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Outraged you are attacking my religion

That you would attack these people, me, my group, my religion is beyond me and I will not stand for it.

January 4, 2017

ABC 20/20
New York, N.Y. 10023

Dear Mr. Harris,

My name is Francesca Braddock. I was raised as a Scientologist and am raising my own children as Scientologists.

I found out you are planning a show attacking Scientology and Scientology parents.

I wanted to give you my views and information from my personal experience as I am outraged you are attacking my religion like this. I strongly feel that if you spoke with some parents that are Scientologists and Scientology children that you would not run this show. I must assume your sources are disgruntled ex-Scientologists that are somehow profiting from your show.

My parents were Scientologists prior to my birth. I was raised with Scientology morals. These were mainly just points of common sense, don’t do things to others you wouldn’t want done to yourself, take care of yourself, don’t drink in excess, don’t be promiscuous, respect your elders, etc.

Though I was raised as a Scientologist that did not mean I was one for myself. Friends would make fun of me and make me feel weird or awkward because of my religion. I stopped hanging around the church and my life gradually got worse and worse. My friends at this point were non-Scientologists, they were doing drugs and sleeping around. I even dropped out of school at age 11, hiding it from my parents.

When my mother found out she took me to the Church. I was not yelled at, I was not brainwashed, I was not molested or in any way made to feel awkward or uncomfortable. I actually felt very safe. These church staff members and my parents cared about me and honestly wanted me to do well. My mother went through The Way To Happiness book with me, which Scientologists follow as a moral code. This short booklet contains a moral code that works for any one. It just makes sense. Based off that I decided to turn my life around.

I went back to school. I helped get several of my friends off drugs, etc. I wanted to do more in Scientology and from that point forward was more involved as a Scientologist. During all my time at the church I have never been brainwashed or made to feel uncomfortable in any way. In my counseling with the church nothing odd or unusual ever took place.

The truth is Scientology saved my life, as if my mother had not gone over this book with me and helped me with Scientology I would have gone down the wrong path and I would have done drugs. And I would have OD’d. I am here today because of Scientology.

As a mother my children are the most important thing in my life. I won’t make my kids be Scientologists or anything else for that matter but I hope they will decide to be on their own. While they grow I do raise them with Scientology beliefs because through my experience with the Church the people that participate in Scientology are very good people that want to see others do well and flourish.

I am routinely told that my children are the happiest and most well behaved Children in the school.

My children have never told me or implied that anything has ever happened to them at the Church and my kids tell me everything. Also the Church has always been very upfront with me. They were when I was a kid and they are with me about my kids and they are upfront with my kids and always have been.

I was never “made” into a Scientologist and I will never “make” my kids be Scientologists. I choose to be a Scientologist and thank God I did.

The Church of Scientology has earned my respect. They are the most compassionate caring group I have ever had the privilege of dealing with.

The fact that you are attacking something that does volunteer relief throughout the world, that helps reform criminals, that helps rehabilitate drug addicts and educate the young about the harmful effects of drugs, helping to stop human trafficking, etc. That you would attack these people, me, my group, my religion is beyond me and I will not stand for it.

I can only implore you to stop.

If you understood how good and well intended and transparent this group is and decided to run this piece any ways then I feel sorry for you as your concious will eat away at you and we as a Church will continue to grow any ways. I do not believe truth always prevails but it should. And as a Scientologist I will do everything I can to help the truth prevail. As a Religion we will continue to grow and we will keep helping people no matter what.

We are all human and we all have the right to our own religious beliefs. If you don’t stop because of the above letter then imagine if someone spread false lies about your religion and your kids went to school and were teased and bullied because of your beliefs.

Nothing good will come from lying about Scientology. Please don’t do it.

Francesca Braddock
Milwaukie, Ore.