Refund and Reparation

There has been some stir amongst auditors concerning the fact that Scientology has allied itself with the Church of American Science, why a Church of Scientology has come into existence and why auditors qualified by training and personal attainments are applying for and have received ordination as ministers in these churches.

To some this seems mere opportunism, to some it would seem that Scientology is simply making itself bulletproof in the eyes of the law, and to some it might appear that any association with religion is a reduction of the ethics and purposes of Scientology itself. The broad majority of those interested have accepted this step, but not all have entirely understood it.

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Why should Scientology ally itself with religion or use the word religion in connection with its philosophy?

There are many, many reasons. Amongst them is that a society accords to men of the church an access not given to others. Prisons, hospitals, and institutions, and those who manage them, cannot do otherwise than welcome men of the church. We are talking now about more than simply expediency or protection under law. We are talking about urgency indeed.

For to my hand is a document written to me by one of our auditors concerning a woman who had remained senseless for three months following an accident. Her husband was desperate and desired a Scientologist to do what he could to return this woman to consciousness. The Scientologist did so and made excellent progress simply by putting the woman into communication by hand pressures. Although she could not speak, she could yet express herself and respond and even do mock-ups. The terrible condition of her body bettered and when she was returning to the world of speech and action, the medical doctor in charge of the hospital who heretofore had granted grudgingly, on the husband’s persuasion, interviews between the Scientologist and the patient, seeing the improvement, turned on the Scientologist and forbade him to touch the patient or see the patient or have anything more to do with the patient even though he could find nothing in the case but improvement and although no incident of any kind other than improvement had occurred. The Scientologist was turned out of the hospital and a few weeks afterwards the woman, relapsing into the apathy of unconsciousness, died. We will not charge this medical doctor with murder. We can only charge him with ignorance and barbarism. For we live today in what is at best, so far as social usages are concerned, a barbaric society. Those who profess to heal more often than not exist to collect. Those in charge of the insane are little better themselves than their patients. We live in a society where dreadful and terrible weapons and controls are commonplace, yet which is without many of the benefits of compassion, mercy and charity.

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And I am telling you this to dispel some of your shyness and to increase your boldness and overtness where the society itself is concerned. No door need be closed to you, nor need you apologize should you accept through the Church of American Science or the Church of Scientology any degree or title for which you are qualified. Western civilization is engaged in a worship of superstition, the supernatural and the miraculous even as other nations long ago. Its only other worship is that of the machine. Where else could men and women of compassion and skill serve better, and what else should they call themselves but teachers of wisdom?