While wandering around Boston, we came across a few protesters across from the Scientology building.

(Check out the article in Londonfuse)

Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour Leader, Marion Whitta, a native of Australia, has become something of an institution in India.  For the past four years she has been traveling throughout the country bringing help to cities, villages and townships, and training tens of thousands in spiritual technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

Whitta shares her thoughts about India and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour Leader, Ms. Marion Whitta, originally from Australia, is interviewed on what the Tour has accomplished over the past four years and their plans for the future.

Scientology Newsroom: How did you get the assignment to lead the Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour?

M.W.: I had always wanted to go to India.  I was drawn by the spiritual heritage of the country, which is the oldest religious tradition on Earth. I was also inspired by Mahatma Gandhi—the man himself, his courage and his commitment to human rights and freedom.

So in 2005 when I was given the opportunity to go to India, I was thrilled  with the opportunity to reach out to people who were already aware of their spiritual nature and bring Mr. Hubbard’s spiritual technology to more than a billion people.   And I had the perfect means to do so—the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program and its purpose to bring help everywhere and anywhere.

Scientology Newsroom: Tell us about the Goodwill Tour?

M.W.: Since arriving in September 2005 we have visited Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Pondicherry and Ahmedabad.  We’ve also visited many villages and townships, and we even spent a few weeks in neighboring Nepal.

In each city we visit, we contact government, religious and community leaders and find out what they see as the most pressing needs that we can assist with. We then tailor our work to fit the needs of the people in each region.

In every area we visit, we train as many people as possible to administer Scientology Volunteer Ministers techniques.  We deliver these courses in our big yellow tent and seminars and workshops in universities, schools, government offices, police departments, military camps, even in apartment complexes—wherever people want to learn how to help, and wherever help is needed.

Once people learn this technology virtually  everyone wants to be a Scientology Volunteer and we help them set up their own groups.  These groups in turn reach out to those in need.  For example, our Kolkata group mobilized a team of volunteers last year to assist survivors of the floods in Bihar. After the Mumbai terror attacks, Scientology Volunteers from throughout India poured in to help in our disaster response activities.

Scientology Newsroom: What is the Scientology Volunteer Ministers movement?

M.W.: I think Mr. Hubbard described it perfectly when he wrote, “…if one is going to find fault with something, it implies that he wishes to do something about it and would if he could. If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a Volunteer Minister and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance.”

25. November 2009 Der Brief klingt offiziell. „Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, mein Name ist Sabine Weber, und ich bin für die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit der Scientology-Kirche in den Bundesländern Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt zuständig“, lautet der erste Satz eines Schreibens, das die Organisation seit Schuljahrsbeginn an weiterführende Schulen und Universitäten in Berlin schickt. Es gebe Unklarheiten, schreibt Frau Weber, und deshalb wolle man jetzt aufklären. Auf dem beigelegten Antwort-Fax sind die Optionen „Gespräch in der Schule“, „Besuch der Scientology-Kirche in Berlin“ und „Zusendung scientologischer Schriften“ anzukreuzen.

Bisher sei noch kein Fax zurückgekommen, sagt Sabine Weber. Scientology ist kein Thema mehr – genau das ist schließlich der Anlass der Imagewerbung. „Wir haben per Rundschreiben alle Schulen über die Kampagne informiert“, sagt Stefan Barthel von der vor zwei Jahren eingerichteten „Leitstelle für Fragen zu Sekten“ des Berliner Senats. „Aber die wussten bereits selbst bestens Bescheid.“

Die gezielte Ansprache von Jugendlichen ist wohl der verzweifelte Versuch der sich selbst als Kirche bezeichnenden Organisation, in Berlin doch noch Fuß zu fassen. Vor knapp drei Jahren eröffnete Scientology seine „Hauptstadt-Zentrale“ in Charlottenburg, ein siebenstöckiges Haus mit Glasfront und Büros auf einer Fläche von 4000 Quadratmetern. Von hier aus wollte Scientology Lobbyarbeit betreiben, Einfluss auf Politik und Wirtschaft nehmen, Prominente für sich gewinnen und vor allem selbst schnell wachsen.

In Berlin nicht Fuß gefasst

„Um unsere planetarischen Rettungskampagnen in Anwendung zu bringen, müssen wir die obersten Ebenen der deutschen Regierung in Berlin erreichen“, hieß es 2006 in einem internen Strategiepapier. Scientology in Berlin sei verantwortlich, „die nötigen Zufahrtsstraßen in das deutsche Parlament zu bauen, um unsere Lösungen tatsächlich eingearbeitet zu bekommen in die gesamte deutsche Gesellschaft“. Politiker wurden mit persönlichen Anschreiben, Broschüren und DVDs der Organisation überhäuft. Doch bis heute hat sich kein einziger Adressat zu Scientology bekannt. Die Zufahrtsstraße ins Parlament ist noch nicht einmal ein Trampelpfad.

Schon im vergangenen Jahr bescheinigte deshalb der Berliner Verfassungsschutz, der wie fast alle Bundesländer Scientology wegen ihres aggressiven Auftretens sowie ihres totalitären Welt- und Menschenbildes beobachtet, der Organisation Erfolglosigkeit. „Die Berliner Niederlassung ist nicht die Deutschland- oder gar die Europazentrale“, heißt es im Jahresbericht 2008. „Ihre angekündigten Kampagnen, Werbe- und Lobbymaßnahmen blieben bislang erfolglos.“ Scientology stoße auf Ablehnung und habe in und um Berlin lediglich 200 Mitglieder. Sabine Weber spricht von 600, aber auch davon, dass das „noch längst nicht ausreichend“ sei.

Stagnierende Mitgliederzahlen

In ganz Deutschland gibt es zwischen 5000 und 6000 Mitglieder, schätzt der Bundesverfassungsschutz, doch auch diese Zahl sei seit Jahren unverändert. Scientology selbst hat die Zahl der Sympathisanten von einst 80.000 auf etwa 30.000 korrigiert, wovon circa 12.000 aktive Mitglieder seien, die regelmäßig in die „Kirche“ kämen. Mehr als drei Viertel der deutschen Scientologen leben in Bayern, Baden-Württemberg und Hamburg, von einer Expansion aber ist auch dort nichts zu spüren. „Die Mitgliederzahl stagniert seit Jahren“, konstatiert der bayerische Verfassungsschutz, Baden-Württemberg attestiert der Organisation gar einen „schleichenden Niedergang“: „Die SO kann nur wenige neue Mitglieder dauerhaft an sich binden und ihre Stagnation nicht überwinden.“ Hamburg stellt bei Scientology ein aus „Mitgliederschwund“ resultierendes „reduziertes Kursangebot“ sowie „Überalterung“ fest.

