MEDIA WATCH | ACCULTURATED.COM

Acculturated.com’s lack of culture in Scientology article

The only possible motivation for such a piece is to spread bigotry against Scientology. But if the press popularizes prejudice against one religion, well, whose will come next?

March 28, 2017

John G. Ekizian
Acculturated.com

Mr. Ekizian:

Your article of March 27 contains numerous offensive and reprehensible—not to mention false—references to Scientology—my religion and that of millions of other people around the world.

Substituting any other religion in place of Scientology in your piece illustrates how bigoted and inappropriate it was. You would never write: “Its founder, the late Jesus Christ (who according to Christians, isn’t dead but rather resides in a different context that’s too complex for us non-Christians…”

The only possible motivation for such a piece is to spread bigotry against Scientology. But if the press popularizes prejudice against one religion, well, whose will come next?

The web page of the United States Department of Justice dealing with religious freedom doesn’t say “Protecting the Religious Freedom of All, Except Scientology.” It states “Protecting the Religious Freedom of All.” It is all-inclusive because that is the overriding and all-embracing principle at the heart of our democracy.

Gratuitous, inflammatory comments such as those you published do nothing more than show arrogance and disdain toward people of faith. We respect your right to freedom of speech and the press. You should respect our right to freedom of religion. Bigotry of any kind has no place in society.

I sincerely request that you refrain from such prejudicial remarks in the future about a religion you clearly know nothing about. And I invite you to find out what Scientology really is about by reading our site at www.scientology.org.

Regards,
Rebecca Blair
Mount Vernon, NY