Some in Valley protest Scientology

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - It's a religion with some high- profile believers and ridiculed by others for it's unique ideas. But some in the Wabash Valley say "Scientology" is much more dangerous.

Seven gathered on the Indiana State campus hoping to inform all who come by Saturday afternoon about Scientology.

"It's not really a personal thing," said protest co-organzier "Anon Indy." "It's something that I'm passionate about. I think the public needs to be aware of it because it's extremely dangerous."

Dangerous because of policies these protestors said affecting families, hassling critics, and charging for participation or membership.

Protestors said they are not against the Scientology religion or people who believe in it, just against the policies of the church.

"If we have reached one person for information, today was a complete success," said co-organizer "Mr. Pink." "I think we have."

Protestors wore masks or bandannas to conceal their identities. They said if their identities are known, they or their families could be targeted by the Church or its members.

The Church of Scientology helped start the Youth for Human Rights International non-profit, creating public service announcements that have aired on many stations including WTHI. Protestors said it possibly plants dangerous seeds for the future. More worrisome to them is that some Vigo County schools have included materials in the curriculum.

"I just hope we reach more of the public," said "Anon Indy." "Make sure that everybody is aware of what is going on behind these doors."

News 10 left messages with the Church of Scientology International office in Los Angeles Friday, here is their reply.

From Thalia Ghiglia, Dir. Public and Community Relations, Church of Scientology of Ohio

CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY STATEMENT ABOUT ANONYMOUS

"Anonymous" is a group of cyber-terrorists who hide their identities behind masks and computer anonymity and which has stated its intention to bring about the destruction of the Scientology religion. Anonymous is directly responsible for 41 death threats, 42 bomb threats and six arson threats, 96 threats of other violence, 29 incidents of vandalism, and an attempt to set fire to one of our churches in Los Angeles.

Long before selecting Scientology as its latest target, "Anonymous" destroyed the websites of thousands of MySpace users. When Fox News exposed their activities, "Anonymous" hackers crashed the Fox website and issued a perverse manifesto in a July 2007 message on the Internet:

"We are the face of chaos...We ruin the lives of other people simply because we can...
Hundreds die in a plane crash. We laugh. The nation mourns over school shooting,
we laugh. We're the embodiment of humanity with no remorse, no caring, no love,
or no sense of morality."

Anonymous is the subject of multiple local law enforcement investigations and two federal investigations, putting the the matter rightfully in the hands of law enforcement for prosecution of their hate crimes.

The Church does not respond to hate-speak or anti-religious and violence inciting statements originated by various blogs, newsgroups or anti-religious web-sites. The on-line information outlets are by their nature destructive and intedned only to incite hatred of others based solely on their religious beliefs.

The community has responded at recent conferences attended by law enforcement and various church representatives on hate crimes and cyber-terrorist activities, taking a position of solidarity among all faiths to combat hate and intolerance online, putting forth the message that "a crime against one religion is a crime against all religions".

The real story is that of the unprecedented growth of the Church of Scientology and the Scientology religion. The Church of Scientology has expanded more int he last five years than in the previous five decades combined.

Accurate information on the beliefs of millions of Scientologists worldwide can be easily found by walking into a Church of Scientology, reading a book or learning about the Church on-line www.scientology.org and finding out for oneself what Scientology is and what Scientologists believe.