Da verwundert es, dass die Organisation bei dieser Lage nicht in die Offensive geht. „Offenbar schlägt hier die Finanzkrise durch“, vermutet Stefan Barthel von der Leitstelle für Sektenfragen. Zudem habe er schon länger den Eindruck, dass die Krisensymptome von Scientology in den Vereinigten Staaten (Austritte von Prominenten, Ausscheiden von Managern) auch auf die europäischen Dependancen wirken. „In Berlin etwa tritt Scientology nicht mehr so auf wie früher“, sagt Barthel. „Sie kommen weniger strategisch, sondern eher konfus daher.“

„Es brummt nicht“

Dass die Expansion in Deutschland stockt, weist nicht einmal Scientology selbst zurück. Mit der Finanzkrise oder den Ereignissen in Amerika und Frankreich habe das allerdings nichts zu tun. „Es geht eben nur sehr langsam voran“, sagt Jürg Stettler, Sprecher der Organisation in Deutschland und Präsident von Scientology in Zürich. „Es war schon immer so, dass nur wenige bei uns bleiben.“ Die Schuld sucht er bei anderen. „Durch die Kampagnen gegen uns sind die Leute extrem zurückhaltend.“ Freilich gebe es Gespräche mit Prominenten, auch Politikern, doch das sei vertraulich. „Wer sich öffentlich bekennt, über den fällt man doch sofort her.“ Auch Sabine Weber gibt zu, dass der Zulauf in Berlin nicht gerade einem „Lauffeuer“ gleiche und man in dem neuen Gebäude noch „viel Platz“ habe. Den nutzten jüngst etwa zwei ranghohe amerikanische Scientologen, die der Berliner Filiale auf die Sprünge helfen sollten.

Laut Barthel aber ist der Effekt davon bisher ausgeblieben. „Scientology wirkt stark verunsichert und agiert eher zurückgezogen.“ Kontakte mit der Politik gebe es allenfalls noch sporadisch, und an den immerhin noch zahlreichen „Dianetik“-Infoständen in der Stadt tauchten stets die gleichen Personen auf, die jeden etwaigen Interessenten allerdings auch gnadenlos belagerten.

Nicht einmal die etablierten Kirchen malen beim Thema Scientology noch den Teufel an die Wand. „Es brummt nicht“, stellt Michael Utsch von der Evangelischen Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW) fest. Früher sei abends das gesamte Scientology-Gebäude illuminiert gewesen, heute leuchte allenfalls noch das Erdgeschoss. Utsch führt die Entwicklung auf Aufklärung, aber auch die starke Aufmerksamkeit zurück, die der Senat in den letzten Jahren der Organisation gewidmet hat. „Die Politik hat reagiert, aber eben anders, als Scientology sich das vorgestellt hat.“

Wissenschaftler plädiert für Gelassenheit

„Scientology ist nirgendwo in Europa sonderlich erfolgreich“, sagt der Göttinger Sozial- und Religionswissenschaftler Gerald Willms. Von ihrer Hochphase in den achtziger Jahren sei die Organisation heute weit entfernt. „90 Prozent der Leute, die mal einen Kurs mitgemacht haben, finden’s uninteressant und gehen danach nie wieder hin.“ Auch von den restlichen zehn Prozent entschließe sich kaum jemand, der Organisation beizutreten. „Wer es doch tut, glaubt offenbar fest daran“, sagt Willms. Im Zuge seiner Forschungen sei er ohnehin „immer wieder erstaunt, woran Leute so alles glauben“.

Er plädiert für mehr Gelassenheit im Umgang mit der Organisation, was ihm wiederum heftige Kritik einbringt. Denn aus der aggressiven Bekämpfung von Scientology ist für manche Buchautoren und Talkshowreisende auch ein Geschäft geworden. „Scientology will gern groß, mächtig und schön erscheinen“, sagt Willms. „Genau so wünschen sich einige Gegner die Organisation auch, um den selbsterzeugten Alarm zu rechtfertigen.“ Aus Versehen werde heute jedoch niemand mehr Scientologe. „Wer das behauptet, ertrinkt auch im Schwimmbad, weil er nicht weiß, dass da Wasser drin ist.“

„Wer unbedingt Scientologe werden will, soll das auch tun, aber er muss eben wissen, worauf er sich einlässt“, sagt Michael Utsch von der EZW. Deshalb dürfe die Aufklärung nicht nachlassen. Die finanzielle und psychische Abhängigkeit, in die Mitglieder geraten können, sowie der enorme Druck auf Aussteiger seien eine ernstzunehmende Gefahr, der man jedoch besonnen begegnen müsse, rät auch Stefan Barthel. „Hysterie schadet nur. Mit einer nüchternen Herangehensweise ist viel mehr zu erreichen.“ So will Berlin künftig in seiner Präventionsarbeit stärker über Merkmale vereinnahmender Gruppen informieren und mit Jugendlichen vor allem über jene Bedürfnisse und Sehnsüchte sprechen, die durch Organisationen wie Scientology ausgenutzt werden. „Das Kümmern, Zuhören und Zeitnehmen wollen wir nicht diesen Gruppen überlassen“, sagt Barthel. Deshalb sollen Gemeinschaft und Geborgenheit auch in Schulen und Jugendeinrichtungen künftig eine große Rolle spielen.

Berlins Scientology-Chefin Weber wiederum will ihrerseits aufklären, auch mit neuen Aktionen, auch an Schulen. Ein Ziel sieht sie in Deutschland immerhin schon erreicht: „Die wenigsten Gemeinschaften überstehen so massive Gegenkampagnen wie wir.“

Quelle: faz.net

Ein US-Bundesgericht im Bundesstaat  New Jersey (USA) hat Dmitriy Guzner (19Jahre) für seine Beteiligung an einer Denial-of-Service-Attacke auf Server der “Church of Scientology” am 16.11.2009  zu einem Jahr und einem Tag Haft sowie zu einer zweijährigen Bewährung verurteilt. Außerdem muss er einen Schadensersatz in Höhe von 37.500 US-Dollar leisten.

