Edward McBride, 30, electrocuted himself at a substation near Brisbane in February 2007.

The Queensland Coroner requested the Church of Scientology hand over its files as Edward had been doing intensive Scientology courses before taking his life.

His brother Steve McBride is searching for answers.

Calls for Scientology inquiry

"I just feel my brother's life has been taken for the mere sum of $25,000, my brother's life was worth more than that," he said.

"My brother was a beautiful, gentle, kind person, you know, just wouldn't hurt a fly, had a heart of gold." he said.

Steve said despite requests for the files, nothing was handed over.

"Police subsequently discovered that the file they wanted, my late brother's file, had been shipped by the Church of Scientology to the United States," he alleged.

"There's something in those files, maybe something or maybe nothing but hey, if there's nothing in there why not shed some light, just bring it to the table?"

Senator Nick Xenophon is leading the campaign for a Senate inquiry into Scientology.

He recently tabled shocking claims by former members of forced abortion, kidnap, torture, fraud, perjury.

He wants to know what happened to Steve McBride's brother.

"These files were shipped from Queensland, then Sydney then on to the US, out of the jurisdiction of the Queensland Coroner, now that's just not good enough," Senator Xenophon said.

"It hasn't given closure to the family, we'll never know the full story because those files have been taken out of the country."

Greens leader Bob Brown has also joined the campaign for a full Senate inquiry into Scientology.

"It raises questions about techniques being used, methodologies being used by a cult like this to put people in a position which is untenable," he said.

Steve said two days prior to Edward's death, his brother was bombarded with 19 telephone calls and SMSs from Scientology.

"I believe he was just cornered, you know, had nowhere to run," Steve said.

"He'd just paid $25,000 for three advanced courses for Scientology, he had $5000 of his own money but actually took out a bank loan of $20,000."

Scientology has not been accused, let alone convicted of any wrongdoing in relation to what happened to Edward McBride.

The Church of Scientology promised to specifically address the litany of appalling acts tabled in the Senate, such as coercing female followers to have abortions.

Scientology has released a 16-page response stating simply that these allegations did not happen and that those making the claims are all bitter liars.

"That response has been passed on to the police," Senator Xenophon said.

"Let's be very clear here, the Church of Scientology should not be investigating the Church of Scientology."

It has been suggested these matters are so serious they should be investigated by the police, but what if the evidence has been destroyed or shipped offshore, like the files of Edward McBride? The ex-Scientologists making the claims say that almost certainly has already happened.

"The police have an important role to play to properly investigate any allegations and the Senate has a role to play with an inquiry in terms of any civil claims that are made against the Church of Scientology," Senator Xenophon said.

Scientology is recognised here as a religion. In Canada, France, Greece, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom it is regarded as something quite different.

"It's not a religion, it's just a cover, it's a front," Steve McBride said.

"Have this inquiry for Edward's sake and for all victims of Scientology, please don't let my brother's death be in vain."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's office has told us the government is still examining the evidence before making a decision on calling for a Senate Inquiry.

Related information

Yet again Scientology ignored Today Tonight's request for an interview.

The Church of Scientology has remained silent on the detail of the allegations involving the death of a man but still have plenty to sing about.

The internet is rife with videos of singing Scientologists, including John Travolta singing with Frank Stallone, (Sylvester Stallone's brother), in a song that preaches pain and sorrow are illusions.

It is possibly one of the worst songs ever recorded, part of the worst album in the galaxy which is full of songs written by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard.

Scientology - The Road to Freedom Album. Hear it here.

Scientology's Response

Scientology's response to allegations of abuse, torture, kidnap, violence, breach of privacy, coerced abortions, fraud and perjury tabled in the Australian Federal Parliament by Senator Nick Xenophon:

Senator Nicholas Xenophon, Australian Parliament
20 November 2009

On 17 November 2009, Senator Nicholas Xenophon from South Australia requested a Senate inquiry into the Church of Scientology based on the false allegations of a group of disaffected former Scientologists. His statement on the floor of the Australian Parliament is riddled with false claims about Scientology. He bases his claim on the following:

-An article in The Australian about the Coroner's inquest into the case of Edward McBride's death, in which he claims the Church sent information away after it was requested.

