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An article was recently published in The Arbiter denouncing Scientology and endorsing a protest against it. The author of this article (who shall go unnamed) claims that Scientology teaches its followers not to associate with others, and that it deceives and exploits them. He went on to denounce this religion further, and asked people to participate in a protest against it, suggesting that they hide their identities to avoid being sued.
After reading this, I felt compelled to make a statement of my own. For the record, I am neither for nor against Scientology. I don’t know very much about it. However, I think I know what the best way to learn about it is, and it’s not through biased articles. This is especially true of articles meant to turn the reader against the people who it talks about.
Allow me to give you a few examples of what I’m talking about. I am a Mormon, and as such, I have suffered from countless accusations brought against my church. I’ve heard claims that we are a deceptive, anti-Christian cult which extorts money, twists the Bible, and performs unspeakable rituals in secret.
However, you don’t have to look very far to learn that Mormonism is really just a unique but peaceful branch of Christianity, and that we, its followers, are deeply focused on living according to the example of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Still, the accusations fly.
There are other branches of Christianity which have suffered similar accusations, also falsely. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have had to deal with almost exactly the same accusations. And it doesn’t stop there. Catholics as well have been accused of crimes for which they are not guilty. If you want examples, read the Da Vinci Code.
It’s not just limited to Christian groups, either. I have witnessed an avalanche of anti-Muslim sentiment over the course of the past couple of years. It’s not new, either. As early as the Crusades, many Christians believed the Muslims to be guilty of idol-worship (which, ironically enough, is condemned in the Quran).
The anti-Catholic, anti-Mormon, anti-Muslim, in fact anti-anything propaganda which I’ve seen or heard often accuses these groups of the same sort of crimes that this recent article attributed to Scientology; namely: deception, extortion and secrecy. In the case of my own church, these accusations were false, as they turned out to be for most other religious groups. And so, I ask the question: If these accusations were false for all these other groups, why should I believe them to be true about Scientology?
The way to learn the truth about any group of people is to talk to the people in that group, not to read biased propaganda. This is true for Mormons, Catholics, Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses. And it’s also true for Scientologists.
Eric Naylor is a Sophomore
at BSU majoring in History.
ERIC NAYLOR
Guest Opinion