Dmitriy Guzner hat der losen “Anonymous” Gruppierung angehört, welche in verschiedene Foren zu der DDos-Attacke aufgerufen hatte. Im US-Bundesstaat Kalifornien steht ein weiterer US-Bürger wegen der Attacke auf Scientology-Server unter Anklage. Nicht gelungen ist es bisher ein erschreckendes Video mit dem prominenten Scientologen Tom Cruise löschen zu lassen.

This is part of a series of posts on Scientology.

The Sea Org is Scientology’s private naval force. Sea Org members are typically born in to Scientology families and are extremely dedicated to Scientology’s causes and pursuit of planetary control. These people are, in my mind, the victims of Scientology’s greatest crimes.

Members of the Sea Org work more than fifteen hours a day, seven days a week. There are as many as 9 Sea Org members sleeping in one small bedroom and they are fed a nutritionally poor diet. Despite living and working under these awful conditions, Sea Org members are denied medical and dental expenses.

Sea Org members are not allowed to have regular civilian contact with friends and family, they are not allowed to read newspapers, watch television or listen to music. Any letters addressed to Sea Org members are read by management to ensure they contain no dissenting information about the organisation. All information about the outside world is filtered through the executives, so Sea Org members are presented with a very distorted view of reality. According to one former Sea Org member;

“In the Sea Org, all the management staff are told about all the glorious victories we’ve had, we’re never told about one single failure on the part of Scientology…

As far as you know while you’re working there, Scientology is dominating the world, and you want it to dominate the world. The goal of the Sea Org is not to have Scientology worldwide, the goal of the Sea Org is to control all activities on the planet and to eliminate all people to who are hostile to their stated goals, whatever they may be…

The only you’re information you’re shown about the public is a war, bad psychiatrists, evil IRS agents, a world of paranoia and fear, death and destruction.” – Aaron Saxton

If you are a member of the Sea Org, you are not permitted to marry somebody who is not also a member. Sea Org members are not allowed to have children, and if they do fall pregnant they are interrogated and put under immense pressure from management to abort the pregnancy. If a Sea Org member is non-compliant and refuses to have an abortion, they can be sent to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), which is a penal colony where they are forced to do hard labour. In the RPF, Sea Org members are cut off from all communication. Even pregnant women in the RPF are not allowed to walk, they must run at all times, if they do not run then they are punished with further physical exercise such as pushups. This often results in women miscarrying due to the physical and emotional stress.

If you fall pregnant in the Sea Org and would like to have the child, your only real option is to leave the Sea Org. If you leave, you are declared a Suppressive Person by the Church of Scientology and are disconnected from your friends and family who remain within Scientology. Because Sea Org members have generally spent their entire lives inside Scientology, they often have no source of income, no work experience outside the organisation and no non-Scientology friends or family to stay with or rely on for support.

It is hard for someone like myself to comprehend why a Sea Org member would tolerate these conditions, and not just find a way to survive on the outside. I must remind myself that these people are truly deluded and believe that they saving the world from imminent danger. As they are never allowed to be critical of the Sea Org, even to other members, they must often feel they are the only one having doubts and therefore must be a bad person for wanting to leave.

I recently spoke with Aaron Saxton, a former Scientologist who spent several years as an enforcer of Scientology’s policies in the Sea Org. Aaron shared some truly disturbing examples of real human rights abuses within the Sea Org, and I would suggest those who doubt that any of these policies are ever put into practice should read Aaron’s story.

 To be continued…

This is part of a series of posts on Scientology.

Over the last two years, I have spent a substantial amount of time publicly protesting the Church of Scientology, and in this time I have come to have a good understanding of the public perception of Scientology; most people think that Scientology is a fairly benign religion which is centered around ridiculous beliefs. For the most part, media attention on Scientology is focused around scandals involving celebrity adherents and the Church’s “alien beliefs”.

What is very seldom reported, however, is what makes Scientology such a serious danger to its own members and also to the wider community. As a result, we have a public which is largely uneducated to the bigger issues at hand surrounding Scientology, and they often find it hard to believe the harsh truths, asking “if that’s the case then why are we only hearing about spaceships and silent births?”

As an atheist, I tend to see all religious or faith-based beliefs as ridiculous, and often worthy of mockery and criticism. I am by no means saying that most religions are harmless, and Scientology is an exception. I am of the view that most religious have elements which are particularly harmful to their followers and to the community; often limiting the freedoms of members and campaigning to stop social progression and send the world back to their antiquated views.

Last week, Senator Nick Xenophon said that “in Australia there are no limits on what you can believe, but there are limits on how you can behave, it’s called the law and no-one is above it.” I am not going to focus on the beliefs of the Church of Scientology, but instead I will discuss the policies and actions of the organisation which are criminal and severely strip away the basic human rights of their own membership and attempt to do the same to the rest of us.

I’m going to bring attention to the “we’ve got bigger fish to fry” attitude which is held by many atheist and secular groups towards Scientology, and explain why this view is inappropriate and misses the point entirely. There are many elements of the Church of Scientology’s policies and actions that are so disturbing and extreme that this organisation truly does require our immediate attention, and I will build an argument as to why you should help to bring an end to these disturbing policies and actions.

One of the things which sets the Church of Scientology apart from mainstream religious groups is that Scientology’s doctrine comes in installments; “for a low weekly cost of $99.95, we’ll give you spiritual enlightenment. But wait, there’s more! The first ten callers to take us up on this amazing offer will get a free set of steak knives.” Seriously, though, the full Scientology doctrine is not available to the public, nor is it available to members. Scientologists must work their way along “the bridge” in order to be adequately prepared (read: brainwashed) to read more of the doctrine. One of the great things about Judaism, Christianity and Islam is that I can pick up the Torah, Bible or Quran and see that it’s bullshit. For instance, from Leviticus 20:9 I know that if you see a child cursing its parents, you should kill the little fucker.

As Scientology’s texts are secretive and copyrighted, they are not able to be republished for scrutiny, the claims made are not testable and, to avoid litigation by the Church, the vast majority of analysis and criticism of Scientology’s texts are pushed to the deep, dark underworld which we call the Internet. What is known by critics of the Church of Scientology about the doctrine often surpasses that of the individual Scientologist, as we have access to material leaked from the organisation and the testimony of hundreds of former members.

Scientologists are pushed to purchase more auditing, take more courses and read more books in order to progress along the bridge to spiritual enlightenment.  There is a set of publicly available Scientology texts, and whilst these are full of pseudoscience, quackery and bigotry, they hardly begin to represent the problems with the Church’s views.

