Lots of allegations are made regarding the role of Scientology and its mythic base. Some say that Scientologists are in it for the money, taking tax breaks made available to religious organisations so that they might continue with good works. Some say that Scientologists threaten the well being of many sick people, while others claim to have had their lives changed through Scientology.
Similar allegations were made regarding Christian Science in the recent past. Movies were made about Christian Science claims, one 1940's flick left it up to the viewer to decide if a Christian Science couple were responsible for the death of their child through denying medication. The movie left the outcome up to the viewer.
Whatever the truth behind the rumor, still we get headlines like:
Scientology beliefs 'stopped accused killer getting treatment'
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From news.com.au
A SYDNEY woman charged with murdering her father and sister and seriously injuring her mother was apparently denied psychiatric treatment because of her parents' alleged Scientology beliefs, a court has been told.
The 25-year-old woman, who cannot be named, appeared briefly in Bankstown Local Court today charged over the stabbing attacks at her family home in Revesby in Sydney's south-west last Thursday.
She made no application for bail because she was unfit to be interviewed, her legal aid lawyer Wade Bloomfield told the court.
In a report tendered to the court, Dr Mark Cross, consultant psychiatrist and clinical director of Liverpool and Fairfield Mental Health Services said the woman was diagnosed with a psychotic illness at Bankstown Hospital in late 2006.
But her parents had refused her appropriate follow-up treatment.
"She had a history of being diagnosed with a psychotic illness in late 2006 at Bankstown Hospital, but follow-up from the mental health team was apparently declined by her parents because of their alleged Scientology beliefs," Dr Cross said.
The woman is accused of fatally stabbing her 53-year-old father and 15-year-old sister at the family home in Hydrae Street at Revesby in Sydney's south-west on Thursday.
It is also alleged she stabbed her 52-year-old mother, who raised the alarm as she collapsed in a neighbour's garden.
The mother remains in a serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery for multiple stab wounds.
The woman was arrested in nearby Uranus Street shortly after the attack and was placed under police guard in Liverpool hospital until she was charged by homicide detectives late last night.
She faces two counts of murder and one of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
The report said that instead of receiving follow-up treatment by Bankstown Hospital's mental health team, the woman had instead seen a private psychiatrist as well as a psychologist.
She also was prescribed an anti-depressant as well as an anti-psychotic treatment that she took until January this year.
The report said after she stopped taking her medication she began to feel anxious, and depressed. She also experienced poor sleep and felt unsafe at home.
"She stated that her parents did not want her to take the prescribed medication she had been on in 2006, and apparently started her on medication they got from America - which was not psychiatric in nature," it said.
In an interview with Dr Cross yesterday, the woman said that three weeks prior to the alleged incident, her feelings of ill health started to worsen and that her parents allowed her to restart her anti-psychotic medication as it helped her to sleep.
Wikipedia's Christian Science article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_science
Wikipedia on Scientology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology
Wikipedia on Sahaja Yoga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahaja_Yoga
Church of Scientology denies stabbed man 'a recruiter'
By Fiona Connolly
THE Church of Scientology last night denied the Sydney man who was allegedly stabbed to death by his psychotic daughter after refusing her psychiatric drugs was a top recruiter for the church.
A man with the same name as the dead father is listed on the Church of Scientology's "Honour Roll" in the 2002 Impact magazine which glorifies members worldwide for their efforts in "signing more than 20 members to the church" or for donating $US20,000 ($23,200) or more.
The man's daughter, 25, faced Bankstown Local Court yesterday charged with fatally stabbing her 53-year-old father and sister at their Revesby home last Thursday. She is also charged with stabbing her mother, 52.
The girl's parents refused her psychiatric treatment because of their Scientology beliefs, the court heard.
The man is also named on a website, stop-wise.biz, set up by a former Scientologist as a warning to would-be church recruits that the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, known as WISE, is a recruitment vehicle for Scientology.
He is listed in the 2004 WISE business directory, which is reproduced on stop-wise.biz as a caution to those who come in contact with him that his agenda is to "get money for every new Scientology recruit" he converts.
But a Church of Scientology spokeswoman last night said the man had never been an official church recruiter and denied it was the same person.
"I can tell you he was not a recruiter for the church. And I've been part of the church for more than 26 years," Vicki Dunstan said yesterday.
