QUESTION: Assuming for a moment for the sake of discussion that freedom of
religion means that it ought to be legal for the CoS to recruit adults by
making false or at best (I'm being profoundly generous), unfounded
promises of benefits, should it also be legal to recruit minors by making
such claims.

Example: A while ago, an acquaintance of mine, then a minor, was recruited
into the "Sea Org." This is a dedicated group within the CoS whose members
have signed billion-year contracts and dedicate their lives to "putting in
ethics" in the universe. According to what I was told, the recruiter made
a number of promises and claims, namely:

1. According to inside information, the major governments of the world
were very close to collapse due to the sinister and artful maneuvering of
an evil group of plotters (almost certainly dominated by the very
inventors of evil, the PSYCHS), known as the NEW WORLD ORDER. By joining
right away, my acquaintance would have the privilege of strengthening the
only group that could possibly pick up the pieces. (Of course, if he
didn't join, he would now, being privy to this authoritative peek at the
future, be partly responsible for the eternal damnation of the planet.)

2. My acquaintance, not yet a high school graduate, was told he would be
able to continue his schooling after signing his billion-year contract.
Instead, I'm told he was discouraged from continuing any non-Scn ("WOG")
education and sent to take a test for a state certificate of minimum
proficiency.

3. My acquaintance was promised Scn "auditing" and training to the highest
levels, otherwise known as the "Bridge to Total Freedom." The "Bridge"
usually winds up costing paying public hundreds of thousands of dollars,
but Sea Org members are not charged for it unless they leave. No one
mentioned that there is no objective evidence that such a "bridge"
actually exists in Scn. Belief that it does exist is, I believe, mostly
based on faith in the truthfullnes, good intentions and transcendent
wisdom of the late founder of Scn. Judge Brekenridge, after examining a
huge volume of evidence and testimony in the Armstrong case, said this
about Hubbard: "The evidence protrays a man who has been virtually a
pathological liar when it comes to his history, background and
achievements." (From "L. RON HUBBARD, MESSIAH OR MADMAN? by Bent Corydon,
Barricade Books)

4. I'm told the recruiter also promised minimum wage and livable berthing.
My acquaintance say he received about $11 per 70 plus hour week and had to
live packed in with a dozen or more young men in a smelly, squalid room.

My acquaintance became dissatisfied after a short time and announced he
was leaving. "Routing out" took another four months or so, during which
time he had to continue putting in 12 or more hours of menial labor per
work day. He couldn't just leave without permission because if he did, he
faced the strong possibility of being declared a "suppressive person,"
whom other members of the CoS would not be allowed to communicate with.
This was unappealing as both his parents and all of his friends were
members of the CoS. Besides he still considered himsel a loyal member of
the CoS. He continued working as a virtual slave (in my view) until he
completed his "security check" (mandatory confession of misdeeds) and was
finally allowed to leave.

I do not agree that the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution means
that certain abuses--exploitive child labor practices for example, or
various kinds of deception-- which ought to be illegal generally, ough to
be legal when done by a religion, assuming it even qualifies as such. I
have more to say on but would like to hear from others, including members
of the CoS, before I say more.