Church of Scientology Compares Leah Remini's Docuseries to Charlottesville Violence

USA Today posted a note they received from the Church ahead of Tuesday's Season 2 premiere. "Sadly, as everyone knows from a number of recent tragic events, including those over the weekend in Virginia, we live in a volatile time of accelerated hate, bigotry and intolerance," the letter read, "A&E's airing of salacious, unvetted falsehoods about the Church is reckless and irresponsible. The incendiary hate and bigotry they are fostering has no place in a tolerant America."

Here's the Church's note in full:

Nothing about A&E's Leah Remini "docuseries" is honest. The singular goal of the program is to make money and boost ratings by spreading salacious lies to promote A&E's ugly brand of religious intolerance, bigotry and hatred.

To date, the Church has been subjected to more than 500 threats—including death threats, dangerous acts of vandalism and bullying directed at everyday parishioners—inspired by Leah Remini and her A&E show. This even includes a 13-year-old boy whose father apologized to the Church after discovering that his son posted a death threat on Facebook aimed at a Church official after binge-watching Remini's show with a friend. The violence provoked falls directly at the feet of A&E CEO Nancy Dubuc, President Paul Buccieri and EVP Rob Sharenow, who should be ashamed for spreading bigotry and religious intolerance. Despicably, Remini's show also is yet another example of A&E paying sources to spread hate. Her showrunner, Myles Reiff, most recently worked for the production company that produced the illfated KKK show in which sources were scandalously paid.

Sadly, as everyone knows from a number of recent tragic events, including those over the weekend in Virginia, we live in a volatile time of accelerated hate, bigotry and intolerance. A&E's airing of salacious, unvetted falsehoods about the Church is reckless and irresponsible. The incendiary hate and bigotry they are fostering has no place in a tolerant America.

The Church has posted a statement about Remini's show and provided a response to its numerous lies at www.leahreminiaftermath.com and we will continue to document and expose her anti-religious campaign as un-American. Please post our link.

In regards to your allegations on condoning sexual abuse, this is false and defamatory, per se. A letter from counsel follows. Regarding your allegation on mental health, this too is false, and as we do not treat those who are mentally ill, we encourage such individuals to be examined by a competent doctor.

Remini's show was nominated for two Emmy Awards for its first season, one for Best Informational Series or Special and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Program.

This isn't the first time The Church of Scientology has responded to Remini and her series, which aims to expose secrets from inside the controversial group's walls. The Church has been very vocal about its opposition to the show from day one, calling it a "a scripted, rehearsed, acted and dramatized work of fiction."