MEDIA WATCH | ABC NEWS

Dear ABC: I knew right from wrong.

If you slander this upbringing at all, it is an act of bullying, bigotry and straight-up slander, based on lies and hate.

January 4, 2017

Senior Executive Producer
ABC 20/20
47 West 66th Street,
New York, N.Y. 10023

Dear Mr. Sloan,

I heard about a program you are about to put on the air about the Church of Scientology and how our parishioners raise our children.

I was born into Scientology. I grew up running the halls of the Church of Scientology. I was raised with a moral code that helped me stay away from drugs and bad influences. I had straight A’s in school. When I was 14 my cousin, who wasn't a Scientologist, tried to get my sister and me to try weed. Because of our moral upbringing in Scientology I knew right from wrong and was able to stand up for myself.

I also grew up going to church regularly and attending classes there with other students. Never were we treated with anything but kindness and our parents were always present.

Children with study and attention “disorders” learned to study correctly and I saw them turn their grades around.

With the help of Scientology classes on communication, I overcame shyness and a stutter I used to have went away.

The morals and life skills I learned in Scientology are an integral part of my day-to-day life. I am active on committees and in my neighborhood. I make an honest living helping others.

So if your program does anything but show that the most ideal environment for a child to grow up in—with morals, integrity and self-reliance—is a Scientology upbringing, and if you slander this upbringing at all, it is an act of bullying, bigotry and straight-up slander, based on lies and hate.

Amanda Rogers
Los Angeles, Calif.