-Articles over the summer in the St. Petersburg Times from ex-Scientologists.

-Letters he received from ex-members of the Church: Aaron Tweddell, Carmel and Tim Underwood, Paul Schofield, Dean and Anna Detheridge, and Kevin Mackey, recounting their allegedly negative experiences in Scientology.

On 18 November 2009, Xenophon had made the following proposal in Parliament:

Senator Xenophon, Brown to move on the next day of sitting:

That the following matters be referred to the Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 18 March 2010:

(a) the appropriateness of exemptions from the requirements of taxation law for the Church of Scientology and associated entities in the context of their activities;

(b) occupational health and safety practices of the Church of Scientology and associated entities in relation to its employees, volunteers and followers;

(c) the adequacy of consumer protection laws in relation to the fundraising practices of the Church of Scientology and associated entities, and its charging for services; and

(d) any related matters.

Senator Xenophon began his remarks thanking Channel 7's "Today-Tonight" program for their coverage of Scientology - coverage that has uniformly been biased and prejudicial. Xenophon first raised false allegations about the Church of Scientology on an episode of the current affairs program "Today Tonight" on 29 May 2009, with host Bryan Seymour, a commentator who has been using this program to rail against Scientology.

Seymour has also publicly supported the cyber-hate group Anonymous and has interviewed at least one member on "Today-Tonight". Following the May program, the Church wrote to the Senator requesting a meeting to discuss his appearance and to resolve any questions he may have. The letter was never acknowledged. To flank the Senator's call for an inquiry, his sources went on "Today-Tonight" where they paraded their lies. And when his November 17 announcement failed to gain the Senatorial support he sought, Senator Xenophon again went on "Today-Tonight" with his ex-Scientologist sources. He complained he was not getting support in the Senate for his inquiry. Host Bryan Seymour attempted to rally support for the Senator by telling viewers to write to their Senator and demand an inquiry.

Status of Scientology Internationally

The Church of Scientology internationally has grown from one Church in 1954 to more than 8000 Churches, Missions and groups in 165 countries today. The Church sponsors an international human rights education initiative as well as the world's largest non-governmental drug education program. Today, the Scientology religion is thriving in Australia, with approximately 100,000 Scientologists and over 205 Scientology Churches, Missions and affiliated groups throughout the country.

The Church-sponsored anti-drug education initiative ("Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life") is the largest nongovernmental anti-drug campaign in the world and through the airing of public service announcements, distribution of free drug education booklets and events promoting a drug free life it has reached over 853 million people since its inception.

The Church-sponsored human rights education program ("United for Human Rights") is the largest in the world and based entirely on raising awareness of the 30 articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Through the airing of public service announcements, human rights symposiums and events and distribution of human rights educational materials, the campaign has reached over 943 million people since it commenced.

The Church-sponsored morals program based on the common-sense guide to living, The Way to Happiness, has now reached nearly 800 million people through its public service announcements, educational materials and Set a Good Example contests.

The Church of Scientology's Volunteer Ministers, over 200,000 strong, have helped over 1.4 million people in times of disaster in 2009 alone. The motto of Scientology's Volunteer Ministers is "Something Can Be Done About It."

Status of Scientology in Australia

Australia holds the promise of freedom of religion, a matter clearly underlined in the High Court's unanimous decision upholding Scientology's religious status in the famous case of Church of the New Faith v. Pay Roll Tax Office of Victoria (1983) 154 CLR 120. The decision has stood the test of time and has proven an authority on issues related to religions and tax status in Australia and throughout the Commonwealth.

