David agreed to work with them. They were discussing making him a third partner. He had been working on his own before this, but decided that this could work out really well - they all knew each other, and knew they worked well together. So David started with them instead of continuing with his own business.

David has never been a scientologist, and his only "crime" is being married to me. When asked about the church, Matt said that he is his own man, that no one could tell him who to talk to. He said not to worry, because since he didn't feel it was an overt, it wasn't. Nobody controls him, etc. We believed Matt because at one time we were very good friends, and I know that he is a good guy. I still feel that way. I told him that the church might use tremendous pressure on him to not be connected to David. Matt was sure he could handle it, and live his life as he sees fit (yeah, right!). Anyway, David started working with Matt. Everything went fine until this morning.

David called me and he had just talked to Matt. He said that Matt won't work with him anymore. Kristi found out and Matt is in a lot of trouble with the church, worried about losing his wife and little girl - all because he was doing construction with my non scientologist husband.

Just to make it perfectly clear, Matt contacted my husband. We did not seek him out. He called my husband and told him that he wanted to work with him. He told him that there was a lot of work, and they needed him. Now, David has to scramble and get work lined up on very short notice.This puts us in financial danger - hey there's something the "church" can take as a win My husband has a very hard time understanding why his own sister is against him, when he has done nothing wrong. I understand, unfortunately, so was not shocked to find out in addition to that, my old closest friend who I knew way before scientology, was the one who found out and wrote up the knowledge report.

In the past 2 years, before I got declared, but everyone knew it was coming, Matt was the only one we would hear from every once in awhile. I have never heard from anybody else, except one other person who will remain nameless. Matt is my and Dave's relative only through law, but Matt, and not Dave's sister, wanted us to know that he loved us no matter what. She used to be a good friend of mine, too.

I am aware that I should have never, never allowed this to happen. I was depending upon loyalties that no longer exist. I want to believe that love, family, respect, and integrity are the guiding forces in the lives of the people I care about. But that was very stupid to attribute those qualities to people who are connected to the "Church" of Scientology.

I hope that Matt will re-evaluate his life and his beliefs. I hope he sees that he is NOT his own man, NOT free to make his own choices. That any person or group that obtains your compliance by manipulation and threat is something to stay far away from. I am so sorry this happened, but I hope that it will lead to realizations for the people I still care about, but can no longer talk to.

I am looking at this as a very good reminder of the devastation, heartbreak and evil that is the "Church" of Scientology. I, and now also my husband, will make even more of an effort to expose the truth about this horrible "church" to our friends and family, and anybody we come across. We will never stop. That is a promise.

Maggie (& David!) Sanders

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From: "Sanders" <3sanders@home.com>
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: I'm out!
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Hello!

My name is Maggie Sanders, before I got married my last name was Steigelman. I live in Portland, Oregon. I’ve needed to do this for a long time. I’m writing this to publicly say: I am no longer a Scientologist (tm) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven’t been one for about 2 years, give or take.

I am thinking for myself. I can talk to who I want to. I can agree or disagree with who I want to. There is a whole wonderful world out here that while I was a Scientologist I forgot even existed. While there are many, many things that helped me to decide, one of the biggest things was when I started thinking about what the world would actually be like if everyone were Scientologists. That scared the hell out of me! I had always thought that would be a wonderful thing, but I had not thought what that would REALLY mean.

David Miscavige running the planet? The Sea Org enforcing their ideas of ethics? RPF’s in every town? Yikes! It chilled me to the bone. This is what I had been blindly hoping for, this had been my idea of salvation for mankind. I knew I could no longer be part of that. The other major thing was that my mother, Mary Callnon, and her husband, Fred Melmoth, were declared. I really love my mom, and there is no way in hell I’m ever going to disconnect from her. Ever!

Gwen Mayfield-Barnard DSA Portland lied to me. She, among other things, told me that my mother was the reason my friend Margaret Gerrans had a car accident, that Margaret had told an auditor that she was PTS to my mother. She told me never to mention it to Margaret because “she would lose her dignity”. Whatever that means. Of course I asked Margaret about it, and not only did she not “lose her dignity”, but she never even said it. Gwen was trying to turn me against my mother. She tried to scare me by telling me that since my mom was getting auditing outside the church that something terrible was going to happen to her, and there would be no one to help her. At that time I still believed that crap, and it scared me, but not enough to turn traitor to my mother.

Gwen had one of my best friends (no longer), and my husbands sister go see my mother and pretend to be concerned about her so they could try and gather information about her and find out her auditors name. My mother had the DEA visit her because of an anonymous tip. Hmm... I wonder who called?

There is lots and lots more stuff that has happened over the years, but if I go into it all, I’ll never get this posted.

A couple other things about me are that I was in Scientology since I was 14, I’m now 28.

I worked at Hollander Consultants for 4 years. Hello to Valerie Emanuel if you read this. I was working there when you came. I even talked to you on the phone a few times. I remember I felt really good because for some reason you liked talking to me. But it was scary, too because you are very sharp and asked tough questions, and I don’t like being dishonest. I read on your website that you thought that things had been changed around just for your visit. Well, you were right. We hid all the books that were too Scientology - like Science of Survival, Intro to Scientology Ethics, etc., and even took down LRH’s picture from the course room to keep you from having any “ammo”. Seems that you got plenty anyway.