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Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Avatar letter
From: Valerie Emanuel
Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 13:18:55 -0400

Thank you, Eldon, for your *stuff* on my site!

Subject: Re: Avatar
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 23:55:33 -0500

(Personal references have been deleted at the author's request.)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for having the courage to post this information about Avatar and Scientology on your website!

For seven years I was music director/pianist for an ostensibly Christian, albeit non-denominational church.. During the last two years I was there, the minister gradually stopped teaching this church's principles as they related to Christianity, and began incorporating Avatar into her sermons. During this period, all of the church staff members began receiving the Avatar Journal (me included). The contents of the magazine gave very little about the Avatar organization itself; but I noticed that all the people pictured in the magazine had the same empty, stupid, "meaningful" smiles.

During the services, less and less was mentioned about God; and more and more about "empowering ourselves" by using a "technology for living." I also noticed that an important church symbol, located in the front of the sanctuary and which had been hand-carved by a handicapped member prior to the time this minister had been installed, had been replaced with a set of stars. I also learned that this hand-carved symbol and been thrown into the trash and sent to the city landfill.

I looked through one of the Avatar journals, and noticed that several people, including the board president, several board members, and several prominent members of the congregation had their pictures listed in the journal. I did not take the Avatar training - it was prohibitively expensive, especially on the salary I was making -- but I also noticed the people in power at that church were all associates of the minister (who, by her own admission, was an Avatar Wizard), and they were also Avatar members.

To make a long story short -- I objected to the substitution of Avatar materials for the Scriptures and church materials in the sermons; and especially to the fact that the staff were being replaced with Avatar members. I was fired in June, 1997, with no warning; and learned shortly thereafter that the minister had told the congregation that they were to have no contact with me and I was not welcome on the premises. When I looked up "Avatar" on the WWW, I came across Star's Edge International -- and the same pattern of stars which were now in the front of the sanctuary!

When I visited your site this evening - and read very large chunks of it - what happened became crystal clear. I was removed as music director and pianist of that church because I would not join Avatar and subscribe to the Avatar brainwashing: in essence, I was being "insubordinate" to the minister, and posed a threat to her control of the congregation.

This evening, when I read through your site -- I felt finally "vindicated". My being fired wasn't about me: it was about a minister who was using Avatar to control her congregation; and her removing an obstacle (me) from that goal. Interestingly, I've learned that attendance at that church has dropped by about half: people who have left tell me they get tired of the overt greed presented there, under the guise of spirituality.

Since my firing, I have been confirmed, and received into membership in a Lutheran (ELCA) church, where I have become their music director. There is a tremendous amount of healing going on for me at this church, and I love attending their services -- which are actually very upbeat and very uplifting!

You cannot imagine the joy I feel on Sunday morning when our pastor reads the Scriptures - an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm (which is sung), an Epistle, and the Gospel. After being in a church where the Scriptures were replaced with Avatar materials, and I got into major trouble for reading parts of the Scriptures, I really *listen* to these lessons. When we recite the Apostle's Creed, I really *mean* what I'm saying!

I feel so vindicated after reading your website. Again, THANK YOU for having the courage to post this information!

Very much beholding the Christ in you,

MSC

Subject: Re: Avatar Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 17:44:05 -0500

Hi, Valerie!

There is a very good reason your website on Scientology exists, and why you have a domain. No doubt you've received some pretty intense mail (death threats wouldn't even surprise me) from Scientologists and Avatar members; but then, on the other hand, a person like me might stumble in, quite by accident, and get some desperately needed answers! As Martin Luther would say, "fight the good fight" and keep that website UP!

(NOTE: Actually, I've been intensely ignored by both groups, and should probably be grateful.)

> Perhaps you'll pardon me if I think you were done an eternal > favor by that minister--I was raised Lutheran. I now attend > an Assembly of God. In any case, better for your soul than > Avatar. ;) I AM a religious bigot! If you have a personal > relationship with Jesus you have it all.

Amen! :-)

Even in the letter I wrote you, there is SO much I didn't cover! Yesterday, as a part of my Al-Anon Fifth Step (Al-Anon is the 12 Step recovery group for families and friends of alcoholics), I read two letters I had written to the "minister" of the church I attended. They're the kinds of letters one writes for oneself and doesn't send, but these letters covered a lot of ground and a lot of abuses.

