JeffNYC:

3.5 million? Really? Actually, that 3.5 million figure for "members" of the CoS is well known to be grossly inflated CoS propaganda. We know this to be the truth because David Miscavige, the leader of the CoS, admitted that the 3.5 figure only represents number of books sold.

Well, that certainly makes a more concrete suggestion on where that number comes from. Do you have a link to Mr. Miscavige's statement on this? I'm particularly interested in what "books" he's talking about. Tracts? Hubbard's novels? Both?

And yes, one church hardly makes a trend. That may, perhaps, have been the wrong word to use, but I think the thought was conveyed well enough: do you see other churches turning to legal documents to prevent lawsuits from current and former members? Those who have answered suggest no. I'm sure there are lawyers out there who would like the answer to be yes, though.

As a criminal matter, misconduct isn't between the member and the church, it's between the state and the church. Would the contract cover the civil matter, however? If the state sued the church for fraud, for instance, would the contract preempt the member's ability to civilly sue for recompensation?