Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/20/1


Give me a break..When they said they were changing the laws on name calling in regards to religion this wasn't quite what I thought was what meant.When did cult become an abusive word? :confused:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

This is not surprising Scientology has a long history of using legal attacks against its critics.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

This is a little worrying...

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

This is not entirely true. It is my understanding that Thetans are the souls of murdered aliens that cling to human bodies causing mental unrest.

The Scientology progression aims to rid the body of these thetans creating a "clear" who is supposedly an ideal human.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I know who they are and how they came about(Hubbard was a rubbish writer) but my beef is that how far is this going to go.

I understand the need for religious tolerance and that name calling is not on BUT again I want to know when cult became an abusive word.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Well scientology is probably the best argument in existence against religious tolerance laws.

How far will it go? Historically, I expect it will go as far as they can push it. They are having difficulty with young freedom of speech protesters on the internet. They are not doubt trying to "make an example".

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

This is ridiculous. What happened to freedom of speech?

I like how the teenager in question actually quoted to the police 'a 1984 high court ruling from Mr Justice Latey, in which he described the Church of Scientology as a "cult" which was "corrupt, sinister and dangerous". '


TheNorm's quote from the story regarding the City of London police is definitely rather worrying... and I see the article also says...

If the Met doesn't have a problem with it, why does the City of London force?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I like the bit about him having to pay for his lawyer out of his pocket money! :D

I hope he sticks it out, as giving his opinion should not be deemed illegal.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

It went out of the windows shortly after people started clamouring for the police to be given the powers to deal with all these troublemakers.

Incidentally, it wasn't religious hatred that the rozzers (actually, they're blaming the CPS on this one, which suggests someone is going 'uh oh' down at the station) scooped the lad on, but public order offences, in that they asked him to take the banner down and he refused. To my mind, the idiotic decision was made by whoever asked him to take it down.

City of London plod are bizarre at the best of times.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

It's interesting. If I said that there's a large group that practice ritual cannibalism, and unsafe sex, often with young boys, you'd think "cult". It's actually "catholic". Amazing what a few hundred years of history can do for your credibility.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I'm not sure the unsafe sex is officially part of the rituals, however.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

you bet it is norm.:(

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

As much as I view Catholicism with distain, my respect for you has dropped quite sharply with that potentially libelous post :td:

Anyway, what's wrong with calling Scientology a cult?

edit: after reading BBking's post, I now see what the hassle was about. Scientology is still a cult to these eyes anyway. Guess that makes me 'fair game' now.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

The thing is the first one at least has a minor credibility although his very unrealistic*. The 2nd is just 100% mad man baloney that's got out of hand.

*There is an outside chance that life on this planet did not actually originate here but that bit was brought on an asteroid or a comet that hit us billions of years ago so we could all be descended from 'aliens'.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Thankfully it was only Scientology and not Islam eh?

As a side note I see The Grauniad is still trying to masquerade as a serious news source, whilst stealing bandwidth from other hosts. Their hotlinked picture has now been replaced with a goatse pic. :) Also interesting is that Shami Chakrabarti is still completely separate from reality.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I had a nosey around that site they hotlinked to. Weird... :D

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

[quote=downquark1;34556380]This is not entirely true. It is my understanding that Thetans are the souls of murdered aliens that cling to human bodies causing mental unrest.

Odd double post , sorry about that.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

:rofl: I just looked :erm: The Grauniad journos view some weird old sites.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

whenever I'm in manchester and walking past the Scientology 'shop' on Deansgate I shout CULT and I haven't been arrested yet. Perhaps I should open the door next time and make sure they can hear me properly.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Perhaps they thought you were shouting something else which has a similar spelling but is a whole lot ruder :) Fair enough...they don't like being called a cult but being called "something else with a similar spelling to cult" is OK ;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

The should feel lucky the pic was replaced by one of a goat :rofl:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Let's just check that out, punky:

What's separate from reality about that, precisely? Seems to express much the same opinions as most of us here.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Limited thinkers <sigh>

I have no fixed view. I was simply musing on the fact that the definition of a cult does seem to vary greatly, and established religions often have the features of a cult but are not labelled as such because of, well, a few centuries of history.