The decision in the Church of the New Faith did not happen overnight . It represented two decades of struggle to overcome the complete destruction of the religious freedom rights of Scientologists that flowed from an inquiry similar to the one Senator Xenophon is trying to force through before any attempt to hear the Church's side or obtain objective facts. It is about to happen again, when there is no reason on earth to ignore actual evidence rather than biased hearsay.

The High Court's ruling is not only significant because of its precedential value throughout the world of religion and the law, but also because it overcame two decades of official harassment of the Scientology religion rampant throughout Australian states.

In 1963, following receipt of fabricated information from sources abroad, the government of the state of Victoria initiated a two-year inquiry (known as the Anderson Inquiry) into Scientology. Once it began the inquiry spun out of control - the precise danger here. Specifically, despite calling 151 witnesses and collecting more than 9,000 documents, no evidence was obtained to prove any wrongdoing. Still, the government was committed and would not let the facts get in the way of its agenda. Thus, at the end of 1965, a State law was passed that severely restricted the religious freedom of Scientologists in the state of Victoria. Such a bill was then also introduced and enacted into law in South Australia and Western Australia.

Once these draconian laws went into effect, the Church of Scientology in Australia and Scientologists in that country were targeted for harsh, repressive government actions constituting severe religious persecution. Scientologists' homes were raided and Scientology religious Scriptures and artifacts were seized.

Both the inquiry and the ensuing legislation became major embarrassments to the government; so much so that former Australian Senator and Deputy Premier of Western Australia Herbert Graham traveled to the United States in 1976 to use the occasion of the Church's International Prayer Day to apologize to all members of the Church, stating that the ban on Scientology had been the "blackest day in the political history of Western Australia."

Absent any evidence to support the measures, the Church was able to reverse the negative edicts over the next two decades: First the Church's ministers obtained the right to officiate marriages under the Australian Federal Marriage Act in 1973, and one decade later, in 1982, the Victorian government abandoned its untenable law and repealed the 1965 measure, thus restoring religious freedom and fundamental human rights to Scientologists.

With the 1983 High Court ruling, the Church's rightful place in Australian society was fully legitimized.

Edward McBride Coroner's Inquest

Senator Xenophon alleged "I was also concerned by a recent story in the Australian about the coronial inquest into the death of Edward McBride. Coroner John Lock had requested personal records of Mr. McBride held by the Church of Scientology as part of the inquest but these documents were not forthcoming. Instead, they were shifted by the organization from Brisbane to Sydney and then on to the United States."

The Church cooperated fully with the Coroner's inquiry and provided numerous non-privileged documents to the inquiry. The Church also made available the Minister who had counseled Mr. McBride who provided testimony of any non privileged information in her possession. She was able to testify without violating any confidences disclosed to her by Mr. McBride subject to the priest-penitent privilege, that the Church had no indication that Mr. McBride intended to take his life testimony corroborated by his family and by the Army. The resulting Coroner's report stated in unambiguous terms that neither the Church, nor McBride's family nor the Army had any prior indications of his intentions. Yet, the Coroner did note that McBride had been subjected to bullying from other soldiers.

The counseling records themselves are subject to a priest-penitent privileged and are never disclosed to anyone. The Church has always gone to great lengths to preserve the priest-penitent privileged nature of these records. They are the property of the Mother Church in the United States and were returned to them well before any inquiry by the Coroner.

Document:

1. Excerpt from McBride Inquiry Findings.

Treatment of Scientology in France and Belgium

Senator Xenophon raised ongoing litigation in France and Belgium as a reason to hold an inquiry.

In its annual International Religious Freedom Report issued on October 26, 2009 the United States State Department said that "discriminatory treatment" of Scientologists in France "remained a concern" of the United States Government. One reason for this concern is a decade old fraud case by a former member that went to trial in May and June 2009.

The case arose out of the five-month participation in Scientology religious practices in 1998 by the main civil party. This included studying Scientology Scriptures and receiving spiritual counseling. In 2006, the prosecutor recommended the case be dismissed because there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. Instead, the court succumbed to pressure from anti-religious extremists in government and turned it into a heresy trial in violation of the rights of the Scientologists under French law and under the European Convention on Human Rights. The judge disagreed and took the case to trial. The case is on appeal.