Try to imagine if I were Catholic (I know, it’s a real stretch and is probably testing the very boundaries of your imagination); I could freely and privately sit in a confessional and tell the priest all of my secrets in hope that sharing the burden and doing my penance, I will be forgiven for my sins. Scientology has something comparable called auditing, except if I was taking it, I would be paying hundreds of dollars per session, instead of volunteering information it would often pressured out of me, and all of my secrets would are recorded and filed.

Scientology says it has priest-penitent privilege, wherein the information shared during auditing is kept secret, however this is far from reality. Confessional privilege would go straight out the window the moment I tried and cut back on funding the Church of Scientology through courses and further auditing; my file would be read through and my confessions used to intimidate and blackmail me in to continuing  along the bridge. If I ever tried to leave the organisation entirely, the Church of Scientology could publicly release all of my forced confessions in order to destroy my credibility and reputation.

This is part of the reason why it is so difficult for Scientologists to leave the organisation, and why they often find it hard to be taken seriously when making allegations against the Church when every one of their personality flaws, vulnerabilities and secrets are actively used to silence their concerns and criticisms, and to block the exit.

Another factor that makes it difficult for a Scientologist to leave is that their lives are generally immersed in Scientology; many have been brought up in the organisation and have only ever studied Scientology technology and are severely lacking a proper education, many work for the organisation and have developed few skills to deal with the real world. More importantly, being brought up in Scientology means that most Scientologists have no immediate family that are not in the religion. The Church of Scientology has a policy of “disconnection” which states that a person who questions Scientology must be “handled” (brought back in to line) or all contact with them is severed.

So if I were from a family of Scientologists and I tried to leave, not only would my reputation be destroyed by the release of my supposedly confidential confessions, but I would lose my entire family and support network. As a result of this, many Scientologists feel forced to persevere with courses and auditing simply because they feel they have no other options.

To be continued…

On November 14th, a group of Anonymous protesters  expressed their opinions on Scientology, in Dunwoody, Georgia.  The protesters stood across the street from the Church of Scientology of Georgia.  It was a rather small group of people—about fourteen showed up.  Apparently, the protests have died down in Atlanta, and are not what they were like in the past.  The police do not bother showing up anymore, either.

The protest began at 1:37 P.M. or 13:37 (leet) in military time.   The latter makes more sense.  I found their timing quite clever.  I arrived a few minutes after it started, but only a couple of the protesters where there setting up their signs and flags.  They were skeptical of me at first, thinking I might have been an undercover Scientologist photographer.  I had a good laugh, and assured them I was not.

I stayed in the area from the beginning to the end—about three hours.  Many people drove by and expressed their support of the protest either by honking or giving a thumbs up.  One anonymous protester said, “People just love us today.”

Only a few Scientologists entered and left their building while the protesters were present; it seemed they were waiting for the Anons to leave, first.

The Beacon takes a look at the controversial religion with strong Florida presence

By Evelyn Ticona
Features Editor

From behind a podium next to a big wooden cross, the mission holder begins the service saying, “Welcome to the Church of Scientology.”

After greeting the attendees, Marilyn Cocco, mission holder and executive director of the Church of Scientology of West Palm Beach and benefactor of the Scientology Ideal Organization, reads the creed of the Church. She then reads the sermon of the day written by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology.
Scientologists display an eight-cornered cross, representing what they call the eight parts of the dynamic principle of existence: self, creativity, group survival, species, life forms, physical universe, spiritual dynamic and infinity.

“The cross predates Christianity by thousands of years,” Cocco said. “It has always represented some kind of spiritual symbol.”
Hubbard believed that humans should enhance their spirituality by acquiring mental, spiritual and bodily freedom through knowledge. Dianetics, scientologists believe, is the modern science of mental health that can help cure people from pain and heal themselves.

“Scientology is an exact science; you have to be trained to deliver it. If not, it’s not effective,” said Donna Noboa, basic courses supervisor and treasury secretary. “It’s a process of learning about yourself and life self-realization.”

One of the most controversial elements of Scientologists’ beliefs is the accuracy of an electrical device called the electropsychometer (E-meter). The E-meter is a “religious artifact” that can only be used by Scientology ministers. They say it identifies areas of spiritual distress or travail. The purpose of this device is to locate areas to be handled in order to progress spiritually.

Scientology usually hits the news because of the actions of Tom Cruise and its other celebrity followers, often in Los Angeles. However, the largest Scientology church nationwide is located in Clearwater, Fla.

In 1975 the church of Scientology bought the property of the Fort Harrison Hotel, which was abandoned at the time. Two years later it opened its doors, making it the land base of the Church of Scientology.

“The Church of Scientology moved to a place where they could find the opportunity to find mental development and spiritual growth,” Cocco said.

According to its official Web site, the Clearwater location has more than 12 buildings and approximately 1,200 staff members. At any given week they receive up to 2,000 out-of-town visitors that are just a small part of the 12,000-person Scientology community in the city.

“At the Clearwater church Scientologists can receive services they can’t receive anywhere else,” Cocco said. “They have people that speak almost every language and visitors from almost every country of the world.”

Many Christian leaders label Scientology as a cult. Bernie Cueto, campus pastor at Palm Beach Atlantic University, points to the group’s view of Christ.

“More important than a group’s use of a symbol is what they do with Jesus Christ, and with what the symbol represents,” Cueto said. “The cross goes beyond a mere symbol such as the lotus flower for Buddhist, the Star of David for Judaism, the crescent moon for Muslims. The crucifix became popular in the sixth century, but the symbol of the cross is seen as early as the second century onward.”

Cueto believes the Church of Scientology is misguided in its use of the cross.

“There is nothing friendly or soothing or filling about the cross,” Cueto said. “It represents the ultimate sacrifice. It is where Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world and [bore] punishment in our place. It represents salvation to all who believe.”

“They also say that Scientology is a pathway to greater freedom and that dianetics, a mental study, is the solution to mental and physical illnesses,” Cueto said. “Their religion is based on the individual and the idea that each of us can achieve ultimate truth and freedom by the study of L. Ron Hubbard’s books.”

The truth according to the Bible, Cueto said, can only be achieved through “the person and work of Jesus Christ.”