Taking Catholicism... There's a fair bit of chanting and rituals, including one (common to Christianity) whereby wine and bread are believed to become the blood and body of a long-dead god - and are then consumed. Unsafe sex is advocated, endangering the health of believers. And I doubt any country has been left untouched by the scandal of abusive priests. Sounds very cult-like to me.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

OK now you've gone in to a little more detail, your post is slightly less offensive....

Firstly I have no argument against people saying there are rituals in Catholicism (too many IMO), and your comments on communion - our God is NOT long-dead. I could go in to detail about the meaning behind Communion but that would be long-winded, off topic and invite more pointless posts about 'genocidal tyrants'.

Catholicism (which actually promotes abstinance over unsafe sex by the way) has had priests who abuse children, that is not in question. But you said Catholicism 'practices' it. My mother (and most of her family) is a Catholic and in private you're entitled to any opinion you're comfortable with but to implicate my family in that, indirectly or directly, I won't let you get off that easily.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

She said
May I ask what is "separate from reality" about that - it seems a logical progression (imho).

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I should point out there seems to be two different quotes floating about:

Which are different.

Firstly, she is getting confused between the police and politicans. The politicans make the laws the police have to enforce them to the best of their description and intrepretation. Basically its upto to each individual copper to analyse the text and decide whether he suspects a crime is being committed. They have no power to make nor change laws. You'd think Chakrabarti would understand that.

The police have taken action here (following complaints which is unsuprising as it was in front of a CoS building), not the government. However Chakrabarti switches from the police to the government "They will be banning words like 'war' and 'tax'" which is solely a political matter. The government passed laws against religious hatred (along with race, etc) some time ago, not the 10th May.

Secondly whilst her trademark bitter sarcasm which seems to do her well, she's also using her argument "reducto ad absurdiam" (or thereabouts, been ages since I did latin). Trying to extrapolate calling a religion a "dangerous cult" to outlawing all mentioning of war or tax in protests is, putting it kindly, absurd. That's not really how an experienced spokeswoman for a leading human rights organisation should be putting her arguments across.

Thirdly, the protester hasn't been "criminalised" The CPS haven't even decided whether charges can be brought yet. She needs to brush up on her knowlege of due process as well.

Finally, I heavily suspect she'd have kept her gob shut if it were Christian BNP protesters outside of a mosque calling it a dangerous cult, but then that's just my supposition.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Rude or not, cult describes this bunch of loonies very aptly.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I suggest you read up on Scientology. If it is unfair to call it a cult, the word should be retired from the language.

Just because something calls itself a religion doesn't make it so.

This of course is not a real argument, but you remember that Simpsons episode where they join that cult to worship the "leader" that was based on scientology.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I suggest you read my post again.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Ah, I appreciate the inconsistencies/inaccuracies in the statements, and I very much doubt charges will in fact be brought. However this seems to highlight either a misapplication of law (failure of police) or a law that is too strict (failure of parliament).

However you seem invoke parity with Islam, which is inappropriate when you consider the documented actions of the Scientology "organisation".

I'm not sure what your implying here? Is it illegal to protest outside a private building?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I have not yet commented on whether Scientology is a cult or not. In fact I haven't commented on the CoS at all. What I did do was explain to foreverwar why I think Chakribarti's words were poorly chosen from a legal and linguistical point of view.

Again, I was talking about Chakribarti, not scientology, as above.

By the way, it's upto the CPS and the ultimately the courts alone to decide. Whether a crime has been committed in this instance. However, if you want me to make a prediction about the case, I predict it will be dropped because the CoS isn't an approved religion in the UK, so I can't see how religious intolerance laws can apply. However libel laws still might. And no, I still haven't commented on the CoS.

I'm not sure how you get that from my post. I'll elaborate. People have the right to complain to the police when they feel a crime has been committed. Even scientologists (no, that's not a comment on CoS either). So it is not exactly a surprise a complaint is made to the police when an anti-Scientology protest is held outside their headquarters, particularly when you consider their aggressive legal policies (yes, that is a comment on CoS).

