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Church of Scientology On Trial In France
An anonymous reader sends word that a trial has opened in Paris that could shut down Scientology in France. The organization stands accused of targeting vulnerable people for commercial gain. Scientology does not have the status of a religion there, as it does in the US, and anti-cult groups have pursued it vigorously over more than 30 years. The current case is based on complaints filed by two women in December 1998 and July 1999. Three other former members who had initially joined the complaint have withdrawn after "reaching a financial arrangement with church officials." If convicted, the seven top Scientologists in France face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of €1M. The Church of Scientology-Celebrity Centre and its Scientology Freedom Space bookshop not only face a much larger fine but also run the risk of being shut down completely.
The wacky shit that Scientologists are taught to believe is no more wacky than the shit Christians are taught to believe in.
In regards to fraud, the only difference is that the Christians have been around longer, so the only lies they tell are the ones that are not verifiably false.
How we know is more important than what we know.
"America let itself be bribed into accepting a scam has a religion" Why are you bring Fundamentalist Christians and Televangelists into this discussion? "France maintained its integrity." Do you mean France's integrity with the Catholic Church?
more cowbell
Wow. Comparing loosely threaded highly profitable and hugely controversial scientology to religions that have been established thousands of years?
If an organization's purpose is to trick people out of their money for purely personal gain, people catch on. If not in years, or tens of years, most likely by the time people have been getting scammed out of their money by the same organization for hundreds of years, it will fall apart.
They operate more like a sleezebag corporation than a church.
If this doesn't make them fall apart, more time will. People will become disinterested as the fad wears out and the money scam gets old.
I agree, and that's what's so annoying about hearing my fellow atheists talking about how all religion is evil, cause that's utter bullshit. The mythology may be bogus, the Catholic priests may be worse paedophiles than school teachers, religion may have played nasty roles throughout history, but the everyday reality of a community in which religion is important is actually pretty good.
Religious events are occasions for people in the community to get together, members of the lower clergy have great social functions within the community, the values and philosophies preached are mostly all great for people to follow, they have great role models to make us look up to (no one in their right mind would argue that that Jesus guy isn't a great role model, I'm pretty sure one of the reasons for the success of Christianity has to do with Jesus being the perfect role model), and they'll marry or bury you better than anyone else.
Cults are different in that they're not there to help you or make your community a better place, they're there for their own profit, and that's what makes a world of difference between Scientology and Islam, Judaism or Christianity.
You just got troll'd!
Oh yeah. Any religion that sells magical underwear (+15 defense, +25 fire protection), claims god lives on another planet, and the Garden of Eden is in Missouri ... why, they've GOT to be completely legit! They've even got the Muslims beat - Mormons get their 72 virgins BEFORE they die.
Please. Mormonism is just Scientology without the blinking gizmos.
Citation please? Show me a pattern of crimes by any of those religions where they are paying off sexually abused kids while spiriting the abuser out of the area to avoid prosecution? With the full blessing and financial support of those above them? Thought so. I'm afraid that the Catholic church is in a league by itself when it comes to criminal child sexual abuse and systemwide support for the abusers.
The ONLY cases where I have seen anything that could even remotely be considered similar are the Jim Jones style "family" cults where they believe their chosen "leader" has the right to have sex with anyone in the cult, including children. But even they can not top the Catholics when it comes to bribery and facilitating flight to avoid prosecution. So I'm sorry, but unless you can provide a citation showing even 1/5th the criminal acts that have been performed by the Catholics as an organization in the past 20 years I have to call BS. No other organized religion even comes close, and their behavior after finding out about an abusive priest is classic Rico.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.