Among the most basic principles of the Church of Scientology are the belief that all men and woman have the right to practice their beliefs as they see fit. It is part of the Creed of the Church of Scientology: “That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance.”
In “Religious Influence in Society,” an essay published in the 1970s, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote:
“Religion is the first sense of community. Your sense of community occurs by reason of mutual experience with others. Where the religious sense of community and with it real trust and integrity can be destroyed, then that society is like a sandcastle unable to defend itself against the inexorable sea.
“For the last hundred years or so religion has been beset with a relentless attack. You have been told it’s the ‘opiate of the masses,’ that it’s unscientific, that it is primitive; in short, that it is a delusion.
“But beneath all these attacks on organized religion there was a more fundamental target: the spirituality of Man, your own basic spiritual nature, self-respect and peace of mind. This black propaganda may have been so successful that maybe you no longer believe you have a spiritual nature but I assure you you do.”
We see this onslaught in the denigrating way major media portrays religion today–the sarcasm, they way they put certain concepts in quotes to degrade belief in one’s spirituality and the importance of faith.
We see it in the way certain religions are maligned and marginalized.
A new website created by the Church of Scientology includes a booklet called “What is Freedom of Religion?” and its Charter on Journalistic Ethics in Relation to Respect for Religion or Belief.
Within are such concepts as: “A responsible media serves as a watchdog to safeguard fundamental rights. It does not, therefore, fuel or engender discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, cultural traditions or similar grounds. It recognizes and respects diversity and minority rights.”
I believe it is the responsibility of religious men and women to see that this subject is treated with the respect and dignity it deserves, and I invite everyone to read this code and help see to its implementation.
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