Legoland Sparks Outrage With $10,000 Donation To Church Of Scientology On Behalf Of Jenna Elfman [Video]
Legoland donated $10,000 to the Church of Scientology’s Youth for Human Rights group, on behalf of actress Jenna Elfman. In exchange for a Christmas tree lighting appearance by film and television actress Jenna Elfman, Lego donated the money to the Scientology group in honor of the celebrity.
At the gala event, Jenna Elfman said Legoland is her favorite theme park, and she frequently visits the park with her family.
“For us parents, in the world today, we see what’s going on and we all – in our heart of hearts — wish for peace on earth, truly. I feel that the way we’re going to accomplish that on a huge scale is through education of human rights.”
Elfman adds what she thinks are some of the biggest concerns for parents.
“As a parent, I know that I’m not alone. I think that one of the biggest concerns any parent has is what world are we leaving our children in — what world are we bringing our children into — and what world are we leaving them in.”
A few minutes prior to the Christmas tree lighting event at Legoland, the theme park in Carlsbad, California, posted a tweet that Jenna Elfman would be the celebrity guest helping Legoland turn on the lights of its annual Christmas tree.
#LEGOLANDCA is donating $10,000 on @JennaElfman behalf to Youth for Human Rights, a charity aimed at teaching youth about human rights
— LEGOLAND California (@LEGOLAND_CA) December 1, 2015
Tony Ortega, an American journalist best known for his daily blog about the Church of Scientology, reported that he sent an email to Legoland’s California media relations manager, Julie Estrada, to confirm the information in the tweet and asked whether Legoland had, “any idea that Youth for Human Rights is a Scientology front?”
According to Ortega, Jenna Elfman, a longtime Scientologist, asked Legoland to donate the money to Youth for Human Rights. Legoland did, indeed, reward Jenna with a donation to the charity of her choice in return for helping them light their Christmas tree.
Notably, Scientologist Dr. Mary Shuttleworth founded Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) in 2001. ShowBiz 411 notes that actress Marisol Nichols is currently the Advisory Board Chairperson for YHRI, claiming that she is a huge Scientologist, with dozens of courses behind her, and has probably raised millions of dollars in donations.
However, Ortega declares that like other Church of Scientology front groups, YHRI pretends to have a “benign purpose that has nothing to do with Scientology.” Tony claims YHRI is one of several groups of the United for Human Rights — and has created pamphlets and videos based on the principles spelled out in a 1948 United Nations proclamation, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ortega notes that the Church of Scientology never mentions in any of its materials that the Declaration was a project by Eleanor Roosevelt. The original document has a variety of uncontroversial principles, such as the right to a fair trial and the right to own property.
According to advocates against the Church of Scientology — people who claim the group is a cult — the answer is Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard has always tried, with the help of the organization’s front groups, to find ways to get children to talk about the Church of Scientology and have the children look into the benefits of joining the organization.
Legoland’s donation is a significant one for Youth for Human Rights. The Scientology group does not pay their employees. In addition, the group spends most of its money on pamphlets and videos, in addition to holding conferences.
Although some may be skeptical of the Church of Scientology and their motives, as well as whether Legoland should have made this recent donation to the organization, Jenna Elfman leaves people with thoughts and desires for a better world.
“We all want peace on Earth, we want our children to be happy, we want them to engage in all cultures, and we want harmony amongst all cultures and amongst all people. And that is happiness.”
[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]
