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>> Statement: [Page 83]

Wright not only takes out of context statements by Mr.

Hubbard about why Scientology is a religion; he also falsely alleges the statement is from two different periods:

“Hubbard said there were 'many, many reasons' to ally Scientology with religion. ‘To some this seems mere opportunism,’ he later admitted to a reporter ‘To some it would seem that Scientology is simply making itself bulletproof in the eyes of the law.’”

>> True Information: The full context of Mr. Hubbard’s remarks are as follows:

On August 7, 1954, Mr. Hubbard issued Professional Auditor’s Bulletin #32, entitled “Why Doctor of Divinity.”  He begins with:

“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.”

Mr. Hubbard then follows with the history of knowledge, philosophy and religion and why Scientology is a religion.

Wright took the first sentence in the second paragraph and divided it, making it appear that these were two separate statements made at different times, when in fact they were part of one sentence in an issue in which Mr. Hubbard goes on to tell why we are a religion.  Even the quote from Mr. Hubbard that includes “many, many reasons” is in the same issue towards the end. Wright not only took this out of context, he further perverted it to suit his aim.

In his notes, Wright names Saturday Evening Post reporter James Phelan as the reporter to whom L. Ron Hubbard “admitted” this statement in a 1963 interview. However, in reviewing the transcripts of those interviews, it was verified that this statement was never said. Instead, Phelan used the quotes based on a bulletin Mr. Hubbard had written nine years prior to the interview in 1953.