1. Catholic Church tries to extort the U.S. government…again – It seems like it was only a week or two ago that the Catholic Church gave Washington the ultimatum that they could either oppose gay marriage or lose one of their faith-based charities (because the Catholic Church cares so much for the poor for reasons other than as pawns in their political games). But now they’re barred Representative Patrick Kennedy from receiving a communion wafer because of his stance on abortion. Sounds like it may be time to reignite Crackergate.

2. Yet another former $cientology speaks out – This just isn’t CoS’ year (nor was last). They can’t seem to catch a break. Last week, Australian senator Nick Xenophon publicly challenged their tax exempt status and called them a criminal organization. And now Aaron Saxton, a former “enforcer of the Church of Scientology’s policies in the Sea Org, has done an interview. If you still don’t think $cientology needs to be destroyed after reading this interview, then you’re insane.

3. Arkansas Society of Freethinkers’ holiday display denied second year in a row – And they weren’t even given a reason.

When I got this matchbook, as soon as I saw the building and the address, I said to myself (and my cat):

“I bet its that fucking Scientology building!”

Sure enough, the poor Hotel Christie has been turned into a Scientology Test Center. I used to work next door to it at the Egyptian Theater, and I remember trying to dodge “The Cult” while running to get to work on time.

Even though Scientology is a bunch of bullshit, I do give them props for their rehabilitation of old buildings. They really do fix them up nicely while trying to keep any historical attributes.

But it’s still a fucking cult.

So back to the Hotel Christie. It was built in 1922 and it was the first luxury hotel in Hollywood. Charles H.V. Christie was a Canadian that came here to make movies and opened up a little studio there on Hollywood Blvd. that made comedies. They used their earnings from that to open the Hotel Christie.

Look! A view to a kill from inside the Hotel Christie!

The Hotel Christie/Scientology Test Center is featured in one of my most FAVORITE movies of all time – “Reflections of Evil”. I found a clip on You Tube with the Hotel Christie scenes, starting at 0:09 second (where Bobby has a fit) and it’s featured in the background when the black guy is having a meltdown.

I bet Xenu enjoyed the Cocktail Lounge & Grill at the Hotel Christie!

La vertadera alegria i felicitat són valuoses. Si no se sobreviu, no es poden aconseguir ni l’alegria ni la felicitat. Intentar sobreviure en una societat caòtica, deshonesta i, en general, immoral es fa difícil. Qualsevol persona o grup cerca obtenir de la vida tot el plaer i la llibertat que pugui. La teva pròpia felicitat pot convertir-se en tragèdia i aflicció per la deshonestedat i mala conducta dels altres. Estic segur que pots recordar-te de moments d’aquests. Injustícies com aquestes redueixen la pròpia supervivència i n’afecten la felicitat. Tu ets important per a les altres persones. Se t’escolta. Pots influir sobre la resta. La felicitat o infelicitat de les persones que coneixes és important per a tu. Ningú pot garantir que una altra persona sigui feliç, però es poden millorar les seves possibilitats de supervivència i de felicitat. I d’aquesta forma, també milloraran les teves.

És a la teva mà indicar-los el camí cap a una vida més feliç i no tan perillosa

__________________________________________________
Supervivència: l’acte de mantenir-se viu, continuar existint, estar viu.
Felicitat: condició o estar de benestar, plaer; plena satisfacció.
Caòtic: de caràcter o natura de confusió i desordre absoluts.
Immoral: contrari a la moral; que no segueix les pràctiques del bon comportament; mancat del concepte de la bona conducta.

La vertadera alegria i felicitat són valuoses. Si no se sobreviu, no es poden aconseguir ni l’alegria ni la felicitat. Intentar sobreviure en una societat caòtica, deshonesta i, en general, immoral es fa difícil. Qualsevol persona o grup cerca obtenir de la vida tot el plaer i la llibertat que pugui. La teva pròpia felicitat pot convertir-se en tragèdia i aflicció per la deshonestedat i mala conducta dels altres. Estic segur que pots recordar-te de moments d’aquests. Injustícies com aquestes redueixen la pròpia supervivència i n’afecten la felicitat. Tu ets important per a les altres persones. Se t’escolta. Pots influir sobre la resta. La felicitat o infelicitat de les persones que coneixes és important per a tu. Ningú pot garantir que una altra persona sigui feliç, però es poden millorar les seves possibilitats de supervivència i de felicitat. I d’aquesta forma, també milloraran les teves.

És a la teva mà indicar-los el camí cap a una vida més feliç i no tan perillosa

__________________________________________________
Supervivència: l’acte de mantenir-se viu, continuar existint, estar viu.
Felicitat: condició o estar de benestar, plaer; plena satisfacció.
Caòtic: de caràcter o natura de confusió i desordre absoluts.
Immoral: contrari a la moral; que no segueix les pràctiques del bon comportament; mancat del concepte de la bona conducta.

On today’s show: We heard Miss Cleo’s Twilight interviews.  Bean’s rental car gets stolen in Maryland (or does it?).  Seth Green talks about his movie Old Dogs, it’s the final day to enter the Miss Double D-cember contest and former Scientologist Marc Headley.

Kevin’s wife Melissa stopped by to talk about their charity Friends & Helpers  Holiday Gift Drive. TMZ’s Harvey Levin gives us the latest Hollywood gossip. Working on the show is getting us in trouble. We spin the “Wheel of Bad Animal Voices” and talk the “pimping chimps” and Ralph’s Showbiz Beat.

Celebrities lead charge against Scientology

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/22/scientology-cruise-haggis-us-australia

Hollywood figures quit ‘rip-off’ church as Australian prime minister threatens parliamentary inquiry into its activities

Peter Beaumont in London, Toni O’Loughlin in Sydney, and Paul Harris in New York

The Observer, Sunday 22 November 2009

The security at the red-brick and glass-walled horseshoe of the John Joseph Moakley courthouse on Boston’s waterfront was unusually tight. Anybody who was not a member of the city’s bar association was swept with a search wand. Photo IDs were checked. Mobile phones were taken from guests, who included the Hollywood star Tom Cruise.

The occasion was a memorial service for Scientology’s top legal adviser for a quarter of a century, Earle Cooley. The controversial head of Scientology worldwide, David Miscavige, delivered the eulogy, thanking his late friend for his contribution to the neo-religion during his career, much of which was spent pursuing journalists and former members who spoke out against it.