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Indeed I fully agree. It is not that the police were called that anyone disagrees with, it is that they acted by confiscating the sign. Surely the police can only act when a crime is committed, granted ambiguity was expressed and it was deferred, but I think that's the point. The police are either interpreted it too harsh, the law is too harsh, or it is too ambiguous.

As for Islam, I would disagree with using the word cult but would defend the right to use it. I won't speculate on whether Chakribarti would agree.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I think you're being too harsh on the police. The police can only act when they suspect that a crime has been committed and they more-or-less have to make a snap decision. If they were hypothetically in position to definitively say either way then it would negate the need for the CPS and courts. As another protester said, on another day, in another place, nothing happened. About the confiscation of the sign, doesn't that make sense? If the police do suspect there is some disorder or incitement happening, then aren't they obliged to stop it? How does it make sense to allow them to continue?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I will of course offer leeway when a true ambiguity arises, but there is no report of disorder or incitement. In fact these protesters have been making sure they respect the local laws, I've seen their fliers. When challenged he quoted a previous court ruling, evidently these protesters were closer to the law than the police.

Otherwise you end up preventing precrime, which ironically is the subject of a Tom Cruise movie.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

You aren't in a position to say that. How would you know if anyone made a complaint to police? Besides, its irrelevent. The police don't need to wait for a report if they suspect a crime is in progress. That would be crazy otherwise.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

If a witness was here i would yield. But that protest group is a loose affiliated group of internet nerds. The closest they get to violence is google bombing.
what were they going to do? Throw their inhalers?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

But don't they have to be fairly certain it is a crime first otherwise they are going to get sued a lot for wrongful arrest.:erm:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I'm not sure if causing an offense is a bad thing all the time - suppose it depends on the situation.


It's alright - I understand the meaning :) And it could get really heavy going if we discuss whether He is dead or not :)


Abstinance I think is a tad unrealistic, since it is counter to the natural desire to procreate. My first post was badly written, and I didn't take into account how sensitive people are on the subject of religion. Shame it can't be banned on the forum :erm: Anyway, apologies if my clumsy post caused any offence to anyone.

You can stop the red reps now :Peaceman: <--- closest to a white flag I could find

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Oh yeah nothing gets some people foaming at the mouth like a good ol religious thread :D. Anyhoo so scientology isn't a cult eh coulda fooled me if it looks like one, sounds like one and acts like one i tend to call it one but there we are. Do we have any scientologists on this forum out of curiosity because i am still completely baffled by all this alien souls and stuff you guys believe in and would like some explanation on that one.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

One day soon Rizzy a big flying-saucer will take all the followers, and the leader, off to the planet Blisstonia.;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

HAHA i liked that episode of the simpsons as well :D.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

As far as I can make out its as likely to happen as anything Mr Cruises lot have on offer.;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Well i think they are all whacked out to be perfectly honest but then if i was pushed about religion in general it wouldn't be too good either so live and let live i just never got the part about alien souls and suchlike and i really cba to wade through the propaganda on their website to find out lol.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

My point about all this is that I didn't realise that the word cult was offensive and abusive.I merely thought it was a description.:shrug:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Does that mean that The Southern Death Cult were offensive?

(aka Death Cult, aka The Cult).

I know Ian Astbury is/was annoying, but offensive? ;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

This may be an appropriate track, or perhaps this... :)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I was thinking of this

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Now that is a great track... :D

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Na na na na na na na na Leader!

------------------------------------------------

South Park covered Scientology quite well, nice explanation of Xenu, alien souls, volcanoes, etc. ;)

The clip is probably still on YouTube...

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

As much as Scientology is mocked and discredited, i have to wonder; is it really any less feasible than any other religion? The major difference with Scientology is that it's an extremely recent practice. In a few thousand years is it going to be taken as seriously as Christianity, Islam, Judaism etc?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Scientology?

Cults?

