French prosecutor seeks dissolution of Scientology
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT “REUTERS”
PARIS (Reuters) – A French prosecutor on Monday recommended a Paris court should dissolve the Church of Scientology’s French branch when it rules on charges of fraud against the organization.
Registered as a religion in the United States, with celebrity members such as actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Scientology enjoys no such legal protection in France, where it has faced repeated accusations of being a money-making cult.
The Church’s Paris headquarters and bookshop are defendants in a fraud trial that began on May 25. Summing up her views on the case, state prosecutor Maud Coujard urged the court to return a guilty verdict and dissolve the organization in France.
The Church of Scientology denies the fraud charges and says the case against it violates freedom of religion.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT “REUTERS”
yeah… requiring members to donate cash to reach higher and higher levels of a church is definitely a well designed pyramid scam where you don’t even receive money but the illusion of a sound mind… check out the south park scientology video at http://www.youtube.com/blogs/timlara
I’ve just posted on the case of fraud at http://deligentia.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/scientology-current-problems-illustrate-susceptabilities-of-religion/ I argue that the problems are indicative of broader susceptabilities facing religion–namely, susceptability to the profit-motive and an over-estimation of religious leaders.
If you haven’t already read it, here is a NYT article on the case: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/europe/28france.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=scientology&st=cse