A concerned family member who contacted their loved one in Scientology after watching Alex Gibney’s HBO Going Clear documentary has shared with us the response they received which was meant to calm their nerves – but instead only reinforced Scientology’s attack dog reputation for going after those critical of their abusive practices.
Scientology Business has been given permission to share the 2015 email publicly for the first time, redacted so as to protect the individuals involved.
Rather than address the family member’s concerns, the email instead focuses on attacking those involved in the making of the documentary. Interestingly, it flicks between British and American spelling, which suggests the message had been pre-prepared by Scientology’s Office of Special Affairs (OSA), the organisation’s ‘attack wing’ known for employing ‘Fair Game’ tactics to discredit and intimidate critics.
Here it is:
Dear [REDACTED],
I took the time to look into the going-clear video. To be honest, I was shocked myself. And I understand yours and [REDACTED]’s reaction and would have reacted as well, if I put myself in your shoes.
What I found was rather unsavoury, and I looked for hours to find out where this was all coming from and took the time to write you this email as you deserve to know the truth to put yours and [REDACTED]’s mind at ease.
Please take the time to read it. It should clear things up once and for all, it did for me.
I have attempted to give you the data in summary, but it is still quite extensive.
I was not the only one outraged at the documentary – I found a website which explains the truth with any and all evidence one could ask for.
The first interesting thing is that producers of the documentary in the UK had to add numerous disclaimers due to the nature of the sources that were used. One of the media outlets said they had never seen so many disclaimers on a documentary.
The guy that made the documentary is called Alex Gibney and it was produced by HBO. Though this is presented as a ‘documentary’ on Scientology, he did not walk into one Church, did not interview one Scientologist, did not verify any of the information used. Rather, he informed the Church once the film was completed. The International Management Office attempted to reach him through numerous letters to set straight his information and give him the true data about his sources but he refused contact. Finally HBO’s laywer invited anyone who might have connection with his sources to come forward and 25 people flew from all over the US to New York to be interviewed and present the facts. Even though HBO knew they were there, they then refused to see them. So it is a one-sided account, unfortunately based on lies from bitter ex-Scientologists.
At the center of it all is a guy called Marty Rathbun. This guy was in management in the early years when I was working at Saint Hill though I never met him – he was in the US. I have always known that he is now causing problems for the Church, but did not realize how far he has gone. Pretty much all the accusations made in that documentary originate with him. Looks like he has dedicated his life as an ‘anti-Scientologist’ and sells his story, and groups together any others who want to part-take and reap the benefits.
Marty Rathbun was in a position in International Management directing external affairs. He has a history of mental instability. In 1993 he had a major breakdown and got a sabbatical for 2 years given accommodation aboard a cruise ship (paid for by the Church). Years later he had a similar breakdown and the Church paid for $85,000 in medical expenses.
After he returned from this sabbatical, there was an accidental tragic death of a Scientologist. Witnesses were interviewed and Rathbun told witnesses to lie and he hid vital evidence which would have resolved the case. (This evidence was later found hidden in Mike Rinder’s office, another one of the documentary’s sources.) This cost the Church 43 million dollars. (He has admitted to doing this.) He was then, rightfully, removed. It was found that while he was in the Church, he bullied and physically harmed people he worked with. There is evidence of 20 such encounters.
After he left the Church he has continued violent and unstable behavior. He has been arrested in Texas for causing bodily harm to a Scientologist. He was arrested on his honeymoon night in Orleans for drunken and disorderly conduct (and put in jail overnight). And is openly discourteous to officials.
A few years after he left the Church, he decided to try make money by starting a movement to make money delivering his own form of the technology, collecting together other bitter ex-Scientologists and utterly failing in the attempt. He then turned to try make money by attacking the Church with fabricated stories, leading the group of ex-Scientologists.
The stories of these ex-Scientologists he is associating with, and who were used in the documentary as ‘reliable sources’ are not any prettier than his own. I looked into a few and it told me enough:
Marc Headley. He was at an organization called Golden Era Productions on an audio-visual job. He disappeared after it was found that he was secretly selling Church equipment on ebay and stole the money. At least 15,000 dollars. After he disappeared with his wife, he then filed 2 lawsuits on the Church with allegations of ‘human trafficking’. This went nowhere and the lawsuits were dismissed as it was found by the Court that in reality they had a good life while working in the Church. Him and his wife were ordered by the judge to pay $42,000 in court costs.
Despite this being the case, the documentary uses these lies as source – as if they are fact, even though it was already proven by the Courts to be complete lies and was an attempt for the guy to get more money out of the Church.
Marc Headly is supposedly the ‘whisteblower’. However he has admitted UNDER OATH he was on the payroll of tabloids spreading lies about Scientology. He admitted he was paid at least $16,000.
Mike Rinder. I actually have met him when he came to Saint Hill and so has [REDACTED]. He was incredibly arrogant, would not even say hello when I saw him and [REDACTED] had the same experience. He was involved with Marty Rathbun, hiding the evidence which caused major disruption in the court case and incredible losses financially. He actually left his family without a word, 2 kids and his wife of 30 years. When he left the Church he could not find and hold down a job. So his solution was to attack the Church and spread lies and get paid for them. His family pleaded him to stop and when his wife met him, he physically beat her to such extent she had to be taken to hospital and has been scarred for life.