Similarly, Belgium follows France's lead in its discriminatory treatment of religious minorities and has had an ongoing investigation for years that has never been brought to trial. The Church has complained to international human rights bodies about its treatment in Belgium and France.

These cases are in marked contrast to the treatment of Scientology in other countries where Scientology is formally recognized as a religion. The European Court of Human Rights has on two recent occasions found that Churches of Scientology in Russia are entitled to the protection of religious freedom guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Documents:

2. Introductory section to the 2009 International Religious Freedom Report by the U.S. State Department.

3. Summary of European Court of Human Rights decision in the Church of Scientology of Moscow v. Russia case.

False Allegations from the St. Petersburg Times

Senator Xenophon referred to recent articles in the St. Petersburg Times. The Times has been running a series of The series in the St. Petersburg Times is based on the allegations of a handful of disaffected former members, people who have admitted lying, suborning perjury and obstructing justice because their falsehoods support the Times' compulsive and unreasonable views about Scientology. Indeed, the Times' recent coverage, which is the basis for Sunday's editorial, merely regurgitates stale and unfounded allegations from as long as 20 years ago.

The sources, were removed from all positions of authority within the Church over six years ago. The removals were in accordance with the disciplines and codes of the Sea Organization, Scientology's religious order, and the Church as laid out by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. Each has been gone from the Sea Organization for years.

They are coming to the media now, years later, bitter and lying with an ax to grind. They were removed from their positions of authority for gross malfeasance and fiduciary crimes. The Senator ignored the comprehensive refutations from the Church.

Documents:

4. Freedom magazine on the St. Petersburg Times series showing that the individuals responsible for the articles were admitted liars who were themselves responsible for documented instances of violence, obstruction of justice and subornation of perjury.(www.freedommag.org)

Anonymous

Like the St. Petersburg Times, Senator Xenophon relies on the false allegations of several disaffected former Church members, all of whom have publicly supported the cyber-hate group Anonymous. Parading in masks in likeness of British anarchist Guy Fawkes. Anonymous has targeted the Scientology religion, Churches of Scientology and Scientology organizations, Scientology leaders and Scientologists solely based on their religious association and beliefs in an attempt to forcibly violate their right to religious freedom.

Anonymous has fueled hate and intolerance towards Scientology by threatening to kill "countless Scientologists"; threatening to kill the Church of Scientology's religious ecclesiastical leader; threatening to kill the President of Church of Scientology International; threatening to bomb Scientology Churches throughout the United States; threatening to kidnap the Church's chief spokesman; engaging in hate speech inciting others to physically attack Scientologists; sending bomb, arson and death threats to Scientology Churches; mailing envelopes to 25 Scientology Churches containing a substance appearing to be anthrax; and calling for the "annihilation" of Scientology.

In the United States, on 18 November 2009 one Anonymous member responsible for attempting to sabotage the Church's websites in January 2008 was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of US$37,500 to the Church. On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, a federal Grand Jury in Los Angeles indicted an accomplice, Brian Thomas Mettenbrink for his role in the incident.

Documents:

5. Associated Press wire on Dmitriy Guzner's sentencing.

6. Dmitriy Guzner press release by the Department of Justice.

7. Brian Mettenbrink indictment.

Abortions

The Senator claims that several of his sources informed him the Church pressured them (or others) into having abortions. This is a lie. The Church of Scientology does not mandate a position on birth control or abortion subjects and parishioners are totally free to decide for themselves. In Scientology, procreation and the rearing of children is considered part of one of the eight dynamics of existence. Couples are free to decide the size of their own family and Scientologists do so in accordance with their determination of the greatest good across the dynamics. Personal and social circumstances, profession, and economic standing are part of this decision as with members of any faith.

