Church of Scientology Statement on Alex Gibney's HBO Film

HURCH OF CIENTOLOGY C S Australia, New Zealand and Oceania

Statement Concerning Alex Gibney’s HBO Film

Alex Gibney’s film is bigoted propaganda built on falsehoods invented by admitted liars. All remain bitter after having been removed in disgrace and expelled more than a decade ago from the Church, after they secretly conspired to suborn perjury and destroy evidence. They cannot be trusted, and no statements they make can be believed. Mr. Gibney refused to answer over a dozen letters from the Church asking for an opportunity to address any allegations; he never sent one fact to check and he shunned 25 people who traveled to New York to meet with him with relevant information to inform his film.

Because Mr. Gibney has remained anything but objective, the Church has compiled the unvarnished truth in the form of video footage, court documents, publicly available records and testimonials by pertinent individuals who represent Scientology, and were intentionally ignored by Mr. Gibney and HBO. See the video’s at www.freedommag.org/goingclear.

Mr. Miscavige has been successfully leading the Scientology religion for more than a quarter of a century. Scientology has expanded faster in the last 10 years than in its previous 50 and is the fastest-growing religion of the 21st century.

For more information on the true story of Scientology and the millions of people around the globe who benefit from its indiscriminate help, please view our website, www.scientology.org.

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As for the Lateline questions, the answers are as follows:

To what degree does the Church of Scientology accept evidence presented by the film that a damaging "surveillance culture", has been in operation?

The journalist's question is unintelligible, as “the film” presented no evidence. It is a sham concocted by a bigot who fed his prejudices on a diet of lies dispensed by admitted liars and perjurers. There is not one iota of truth to it.

How do you respond to claims that Nicole Kidman had her phone tapped

The source of this false allegation is Marty Rathbun, who was expelled from the Church 10 years ago. It is despicable and mind-boggling that Mr. Gibney gave Rathbun a platform to accuse the Church of the illegal act of wiretapping a celebrity without noting that Rathbun had somehow “forgotten” to mention this incendiary allegation during his vitriolic six-year campaign in which he has accused the Church and its leadership of virtually everything short of assassinating US President Lincoln.

The campaign against the Church and its leader that Gibney, Wright and now HBO have bought into, starts with Rathbun, who is at the center of a small web of disgruntled ex-Scientologists bitter at having been kicked out of the Church for severe misconduct. He is a self-admitted liar with a record of having admitted he suborned perjury and obstructed justice. Rathbun is a wannabe guru who after being expelled by the Church was silent for five years, burning through his inheritance. Then, in 2009, he abruptly focused on a new moneymaking scheme with his “independent” movement, recruiting a handful of other expelled zealots still bitter from having been kicked out of the Church for malfeasance, and anointing himself their leader. The members of his “posse” include the other Wright and Gibney sources.

Normally, this false allegation would have been one giant red flag to any journalist as it should have been for HBO and Alex Gibney. By the numbers, Rathbun failed to mention this bogus wiretapping claim in no less than 1,300 vitriolic and dishonest blog posts, interviews with some 50 media outlets, in three self-published books he wrote, and in extensive interviews with the film’s own producer, Lawrence Wright. Of course, Rathbun didn’t “forget” to mention it, because he made it up for Alex Gibney. For Mr. Gibney to use this allegation shows that he doesn’t care if what he airs is true as long as it gets attention.

Airing this nonsense from a liar who in six years never once told this story makes a mockery out of the banner “Documentary.” It is proof positive that this film was and always has been bigoted propaganda in which facts don’t matter. We knew that when Mr. Gibney hid from us for more than two years because he knew we could instantly discredit Rathbun, his most “important” source willing to make any false, salacious allegation. Because it provided free publicity via the celebrity media, Rathbun’s lie was too “valuable” for Mr. Gibney to vet it, proving he has no journalistic standards whatsoever. The result is a film that is discredited and corrupt.

Please see: www.freedommag.org/Rathbun.

Have practices occurred within the Church of Scientology - such as a place called 'the Hole', where senior executive members have been kept....?

This allegation is further evidence of how journalists have been hopelessly duped. You should also know that the Church property referred to as the location for this “hole” is in reality a production studio/campus with state-of- the-art equipment which includes a golf course (the only place on the property where there are actual “holes”), tennis courts, swimming pool and staff apartments. Alex Gibney never visited it, nor even asked to visit it or film there. How does he know anything about it? Again, see this video for comprehensive view: freedommag.org/hbo/videos/exterminating-gibneys-propaganda.html

What is your response to arguments raised in the film that the Church of Scientology should lose its tax free status around the world?

As to the journalist's question and its application to Australia, it is a ridiculous example of Gibney’s ignorance and bigotry. The Australian High Court issued a landmark ruling more than 30 years ago holding that: “[t]he conclusion that [the Church] is a religious institution entitled to the tax exemption is irresistible” and the High Court decision is recognized as the seminal decision on the definition of religion and on tax exemption in Australia. The subsequent Inquiry into the Definition of Charities and Related Organizations conducted by the Australian government cites the ruling as “The most significant Australian authority on the question of what constitutes a religion…. The High Court found Scientology to be a religion. On the question of the current approach to the meaning of religion, the Scientology case provides the best elucidation….” So clearly Gibney is no authority and the ABC should be ashamed to broadcast such inaccurate and sensational claims.

Further, the humanitarian programs supported by the Church of Scientology are expanding at an unprecedented rate. The Church supports the largest non- governmental drug education campaign on earth, sponsoring the distribution of over 50 million educational booklets in over 20 languages and continues to be a relentless voice in the fields of human rights, anti-drug education, disaster relief and social betterment.

References: http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/letters-to-alex-gibney.html http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/exterminating-gibneys-propaganda- going-clear.html http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/mike-rinder.html http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/marty-rathbun.html http://www.freedommag.org/going-clear/videos/alex-gibney-doctor-of- propaganda.html

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