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Mutual Respect Amongst People of Faith Brings Strength & Unity

The irony I found in reading your passionate, well-written article is that the frustration and sense of fundamental unfairness you feel at having your religion attacked by the mainstream media is exactly what it feels like to be a Scientologist.

19 December 2017

David Robertson
Christiantoday.com

Hi David,

I read your recent article with interest. You’re an articulate writer and made so many points I agreed with. I was raised Methodist and have also watched, with growing concern, a cultural decline that purposefully devalues the traditional Christian teachings on which so much of this country’s success has been built. I appreciate you speaking up for people of faith and conscience whose viewpoints aren’t in lockstep with Hollywood.

Having said all that, I wanted to bring something specific to your attention: I’m a Scientologist and have been for 15 years. It’s not a system of belief so much as an applied religious philosophy that you study and put into practice in your life to achieve specific results. It’s something I’ve applied in my own life with tremendous success. It’s made me a better husband, father, business owner, musician, and person. It’s saved and strengthened my marriage and helped bring out the best parts of myself while helping me handle the things that I knew were holding me back emotionally and spiritually.

As you so eloquently put it:

Some people say, ‘It’s only a drama – who cares?’ I care. There are those who know nothing about Christianity who when they see this programme will think that this is what it is about. The producers even managed to have a comment at the end: ‘If you have been affected by the issues in this programme, call…’ as though being part of a religious country run by Christian fundamentalists is a common or likely occurrence.

If you substitute “Scientology” for “Christianity” in the paragraph above, you’ll have perfectly captured the experience of what it feels like to have something you care about so profoundly twisted into something so perverted it makes you want to scream in anger and frustration.

I haven’t watched the show in question. I can’t speak to the intentions of the producers, writers or cast. I can’t objectively give an opinion on whether your interpretation of the show is fair or balanced. But none of that actually matters. The fact is, the show makes you feel the way it does and I’m sure, as a devout Christian, you are not alone in that.

Based on my own experiences, I don’t doubt that there is a concerted effort in Hollywood and in the mainstream media in general to belittle religion and spirituality as well as marginalize people of faith as leading unenlightened, unexamined lives. Part of that effort includes efforts to pit people of diverse faiths, one against the other. Rather than falling victim to that, we should instead unite all people of faith and, in so doing, become stronger.

I encourage you to spend time at scientology.org/how-we-help.html and learn about some of the good work Scientologists are doing in communities around the word. I think you will find that your very legitimate concerns about the way that those not familiar with Christianity’s basic tenets might be mentally poisoned by a Hollywood distortion is exactly what led you and so many other well-intentioned people to speak ill of Scientology without having had their own personal experience with it.

I’d welcome a direct dialogue with you anytime and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about Scientology as well as hear anything you would like to share about your beautiful faith.

Best,
Wil Seabrook