Miscavige may since have wondered privately what Cooley would have made of the events of last week. Scientology, founded in 1953 by the late science fiction pulp novelist, serial fantasist and inveterate self-publicist L Ron Hubbard, is under fire again across the globe, following years of struggle to be recognised – with some success – as a legitimate church.

The church has just been denounced in the strongest possible terms in the Australian parliament. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has expressed his concern over allegations of “a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality” and is contemplating a parliamentary inquiry. The organisation is under police investigation and yesterday angry ex-Scientologists, spurred on by the claims, converged on its Australian headquarters calling for its tax-exempt status to be revoked.

And it is not only in Australia that Scientology is facing problems. A new book in America – Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of the Church of Scientology – by Marc Headley, an employee of the church’s Los Angeles headquarters for 15 years, details – as others have – allegations of systematic abuse and bizarre episodes, such as the three weeks Headley claims he spent under instruction from Cruise in how to move bottles and other objects by concentrating on them.

Headley’s book follows a year in which Scientology has been plagued by unwelcome revelations from high-profile defectors and fresh media investigation into its practices.

Last month the church narrowly avoided being banned in France after being prosecuted for fraud, following claims that four leaders – all given suspended jail sentences – had preyed financially on several followers in the 1990s. In Belgium, too, Scientology is embroiled in a long criminal investigation. Perhaps most embarrassing for an organisation that prides itself on its wealthy Hollywood followers, Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis, an adherent of 30 years, abandoned Scientology in October, accusing it of homophobia.

That is not all. Some of the worst damage done to Scientology in the past two years appears to have been self-inflicted. Earlier this year the official spokesman in the US, Tommy Davis, son of the actress Anne Archer, stormed out of an ABC TV interview with Martin Bashir when Bashir had the temerity to ask about one of its central beliefs – relating to an evil intergalactic warlord named Xenu.

More ridicule was invited, unwittingly, by Cruise, the church’s most high-profile member, in a leaked video produced for the organisation last year that went viral on the internet. It showed a rambling Cruise laughing inexplicably while saying that Scientologists were uniquely equipped with the knowledge necessary to cure most of the world’s ills, including crime, drugs, mental health problems and violence.

A religion to some, a business certainly, and a cult to many, whose innermost cadres wear pseudo naval uniforms, Scientology’s religious tenets are a mixture of therapy-style self-improvement steps – at least at first – mixed with a weird space-opera metaphysics, which is revealed only to its highest acolytes. The church has frequently been accused of breaking up families and preying on the vulnerable. The history of Scientology and its critics has been a story played out in the courts in interminable proceedings that supported Cooley’s very lucrative career, underwritten by a very lucrative religious practice in which followers pay large sums of money to progress through a series of training courses called “auditing”.

In a quote attributed in the US courts to the late Hubbard himself, it is made clear that the court cases serve a useful purpose, even when they are lost. According to Hubbard, “law can be used very easily to harass… If possible, of course, ruin… entirely.”

Scientology has attempted to sue newspapers, including the Washington Post. Time magazine beat off a court claim for $400m after describing the church on its cover as “the Cult of Greed”. It has pursued authors, those who have campaigned against it, defectors and rivals. It has also made unsuccessful claims that details of its most secret practices should be regarded as both copyright and a trade secret.

The repeated attempts to use the courts to silence critics have been criticised in the judgments that have been upheld against Scientology, including one in 1996 that described its “documented history of vexatious behaviour” and abuse of “the [US] federal court system by using it, inter alia, to destroy their opponents, rather than to resolve an actual dispute over trademark law or any other legal matter”.

So when Nick Xenophon stood up last week in the Australian parliament he was the latest critic in a long line. Xenophon made a carefully calculated decision – to use the protection of parliamentary privilege to denounce an organisation that he claims “abuses its followers, viciously targets its critics and seems largely driven by paranoia”. Xenophon’s aim was simple: to challenge the tax-exempt status of Scientology as a religion.

If the allegations Xenophon detailed – including the claims by former high-ranking members that David Miscavige physically assaulted senior Scientologists – were familiar ones to critics of the movement, Xenophon’s speech brought to the widest audience possible a synthesis of the recent and not so recent claims against the leadership of Scientology, allegations picked up worldwide within minutes of him speaking.

He described claims of “false imprisonment, coerced abortions, embezzlement of church funds, physical violence, blackmail and the widespread deliberate abuse of information obtained by the organisation”. At the centre of Xenophon’s long, impassioned speech were the allegations of Aaron Saxton, who was “born” into Scientology and “rose to a position of influence in Sydney and the United States”.

According to Xenophon, Saxton’s abuse started as a child when his mother was coerced into signing over guardianship of him to the organisation and he was made a security guard at the age of 16. “In 1991 Aaron says he was sent to Scientology headquarters in Florida where he was involved in… putting five individuals under house arrest” and “ordered by superiors to remove documents that would link a Scientology staff member to murder”.

“Aaron says women who fell pregnant were taken to offices and bullied to have an abortion. If they refused, they faced demotion and hard labour… Aaron says one staff member used a coat-hanger and self-aborted her child for fear of punishment. He says she was released from the organisation and the files were destroyed.”

Saxton also “ordered more than 30 people to be sent to Scientology’s work camps, where they were forced to undertake hard labour”, Xenophon said.

He said another former Scientologist, Carmel Underwood, who worked as a financial officer in the organisation and claims to have been assaulted by another member, “witnessed a young girl who had been molested by her father being coached as to what she should say to investigating authorities in order to keep the crimes secret”. In a letter described by Xenophon as “one of the saddest correspondences I have received”, a father, Paul Schofield, admits to being part of a cover-up of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his two daughters.

The Church of Scientology in Australia’s response last week was to accuse Xenophon of abusing parliamentary privilege and adding that the allegations were “unquestionably false”. “This was not free speech. It was abuse and slander protected by the forms of our parliament,” spokesman Cyrus Brooks said in a statement. It did not, however, reply to a series of written questions from the Observer about the cases detailed.

But if something has changed in the past few years, it has been the emergence of an increasingly empowered and vocal global opposition to the Scientologists. The development has been fuelled in part by the internet’s Anonymous movement – which posted the Tom Cruise video to YouTube last year – and has been behind a series of denial-of-service attacks on Scientology websites, protests and prank calls since the Scientologists had it removed it from the site, inevitably claiming copyright infringement. The Australian intervention by Xenophon was part of a wider and growing backlash against one of the world’s most controversial movements.

