In the 1990s, when a wave of anti-religious hysteria swept through a number of European countries, the Church set about organising actions, such as this vigil for religious freedom in Paris, which broadly promote religious tolerance as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Church representatives have played a leading role in bringing religious communities together to form coalitions that can speak with one voice against such religious intolerance. In March 2000, the churches in Paris organised a conference of more than 30 religious and spiritual minorities there. Subsequently, these groups decided to get united to protect freedom of conscience. They provided evidence of religious intolerance in France to the investigator appointed by the Council of Europe to delve into the issue of discrimination. Based on his report, in November 2002, the Assembly formally asked France to reconsider a June 2001 law that called for the dissolution of entire religious communities, including all their churches nationwide, if the perceived leader of even a local chapter had received two criminal convictions for relatively minor offenses. It is probably because of the international controversy aroused by this law that French authorities have been reluctant to apply its provisions.

Scientology churches have also continued to work closely with interfaith groups and have regularly prepared extensive submissions on the subject of abuses of religious freedom, especially in Europe. Over the last 15 years, Scientology churches in Europe have filed scores of such submissions to international human rights and governmental bodies including the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. At the same time, Scientologists continuously seek to engender dialogue between religious bodies and government officials, believing that this is absolutely critical to resolving their differences, as many of these apparent differences are merely misunderstandings created by lack of communication. After working alongside Church officials on some of these actions, Professor Derek Davis, director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University in the United States, was moved to comment, “There is no group in the world today that is doing more to celebrate and promote the principle of religious freedom than the Church of Scientology.”

Furthermore, in the United States during a period that stretched from the 1970s to the 1990s, Scientology church officials and parishioners were together instrumental in neutralising the negative impact of aspersions spread by a hate group called the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) against certain religious and spiritual minorities. Through lies, false generalities and even kidnapping, CAN had sought to bring an end to targeted minority faiths solely because of a difference of ideology. Scientologists documented the crimes and human rights abuses perpetrated by CAN, and provided the evidence to prosecutors and other government authorities. In a landmark case that essentially ended the activities of such hate groups in the United States, a Scientologist attorney represented a Christian man in a lawsuit against the former CAN. During the litigation, won by the Christian in a jury decision upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal judge condemned CAN’s actions as “motivated by a discriminatory animus” involving “the forceful abduction and retention of an adult against his will.”

The decision led to the demise of CAN in its initial form. Today, CAN, now with a multi-faith board and membership, has been transformed into a vehicle to promote religious tolerance and understanding. For example, the organisation operates a “hotline” which, for eight years, has assisted more than 15,000 callers to resolve their religious differences amicably.

Because there will never be any rational justification for religious intolerance, churches of Scientology will continue to work with government officials, religious leaders and coalitions, and human rights organisations to protect and advance religious freedom throughout the world.