As described in Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, even attempted abortions are traumatic physically and spiritually to an unborn child, as well as to the mother. Abortion is therefore rare among Scientologists, recognizing that even the unborn fetus may already be occupied by a spiritual being. In some instances, abortion might be chosen by an individual because of health concerns of the mother or other personal factors, but the Church never advocates abortion to Church staff or to parishioners.

Disconnection

The Senator and his sources distort the Church's practice for handling abusive relationships.

Disconnection is defined by Mr. Hubbard as, "…a self-determined decision made by an individual that he is not going to be connected to another. It is a severing of a communication line." Disconnection is a decision made to no longer be connected to an individual who is so antipathetic to someone and/or their beliefs that, no matter what the person does, he or she cannot resolve the matter with the antagonistic person.

Take the example of a criminal. He does not reform and will not stop committing crimes, so society "disconnects" him from the rest of the populace and puts him in prison. Or by way of another example, a wife cannot stop her husband from cheating on her so she finally disconnects from him by divorcing him. This is the right to communicate or not communicate, a fundamental human right.

Scientologists are not doing anything different than any society or group has done down through the ages. Any society or group that cares for its people respects the right of a person to sever communication with an abusive individual who repeatedly violates their trust or threatens their safety. Scientologists, just like those of other faiths, both exercise and respect this right.

That said, there is no policy in Scientology that requires Church members to disconnect from anyone, let alone family and friends who have different beliefs. To the contrary, the moral code of Scientology mandates that Scientologists respect the religious beliefs of others. The Church encourages excellent family relationships, Scientologists or not, and family relations routinely improve with Scientology because the Scientologist learns how to increase communication and resolve any problems that may have existed before.

There is a distinct difference between someone who has different religious beliefs and someone who is attacking another for his beliefs. It is a common ploy of those attacking the Scientology religion, or any other Church or group for that matter, to cry foul about "disconnection" when it is, in fact, the attacker who causes the disconnection. Bearing in mind Scientology is a minority religion, these anti-Scientologists then try to create sensational stories about the "practice" to further harm the Church.

Consider a family of devout Catholics. One of the family decides he or she is no longer a believer and they no longer attend Mass. Of course, the remaining family members prefer the fallen member to remain dedicated to the Catholic Church, would probably leave it at that. This exact analogy applies to Scientologists and their family members.

But now suppose the family member who had left his faith began attacking the Christian beliefs of the remaining family members who still remained devout Catholics. One can easily imagine the devout Catholic family members requesting that the non-believer restrain from such anti-Christian conversation. And indeed, if the attacks included ridicule about Jesus Christ, about the Holy Trinity, about the Resurrection, the Sacraments, the remaining members of the family would consider such conversation sacrilegious. If the attacker refused to cease in his assault against the religion, one can also imagine the Catholic family asking the attacker to stop communicating with them.

A person who disconnects is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person. This is one of the most fundamental rights of every individual. Members of other religions have exercised it down the ages when confronted by those who persistently opposed the practice of their faiths. The Scientology policy of self-determined, voluntary disconnection is no different than what members of every faith practice, even if they use a different term.

Paul Schofield

Senator Xenophon relies on the claims of Paul Schofield. Schofield alleges that he covered up facts surrounding the accidental deaths of his daughters in 2000 and 2004 that would implicate the Church. Yet, both deaths were fully investigated by the authorities and found to have been tragic accidents.

The police investigations of both deaths showed that the deaths were accidents and that all inquiries by the coroner were resolved years ago. The first daughter was in the care of her father while at the Church and accidentally fell down the stairs on February 13, 2000, after the father permitted her to walk from one room to another and passed too close to the stairway. The cause of death was officially determined to be "an accidental fall down stairs" and the Deputy State Coroner closed the case on December 20, 2001. The Church made available everyone with percipient knowledge of the incident and fully cooperated during the investigation.

