Political Discussions
French court tries Church of Scientology
Posted by timethief • 5/25/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: church-of-scientology, churches, cults, legal suits, religion
- French court tries Church of Scientology; group and 7 leaders charged
The Church of Scientology could be dissolved in France if it is convicted in a trial that opened Monday in a Paris court, where the group and seven of its French leaders stand charged of organized fraud and illegal pharmaceutical activity.
The group, considered a sect in France, has faced prosecution and difficulties in registering its activities in many countries.
The trial comes more than a decade after one of the three plaintiffs originally filed a complaint against the Church of Scientology. A young woman said she took out loans and spent the equivalent of close to US$30,000 on books, courses and "purification packages" after being recruited by the group in 1998. When she sought reimbursement and to leave the group, its leadership refused.
Investigating judge Jean-Christophe Hullin spent years examining the group's activities, and in his indictment criticized practices he said were aimed at extracting large sums of money from members and plunging them into a "state of subjection."
Read the full article --> ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090525/world/religion_france_scientology
Discussion:
(1) Is there a branch of Church of Scientology where you live?
(2) Has anyone in your family or among your friends and associated joined Church of Scientology, which apparently has 10 million members world wide?
User Comments
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There is a Church of Scientology in my town, and a branch office is not far from where I work. It's interesting because I'd heard on the news, they claim to have quite a large following in my city. But it's strange-- the office itself is never open during regular day hours on weekdays. Perhaps they're they're nights or weekends? I don't know. But it seems to me they may not have the presence they claim they do.
The first few weeks they'd moved in, their members were wandering the streets trying to get people in for "stress tests."
That ended after about a week or so. Now the place remains dark. -
Ten million *deluded fools* worldwide more like it.
Scientology has to be the biggest scam around. I can't understand why governments would try to ban it though, as they talk about doing in Germany. Any sane person would shake his head and walk away after just 10 minutes of looking into it. Utter garbage. -
It's truly shocking that so many can be so vulnerable to joining what amounts to a cult. Yet, it is a recognized religion in the United States, where it was founded in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer. Followers include Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
The charges, which also include claims of illegally prescribing drugs, were filed by France's professional pharmaceutical association and two women who accuse the Scientologists of bringing about their financial ruin.
One woman claimed she was psychologically pressured into paying thousands of pounds for lessons, books, drugs and a device called an "electrometer" which the church says can measure a person's mental state.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5383199/Church-of-Scientol... -
At least you don't hear of cases of sexual abuse of children with Scientology. The Catholic cult if far more dangerous. -
I've not heard of Scientologists starting any illegal wars, like some members of like the cult of United Methodism -
I have a family member who joined, and then left Scientology.
It is a cult, not a valid religion in my opinion. It is based on the accumulation of money. In order to be free of the alien forces that enslave you you must advance through the levels, and each level is increasingly more expensive than the last, and medical care outside of the church is strictly forbidden, and the medical care costs of the church are exorbitantly high - many people have died because of Scientotlogy based on that alone.
They reject all scientific, medical, and psychological advances, studies, and discoveries, favoring alien mythology as the explanation for all ailments the method of ridding themselves of this alien hold is through payment, advancement, teaching, and eventually for those who are sick, they are literally beaten off the body with sticks, clubs, bats, hands and feet. One woman was beaten to death during an emergency "treatment" session instead of bringing her to a real doctor.
Scientology should be outlawed.-
I was of course just being outrageous
Many United Methodists have condemned the Iraq War, torture, and other Bush/Cheney policies. -
Oh, that wasn't in response to you You have a point, many other religions have killed far more people for religious beliefs in wars and crusades.
But Scientologists are just plain insane. -
if religious corporations (or at least those that have no significant charitable purpose) were taxed in the same manner that uber-wealthy individuals (at least in theory) are, it would discourage such sects from operating
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The French will feel the wrath of Xenu for this!-
What rains down on you when Xenu is mad at you?
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Squid ink? Volcanic ash?
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H-bomb fallout?
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Worse than that. Much, much worse than all that.