If there has been a catalyst for many of the Scientologists’ most recent problems it has been provided by a newspaper in Tampa, Florida – the St Petersburg Times – which covers the area including the organisation’s spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. The paper ran an investigative series featuring interviews with former members of the church’s leadership. These included Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder, two of the highest-ranking executives to leave Scientology.

According to the two men’s accounts – denounced as “lies” by Miscavige and Tommy Davis – Miscavige routinely assaulted his lieutenants, including Rinder, 50 times. In one article, citing the testimony of four former members, the newspaper described Miscavige administering a vicious beating to another senior church figure, Tom De Vocht. The men described a complex system of internal justice, enforced by security checks and the threat of isolation as a so-called “suppressive person” or SP.

In the interviews the men admitted using violence against other members of the church, often, they claimed, at the behest of Miscavige, also alleging that the church used private information gathered on its members to bully them and force them to do its bidding.

At least some of the recent allegations will be familiar to Jason Beghe, the American actor. Last year he became the first of its celebrity followers – for whom the church maintains a “Celebrity Centre” – to break with it, after giving Scientology more than $1m in donations over 12 years.

These days Beghe prefers to warn that the church is “destructive and a rip-off”. He claims that since his renunciation of Scientology he has been pursued to seminars in Europe – held to speak of its dangers – by private investigators employed by Scientology and “disconnected” from former friends who remain within it.

The decision of Beghe and Haggis to quit Scientology appears to have caused the movement its greatest recent PR difficulties, not least because of its dependence on Hollywood figures as both a source of revenue for its most expensive courses and an advertisement for the religion. The involvement of such high-profile figures as Haggis, Cruise and John Travolta has acted as a reassurance for potential recruits against the allegations of its critics.

And while Haggis quit the church over its attitude to gay marriage, his lengthy leaked letter of repudiation of Scientology, written to Davis, included another complaint: that he had lied on television about a key Scientology practice.

Haggis said he had been stunned to see a CNN clip of Davis denying that the church practises a policy of “disconnection” by encouraging members to cut ties with non-members who may disapprove of their beliefs.

“I was shocked,” wrote Haggis. “We all know this policy exists. I didn’t have to search for verification – I didn’t have to look any further than my own home.” He then detailed how his wife was ordered by the church to disconnect from her parents because they were themselves ex-members.

His wife followed the orders and did not speak to her parents for a year and a half. “That’s not ancient history, Tommy. It was a year ago… To see you lie so easily, I am afraid I had to ask myself: what else are you lying about?”

The answer to that question may now be sought within the context of an Australian parliamentary inquiry. Notoriously litigious and undoubtedly secretive, Scientology is under the microscope again.

After a bad year for Cruise’s church, things could be about to become a whole lot worse.

History of Scientology

Founded by L Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), a science-fiction novelist who turned to pulp writing after a wartime military career marked by a number of disgraces. It was while writing for Astounding Science Fiction in 1949 that he published his first article on the subject of dianetics, which would later become Scientology. It was described by one critic as “a lunatic revision of Freudian psychology”. His book Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health was published in 1950. Attempts to set up dianetics as a therapeutic practice collapsed.

1952 Having failed to present dianetics as an empirically supported scientific system, Hubbard founded a religion called Scientology, which he claimed was the result of years of research. Using “e-meters” to “measure” the mind, he claimed it could be “cleared” by a process of “auditing”. At this point based in England, he ran into problems with the authorities. He founded the Sea Organisation, or the Sea Org, which would become the movement’s central group.

1970 Scientology establishes its celebrity centre in Los Angeles, aiming to attract Hollywood high flyers.

1977 Scientology runs into trouble in the US, this time for domestic espionage against the federal government, for which Hubbard’s wife and a dozen other officials were convicted of conspiracy.

1986 Hubbard dies of a stroke in California.

1993 Scientology is declared tax-exempt as a church in the US, ending a 40-year battle.

1999 Refused tax-exempt status by the UK charity commission, which rules it is not a religion. However, in the years that follow it is recognised as a religion in a number of countries, including Sweden, New Zealand and Portugal.

2006 A repeat of a South Park episode that spoofs Tom Cruise and Scientology is pulled from the air.

2009 The church is found guilty of fraud in France. Screenwriter Paul Haggis splits with Scientology amid accusations of homophobia. Tom Cruise and John Travolta are still members of the Church of Scientology.

Top 3 things that are worrying me this week:

1. The fact that New Moon has broken records at the box office. And before you accuse me of being some sort of cultural snob, I am well aware I am not in the target demographic for Twilight and therefore not a credible critic. No, my worry is that now film studios truly understand the terrifying spending power of besotted teenage girls at the cinema, it will cause a veritable tsunami of generic fluff.
2. The weather. Although we’ve been mercifully spared the destructive flooding that has hit other parts of the UK, a quick trip over the road to buy some lunch saw me ducking head-first into a stormy torrent of wind and rain. Wow! The last time the wind literally took my breath away like that I was near the top of Mont Blanc. During a blizzard.
3. How some songs and pieces of music are so overused on television that they now annoy me. “O Fortuna” (think Old Spice adverts and X-Factor intros), “Ride of the Valkyries” and “Here Come The Girls” spring to mind.

Top 3 things that have eased my worrying this week:

1. Katie Price stripping stropping off from the jungle after being toyed with by the viewers and being made to do all the trials. I don’t watch “I’m a Celebrity..”, I also don’t live under a rock. But the fact that her blatant attempt at a PR exercise backfired reassures me greatly that the country hasn’t become completely brain-dead.
2. Chris Evans is trying to hire Moira Stuart as the newsreader for his new R2 breakfast show. It may have sparked accusations of ageism when she was removed from her BBC News role, but I like this story simply because Moira Stuart rocks.
3. Scientology is getting a battering in the press of late. Nothing cheers me more than a well-researched exposé of this demented ‘church’…So with Kevin Rudd launching an enquiry in Australia, Marc Headley revealing Tom Cruises’ bizarre lessons in moving bottles (plus more serious accusations) and Martin Bashir asking the Xenu question it’s been quite a good time of late.

 

Day 92 | Peeking out at Passers-by at the Scientology VM Tent, originally uploaded by tadnkat.

Dressed up in her fuzziest outfit & hat, Mackenzie accompanied me on the Metro down to the Scientology Volunteer Ministers tent at the National Mall. She was nice & warm, but also developed some of the cutest rosy cheeks from peeking out at passers-by on the Mall.