The second daughter died on February 20, 2004, after consuming an overdose of potassium chloride tablets in the form of "Slow K" tablets while at home with her parents. The use of potassium chloride tablets is not part of any Scientology procedure or process and the parents gave this to the child because she appeared to be overheated, not understanding that in certain quantities, it is toxic. The death was determined to be an accidental death and the investigating officers recommended that clearer warnings of the dangers of overdosing on potassium chloride be placed on the product.

Documents:

8. Letter from the State Coroner's Court to the Church concerning the death of Lauren Schofield.

9. Witness statements of Alex Lemon and Davina Stephens.

10. Witness statement of Graeme Romans on the death of Kirsty Ann Schofield.

11. Investigator's report on the death of Kirsty Ann Schofield.

Aaron Saxton (Tweddell)

The Senator raised allegations attributed to former Church member Aaron Saxton (Tweddell).

Tweddell was a member of the Church's religious order, the Sea Organization, in Australia and the United States from 1989-1996. He joined at age 15. He was dismissed from the Sea Organization after numerous violations of ecclesiastical policy and basic standards of ethics. Reports from other staff members show him to have been a mean, hateful young man, who was once caught by fellow staff members shooting a bb gun at homeless people from the roof of the Church, who carried a knife and dangerous spikes on his person. He was given a chance to redeem himself according to the Church's ethics and justice codes, but instead chose to leave, which he did on two occasions, once in 1995 and again in 1996.

Tweddell claims that the Church opposes medical treatment and that he received no medical care in the Sea Organization. This is a patently absurd allegation that is demonstrably false. While in the Sea Organization Tweddell was diagnosed as suffering from a genetic disorder that required him to be under constant medical care for virtually his entire eight years in the Sea Organization career. He received extensive treatment for this condition, including several stays in the hospital. The Church of Scientology does not oppose medical treatment. Scientologists seek conventional medical treatment for medical conditions. Scientologists use prescription drugs when physically ill and also rely on the advice and treatment of medical doctors. The Church does not involve itself in the diagnosis or classification of any medical condition and thus neither recognizes nor refuses to recognize any illness.

The Church of Scientology has always had the firm policy of not diagnosing or treating the sick. Medical doctors are trained to deal with the physical aspects of illness and injury. A Scientologist with a physical condition is always advised to seek and obtain the needed examination and treatment of a qualified medical professional. Independent of any medical treatment, a Scientologist then addresses any accompanying spiritual trauma.

In 2005, Tweddell put up an anti-Scientology website using a Church-owned trademark in its name that he used to solicit people to attack his former religion. He informed the Church of Scientology in New Zealand he intended to use this website to post any discreditable information about Scientology he could solicit and offered to sell back to the Church the domain name containing its own trademark ("Sea Organization") for $75,000. The Church denied all of the allegations he intended to make and was advised to take the matter to the police. Tweddell ultimately relented and gave up the site. He was expelled from the religion in January 2006.

In his 17 November address to the Senate, Senator Xenophon made claims concerning Aaron Tweddell that Tweddell himself never made. The Senator claimed that in or around January of 1990, Tweddell was told by the organization not to report the attempted rape of him by a man. He says this was due to the organisation's public relations policy. Tweddell's letter to the senator mentions nothing of an attempted rape. This is an embellishment by the Senator. Tweddell's letter claims he was chased by a man who threatened to kill him with a with a knife on the streets in Sydney late one night, but he ran away and was uninjured.

The Senator claims that Tweddell "at least 10 times, was forced to endure a diet of rice and beans for periods up to two weeks as punishment." This is embellished by the Senator from what Tweddell wrote in his letter. Tweddell claims that he (Tweddell) ordered staff placed on rice and beans for up to two weeks: "I ordered this on approximately 10 occasions."

Tweddell's remaining allegations as relayed by the Senator are things Tweddell claims he did and contain the wild embellishments of a chronic liar. These are presently under investigation. If true, they provide even better reasons for the Church having expelled him. However, at present, and considering the lack of veracity of his other allegations, these rumors are the embellishments of an irresponsible and dishonest young man and have no basis in fact.

