Time to End Scientology's Anti-Medicine Stance

The tragic death of John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, could spell the end of Scientology’s (and L. Ron Hubbard's) loopy, medicine-hating cult initiated in the 1950s.
Jett's parents, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, are both declared to be "clear" - an exalted, expensively attained status in Scientology of completely perfect health and psychological flawlessness.
Critics of Scientology have long known that the pseudo-religion, based on Hubbard's “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health”, discourages adherents from seeking medical help for problems they deem "psychosomatic."
That old line about it being all in your head forms the basis of Scientology's weird belief system; most problems, even if they manifest themselves physically, are spiritual in nature, stemming from the patient's "reactive mind."
Even aspirin is deemed a mood-altering drug to be avoided – which is too bad if you need take it to prevent further blood clots from forming following a stroke or a heart attack.
Hence the controversy over Jett Travolta's apparent death from a head injury, most likely incurred after he suffered a seizure in the Bahamas hotel where the Travolta family were staying.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston have long claimed Jett developed Kawasaki disease after exposure at a young age to carpet-cleaning chemicals; an allegation that medical experts find implausible.
The media has speculated for years that Jett was Autistic and was being denied essential psychiatric medication for seizures due to L. Ron Hubbard’s arcane ban on medication.
At the time of his death, Jett was under the care of Jeff Kathrein, a wedding photographer whose main qualification for the ‘nanny’ post seemed to be a course he completed in Scientology and a kiss he shared with Jett Travolta.
Whatever the cause of his seizures, a Travolta family lawyer now says Jett that had been taking Depakote, an anti-seizure medication, but had to stop because of liver damage.
Travolta's actor friend Tom Cruise has made the church's stance infamous through his wildly unpopular tour of the talk shows in which he tried to advance Scientology's anti-psychiatry views.
His badgering of NBC's Matt Lauer on the “Today” show pales in comparison to his crazy-laughing-guy turn in a private Scientology video.
He's since declared that he's not going to share his Scientologist beliefs with the public, a decision which seems to have boosted box-office returns for “Valkryie”, his latest film.
This is good for Cruise and GREAT NEWS for Scientologists who may wish to take medication for their own or their children’s illnesses.
However, it is bad news for Scientology, which desperately needs Cruise's star power to spread the church's message - as well as his money. Rumor has it that the church, once a financial powerhouse, is said to be strapped for cash.
Travolta and Preston surely loved Jett, and are as grieved by his death as any parent would be. But the accusation will linger that they privileged their adherence to Scientology over their devotion to their son.
The death of Lisa McPherson, a 36-year-old Florida Scientologist who died after church members removed her from a hospital where she was due to receive psychological care, initially received little attention outside of local newspapers.
Jett Travolta's death, on the other hand, is winning international attention, and raising the question of Scientology's anti-medicine stance.