Here we go …
While many celebrated the news of A&E’s decision to pull the plug on their controversial series highlighting the KKK, a popular “religious system” appears to lack such enthusiasm about the move.
This week, the Church of Scientology revealed their dissatisfaction with the “hypocritical” network over axing the perplexing Ku Klux Klan docu-series while continuing to air “Leah Remini’s Scientology and the Aftermath.”
In a letter obtained by TMZ, the religious group wrote, “It is hypocritical for A&E to proclaim its intent to ‘expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms’ in cancelling the KKK show and at the same time promote Leah Remini’s program which promotes hatred that A&E claims that it wants to stop.”
The letter went on to characterize Remini’s docu-series as providing “free advertising and promotion” for what the church describes as “anti-Scientology” texts.
Meanwhile, A&E is sticking to its guns, reminding the disgruntled that Remini is both an executive producer on the series and, to their knowledge, “not the member of a hate group.”
Remini had a few words for the church, telling Larry King earlier this week that she would gladly welcome legal action. “I mean, it’s as simple as that,” the former Scientologist said. “I mean, if we’re lying… Listen. They say this on every outlet they can. They’ve said that about every single person who’s spoken out and not one lawsuit has been brought to anybody. This is not a group that is scared of a lawsuit. They’re a litigious group. So, if that were true, they would simply sue us and I welcome them to do that.”
Still, in a statement issued to Variety on Wednesday, Dec. 27 regarding the slight call to action, a spokesperson for the church simply said, “The letter speaks for itself.”
Founded by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1955, the Church of Scientology “offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being,” their website says.
In saying that, we’d love to hear their grounds for pulling two seemingly different programs: one which attempted to normalize a historically racist and criminal hate group and another which provides a voice to victims of the “religious system” despite public attempts to discredit them. What are your thoughts on the Church of Scientology calling A&E hypocrites? Do they have a point? Sound off in the comment section below.
