In the UK this company trades under the name of the Church of Scientology (England & Wales).

Lets break this name down a little. Starting with the word “Church”. Derived from the Greek word kuriakon (The Lords House), the Cambridge Dictionary defines a church as “a building for Christian religious activities” or “an official Christian religious organisation”. We all know that this company is not a Christian organisation and it’s offices are not used as a Christian place, so why is it allowed to mislead the public into thinking otherwise?

As a Christian I find this very offensive as a company is using words, phrases and symbols of a well know and trusted RELIGION to try and gain a more credability.
I would ask any members of other faiths here, Muslims/Jews for example to comment on how you would feel if this company called its offices Mosques or Synagoges?

It is my aim to have the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry or the Prime Minister, rename the so-called ‘Church’ of Scientology legally under section 32 of the Companies Act, for misleading the public about the main nature of it’s tradings.

As a proud Englishman it pains me to admit that yet again the Scotish Parliament has got it right by banning the company from using the word “church” in it’s name. It is known as the Hubbard Institute of Dianetics. (correct me please if I am incorrect)
THIS IS A TRADING NAME WHICH IS MORE FITTING TO ITS MAIN NATURE OF BUSINESS!

THIS is why I was protesting in February and this is why I will be there again In March raising this issue to as many members of the public as possible.

On a personal note. I feel that Dianetics is nothing more than a self help method (many claim a very sucessful one) and as a method of self help should not be regarded as any different than Paul McKenna’s latest one “Change your life in seven days”. Or should we give Paul tax exempt status and claim him a saviour?

Sign petition via www.againstscientology.co.uk

To imply that the charges laid against CoS and Hubbard were concocted in an attempt to sabotage the ‘religion’ or his reputation is so absurb and bizarre that it’s hardly worth acknowledging.

CoS members (one was Hubbard’s wife) was charged with infiltrating the federal government with wire taps; documents were stolen from the Canadian government and CoS attempted to bride Canadian’s with 1.5 million to drop the charges; France fraud charges, fraud charges against Hubbard in Florida, and Germany. I could go on but it seems pointless.

I find it difficult to believe the world is sufficiently organized to unanimously target what was for a very long time, a small group of Dianetic fanatics.

And by the way - cult: a religion or sect considered to be extremist with many members living under the direction of a charismatic leader; a group of individuals bound together by the veneration of one person or thing; where information is controlled and dessiminated based on an internal hierarchy; and where individuals are seperated from family members and friends who do not share belief systems…

Much of my freetime recently, I have used to review opinion pieces and commentary on Scientology. My reason? Because my life has been very positively impacted by Scientology and this group to me is of very high value. To stand by and watch as very decent, honest individuals with decent, honest standards be mocked, defamed and vilified and do nothing is not in my nature. This to you may seem unusual or somehow misguided but those are the facts be as they may.

My purpose is to only ensure that others have the opportunity to view more than one side of this issue and offer other points for reflection.

You say that I have an inability to look at or take criticism from others or I am too fixed in my support of Scientology. Well, those who know me may beg to differ. I try and pride myself on being able to look at something from all angles and, believe you me, I have spent time contemplating how some of these views were arrived at.

I have openly acknowledged that many Scientologists including church staff and have made mistakes. Someone has probably been mishandled or antagonized. There probably have been Scientologists that inflamed upset in someone else or incorrectly shut out a family member. The church may have sent too much mail or had staff member that tried to get someone on a course they didn’t want; a host of errors could be catalogued. L.Ron Hubbard in Church policies has acknowledged his own brand of human error.

However…

This does not make an evil cult that preys on the weak or fleeces them of their money. It does not make an ill intentioned founder in L. Ron Hubbard.

I am not sure if it is outside of someone’s reality that in those cases sited such as the fraud charge in France that there might exist the possibility of vested interests or those that somehow saw a threat in L. Ron Hubbard.

I don’t know if you have ever pondered what might befall someone who actaully held as a goal a world without war, crime and insanity and took bold measures in that direction.

What would that truly be like?

Would everyone share this goal? Would all persons in the various governments and organizations do all they could to support it or does there lie the possibilty that some may not only not support this goal but actively resist it?

If there exists not truly evil men, do evil concepts and deeds not exist? Do some people on the surface pretend help when actually engaging in evil actions? Have we all not fallen victim to the grape vine effect and engaged in gossip without knowing for sure the accuracy of what we heard?

Maybe you see my position or maybe you don’t. I don’t mind that you communicate. I do not mind that you may hold an opposing view. I only mind that you may hurt another in your cause.

The Church of Scientology stalks, harasses, and intimidates any critical voice whether it be inside or outside the religion. The Church charges parishioners large amounts of money per service and requires the purchase of commercial literature in order to obtain higher levels of spirituality.

The Church’s malicious Disconnect Policy forces its members to completely separate themselves from family and friends that do not support Scientology.

The Church of Scientology does not allow “splinter sects”. There is no Methodist or Lutheran-esque style of Scientology. The Church aggressively pursues legal action, via copyright claims, against anyone attempting to freely practice the “religion” without paying large amounts of money for it.

Does that fit your idea of what a Church should be? Or is it closer to the actions of a criminal syndicate?

In conclusion, I feel that Scientology is at worst a dangerous cult, and at best an alternative method of pyschotherapy.

