the Church employs the E-Meter, Dr. Nelson said, 'I don't profess to be an
expert in this field'. In the document now under discussion, Dr. Nelson further
confirms that he does not understand the context, with his statement 'the
reference to 'a body when it is inhabited' is obscure'.
Here Dr. Nelson has run up against a similar situation as several other
witnesses did. That is, they are looking at Scientology from a medical/psychological
viewpoint and are puzzled when Scientology does not fit into this category.
Scientology is not and does not profess to be in the field of medicine or modern
day psychology or psychiatry. To quote Freud 'In itself every science is one-sided.
It must be so since it restricts itself to particular objects, points of view and
methods'. (Vol. 20 Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. p. 321) Similarly
The Religion of Scientology has it's own self-contained technology and methods which
should not be confused with other technology and methods. Sir John Foster appreciates
this fact - In his recommendations regarding setting up a psychotherapy council he
says 'The subject is young and still developing rapidly. Clearly, the new profession's
rules will need to be more flexible than those adopted at the present time by, say,
lawyers and accountants. Had the medical profession been able to exclude osteopaths
from practice in the past, much suffering might have gone unrelieved. It is therefore
important to ensure that progress is not inhibited by the kind of conservatism which
has, on occasions, tended to afflict some of the older professional bodies, particularly
in the medical field. The best method of avoiding this pitfall is to provide for the
appointment to the Council of a number of radically-minded laymen who will act as a
leaven.' (Enquiry into the Practice and Effects of Scientology, Report by Sir John
G. Foster. p. 180).
For the above reasons, the Church respectfully suggests that Dr. Nelson's
report of his examination of and conclusion concerning the E-Meter, though couched
in terms of an appeal to Science, lacks a scientific basis and is irrelevant in that
it is written from the viewpoint of a context in which the E-Meter is not designed
to function and his report consists merely of his personal opinion."
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