PARIS - The Church of Scientology could be dissolved in France if it is convicted in a trial that opened Monday in a Paris court, where the group and seven of its French leaders stand charged of organized fraud and illegal pharmaceutical activity.
The group, considered a sect in France, has faced prosecution and difficulties in registering its activities in many countries.
The trial comes more than a decade after one of the three plaintiffs originally filed a complaint against the Church of Scientology. A young woman said she took out loans and spent the equivalent of euro21,000 ($29,400) on books, courses and "purification packages" after being recruited by the group in 1998. When she sought reimbursement and to leave the group, its leadership refused.
The investigator questioned what he called the Scientologists' "obsession" with financial gain, and the group's practice of selling vitamins, leading to the charge of "acting illegally as a pharmacy."
Patrick Maisonneuve, lawyer for the Church of Scientology in France, dismissed any organized fraud, although he acknowledged there could have been individual abuses.
"The discovery of a pedophile priest does not allow us to question the entire Catholic Church," he was quoted as saying in the weekly L'Express magazine ahead of the trial opening.
So, what do you guys think?
-- Edited by DaisyVo1212 on Tuesday 26th of May 2009 05:48:18 PM
-- Edited by DaisyVo1212 on Tuesday 26th of May 2009 05:49:31 PM
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"nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful"
i'm not one to be intolerant, its just not my thing, but after hearing all the things about scientology last semester in mrs amman's class, i dont think its right the way that they manipulate people. i think that it is a scam based on greed.
I agree with John, I don't ever downplay someone's religion but either we were taught something else in Mrs. Aman's class or all the followers of Scientology are brain washed. I understand that all religions may seem ridiculous to the outsider but Scientology just yells cult.
I think one of the requirements for the followers was to pay for $2,000/hour sessions?
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"Your distress about life might mean you have been living for the wrong reason, not that you have no reason for living." Tom O' Connor
yah i agree with everyone who agrees with my friend john. its not right..its totally all about the financial gain. remember all those crazy stories in that packet amen let us read. its like a whole society of brainwashing $$$. however people or the right to practice what they want soooo.....yah.
Sorry, what I meant to say is, "If remember correctly from Mrs. Aman's class, one of the requirements for the followers was to pay for $2,000/hour sessions? I was indirectly asking whether this was true or not because I'm not completely sure.
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"Your distress about life might mean you have been living for the wrong reason, not that you have no reason for living." Tom O' Connor
Well, I think the leaders should definitely be punished, but like Jaymie said, the church should be allowed to remain. Scientology is crazy, but there are people who believe in it, so i don't think their whole entire church should be dissolved. It's their religion, we think they're brainwashed, but if it's what they believe in, then why dissolve their church??
A lot of messed up things happen in my church, and I'm ashamed of Catholic priests molesting children, that just screams immorality, but that doesn't give anybody the right to dissolve the Catholic Church in their country now does it?
I don't agree with Scientology, and these church leaders are so wrong!! But a whole entire church being dissolved isn't really fair to their practicioners.
That's just what i think.
__________________
"nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful"
I agree with John, I don't ever downplay someone's religion but either we were taught something else in Mrs. Aman's class or all the followers of Scientology are brain washed. I understand that all religions may seem ridiculous to the outsider but Scientology just yells cult.
I think one of the requirements for the followers was to pay for $2,000/hour sessions?
i think it's somewhere between $1,000- $2,000...don't really know for sure tho
__________________
"nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful"
as a member of anonymous i say..down with chanology...
I thought members of Anonymous supported Project Chanology? (which protests against the practices of the Church of Scientology)
i didnt feel like typing out sciencetology..your right, but chanology has a spit meaning to sciencetology in general. idk i just use chanology instead of sciencetology its easier and its accepted.
-- Edited by [(JordanA.)] on Wednesday 27th of May 2009 05:13:22 PM
I definately think that scientology is a cult and a scam, but how can you force people to not practice what they believe. I think it is a very bad "religion"(cult) but would not allowing it take away the meaning of a free country?
I definately think that scientology is a cult and a scam, but how can you force people to not practice what they believe. I think it is a very bad "religion"(cult) but would not allowing it take away the meaning of a free country?
you cant force people to stop practicing sciencetology, but when you try to tell members of their "church" (cult) whats going on the higher-ups get agressive and violent.
I'm not sure if that woman can get reimbursed for her own choice to take out a loan, but the illegal pharmecudical sales and fraud charges are where my attention was focused. They're scamming people out of money just as if they had about 10 octomoms attatched to them!
Scientologists=Salesmen/women
From what I know it is just a sales pitch in disguise, only they try to sell the "tools" to make your life better(which you're convinced by them that it's pretty terrible )
i'm not one to be intolerant, its just not my thing, but after hearing all the things about scientology last semester in mrs amman's class, i dont think its right the way that they manipulate people. i think that it is a scam based on greed.