Sorry, I wandered into the wrong thread, I thought I'd misplaced an 'n' :D

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Good point, imagine how many people would follow any of the world's religions if they had only occurred in the last one hundred years. From my view point they are all as absurd as Scientology, I mean look what happened when David Icke went all religious, the vast majority thought he was nuts. If anyone popped up claiming to be Jesus or Mohammed most people would think, "oh no not another nutter". But in the grand scheme of things I suppose I would prefer warping off to a new planet, than being stuck for an eternity with the Abrahamic god. Or if I get to choose I think I'd opt for ascension, like in Stargate.:)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

The problem with David Icke is he was too nice. Cult followers like their leaders to have a bit of a 'burst blood vessel in the eye' edge to them.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

The objections to scientology (at least mine and the protesters) are not the believes but the actions of the "church", which is run more like an aggressive corporation than a church. Do you know any church that owns a cruise line company?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I never cease to be amazed at how quickly the established religions will jump down on newer religions and dismiss them. Yes if religion was a new thing on little planet earth i somehow doubt it would have quite the following it does. But while i personally don't indulge in the greatest imaginary friend routine of all time if it makes those that do happy then all power to them.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I think RozzingKing and Ezenden.... have a valid point. Everytime there is a new religion many following those before will not jump to the newer one and discredit it.

I'm a muslim, I would find it extremely hard, if not impossible, to jump ship as such because my faith in my religion is so strong. Maybe calling them a cult, or discrediting them for being a aggressive corporation is unfair (if you follow another religion that is) and instead we could say they are "misguided".

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I am not attacking the beliefs, I am attacking the church. Islam is a system of beliefs (that are in the public domain) with no single authority or single "bank account", if there is a privately owned mosque with radical preachers you could protest that without protesting the teachings of Islam as a whole. You can protest the actions of some catholic priests without being anti-catholic.

The teachings of scientology are copyrighted and you must spend a huge amount of money and assessed before you are given access to the higher teachings. They also claim to be an alternative to professional psychiatry and that you need not leave your previous religion to join.

They are a church when it suits them, a business when it suits them, and a pseudo-science when it suits them.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

A very good post.:clap:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Another example of City of London police in action:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/h...re/7416117.stm

Time for some police reform, perhaps?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Any chance we can keep this on-topic?

---------- Post added at 13:02 ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 ----------

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7416425.stm

It's a non-story now anyway.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Good :D

It was ridiculous that it was a issue anyway.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Indeed it is :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoeAA...eature=related

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Pleased to hear it..time for some common sense.Well until the next time anyway.:)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

To tie it back the earlier post about CoL plod:

So, the police said they asked the prosecutors if it was insulting and they said yes, the prosecutors are now saying the police asked them and they said no. Hmm. The strong hint is given there that the CPS weren't awfully impressed with the boys in blue - 'reflect this advice', indeed.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

So bottom line it's not offensive to use the word cult about any religion or err cough quasi religious organisation.


Well until the next time.I wonder what will be thrown up by this particular bill in the future?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Talking of religions and cults, it seems to me one arm of the Catholic church is sailing very close to being a cult, Opus Die.
Reading up on this organisation I was surprised to find it was only founded in 1928, anyway an organization that encourages self harm upon a person, for their sins, by way of a cilice, a spiked chain worn around the thigh, is not all there in my opinion. Makes me wonder what sort of punishment they will inflict on Ruth Kelly for being part of a government that introduced the "Human Embryology bill"

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

There are some (myself included) who consider Catholicism in its entirety to be a cult.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Oh no I can see where this thread is going now.:(

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Not where you think! :D

Although I'm sure it will when the next such thread pops up.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Just for you Russ.:)

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/22...l#post34558618

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

So the oldest branch of Christianity which has one-sixth of the world's population as members (and there are more Catholics than all the other branches of Christianity combined) is considered a cult?
Source

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

i think its a very strange branch of christianity.. they've got some rum ideas

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Is there a branch of Christianity that doesn't have some rum ideas, though? The 6000 year old earth is a pretty rum one, but not as rum as the idea that something written down 2000 years ago should trump the evidence of your own eyes without further discussion. That's a rum idea common to the whole damn boiling.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Oh dear.....here we go..hold on to your hats...:erm:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Looking at BBKs statement logically and dispassionately, how can any intelligent person honestly disagree? Without going into the whole is there isn't there a god thing, this is what I truly have a problem with, as written above a text written down 2000 years ago by people who certainly had an agenda which wasn't solely about "spreading the word". None of us believe in the Greek gods anymore, its patently absurd, so why should any of the three main Abrahamic faiths be any different?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

imho, that statement is up there with "It's common sense" as an ad hominem argument, as the proponent appears to be stating if you don't agree, you can't be intelligent or must be dishonest :dozey:

And once again, people are confusing logic with faith - I know quite a few scientists and other very bright people with strong religious beliefs, and they see no conflict - they obviously must be liars and/or stupid ;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

drifting off topic, perhaps, but the 'people of the book' should be a concept which unites, rather than divides, though, shouldn't it?

