A new lobby group for families affected by suicide has sparked concerns over links with the Church of Scientology. Casper (Community Action on Suicide Prevention, Education & Research) was formed by two mothers who lost their children to suicide. However, Green MP Kevin Hague said the Citizens Commission for Human Rights (CCHR) was closely associated with Casper, and was established as an arm of the Church of Scientology. Maria Bradshaw, mother of suicide victim Toran Henry, 17, said the new group ...

What do declining educational standards, Nazism, the Columbine shootings, 9/11 and the death of Kurt Cobain have in common? If you passed through the hall of Concordia’s McConnell library building last week, you might think they’re all caused by the pernicious influence of psychiatry. Organized by the innocuous-sounding Citizens’ Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), “Psychology: Industry of Death” is a travelling exhibit that spent four days in the open hall of the university library, arousing curiosity, controversy and at least one ...

Originally printed in "The Southern California Psychiatrist," May 1991, pp. 6-13. Dr. West has granted permission to upload this article to computer networks and bulletin boards In a previous article (SCPS Newsletter, July, 1990) I provided an historical account of the Church of Scientology. It is a pseudo-scientific healing cult that was formed in the 1950s, and has grown, with the help of extravagant lies and deliberate deception, into a multimillion dollar, international enterprise. Through its many publications, but especially through ...

Why do I have to spend so much time defending religions I don't belong to? I didn't really want a scrapbook of columns sticking up for persecuted Jews, Evangelical Christians, Muslims, Taoists, Native American Shamanists, Moonies and Scientologists, among others. The question that troubles me most, though, is why do I have to defend them from our own government? The reason, of course, is that I don't want the First Amendment repealed. And a Los Angeles jury did just that July ...

Blah blah blah psychiatry bad, scientology good blah blah blah

Two Scientologists, one a psychiatrist the other a lawyer, unleashed a scathing attack on "institutional psychiatry" Saturday calling for an all-out war against "suppressive psychiatric abuse." Both men drew thunderous applause and standing ovations from some 3,000 Scientology followers when they made their tirades during the controversial group's three-day annual convention in the Long Beach Arena. AND THEIR exhortations were quickly transferred into action as scores of the L. Ron Hubbard disciples signed petitions after the talk demanding to know from ...