It ended up being more part Fifth Step, part confession and reconciliation, and part a overt renunciation of Satan. To be honest, I think so many well-intentioned people are just not clued into what Satan is *really* like. I run into Protestants who state that Catholics are "of the Devil" (and vice versa); or gay and lesbian people are "of the Devil"; or blacks (or whites) are "of the Devil" -- and it often ends up being "insert one's own personal prejudice" (preferably with a Scripture to go with it) -- and that person or group is "of the Devil".

Getting into "this group I don't like must be of The Devil" kind of blinds us to when The Real Thing makes an appearance, e.g., someone who, given the choice of good and evil, has "sold out" so completely that there is no further choice and that person has truly become *evil* (as in, Satanically evil). One Sunday morning, during a televised service, I actually heard that minister say (twice): "If you listen to me long enough, you won't need your belief in God anymore." A statement like that is not just offensive, it's overt blasphemy: it's the reunciation of God in order to serve a self-will run riot.

It's almost hard to explain this to anyone who has not had a real, direct, personal experience with someone who has become truly, pathologically *evil*. I watched this woman say things, and do things to people which were absolutely unconscionable. Honestly, I was absolutely terrified of her. I started standing up to her when she selected "Doe, A Deer (A Female Deer)" as a Sunday morning hymn; and "The Eentsy-Weentsy Spider (Went Up the Water Spout) for the second hymn. When she cut off the health benefits of an HIV-positive staff member as a cost-savings measure, and then she went out and bought a Lexus for herself - I confronted her again. Believe me, it was unpleasant -- but I'd do it again.

My pastor at the Lutheran church pointed out something to me, in an incident which I shared with my pastor. One Sunday morning, I had read the following prayer (The Prayer from the Breastplate of St. Patrick) during staff prayer before services at the church where the minister was now teaching Avatar:

Prayer from the Breastplate of St. Patrick ------------------------------------------ I arise today through the strength of Heaven, light of the sun, radiance of the moon, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of the wind, depth of the sea, stability of the earth, firmness of the rock.

I arise today through God's strength to pilot me, God's might to hold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's hosts to save me from the snares of the Devil; from everyone who desires me ill, afar and near, alone or in a multitude.

Christ in me, Christ before me, Christ behind me Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.

When I reached the words, "God's hosts to save me from the snares of the Devil" the minister went absolutely *ballistic*. Ultimately, I received a formal, written reprimand, a demotion, and a pay cut for reading this prayer. The Lutheran pastor pointed out that evil people, particularly those possessed by Satan, really *detest* hearing things like "God's hosts to save me from the snares of the Devil" or the word "Christ" repeated in a prayer.

Another Sunday morning, I read one of the Psalms during staff prayer. Again, there was a near-cataclysmic explosion. Evidently, Satan doesn't like hearing the Psalms, either.

Do *I* think that Avatar, and Scientology, are "evil"? Absolutely. Both of these groups use power (in the form of brainwashing, coercion, and personality stripping) to strip away a member's spirituality and even that person's own sense of "self" (which God gave us!) - so that person's will becomes subordinate to the "group" (e.g., Scientology and Avatar). Do I think that minister was evil? Yes: and I dare say, Satanically evil. Do I believe in a real Satan? Absolutely - though not as a little man running around in a red suit and a pitchfork. Satan is *SO* much worse than that - I know, because I have seen Satan, in action, actively working in another person!

I don't know if she is irredeemably evil. Maybe God, in some way, through some miracle, can reach her. The real tragedy is that she's in a pulpit, and preaching Avatar (and through that, Scientology) to people who are more than willing to let her do their thinking for them. All I can say is, God have mercy on their souls (as I hope God will have mercy on all our souls).

This whole experience, of being around someone whom I believe was truly, pathologically evil (in the very worst sense of the word) has altered a lot of my perspective. Anymore, I don't put much stock in differences between whether one is a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Catholic, or even Jewish. It's just not important to me whether someone is gay or straight, Democrat or Republican, Anglo or Mexican, or black or white or purple. From my own experience with a person of the Lie, I do believe people need to be awake, and aware to the fact that evil exists, that there is a Force of Darkness which is much bigger, and more powerful than *any* of us - except for the saving grace of our Lord. At age 45, I think I've finally got a handle on the real meaning of the word, "humility".

So, in answer to your question - yes, you may put my letter in your domain - except remove the personal references. It's not that I'm trying to protect the minister (I'm not, and I won't) -- but I am concerned about the people she's harmed (and there are many of them). It's important to me that I can protect their anonymity.

In the trust and the love our our Lord, our God,

MSC

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