This tent was put up by my folks at the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington, DC.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers tent at the National Mall

I first heard about Scientology from my now ex-wife.  It never occurred to me then that from that moment on, my life would become dedicated to its utter destruction.

They took me into one of their auditing sessions.  I revealed things to them that were true – the single biggest mistake I ever made in my life.  Because of that mistake, I can never turn back.  At least not publicly.

I had a promising career, a great life, everything I had ever dreamt of.   If I had never heard of Scientology, I might have dedicated my life to some other cause.  But for some reason, this caught my attention early on.  Maybe it was because I saw for myself just how deeply some of my closest friends and colleagues had been suckered into it, the time, energy, and money they’ve lost and will never recover.

How people become suckered into it I will never understand.  I’m not one to bash religions, but as far as this goes Scientology has to be one of the most patently absurd ideas to ever gain ground with the public.  At least with Christianity or Hinduism, nobody can prove nor disprove their beliefs, nor can anyone identify their origins as a hoax.  Scientology was literally started on a bet.  With this kind information out there – and more – I continue to be appalled by how many people still buy into it.

In a way, I was Anonymous before Anonymous was Anonymous.  At first I may have looked to Scientology for answers, but quickly I stopped looking to Scientology as a guide and began seeing it as a target.  I feared what would happen if I attacked them head-on, so I became one of their foot soldiers instead.  Not only did I join them – I became one of their staunchest allies.  I did everything they told me to do, careful not to blow my cover, just so that I could get closer to the truth.  And now that I’m as close as I think I’m ever going to get, it’s time I began to dismantle this organization, piece by piece.

For starters, most of what you read on the internet about Scientology…is true.  Most of it, except for the stuff written by Scientology.  The BBC exposés, the Fishman Affidavit…every word of it is true.  In contrast, every time a high ranking member of Scientology – including myself – have come forward to deny the truthfulness of Scientology’s critics was a lie.  Not even half-truth, just plain, bold-faced lie.

To be fair, not every defender of Scientology is a liar.  Some of them were just brainwashed.  Literally – auditing sessions are the stuff of science fiction.  If you’ve ever wondered why Scientologists have a crazed look in their eyes, it’s because they haven’t taken their eyes off of you; constant eye contact is also part of the auditing.  They do it because it’s unsettling – a subtle weapon against Scientology critics – but also simply part of the process of breaking a human being down and bending him to your will.

If you ever come across somebody who wants to administer an e-meter test – really just a cheap lie detector – do not stop.  Leave.  Do not buy their books – as a matter of fact, do not buy anything written by L. Ron Hubbard, the money from those sales directly finance the Church of Scientology.    Avoid these people at all costs.   Even is you’re called an “SP”.

Scientology is targeting sixth graders:

The New South Wales Government says the Church of Scientology is targeting Year 6 students using “marketing” material that claims to promote human rights.

Education Minister Verity Firth has ordered principals not to distribute DVDs and booklets funded by the church and sent to schools by a group called Youth For Human Rights.

The material outlines the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and quotes Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard on a list of “famous human rights leaders”.

Hubbard a famous human rights leader?

LOL

Oh yeah, he’s right up there with Genghis Khan.

Of course Scientology spokesman Cyrus Brooks had other names in mind:

He has defended the inclusion of L Ron Hubbard in the material, saying the Scientology founder’s views are as valid as those of others quoted, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama.

Wow! Just wow!

This is quite a long interview, but you will not find a better description of how Scientology’s Sea Organisation controls people.

Aaron Saxton was one of the ex-members whose letters and comments prompted Nick Xenophon’s revelations in the Australian Parliament.

Immer wieder bestätigen deutsche Gerichte, dass Scientology eine Religionsgemeinschaft ist und keine wirtschaftlichen Zwecke verfolgt

Nicht nur im Ausland wurde die Scientology Kirche als Religion anerkannt. Wieder und wieder haben auch deutsche Gerichte in den letzten Jahrzehnten den bona fide Status der Scientology Kirche als Religionsgemeinschaft bestätigt.

In den Englisch-sprachigen Ländern wie den USA, Kanada, England, Südafrika, Australien und Neuseeland bestehen unterschiedliche Formen staatlicher Anerkennung der Scientology Religion. Meistens genießt die Scientology Kirche in diesen Ländern die Gemeinnützigkeit, wie auch z.B. die Anerkennung ihrer Geistlichen.

Im kontinental-europäischen Ausland ist die Scientology Kirche als Religionsgemeinschaft seitens der Behörden oder Gerichte  z.B. in Schweden, Portugal, Ungarn, Italien und zuletzt in Spanien anerkannt worden. In einigen dieser Länder genießt die Scientology Kirche die volle oder partielle Steuerbefreiung. In vielen anderen Ländern haben Gerichte und Behörden den Religionsstatus der Scientology Kirche bestätigt.

In Deutschland war die rechtliche Beurteilung der Scientology Kirche wiederholt Gegenstand von Konflikten auf staatlicher Ebene. Die Auseinandersetzungen gingen in den meisten Fällen auf den Einfluss von amtskirchlichen Sektenbeauftragten zurück, die durch ihren Einfluss und ihre Macht auf Staat und Gesellschaft der Scientology Kirche eine rechtliche Gleichstellung streitig machen wollten.

Bei der überwiegenden Mehrheit dieser Konflikte konnten sich die Gerichte ihre Neutralität bewahren.  Viele deutsche Gerichte haben der Scientology Kirche grundsätzlich den Schutz aus Artikel 4, Absatz 1 und 2 des Grundgesetzes – in Verbindung mit Artikel 137 der Weimarer Reichsverfassung (WRV) und damit den Schutz der Religionsfreiheit zuerkannt.

Die Frage, ob Scientology eine Religion ist, wird in Deutschland seit über 25 Jahren wiederholt von verschiedenen Gerichten bejaht. Darunter befinden sich die Amtsgerichte Stuttgart, Hannover, Freiburg, das Verwaltungsgericht Berlin und Frankfurt, das Oberverwaltungsgericht Hamburg und Sozialgericht Nürnberg, das Bundesarbeitsgericht und die Landgerichte in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin und München I. Die Urteile sind jederzeit einsehbar.

Weitere Informationen:
Pressedienst der SK Bayern e.V., Beichstraße 12, 80802 München, Ansprechpartner: Uta Eilzer, TEL. 089-38607-145, FAX. 089-38607-109, www.skb-pressedienst.de