being filled by untrained amateurs like Scientology’s Volunteer Ministers.
In fact, the UN has actively discouraged bringing unskilled volunteers into Haiti.
Every single well-meaning but untrained volunteer that arrives there displaces much more needed resources… and, while in Haiti, sucks up resources like food, water, and lodging that could have instead be allocated to a Haitian.
Put another way… every untrained person that flies to Haiti displaces 180 pounds of useful relief supplies. That could be one doctor (or nurse, or paramedic)… two Search and Rescue dogs… or enough food an water to keep a dozen Haitians alive for more than a week.
I’m sure the Volunteer Minister’s hearts are in the right place, but they’re completely ignoring what relief agencies say they need. They feel like they’re doing some good, but in reality they are compounding the problem.
Here’s what Haitians need:
- Qualified medical personnel.
- Medical supplies.
- Water.
- Food.
- Shelter.
They don’t need touch assists, locationals, or LRH pamphlets.
Hey Cheryl,
Can you enlighten us about what sort of specialized training Scientology Volunteer Ministers go through that makes them qualified to be at a disaster site?
I’ve worked at disaster sites.
I went through months of training as an EMT. Then many, many months more to become a paramedic.
I’ve also gone through years of training to become a SAR (Search and Rescue) ground team member, as well as spending years of my life to become qualified as a SAR pilot in the USAF.
From what I’ve seen, Scientology’s Volunteer Ministers require no more training than putting on a yellow shirt and hopping a flight to some disaster area to be photographed.
I’ve read the statistics your organization collects to “score” the success of an operation. I find it totally objectionable that your organization doesn’t even require basic first aid skills… much less any other genuinely useful training.
If you ever want to be seen as anything other than opportunistic vultures, you’d do well to require some minimal level of emergency services training for your personnel.
And, no, L. Ron Hubbard dogma doesn’t count.
$cientologists in Haiti should be required by law to leave all recruiting items (ex: flyers, e-meters) back where they came from. its a disaster zone no one is talking bad about the things $cientologists are doing in haiti to help distribute foods to the needy but everyone is looking down on $cientologists when they spend there time handing out information to victims about joining the “churches” . the point of going to a disaster zone is to help in getting the country back in shape not to “spread the word of Ron Hubbard”
Cheryl,
It seems that there is massive international criticism of Scientology’s role in exploiting trauma victims. Now – as a member of the cult, you will reject that criticism of course – because you ‘know better’.
Can you see that this is identical to the way every single cult operates the world over? There is no difference at all in method? The members ‘know’ definitively that they are right and everyone else is wrong.
If the world looks on and is disgusted by what your sect is doing, you need to be very sure that they are really so very wrong, I propose? And don’t be under any illusion: those outside Scientology, who know about its beliefs and more importantly, methods, are universally disgusted. Deep down disgusted. I feel sincere and deep pity for those trapped in Scientology (I was brought up in an abusive cult too) – and frustration that the natural freedoms we demand of modern western societies allow them to exploit the vulnerable. I would strongly urge you to ask yourself some deep questions about Scientology and look at the similarity of their methods to every other abusive cult. It was a real shock to me to see that applying to my own case.
As a start how about telling a public audience, like this one, definitively: how much have you paid/given to Scientology yourself?
Thanks,
Jim
Still not going to directly answer the questions Cheryl? Still not going to back up your cults claims? Still not going to own up to the harm it causes when opportunistic sects like yours use disasters for PR/monetary gain? That’s fine. Your supposed high IQ doesn’t get you very far when you ignore that which is uncomfortable to believe.
Probably last post as you’ve gone pretty quiet: Cheryl – how about you asking yourself why you can’t tell anyone how much money you’ve given to Scientology?
Is it:
1) because you are embaressed (a great emotion in this case – and one I can entirely empathise with: I gave cash to fraudsters and con artists too!);
2) because they have told you not to reveal this fact to anybody. If this is it, then you MUST ask yourself what they are scared of? Why can’t you be open about what happens in the cult? Why do they control what you can do, say, think? Is that reasonable?
3) Can’t think of any other valid reason…
You know – I found life to be very beautiful without the crutch – though very painful escaping from the thought control, it must be admitted. Truth is truth though and is always worth finding in my experience.