Arnie Lerma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arnie Lerma
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Lerma in 2008
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| Born | November 18, 1950 Washington, DC, United States
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| Died | March 16, 2018 (aged 67) Sylvania, Georgia, United States
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| Occupation | A/V technician |
Arnaldo Pagliarini "Arnie" Lerma (November 18, 1950 – March 16, 2018) was an American writer and activist. He was once a member of the Church of Scientology but later became a well-known critic. Lerma appeared in many television, radio, and media interviews to share his views. He was famous for being the first person to share a special court document, called the Fishman Affidavit, online. This document included the story of Xenu, which is a part of Scientology's beliefs. He posted this document on the internet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology.
Contents
Who Was Arnie Lerma?
Arnie Lerma was born in Washington, D.C. in 1950. He grew up to be a person who spoke out about things he believed in.
Early Life and Scientology
Arnie Lerma started learning about Scientology when he was 16 years old. His mother was a director at the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington D.C. Arnie was impressed by the Church's stories about L. Ron Hubbard's past, including his time in the military and his scientific achievements.
Lerma joined the staff at the Church in Washington D.C. and later in New York. He worked as a course supervisor. Around 1970, he joined the Sea Org, which is a religious order within Scientology. He served there for seven years, earning a small amount of money each week.
During his time in Scientology, Lerma reached a high level of spiritual training called OT III.
In 1976, he met Suzette, who was L. Ron Hubbard's daughter. They became close and planned to get married. However, their relationship was discovered, and Lerma was told he would be harmed if he didn't cancel the wedding plans. Soon after this, Lerma decided to leave Scientology.
Speaking Out Online
Arnie Lerma said he didn't want to destroy Scientology. Instead, he hoped for changes in its leadership. In the early days of the internet, Arnie Lerma started posting in online discussion groups called "internet newsgroups". These included "alt.religion.scientology" and "alt.clearing.technology".
He shared public documents from court cases that involved the Church of Scientology. He scanned and posted many documents he received. These included court papers known as the Fishman Affidavit or Fishman Declaration. These documents came from a case called Church of Scientology International v. Fishman and Geertz.
The Lawsuit Over Information
In August 1995, after Lerma posted the Fishman Affidavit, his home was searched. This search was led by federal marshals and lawyers from the Church of Scientology. They claimed he had documents that were protected by copyright laws.
The Church's Religious Technology Center (RTC) filed a lawsuit against Lerma and his internet service provider. They said he had copied their work without permission and shared their private information.
The Washington Post newspaper and two reporters were also added to the lawsuit. This happened because an article they wrote about the search included a few short quotes from Scientology documents.
However, The Washington Post and the reporters were later removed from the lawsuit. A judge named Leonie Brinkema made this decision in November 1995.
The court's decision in 1995 mentioned a policy of Scientology called "Fair Game". This policy, written by L. Ron Hubbard, encourages bothering anyone who speaks against the Church. The court decided that Lerma had to pay a small amount of money, $2,500, for sharing a large part of a copyrighted work online. The court also ordered that Lerma's computer and other items taken during the search be returned to him.
Lermanet Website
In the late 1990s, Arnie Lerma created a website called Lermanet. This website focused on news about Scientology and documented lawsuits involving the Church.
He became well-known for finding an altered picture on a Scientology website on New Year's Eve in 1999. The picture seemed to make it look like more people attended an event in Los Angeles than actually did. He posted the original and altered pictures on his website, showing the changes. The most noticeable change was a "man with no head." This story was even shown on national television and in newspapers.
His Legacy
Arnie Lerma passed away on March 16, 2018. He had been dealing with severe back pain for many years.
After his death, the Lermanet website was briefly taken down. However, in late 2019, the website reappeared as lermanet.org. His blog also came back online as arnielerma.blog. His work continues to be available for people to learn from.
Writings
- The Internet is the Liberty Tree of the 90s
- Copyrights and Why Scientology Hates Arnaldo Lerma
- Scientology Gag Agreements - A Conspiracy for Silence
- The art of deception, 1996
