Scientology and Werner Erhard

Werner Erhard studied many disciplines and practices in the 1960s, among them Scientology. While initially he had a positive response to what he learned through the Scientology communication course
Erhard's initial responses to Scientology
Erhard did some between 1968 and 1970 Pendergast writes in the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture that Erhard progressed through five Scientology levels. Lewis writes that Erhard read such Scientology books as Problems of Work, A New Slant On Life, and Dianetics: The Original Thesis..
Erhard stated that he benefited from the practice of Scientological auditing, declaring: "It was the fastest and deepest way to handle situations that I had yet encountered. I immediately wanted to learn to do it." Lewis quotes Erhard as stating of Hubbard: "I have a lot of respect for L. Ron Hubbard and I consider him to be a genius and perhaps less acknowledged than he ought to be."
Pressman writes that est consultants received training in the Scientology practice of confessional auditing, also stating that est staff members were not required to undergo auditing as part of their jobs. According to Stark and Bainbridge's The Future of Religion, Erhard hired two Scientologists to specifically adapt Scientology practices for his own usage. Lewis writes that Erhard acknowledged some of the terminology utilized in Est and later in The Forum as "partially taken from Scientology."
and Wilson also claimed that the "at cause" concept in Est had "clear echoes" from Scientology.
Bartley quotes Erhard as stating that Est did not equate to Scientology, "The est training is quite different from Scientology practices and processes."
The article stated that the Church of Scientology hired private detective Ted Heisig in 1986 to investigate Erhard.
Snider wrote in The Believer that evidence of an effort to discredit Erhard was found at Scientology headquarters which included: "five file cabinets filled with information tracking Erhard’s life and business."
Church of Scientology actions
Condemnation
The Church of Scientology included "ERHARD, WERNER", "EST (ERHARD SEMINAR TRAINING)", a series of est offices, "FORUM, THE" and "WERNER ERHART AND ASSOCIATES" on (for example) a 1992 edition of its list of "Suppressive Persons and Groups".
Snider described Erhard's classification as a "Suppressive Person" as part of a Scientological "Fair Game" policy against him, which she referred to as "a sort of Scientologic fatwah".

According to an affidavit of Ted Heisig, Scientology referred to the operation to investigate Werner Erhard, Est and Werner Erhard and Associates internally as the "EST Project."
After Heisig gave this information to the Los Angeles Times, the law-firm Bowles & Moxon sued him, because they had hired him to investigate Erhard. In 1994 the court entered a default judgment.

Harry Rosenberg called in to Larry King Live when his brother Werner Erhard appeared on the show on December 20, 1993. During the call, as "3rd Caller", he identified himself and alleged that another Larry King guest, Scientology President Heber Jentzsch, had utilized the Church of Scientology to threaten Erhard.
On 8 December 1993, Erhard stated that he did not wish to come back to the United States for fear of further "harassment" from Scientology.<ref name="wakefield" />

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