Is Scientology a religion or a cult? It was banned in germany but why is it so strong in the US?

Question

Are actors and celebrities who are scientologists viewed with a bit of scorn by those in the US and elsewhere?

Answer 1

It is most certainly a cult. It's a danger to it's adherents and possibly harmful to society in general if it gains popularity. There are multitudes of people who have suffered tragic experiences during their involvement with Scientology. Read about them here:
http://www.lermanet.com/persecution/
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/
http://xenu.net/archive/personal_story/cheryl_s

Here are more "bad experiences" with the cult including an illegal plot to infiltrate the government, brainwashing techniques, mind control camps, attacks on critics, and DEATHS caused by Scientology doctrine and members:

● Operation Snow White – Under this official program, Scientology operatives committed infiltration, wiretapping, & theft of documents in government offices. This program constituted the single largest infiltration of the United States government in history. Among the 11 prominent Scientologists convicted of this conspiracy was Mary Sue Hubbard, the wife of Scientology’s “prophet”.
http://lisatrust.freewinds.cx/scientology/snow-white/index.html
http://en.allexperts.com/e/o/op/operation_snow_white.htm

● Operation Freakout - Their campaign of sabotage & violence against Paulette Cooper, the writer who published her research & findings on several cults, including Scientology. Scientology’s official plan: to frame Paulette, ruin her career & reputation & get her either incarcerated or locked up in psychiatric confinement.
The official plan: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Krasel/cooper/frk1.html
Her book: http://holysmoke.org/cos/books/scandal-of-scientology-cooper.pdf

● Fair Game - the Scientology policy detailing how the organization may confront & handle critics & perceived enemies. Here is a direct quote: "Enemies may be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.”
http://www.xenu.net/archive/disk/fairgame.htm
http://www.planetkc.com/sloth/sci/Fair_game_ord.html
http://www.fairgamed.org/

● Physical & psychological punishment: Scientologists who "break the rules" while members of the "Sea Org" must subject themselves to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), which includes regimes of harsh physical punishment, forced self-confessions, social isolation, hard labor and intensive ideological indoctrination.
http://www.xenu-directory.net/practices/rpf.html
http://www.lermanet2.com/scientology/gulags/BrainwashinginScientology'sRehabilitationProjectForce.htm
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rpf/escape_2.htm

● Brainwashing & mind control: Scientology exerts control over its members by means of typical cult tactics, including but not limited to controlling information about internal doctrine & criticism of the organization, severely restricting social contact outside the cult (including the practice of “disconnecting” with any family who question the credibility & trustworthiness of the cult), creating an “us against them” mentality by villainizing a specific out-group (for Scientology, it’s psychiatrists), & claiming all those outside the cult are unenlightened.
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/24/Tampabay/The_unperson.shtml
http://www.factnet.org/Books/SocialControl/scs.html#toc http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/s/scientology/pignotti/
http://xenu.net/archive/personal_story/funkydonny.html

● Violent Kidnapping - Lisa McPherson was a Scientologist, was involved in a car accident & resultantly became mentally unstable. She was kidnapped from the hospital by agents of Scientology, held against her will, refused proper psychiatric treatment & allowed to STARVE TO DEATH.
Video: http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/
News Coverage: http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/Lisa_McPherson_Scientology_Deaths.html
Website: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

● Tragic Murder - A CBS “48 Hours” special on Jeremy Perkins, the mentally disturbed son of Scientologist parents who, because of the Scientology doctrine of opposing psychiatry, refused to put him on the anti-psychotic drugs that would have stabilized him & prevented him from killing his own mother.
Video: http://www.scientomogy.com/jeremy_perkins.php
CBS article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml
Website: http://perkinstragedy.org

Answer 2

Scientology is a religion.
It is not banned in Germany, but does not yet have religious recognition/status in that country.(Germany has a long history of religious intolerance.)
It had a similar fight in the USA with the IRS but that battle was finally won in 1993.

Seems to me that given any opportunity, the media will treat most actors or artists in general with scorn.
Most of us only know about these actors through the media. We don't know them personally or directly.
We can only really know them through their artistic abilities.
If we don't like them it should be based on their ability as an artist. What the media is really attacking is the religion
via the celebrity of the individual.
But we let the media manipulate us anyway.....don't we?
Bottom line, opinions are fine, but they may or may not be based on any facts.
Most of what is expressed about Scientology on this forum
is simply deliberately generated negative opinion.
If you want to know what Scientology is and why it is a religion you would have to read some basic books written by the author. L.Ron Hubbard.
In short you won't get your answer from here. All you'll get is manipulated opinion.

Answer 3

It has not been banned in Germany, where do you get your information?

Germany simply refuses to grant it the status of a religion and calls it what it is, ( and all other religions too) a Business.. Not only do religions get tax exempt status in Germany, they also get share in the "Church Tax" revenue...

Answer 4

Sorry but Scientology is not banned in Germany, the church of Scientology is not considered a church in germany but a corporation. Other than that Scientologist are free to practice in Germany, in fact they just opened a new big center in Berlin.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,473896,00.html
The reason that Scientology is popular is simple, it work. That's all.

Answer 5

Scientology is a religion.

http://www.scientologytoday.org/Common/question/pg05.htm

We have a Church of Scientology in Germany. Scientology is not banned in Germany.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-01-13-scientology_x.htm

Answer 6

I see it as both and it is able to thrive in our Liberal, no-holds-barred, limp-wristed, powder-the-offenders-butt society.

And I wish actors would just act. I don't watch their work because I'm interested in how they feel about anything. When they get rich, they suddely "go political" and lose me for good.

Answer 7

the actors band wagon

Answer 8

because in america we have freedom of religion.
except rastafarianism.....

Answer 9

its strong in the us because yanks are dumb