MEDIA WATCH | ABC NEWS

20/20’s bigoted show on Scientology

This piece represents an open attack against a set of beliefs millions hold as true. I was happily and successfully brought up as a Scientologist and know many more have too.

December 31, 2016

President ABC News
47 West 66th Street,
New York, N.Y. 10023

Dear Mr. Goldston,

In 1977 my grandfather retired after a long and successful career as an engineer. After retiring, he started doing some soul searching and trying to find some answers to those old questions we’ve all had about life. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? After a couple months of searching, of reading about different philosophies, of trying out transcendental meditation, and even dancing with the Hare Krishnas, he came across Scientology. For him, at that point, he had found workable answers to what he had been searching for. Soon, he encouraged my mom and my aunt to check it out, and to find out for themselves if it also worked for them. It did. My dad has a similar story. Eventually, my mom and dad met, fell in love, and the rest is history…

One of my favorite things about having been born and raised a Scientologist is that I was, from a young age, encouraged to make up my own mind about things, to find out for myself what I thought was true and what I thought was not true. In my personal observation, there are only two kinds of people who attack Scientology (or for that matter, any religion). In most cases, it is people who are misinformed. These people usually change their mind after better informing themselves. In the rest of the cases, unfortunately, it is people who don’t like to see others get better. These people, sadly, are beyond help, as they live in a secret fear of seeing other people do better, and naturally, anything that helps people, namely religion, must be attacked. Personally, I believe everyone has the right to believe whatever they want to believe. I also believe no one should ever be pilloried or attacked for whatever set of beliefs they decide to hold as true. Man is a spiritual being. Even the most stubborn atheist is tacitly aware of this. We are all trying to make life a little better, to find our place with ourselves, with our families, with God, and like my grandfather, to find answers to those questions we have long been trying to answer. Whatever path you choose to find those answers, I respect your choice, as I trust you respect mine, and that of the millions strong who believe the same things I do.

I do hereby ask you to reconsider airing the bigoted piece ABC has planned. Scientology is a bonafide religion, and this piece represents an open attack against a set of beliefs millions hold as true. I was happily and successfully brought up as a Scientologist and know many more have too.

Warren Tardif
Glendale, Calif.