Germany wont let Tom Cruise film is new movie in their country because of religious reasons...?

Question

They wont let him film his movie because he is a scientologist. Thats it. They dont like scientologists because they think its a fake religion for making money, so for that reason they wont let him do his thing.

They still wont quit with the religious prosecution will they?

What are your thoughts on this little episode?
Is this yet another reason we can chalk up on why we should get rid of religion, or maybe just Germany?

"doubt the validity of my claim"?

The article is right on the home page of yahoo right now.

THE MOVIE itself has nothing to do with scientology, its simply because Tom himself is a scientologist.

Answer 1

Why on earth would this mean get rid of religion? While I personally think scientology is a joke, I certainly support the right of Tom Cruise to make a movie about his religius beliefs if he wants.

Germany is clearly in the wrong.

EDIT:
I hope the people who say good for Germany have no religious affiliation, otherwise how on earth could you support the banning of one religion, yet expect yours to be accepted? The idea smacks of hypocrisy.

Answer 2

It's not religious persecution. Germany is perfectly right. They won't allow Tom Cruise to film at their military bases. One of the many reasons Germany refuses to recognize Scientology as a legitimate religion:

On July 8, 1977, the FBI raided Church of Scientology properties in L.A and Washington D.C. alleging that Scientology officials conspired to steal documents belonging to the Federal Government and conspired to obstruct justice by covering up these crimes during a grand jury investigation. About 90,000 pages of stolen government documents, burglary tools and eavesdropping equipment were seized in the raid. Scientologists attempted to portray themselves as a persecuted religion.

The documents seized in this raid exposed an incredible array of cloak and dagger operations undertaken by Scientology’s Guardian’s Office, including bugging the Justice Department, stealing documents from the IRS, setting up church enemies on bomb threat charges, and attempting to destroy the reputation of the mayor of Clearwater, Florida.

Eleven high ranking Scientologists, including L. Ron Hubbard’s wife Mary Sue, were sentenced to federal prison for their part in these actions. L. Ron Hubbard himself was in hiding but was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator.

Answer 3

The US State Department's has repeatedly reported on Germany for government and societal discrimination against minority religious groups and Scientology.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51554.htm
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71382.htm

On June 2000, the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings concerning Germany's discrimination against American Products based on religion.
http://www.cesnur.org/testi/EUintolerance_03.htm

Most notable was Germany's boycott of Windows 2000 because a defrag program used by Windows was developed by an American company whose CEO is a Scientologist.
http://www.cnn.com/US/9701/30/scientologists/index.html

On Nov 2000, a German official was arrested in Switzerland and given a 30 day suspended jail sentence for spying on Scientology. The German government apologized to Switzerland for the incident.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/03/ms_helps_you_hack_scientology/

Wasn't Germany responsable for the holocoust?

Answer 4

Risky Business

Answer 5

Scientology is a pseudo-religion created by Lafayette Hubbard to make money. It calls itself a "Church" to take advantage of favourable tax concessions. Germany banned scientology when it first appeared as it was victimising and ripping off gullible people who could not afford it. When it called itself a church, it made no difference. As scientology is not a religion, banning it is not religious persecution.

Tom Cruise is able to visit Germany but he cannot proselytise on behalf of his cult. If more countries followed Germany's example, this insidious money-grubbing organisation might disappear. One can only hope.

Answer 6

I say good for the Germans. They do not see scientology as a religion, so therefore, how could it be religious persecution? They view it as a cult, which it is.

Answer 7

Germany, unlike the USA, does not have freedom of religion.

Consider the background of the faith. It was started by a science fiction and fantasy writer. (fact)

His Dianetics first appeared in a science fiction magazine because he could not get mainstream publishers or medical publishers to print his writings. (fact.)

Isaac Asimov, probably the best of all science fiction writers and a scientist with many factual publications to his name said dianetics was unscientific. (fact)

One story is that he started it to win a bet. (unproven)

Another is he said working for pennies a word was silly and if you really wanted to make money, start a religion. (unproven)

Claims that Hubbard made:

That he was a much decorated war hero. (false)

That he commanded a corvette squadron. (false)

That he was awarded the Purple Heart, a gallantry decoration for those wounded in action. (false)

That he was crippled and blinded in the war and cured himself with Dianetic technique. (false--He was not crippled and was not blinded therefore there was nothing to cure.)

That he was sent by U.S. Naval Intelligence to break up a black magic ring in California. (false--He was himself a member of that occult group and practiced ritual sexual magic in it.)

That he was a graduate of George Washington University and an atomic physicist. (False-- he completed only one year of college and failed the one course on nuclear physics in which he enrolled.)

"There is no dispute about any of this. The evidence is unchallenged." Justice Latey, High Court of London

L. Ron Hubbard was convicted of fraud in France. (fact)

And you wonder why Germany will not recognize Scientology as a religion?

Answer 8

If it was somewhere in the Middle East... the media would have accused them of as being the least tolerant people and thus religion on earth.

Answer 9

Yeah I read the article. All it said was they will not have the film shot at German Military bases not the whole country.

Answer 10

I think Germany's history of religious persecution aAnd human rights violations speaks for itself.
They are still at it in the present, obviously.
The man is just trying to make a movie.