However, I'm not 'taking sides' in any shape or form, but i did find this article interesting ....

http://www.renaissance.com.pk/junref95.html

?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Beats me how Scientology can claim to be a religion, it is based on the copyrighted writings of a Sci-Fi author, while genuine religions are based on unreliable translations of ancient texts.

There is no more religious legitimacy in Scientology than there is in FSM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

How dare you say the FSM is not legitimate! ;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

As, indeed, is expressed in the Iranian Constitution, where the three faiths plus Zoroastrianism are officially recognised*. Not that this means they're actually treated properly, but you need strong, independent courts and a tradition of respecting human rights for that sort of thing, as we have here*

A number of key Israeli military men and IIRC politicians are actually Persians. Dan Halutz, IDF Chief of Staff during the 2006 Lebanon War, if memory serves. Yes, it does.

* But not Baha'i, which suffers from a lot of discrimination as a result. It's as important not to name actual religions that the State approves of as it is to enshrine the principle of being free to criticise them. In fact, in a free society, the one implies the other.
** Despite the best efforts of various tabloid morlocks. See why that's important?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

In all honesty I could have worded my post a little better;) I'm not trying to say people of faith are unintelligent, because obviously they are not. It's just as I said earlier, when you take an unbiased look at any of the main religions it seems incomprehensible that in this day and age people can accept what was written two thousand years ago as truth.:shrug:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Those of us who do not believe in god and all that religious stuff will never really understand the believers anymore then they will understand us if they are honest but end of the day we don't have to dislike each other or not get on. Religion is such a mess being honest and i think it has been made that way deliberately by some in the past and present for their own reasons so your either in one group or the other with agnostics hedging their bets lol.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

The Liberal party of the religious, eh.;)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

RK

totally agree with your first sentence, but not so sure about the second.

Let's agree to disagree.....

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Scientology is a dangerous C*L*

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Interesting..I hope we get some kind of definitive answer though I doubt it. :erm:

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

It continues :rolleyes:

Anonymous vs Scientology : arrests & harrassments on C4 News

"the act is not there to prevent people being offending, it's to protect public order"

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Another good anti site - http://www.enturbulation.org/ - the mockup presentation is great.

There must be some mechanism by which the status of Scientology as a "religion" can be challenged, what actually defines a religion?

If anything can be a religion because they say so, then I want to have my own religion, based on free love, free software, and free anything I can get - everything else, I'll make my followers pay for.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

As I understand it, and I may well have got the finer details wrong but the definition of a 'religion' is a faith or following which can clearly demonstrate some kind of free benefit to its members. IIRC Scientology fails on that because a financial commitment it required in order to join.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Don't most churches/religions ask for financial contributions from their followers?

Just asking, mind. I was under the impression (but may well be wrong) that many christian churches ask their followers for a percentage of their income?

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

There's a subtle but very definate difference - the bible says we should give an offering, there is absolutely no requirement for it and no-one will be turned away from a church for not giving an offering.

With Scientology, the financial contribution is mandatory IIRC.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

Cheers :)

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

I think some brances of the faith ask for a cut of income (Opus Dei) but I think the more traditonal ones just ask for a bit now and then with collection trays or fundrasiers for charity/community projects.

Actually Canterbury Cathedral is doing that since they need quite a lot of money to repair the building and shockingly it is not maintained by the government :erm:

http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/...ing/index.aspx

Be a shame to let such a great building decay regardless of faith.

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

The vast majority of mainstream churches only ask for a donation. The bible actually says we should offer the first 10% of our harvest, so I'm guessing that means farmers can offer wheat and vegetables :D

Re: Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'
 

How many churches you know that take part in government espionage.

Operation Snow White