MEDIA WATCH | ABC NEWS

ABC’s blatant false criticism of my Church astounds me

I can’t even believe that a respectable organization like ABC would consider airing or even creating a program that outright attacks a valid religion in the United States of America.

January 4, 2017

President ABC News
47 West 66th Street,
New York, N.Y. 10023

Dear Mr. Goldston,

I have three sons who were raised in Scientology. This implication that Scientology is in any way harmful for kids because they are exposed to explicit sexuality is clearly false and a direct attack on a religion that actually is safe, loving and a very positive experience for kids.

I can’t even believe that a respectable organization like ABC would consider airing or even creating a program that outright attacks a valid religion in the United States of America. I have been a Scientologist since 1975, when I was 20 years old. This blatant false criticism of my church astounds me.

My sons were actually much better off than the other kids in the neighborhoods we lived in. They were raised as happy, healthy individuals who were not involved in or acquainted with sexual activities as kids.

I also ran a kids group of hundreds of singers and dancers (over a 20-year span) and these kids were also held to a “Scientological” standard of ethics.

The book The Way to Happiness is a moral code that is followed by Scientologists and millions of other people. It says don’t do harmful drugs, don’t be promiscuous, honor and help parents, do not steal, seek to live with the truth, don’t do anything illegal, and much more. There are 21 precepts in all. But this book not only lays out this moral code, it explains clearly WHY these morals exist and how violating these standards might cause pain and unhappiness.

My children attended schools that were based on L. Ron Hubbard’s study methods. At these schools, the children were treated with respect and dignity and learned not to harm other kids emotionally and physically.

They were surrounded by a majority of kids who were from Scientology families, but there were students who were from other religions. Those parents specifically had their children in these schools because of the high standards.

There were no children in the school who took any illicit drugs because the school had a policy whereby if a student was found to be "experimenting" with drugs, they were not allowed to attend ever again.

One of my sons began his Scientology training at 9 years of age. This idea that he was then exposed to sexually explicit information is a complete fabrication. I never heard of any such thing taking place. If anything remotely like that had occurred, the church would have taken disciplinary action and parents would have been informed.

The members of the Church of Scientology have high moral standards. We do not tolerate unethical practices such as extramarital affairs, theft, lying, cheating, breaking laws, etc. If it is found that a Scientologist is involved in an out-ethics situation, we have specific actions that are taken to help a person discontinue such activities and become honest and straight.

Jean Dale Glass
Llano, Calif.