(Untitled)

[escherichiacola]

Church of Scientology goes on trial in France
French branch accused of preying on vulnerable people for financial gain in second fraud case in six years
France's Church of Scientology today went on trial on charges of organised fraud in a case that could lead to the nationwide dissolution of the controversial organisation.

The Church's "celebrity

Comments

[layweed]

Ahahahaha. I used to take the 160 bus from the bus stop right across the Vancouver Church of Scientology. And every day I would consider going in there and seeing what sort of batshit insane stuff they have inside.

The one here in Austin is right across from UT Austin on the Drag, so I bet it's like, they prey on newbie freshmen who don't know any better. X_x Sometimes there's people protesting infront of it too, although they don't seem to have done that in a while.

[kaesa]

My religion professor sent to them for some promotional material like twenty years ago (for a course on cults and new religious movements) and apparently every four years they ship her a shitload of DVDs that are all basically full of pseudoscience and "facts" about L. Ron Hubbard. And they also send her holiday cards.

[ceilidh_ann]

There's a scientology centre in Edinburgh, something that still surprises me because I thought us Scots were far too cynical and tight fisted for that sort of thing. Seriously though, I hope the mad cult is held accountable for the obvious manipulation it does.

[brewsternorth]

I'm not *quite* surprised at that: they've also got multiple centres (centers?) in New York, which is also renowned for its cynicism. On the other hand, they're both quite diverse and high-powered cosmopolises, so the CoS can probably get its oar in somewhere...

...and agreed with you, though having had a squint at xenu.net, I'd add charges of abuse to those of manipulation.

[ceilidh_ann]

Abuse, manipulation, extortion, it's a very long list.

I think for many celebrities, Scientology is one of the first signs that you're too rich. That, cocaine and jewellery for your dogs. :D

[hom0phone]

because it's s000ooo000 weird, duh

[emotionally]

i lol'd IRL

[afa_mom]

its about time they went after these cultist kooks

[fargo_pixie]

Says the fundie.

[hourglasscreate]

Well d'uh. Considering that it is a religion invented as a $5 bar bet at a science fiction convention between three no-name science fiction writers about whether or not L Ron Hubbard could invent a religion that people would buy into...

Edit: L Ron was one of the wagerers.

[randomneses]

Lolz, for real?

[missmurchison]

I found a copy of the first version of "Dianetics" in a college library once. It was incredibly misogynistic, insisting that all women hated their unborn babies and tried to abort them with knitting needles, and that at some level people remembered this, which is why so many are fucked up.

It was originally marketed as a self-help method, but was turned into a religion to get tax-exempt status.

[randomneses]