I suggest you read my comment more carefully: the second paragraph is “The information about tax status in the State of Washington was obtained from Sir John Foster, KBE QC MP’s 1971 report “Enquiry into the Practice and Effects of Scientology”, which is available from Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, and reproduced on multiple websites online.” I didn’t get the statement from the Xenu.net site, I’ve never been on that website - in fact the Foster report is published on the website of Carnegie-Mellon University, and I found this via the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia.

“Please state which chapter and page you got that from, I am curious to see your response.” - on the pre-1971 printings, you’ll find it on page 251.

In either case, you defend the fact that the church isn’t about profits and that all monies are accounted for to the dime. Well, Hubbard was convicted of fraud in a french court and sentenced to four years, though he never served, he didn’t show up for his hearing. And there are other cases. Though later, one of his wives would later be imprisoned on ‘company business.

If you are going to be a CoS defender or apologist, you might want to do a bit more fact checking.

To hopefully put a nail in the coffin of the issue regarding Scientology being a religion, please see the unsolicited comment made by a professor of religious studies at UCLA that just came out today.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-rosenfeld22feb22,0,2442274.story

In reference to this concept that Hubbard made money on the internet, I wasn’t asking where you got the data regarding Washington State, I was asking where you got the information that Hubbard or anyone in the Church received undue personal gain from it’s activities. Where is the proof of this?

I know you got that statement re Washington state from that xenu site. That site lists a handful age old court cases (this one being almost 37 years old) where judges offered opinions regarding Scientology. Some of those cases were even custody battles where attorneys tried to defame Scientology as an issue for custody all with very hazardous results for the children. Many of those very same statements were also refuted or contradicted by superior courts. In either case that statement is irrelevant. Scientology is a non-profit organization, that submits complete financial records every year and is afforded tax exemption in all states of America including Washington.

In reference to the quote you state where L. Ron Hubbard supposedly displaces Scientology as a religion in one of his books, you are woefully incorrect. Did you even read that book? Please state which chapter and page you got that from, I am curious to see your response.

That is why you and others do not practice the religion of Scientology, because Scientology is not a religion.

bgodly: The information about tax status in the State of Washington was obtained from Sir John Foster, KBE QC MP’s 1971 report “Enquiry into the Practice and Effects of Scientology”, which is available from Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, and reproduced on multiple websites online.

I am not sure where you got this information about Hubbard making money off the Church and alluding to the fact that the State of Washington recinded tax exempt status. But in the United State tax exemption of income tax is decided federally and states uphold 501 c(3) filings. States have their own income tax but every state in the union allows deductions of Scientology donations. If you are referring to historical data only I can state that Hubbard actually donated a bulk of his personal income and almost his entire estate to the church. The income he donated was from royalties for several books and screenplays, many were non-scientology best sellers. This is all documented.

You and MrChilly as critics contradict yourselves. MrChilly states that you don’t attack the philosophy of the church yet you boldy state that Sceintology is not a religion. How do I practice the religion of Scientology without it being a religion?

You say: I would say that the destruction of the Berlin Wall forwarded mankind.(Yes, but you are here missing the point of creating which was in the same sentence, if you only destroy it does no good, there was a lot of creating going on in Berlin, I visited the city last year and it has changed immensely i just a few years.

This last one goes for Mr ChillyAnon:
I am an electronics engineer. From a technical viewpoint alone I am surprised (Not really)of the lack of knowledge about what an e-meter is. It is not “They’re ohmmeters…nothing more”. It is a Wheatstone Bridge, which is a fairly sophisticated apparatus to measure resistance where small changes in resistance can be displayed, something that is not possible with an ohmmeter (which can purchased for as little as 10 pound).

The rest of what is being claimed does not make sense, do you really believe the IRS would be “tamed” just like that? Could it simply be that one feels it is hard to accept that the Church of Scientology actually deserves its status as non-profit organization? Funny how anyone critical of Scientology automatically gets a ton of added credibility (without inspection) while anything in favor of Scientology is being scrutinized in the extreme. The hard fact is that there is discrimination and the Church of Scientology even won a case last year in the European court of human rights, google it if you do not believe it.

But seriously, probably because the article at the top appears on the internet and hopefully is open for anyone to comment, or is the University of York some sort of a sectarian movement????

Besides, I also find it difficult to believe that the kind of “blanket bombing” (I do NOT mean that literally)done against a Church will only affect the leadership of it, it will also increase discrimination against ordinary members.

Also a number of anons did despite of earlier claims also target religious concepts of Scientology, this again contradicts the claim it is only the current structure one wants to tear down.

Lastly: What guarantee does one have for that extremists are not being attracted to anon and under the guise of this name commit actually crimes? Sorry to say these will be attributed to anon no matter what their intentions might be.

Any analogies you try to draw between Scientology and Catholicism are fallcies by default. Catholicism is a relgion. The CoS is not.

I do like how you completely ignored the fact that Germany have branded the Church a business (and tax them as such) and a cult, with discussions at one point to ban the organisation operating within the country.

I also assume that you’re not a UoY student, and certainly not in this country if you’re discussing dollars, so one must ask exactly why you’re trolling a thread on a website aimed at York students?

And yes, we can attack your church’s practices and not your beliefs at the same time. You find that scientology has made you a better person, and that’s great. We’re really not worried about that. We’re worried about the woman who was kidnapped in Italy, Lisa, the people who have felt the wrath of “fair game” and the bogus tax emption status that the CoS blackmailed it’s way into.