The Church last night released a statement claiming "the accused has never been a member of the Church of Scientology and at no time have we had any contact concerning the accused, her illness or her treatment from her family".
"The Church does not provide medical advice to its parishioners and directs all people to qualified medical doctors for appropriate assistance," the statement said.
The best-known supporter of the anti-psychiatry campaign is actor Tom Cruise who, in 2005, publicly clashed with fellow actor Brooke Shields.
Cruise criticised Shields for using anti-depressants after the birth of her first child.
Rather than drugs, she should have taken vitamins, the Hollywood star claimed.
"You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do," he famously told an interviewer.
Cruise and Shields reconciled over the issue after Cruise visited the actress at her home and made a heartfelt apology.
All was clearly forgiven with the actress in attendance at Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes last year.
Cruise is understood to have introduced his friend, PBL executive chairman James Packer, to Scientology.
Parents 'refused medication to double stabbing accused'
By Evelyn Yamine
A WOMAN charged with murdering her father and sister was allegedly forced to stop taking psychiatric drugs by her family because of their Church of Scientology beliefs.
Bankstown Local Court heard yesterday the woman's parents asked her to stop taking the drugs and denied her access to mental health treatment because it went against the controversial church's anti-drugs stance.
The woman, 25, faced court yesterday charged with the stabbing murders of her father, 53, and sister, 15, in their Revesby home last Thursday.
She is also charged with a stabbing attack on her mother, 52.
The court heard the woman's parents were both Scientologists and opposed to psychiatric treatment.
The woman was allegedly diagnosed with a psychiatric condition last year and medicated. But in January she was allegedly ordered by her parents to stop taking her medicine.
The court heard they instead insisted their daughter take medication imported from the US, which was "not psychiatric in nature" and complied with the Church of Scientology's rules.
But the court heard the woman was allowed to resume taking her prescribed anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication when her symptoms returned.
Psychiatrist Dr Mark Cross, who examined the woman at Liverpool Hospital after her arrest, told the court she suffered from panic, anxiety, depression and anger and felt paranoid and unsafe.
"Follow-up from the mental health team (at Bankstown Hospital) was apparently declined by her parents due to their Scientology beliefs," Dr Cross said in a written assessment tendered to court yesterday.
"She stated that her parents did not want her to take the prescribed medication she had been on in 2006.
"She described worsening of her symptoms over the past three weeks or so culminating in her parents apparently allowing her to restart her anti-psychotic medication recently as it helped her sleep.".
The woman, who cannot be identified, allegedly told Dr Cross she had an argument with her mother on the day of the alleged murders and was "still angry and upset" when she got home on Thursday July 5.
"She described strong suicidal thoughts as well as what can only be described as a crisis of her faith."
The court was told between 3.40 and 3.50pm she stabbed her father and sister, who died of their injuries.
She then allegedly attacked her mother, who ran to neighbours covered in blood for help.
The court heard police found the woman walking in a nearby street and she allegedly said: "What have I done? I just butchered my family . . . I um got angry and I stabbed my dad, my mum and my sister."
She later underwent surgery for self-inflicted wounds to both her wrists and appeared in court yesterday with wrists bandaged.
The court heard she became agitated while being treated at Liverpool Hospital and began yelling at staff trying to restrain her.
"I just want a knife," she allegedly said. "I want more killing. More, I need more . . . I'm wanting more killing," she allegedly yelled before screaming "die bitch die" at a nurse.
The mother was last night in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
The court heard the woman had moved back to the family home after a relationship breakdown and other stresses including changing her church from Scientology to an Evangelical church.
The woman, who was supported by a group of about 20 family and friends in court yesterday, has not yet been interviewed by police because of her mental state.
Magistrate Anthony Spence ordered Corrective Services to place her in a psychiatric facility while in custody for assessment and treatment.
"I read the (police) facts and they show a distressing set of circumstances and there seems to be very profound mental health issues in this case to say the least," Mr Spence said.
She has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of cause wounding/grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
She did not enter pleas or apply for bail yesterday. She was remanded in custody to appear before Burwood Local Court tomorrow.
Outside court a family spokesman, who did not wish to be identified, said they wanted what was best for her.
"We all want the best for our family member and we're satisfied that's happened," the man said.
"That's all the family have to say at the moment and we'd appreciate a bit of space to keep moving on," he said.
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