Scientology could face ban

[Fibur]

Church of Scientology could be banned in France

The Church of Scientology faces being thrown out of France if it is found guilty of organised fraud in a landmark trial which opened in Paris.



By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 4:29PM BST 25 May 2009

Eric Roux, head of the Paris Celebrity Centre of the Scientology Association, answers questions at the court house Photo: AFP/GETTY




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.





The church's main structure in France, the AGES-Celebrity Centre, and its bookshop face charges of "organised fraud", along with six of its leaders.
The six, including Alain Rosenberg, 60, the manager of the AGES-Celebrity Centre, face a maximum million-euro fine and ten year jail term if convicted. The church itself faces a five million-euro fine and closure.
The case has taken ten years to come to court.
Scientology is not banned in France but has been considered a sect since 1995.
It is a recognised 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.
This is only the second time the church itself has been targeted in France. All other trials have been of individuals.
One of the female plaintiffs, Aude-Claire Malton, was allegedly approached by Scientologists in a Paris street in 1998 and offered a personality test, which, according to the prosecution were "void of scientific value". The Scientologists' sole aim, they argued, was to "claim their fortune" by "exercising a psychological hold" over her.
The 33-year old was allegedly gradually persuaded to hand over around £20,000 on books, communication and "life healing" lessons, as well as "purification packs".
Three other former Scientologists retracted their complaints after reportedly reaching an out-of-court financial settlement with the church.
One reportedly received 33,000 euros (£29,000).
The Church of Scientology said: "It's a trial for heresy: this could only happen in France... Let people choose their own path." The body's lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, said that all organisations contained "lost sheep" – including the Catholic Church – but "the only question in this trial is: was there embezzlement – certainly not whether Scientology is a religion or not".
The trial runs until June 10.
The Church of Scientology has powerful supporters in the US, notably Tom Cruise, the film star, who discussed his beliefs with Nicolas Sarkozy when he was still interior minister in 2004. Their meeting took place two months after the end of the embezzlement investigation.
Controversy erupted last year, when President Sarkozy's private secretary, Emmanuelle Mignon, said that sects in France were a "non-problem" and said that the Church of Scientology should be allowed to "exist in peace".

If they are banned, I'm gonna enjoy this very much. This "church" is nothing more than a criminal organisation which makes money on gullible people.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

This is excellent news!

[MaximiIian]

The CoS is quite the criminal organisation; it's actions and statements in the past show it has nothing more than malicious intentions. So long as this isn't taken as a launching point to restrict the religious freedom of Scientologists in general, this seems like a just course of action.

[Enemy of the State]

None of those "victims" had to pay for that crap, they just chose to, right?

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

None of those "victims" had to pay for that crap, they just chose to, right?

Hell yeah, but what about the people quite literally trapped by Sea Org or the girl who was left to be eaten by roaches and to die of starvation in a scientology "hospital"?

In both cases, the people didn't choose to do so, they were forced or intimidated by scientology into doing it.

Well, I'm not going to get on a rant here, because there is more than enough information on the interwebz as it is...

[Libbi Bibbi]

Thank God......yeah...because they can come up with excuses for how the world was created and what not with even more ridiculous explanations.....seriously....

Scientology was just a scam designed to pull in the athiests who are afraid that some inconquerable and unimaginable force/being was behind the miracles of the world...I'm not dissing any religion except Scientology...which could never be accepted as a religion anyways....

[Rich86]

Scientology was just a scam designed to pull in the athiests who are afraid that some inconquerable and unimaginable force/being was behind the miracles of the world...

You've made only 30 posts and of these I have seen two - both are digs at Atheism - nobody has even mentioned Atheism in this thread before you - guess you feel a bit insecure about it huh?

[Libbi Bibbi]

You've made only 30 posts and of these I have seen two - both are digs at Atheism - nobody has even mentioned Atheism in this thread before you - guess you feel a bit insecure about it huh?

Lol....I guess you could say that while being a Christian, i have reached an impasse. I tmostly has to do with my discoveries of the contradictions in the Bible....but I have very strong opinions about homosexuality.....I believe it is wrong to judge someone because of their sexual preference....

Maybe you are right, but I have always believed that something exists.....

I merely wanted to post my ideas and naturally expected people to contradict them...so I was prepared and feel no shame whatsoever....feel free to contradict anything...I'm all ears! ^_^

I do really believe what I said...but I didn't really go in depth did I? lol

[Helm]

It does kind of go against freedom of religion doesn't it?

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

It does kind of go against freedom of religion doesn't it?

No, the trial isn't about religion, it's about the crimes they are committing. They are committing serious offenses to the law and must be punished as any person would.

[Helm]

But they're banning the whole religion not just arresting the people involved in any wrong doings. There's a bit of a difference there.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

But they're banning the whole religion not just arresting the people involved in any wrong doings. There's a bit of a difference there.

No, because it's institutionalized, it's not a case of some corrupt people. Scientology has methods -- for instance, to get rid of what they call "suppressive persons" -- which are part of their modus operandi.

[Helm]

But shouldn't the Scientologists who behave themselves be free to get on with whatever the heck it is they're doing without persecution? In a democratic society.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

But shouldn't the Scientologists who behave themselves be free to get on with whatever the heck it is they're doing without persecution? In a democratic society.

Scientologists are free to believe in whatever they wish. It's the Church of Scientology that's criminal. Beyond that, if they want to keep believing in Xenu, it's fine by me.

[Barry Goldwater]

Good. The Church of Scientology can go to hell.

[Helm]

But they're still going to actively practice their religion so unless the police will be kicking down the doors and dragging off everyone involved to jail, there's no other way you can really do anything to stop them.

[Barry Goldwater]

But they're still going to actively practice their religion so unless the police will be kicking down the doors and dragging off everyone involved to jail, there's no other way you can really do anything to stop them.

I don't think they're banning the religion, just the Church of Scientology - which deserves it BTW, it is a criminal organization, and its past has proven that.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

But they're still going to actively practice their religion so unless the police will be kicking down the doors and dragging off everyone involved to jail, there's no other way you can really do anything to stop them.

As I said before, nobody's banning the belief and practice of the religion. They're banning the organization. If people want to use their thetan-meters or get together in theatres or whatever nobody's going to stop them.

This is about the CoS, not about the people who believe or practice.

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Good for France.
I hope they pull it off and rest of Europe follows suit.
These criminals shouldn't be allowed to disguise their criminal behaviour under the freedom of religion.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Good for France.
I hope they pull it off and rest of Europe follows suit.
These criminals shouldn't be allowed to disguise their criminal behaviour under the freedom of religion.

QFT. Alas, their headquarters is in the USA, and as long as they can fund their operation from there, these criminals will live on, get rich and make people slaves to a crooked ideology. And they are tax-exempt organization.