That is the tale of just 2 of these ex-Scientologists. Tom De Vocht was used in the film who was in the Church’s construction department and lost more than 10 million for the Church through shady deals and financial mis-management for which he was expelled. He admitted to it and made the promise he would work to pay it back though has not paid a penny. It was found later that he was also in with Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder on the court case, getting witnesses to lie etc. After he left the Church, he carried on his financial criminality – he secretly sold his wife’s car and stole money from her inheritance. Hana Whitfield was expelled more than 30 years ago. She had delusions of ‘taking over the Church’ and attempted a 1 billion USD lawsuit which was thrown out by federal courts 6 times.
The list goes on. These are guys who attack the Church for their own financial benefit and are one for one incredibly unsavory characters. They will sell their lies to anyone who wants to hear them, and unfortunately the producers of this documentary chose to ignore the facts even though many attempts were done to set the record straight. It makes me wonder who they might be getting paid by.
I gave you some links here to look at, please do.
http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/letters-to-alex-gibney.html
http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/mike-rinder.html
http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/alex-gibney-stacking-the-deck.html
http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/marty-rathbun.html
That website has all the facts.
Meanwhile we are one of the largest organizations who voluntarily work to help people. We have thousands of Scientology volunteers who help at major disasters, out of pure compassion for people. We were one of the first on the site in New York at Sept 11, and one of the only volunteer organizations allowed on the site working with the police and rescue workers. When the Haiiti earthquake struck volunteers took time off their jobs and flew to Haiti with medical supplies and spent hundreds of hours helping at the disaster site, literally saving lives. We work with the red cross, with police, with government officials, you name it. We help to get people off drugs and have a campaign worldwide which is used by teachers to educate kids and youth. We provide full education kits someone can order from our website, for free, so that kids and adults alike can learn the truth and dangers of drugs. And we provide solutions which can help anyone in life, including free courses on the internet covering a variety of subjects such as marriage, how to improve relationships with other people, tools to help one at work.
The list goes on [REDACTED]. We are proud to be Scientologists and to know we have helped other peoples’ lives by our day to day work.
Look at this presentation which gives an idea:
http://www.scientology.org/our-help-is-yours/
That is why [REDACTED] and I love what we do.
Take a look at this website and you’ll get an idea of the different activities we are involved in and do to help. http://www.scientology.org
[REDACTED]
And it does hurt to see one’s belief attacked. But it is by a bunch of, frankly, criminals who after one thing – gaining money from attacking a Church they were once part of, and harmed by their own wrong-doings.
I hope that clarifies it [REDACTED] and I hope you have a chance to show some of it to [READCTED].
[REDACTED] and I love you both. It is not fair [REDACTED] has to feel stressed about either of us because of other people’s lies.
[REDACTED]
You and [REDACTED] are very much part of our life and are important to us.
We can have a chat or you can email me back, whatever you prefer. But I will feel a lot better once I know that it now makes sense to you.
Big hug to you and [REDACTED]
2015 email from Scientology staff member to a concerned family member
The only sources provided to back up the claims made about those involved in the documentary link back to Scientology. Freedom Magazine, for example, which is produced by the Office of Special Affairs describes itself as “the voice of the Church of Scientology” on their website.
Some of the phraseology parallels some of Scientology’s recent attacks on critics 10 years after the email was sent. Marty Rathbun a former executive, who is understood to have since rejoined Scientology, is described as having a “history of mental instability”, for example. This wording also seen on the Church’s STAND League website referring to Scientology Business Editor and UK activist Alexander Barnes-Ross.
It’s almost as if Scientology have a playbook of pre-written insults and attacks which are copied and pasted to be used against anybody who is critical of the Church. In response to reading the letter, Going Clear director Alex Gibney said “This is the way Scientology works. Ready Fire Aim is the Scientology playbook.”
Perhaps most interestingly is the email’s claim that the tragic death of Lisa McPherson in 1995 “cost the Church 43 million dollars.” McPherson was studying at the Church’s Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida, when she suffered a psychotic break and was subsequently held in solitary confinement by the Church before sadly passing away.
Scientology was charged with “abuse and/or neglect of a disabled adult” and practicing medicine without a licence. Journalist Tony Ortega reported in The Underground Bunker “Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner Joan Wood initially found the cause of McPherson’s death to be “undetermined.” But later, under intense media scrutiny and pressure by the church, she changed the finding to “accidental,” and the state dropped its criminal investigation.”
In a 2012 deposition, Marty Rathbun testified that the Church “spent between $28 million and $30 million to fight the criminal and civil litigation”.
Scientology policy states “If there will be a long-term threat, you are to immediately evaluate and originate a black PR campaign to destroy the person’s repute and to discredit them so thoroughly that they will be ostracized.” (‘Handling Hostile Contacts/Dead Agenting’, L. Ron Hubbard, 30 May 1974)
Hubbard wrote in a 1968 policy letter “Those who attack Scientology commonly have the most unsavory backgrounds you ever heard of. So, our usual one-two is to find out who is giving the orders and then find out what his criminal past is. And then we do it rather noisily so that it becomes known that we know and he shuts up. That is usually the modus operandi.“
You can read a selection of Scientology’s harassment policies here. Recent attempts to attack critics in the UK were also covered in extensive detail The Observer and the Daily Mail in March.
Despite Hubbard’s policies stating otherwise, Scientology denies that it engages in intimidation and harassment of critics, telling The Guardian last month any such claims were “manifestly false.”
