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Did Scientology play a role in Australian suicide?
Soldier was contacted 19 times in 48 hours by church before electrocuting himself
Scientologists are used to making the headlines in America, where only this month there has been a row over a TV interview and a high-profile defection by the Oscar-winning Crash director Paul Haggis. But the controversial sect now has problems on the other side of the world, in Australia.
Questions are being asked about the role of local Scientologists in the suicide of Edward McBride, a Northern Ireland-born soldier who killed himself in Brisbane in 2007.
It now transpires that his death came two days after he had completed a month of Scientology courses costing him A$25,000, and that in the 48 hours leading up to his suicide fellow church members allegedly bombarded him with 19 phone calls and texts, urging him to attend church.
McBride's death was horrific. He went to an electricity sub-station in Brisbane and killed himself by throwing a rope over a live electrical tower. The resulting 110,000-volt charge caused an explosion that would have burnt anyone within 10 metres and turned the sky red, according to witnesses. When his body was found, a "back-up" noose was discovered, suggesting it was definitely not an accident.
When the interim findings of his inquest were released last week it emerged that the church had invoked "confessional privilege" and refused to hand over files which could have helped the coroner.
As for the mobile phones calls and texts, the police retrieved many of the messages and told the inquest they included "forceful" demands for McBride to attend the church to complete his training. One included a warning that US-based Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard "would not approve" if he did not appear.
A Church of Scientology spokeswoman said the files requested by the coroner were "privileged and sacrosanct" and had now been sent to the "mother church" in America. "Whether the files will be made available now or not is a question for America, not for us," she said.
The controversy in Australia comes in the same week that the church narrowly avoided being banned in France and two of its branches were fined more than €600,000 after being convicted of "fraud in an organised gang" by a court in Paris. ·
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Ms Bassoon opinions are hers, but everyone who follows it knows that Scientology is a cult, is dangerous to some, perhaps many, and has been implicated in numerous suicides. If advising people to go off their antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication is within the purview of Scientology, then it really isn't so simple, is it?
Would this be, perchance, the 'Green eyed yellow banana to the north of Kathmandu'? If so, I'm with the plantains all the way. Maybe this should be promulgated as the new 'designer' religion on Facebook and its' like! The best of luck Mr. Highmoor. I can bring more disciples, just let me know!
Its tragic that something like this occurred. As a Scientologist for more than thirty years I can assure anyone reading these comments that Scientology far from controversial unless it is controversial to help people. It is far from dangerous unless one finds it dangerous to help people get off drugs and improve their lives. In fact it is very simple, transparent and easy to learn. I feel terrible for the family of this disturbed young man. But to blame Scientology for it is specious, reprehensible and irresponsible.
I am not a mental health expert. Perhaps the closest I got to a diagnosis was "I think he's bonkers!" No doubt the days of holding a tin-can to the ear to better listen to the dictums of that Hubbard chap are behind us now. Pity, at least it was cheap equipment. Scientology will run its course until the end of money, if not time. I launch a new crusade, nay, a jihad in praise of the mighty banana. A truly versatile godhead which can be used in any number of religious ceremonies in such a variety of ways..........Move over RON!! The new dawn has broken for man/womankind!