The Church of Scientology’s Human Rights Office, in coordination with the Association of British Muslims and the Queens Federation of Churches in New York, brought together 75 clergymen, professors and government officials representing two dozen religious traditions in May 2002. The conference set an agenda to end intolerance and to reverse the trends of drug abuse, violence, crime and immorality.

Over the past three decades, the Church has exposed the criminal practice of “deprogramming” — described by many religious experts as “kidnapping for profit.” Trading on the distress of family members whose son or daughter joined a religious organisation unfamiliar to them, “deprogrammers” are hired to kidnap the loved one and force them to abandon their faith. Besides being illegal and a violation of the person’s rights to freedom of religion and association, this practice greatly widened the breach between the abducted relative and the family. Small religious groups, many of them Christian associations, did not have the resources to defend their members against such heinous acts. The Church of Scientology thus took up the cause and was instrumental in bringing this criminal activity to an end in England, France, Germany, Scandinavia and the United States. Whereas the practice had been rampant in the 80s and early 90s, a deprogramming is a rarity nowadays. To prevent this criminal practice from re-emerging, an organisation was needed to bridge the gap in understanding between a person who joins a little known religious movement and other family members. During the last two decades, the Church has established several Foundations for Religious Freedom and Tolerance, with members from many different faiths whose purpose is to educate the public on religious rights, freedoms and responsibilities.

The Foundations, with multi-faith membership, take a variety of actions to effect an increase in religious tolerance, such as a “hotline” which, for more than six years, has assisted more than 15,000 callers to resolve their religious differences amicably. A referral list of qualified experts in different religious fields is maintained, who provide enquirers with factual information about groups outside the mainstream. These experts regularly deal with media enquiries in countries as far apart as Germany, Brazil, Great Britain, the U.S. and Canada.

The Foundations have published a practical handbook, The ABCs of Tolerance, which promotes the individual’s right to free choice in selecting his religious path and has been translated into seven languages. It offers advice and helpful tips to families whose relative has joined a movement they know little about. The book is available hardcopy and on the website: www.toleranceforall.org, which receives 1,000 visitors a month.

Scientology religious services are “spiritual counselling” aimed at “the attainment of a higher level of being.” — Germany’s Federal Administrative Court