Documents:

12. Aaron Tweddell's petition.

13. Extortion email.

14. Settlement agreement.

15. Suppressive Person Declare of Aaron Tweddell.

Senator Xenophon's Remaining Sources

The Senators remaining sources, Carmel and Tim Underwood, Dean and Anna Detheridge, and Kevin Mackey, are all disaffected former Scientologists and, as noted above, supporters of Anonymous. Through several Internet sites, they actively recruit other people to take actions against the Church. Mackey is apparently coordinating the activities and urging others on.

Apostasy is a well-researched phenomenon in the field of religion and sociology and leading scholars have devoted major studies to documenting the inherent unreliability of apostates' allegations against their former religions.

Dr. Bryan Wilson, Reader Emeritus in Sociology at Oxford University from 1963 to 1993, was acknowledged as the most distinguished scholar of religion in the world before his death in 2004. He was a fellow of All Souls College at Oxford and the British Academy. He researched, published and lectured on religion and new religious movements around the world for fifty years, and provided expert opinions on religion for the British House of Commons and the courts. In the learned opinion of Professor Bryan Wilson, one cannot:

[R]eadily regard the apostate as a creditable or reliable source of evidence. He must always be seen as one whose personal history predisposes him to bias with respect to both his previous religious commitment and affiliations…. As various instances have indicated, he is liable to be suggestible and ready to enlarge or embellish his grievances to satisfy that species of journalist whose interest is more sensational copy than in an objective statement of the truth.

Professor Wilson further challenges the reliability of any allegations proferred by an apostate by finding that "the apostate [is] always seen as one whose personal history predisposes him to bias with respect to his previous religious commitment and affiliations, [so] the suspicion must arise that he acts from a personal motivation, to vindicate himself and to regain his self-esteem, by showing himself to have been first a victim, but subsequently a redeemed crusader." (See, Wilson, Bryan R. Apostates and New Religious Movements, Oxford, England, 1994).

Professor Wilson has also noted that apostates of new religious movements generally crave self-justification by seeking to reconstruct their past to excuse their former affiliations while blaming those who were formerly their closest associates. They must be regarded as inherently unreliable sources by government bodies, the judiciary and the media:

Neither the objective sociological researcher nor the court of law can readily regard the apostate as a creditable or reliable source of evidence. He must always be seen as one whose personal history predisposes him to bias with respect to both his previous religious commitment and affiliations, the suspicion must arise that he acts from a personal motivation to vindicate himself and to regain his self-esteem, by showing himself to have been first a victim but subsequently to have become a redeemed crusader. As various instances have indicated, he is likely to be suggestible and ready to enlarge or embellish his grievances to satisfy that species of journalist whose interest is more in sensational copy than in a objective statement of the truth.

(Wilson, Bryan R. The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism, Rose of Sharon Press, 1981.)

Another acclaimed expert, the late Dr. Lonnie Kliever, former Professor of Religious Studies of the Southern Methodist University, determined that the credibility of apostates is highly suspect. Dr. Kliever found that the overwhelming majority of individuals who exit from religions harbor no ill-will toward their past religious associations and activities. However, there is invariably a much smaller number of disaffected individuals, apostates, who are deeply committed to discrediting and undertaking actions designed to denigrate and destroy the religious communities that once claimed their loyalties. In Dr. Kliever's opinion, these apostates:

[P]resent a distorted view of the new religions to the public, academics, and the courts by virtue of their ready availability and eagerness to testify against their former religious associations and activities. Such apostates always act out of a scenario that vindicates themselves by shifting responsibility for their actions to the religions group.… Such apostates can hardly be regarded as reliable informants by responsible journalists, scholars or jurists.

(Kliever, Lonnie: The Reliability of Apostate Testimony About New Religious Movements)

Documents:

16. Wilson, Bryan R. Apostates and New Religious Movements, Oxford, England, 1994.

17. Kliever, Lonnie: The Reliability of Apostate Testimony About New Religious Movements.