Tom Cruise's permanent move to France. -
a plague of couch-jumpers?
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No piece of furniture will be safe!
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Senate Rupublicans beware!
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There's one right off of Dupont Circle and one in Northern Virginia - The churches of The Beltway Scientologists. They are houses more or less albeit large ones.
Scarily our governor - O'Malley - appointed John Coale - a high ranking scientiologist, trial attorney and husband to Greta Van Susteren (FOX news semi talking-head formerly of CNN, also a Scientologist) to the Board of Directors of UMMS (University of MarylandMedical System). Payback for a payoff of a campaign debt donation is the rumor why.-
Greta Van Susteren is a Scientologist! No wonder she got along with Sarah Palin so well! They're both nutjobologists!
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ouch. lol
I wonder if they let her take pain meds after her facelift o_0
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lol *picturing Greta auditing herself*
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"The thethans! The thethans are all wrong!"
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I remember reading that famous interview in Playboy with L. Ron Hubbard's son. He stated that his dad, (L.Ron Hubbard) wrote the Scientology book in about a month because he owed his publisher another book and they had been pressuring him to finish one. Only in America could a book deadline end up becoming a religion.-
Hey, Mohammed had to beat his deadline without any paper! had to write stuff on Cows and Caves and such... Hubbard had it easy
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I prefer The Church of Dr. Seuss.
--One Fish, Two Fish, Born Anew Fish.
--The Cat in the Zucchetto
--Horton Hears the Word
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What Does Greta van Susteren's Psychiatrist Sister Think of Scientology?
- ... Scientology's web site to learn about how her sister's religion regards psychiatry and psychology as "the stepchildren of...Hitler and the Nazis," and formed "the philosophical basis for the wholesale slaughter of human beings in...World War II ...
watch this video, of Miscavige at Scientology's New Year's celebration in 2006 gawker.com/5272012/what-does-greta-van-susterens-psychiatrist-sister-think-... -
I wonder if that dirty athiest Karl Rove makes fun of Van Susteren backstage... or the rest of the religious nutballs on there, for that matter
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We know why Tom Cruise came to meet our president... So obvious. -
I'm French and Scientology has always been considered as a sect by many people. I'm glad of the result of that trial, at last. This is too powerful and too dangerous.
I'm shocked to see on this page (yes that one) two ads for the scientology at the right and the bottom of this page, I don't know if you have it too. And I don't understand either why the websites of the French offices of scientology are not closed.
Some are so fragile, and this organisation doesn't work for the good of them. They are tracking them like mad hunters.
And they are clever ! See, in France they have the status of Association so they don't pay ANY taxes on the money they earn ! can you believe that ?? -
- in France they have the status of Association so they don't pay ANY taxes on the money they earn ! can you believe that ?
Yes, I can believe that. Many countries have granted tax free status to churches and sects and cults, originally based on the supposition that the majority of their earnings and donations would be spent on charitable works that benefit the needy and thereby the society as a whole.
IMHO where it can be demonstrated that this is not the case there ought to be reconsideration of tax free status for religious organizations. It's my stand that only the portion that is directly used for charitable works ought to remain tax free, and the rest ought to be taxable. -
I'm not sure what good it would do to go after the organization itself, unless a clear case of criminal activities can be proven. Doing so also raises some issues of freedom of conscience, whether or not you accept them as a real religion. (And I do see the cross on their Church in Washington, DC as rather silly, since they aren't Christian.) Seems like public education would make more sense. Of course, that raises other challenges, since they are really good at out-lawyering people, driving them into the poorhouse or a willingness to shut up. For all my discomfort with the organization, however, I am even less comfortable with a state like France going after them, given its own history of persecuting religious minorities. Ditto Germany. Still, if France has a solid case, this would be interesting. If.
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who else thinks we ought to ban scientology (adsense) ads from our blogs?-
That would be a personal decision. There are a lot of ads I would ban, if I had any.
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Agreed. Like Mark, I don't have monetized blogs. Google Adsense does not magically appear on anyone's blog. One has to enter a contract. tinyurl.com/kn369m
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