I do not need to have been a slave to oppose slavery. I do not need to have been poor to oppose poverty. And I do not need to have been a Scientologist to oppose Scientology. Critical discussion of religious beliefs understandably makes many people uncomfortable. After all, those of us who live in a liberal democracy take religious freedom for granted, and often assume that a person's religious beliefs are his own business and no one else's.
Religious plurality fosters a healthy open-mindedness toward beliefs of other kinds.
The purpose of a true open mind, however, is to close it around truth. Uncritically accepting any viewpoint is not the sign of disciplined thought but intellectual laziness, not an open mind but an intellectual breezeway. I am an advocate of freedom of conscience where religous belief is concerned. There are many Scientologists who believe the Church has helped them become happier, better, and more fulfilled people. But mere belief in something does not make it so.