Why the puff piece, “Star-crossed Scientology” by Alan Woods (11/20) was listed under “science” is beyond me or anyone else with more knowledge than the quoted junior about this star-obsessed sci-fi “religion”. While this contoversial cult claims to have 8 million members, this grossly inflated figure (x40?)might be based on counting everyone who has ever been on a mailing list or taken one of their many expensive courses or “auditing” sessions.
Repeating their boast of an 80% drug rehabilitation success rate without noting that there is no peer reviewed research to back up that claim would be comical, except that at a/The university it is tragic. Their program includes hours a day in a sauna and potentially dangerous levels of niacin. Earlier this year, addiction specialists in Buffalo said documentation presented to support the detoxification program created by the church founder/sci fi writer L.Ron Hubbard is full of unsubstantiated conclusions, faulty assumptions and poor methodology.
And if you are going to cite one of the scientology websites it would be judicious to google the term and see that many of the top sites focus on the dark side of their bizarre beliefs. Scary stuff, and definitely not science.
name withheld by requestA very concerned parent
(Bill Coffin)
