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Scientologists set for heavenly tax cut
1:00am Wednesday 11th April 2007
Scientology could be officially recognised as a religion in the UK following a ruling in the European Court of Human Rights.
The decision, won by a law team led from East Grinstead, could mean the Charity Commission will have to recognise the controversial Church of Scientology as a bona fide religious group.
This would give it access to a series of tax breaks and potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money through Gift Aid.
The European Court ruled the Russian government should be forced to recognise the Church as a religious organisation.
But if the decision is rolled out across the EU the group, which is viewed as a business in many countries, could save millions of pounds.
The UK headquarters of the Church of Scientology is in East Grinstead and has been visited by Tom Cruise, the creed's most high-profile follower.
The organisation was turned down for charitable status in 1999 because the Charity Commission ruled scientology was not a religion in English charity law.
Graeme Wilson, the director and spokesman for the Church of Scientology in England and Wales, said it had not decided whether to reapply.
But he said some UK bodies had already recognised scientology as a religion, including the City of London last October when it granted the Church charitable rates relief.
He said: "Over the years there have been many official recognitions of scientology's religiosity throughout Europe, including in Britain.
"This latest decision sets a Europe-wide precedent and will help to resolve any remaining areas of discrimination against religions in Europe."
The Church, founded by American science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, claims to have 123,000 UK supporters. There are scientology churches at Saint Hill Road in East Grinstead and at North Street in Brighton.
Mr Wilson said: "The vast majority of people are recognising this is mainstream. It is in over 160 countries around the world, with 7,000 churches and different organisations."
The court application was led by East Grinstead lawyer Peter Hodkin and won under Article 11 - the freedom of assembly and association - of the European Convention on Human Rights read in the light of Article 9 - the freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
The court ruled that the Church of Scientology had been "discriminated against as a religious minority" and "was restricted in exercising the full range of its religious activities".
The group was partly refused charitable status in 1999 on the grounds that it was not "established to promote the moral or spiritual welfare or the improvement of the community".
It has since established an anti-drugs campaign with schools and the police in the UK using scientologist swing band Jive Aces to front the message and a "youth for human rights" campaign.
A spokesman for the Charity Commission said it was not yet clear whether it would change its view in light of the court decision but it was open for the Church to reapply.
He said the convention had been taken into account by commissioners at the time.
A registered charity does not normally pay income or corporation tax, capital gains tax or stamp duty. It has reduced business rates and can raise money from local government more easily. Legacies are not liable to inheritance tax and where donations come from taxpayers, the charity can claim 28 per cent extra from the Inland Revenue.
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Joe, France says...
7:35am Wed 11 Apr 07
It should be noted what this judgment is NOT. It is not an endorsement of the religious legitimacy of Scientology, indeed the jugment makes clear that neither the State nor the Court has the right to make such judgment. It is not a mandate that other signatory states must recognise Scientology as a religion. All it is is a (non binding) precedent that states that freedom of association must not arbitrarily be denied. For example, this judgment will have no effect on the UK charity commision's entirely reasonable rejection of Scientology, as CofS freedom to associate is not curtailed by this. This decision relates specifically to some procedural quirks of Russian law and I would expect it to have exactly zero effect elsewhere.
The text of the decision is available here;
http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=7&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=&sessionid=12153880&skin=hudoc-en
mike Ricketts, sussex says...
7:54am Wed 11 Apr 07
LB, Hove says...
8:27am Wed 11 Apr 07
nyehus, sussex says...
8:37am Wed 11 Apr 07
LB wrote:or from a passing alien space craft.....!
Ron Hubbard must be laughing in his grave.
Duncan Howard, London says...
9:33am Wed 11 Apr 07
You say "they" when referring to Narconon and Criminon but to my mind you speak like a Scientologist.
I will not comment on the nature of Scientology, Narconon etc., but I do suggest that you think a little harder before making your next post.
fred, Brighton says...
11:18am Wed 11 Apr 07
Rob, Brighton says...
12:43pm Wed 11 Apr 07
Alex, Sydney, Australia says...
12:53pm Wed 11 Apr 07
Truly,
Alex.
Gavin, Brighton says...
3:12pm Wed 11 Apr 07
Tony Phipps, East Grinstead says...
4:48pm Wed 11 Apr 07
about Scientology- find out for yourself.
Martin, UK says...
6:56pm Wed 11 Apr 07
SP Order. Fair game. 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
They claim Fair Game was cancelled in this 1968 document:
The practice of declaring people FAIR GAME will cease.
FAIR GAME may not appear on any Ethics Order. It causes bad
public relations.
This P/L does not cancel any policy on the treatment or handling
of an SP.
In other words, the term fair game and the documentational "declare" is cancelled by not the action policy itself.
Google the terms Fair Game and scientology, and you'll see plenty of examples. Lawyer Micheal Flynn and Author Paulette Cooper spring to mind as being some of the most horid. Their "crimes"?: Speaking out about the truth of scientology. It still goes on to this day.
L.Ron Hubbard's own writings that Scientology's strict policy on critics is to "always attack, never defend" and to use the law, not neccessarily to win but to harrass the critic into submission. To "utterly ruin" them.
Google it.
AND YOU SCIENTOLOGISTS CALL THAT A "RELIGION"!?!
Mr.Gonnet is correct in his clarification of what this ECHR case really means. It is a Russian procedural blunder and it does not automatically follow that scientology will be treated any differently than they already are in other European countries. If anything, they will be viwed with more suspicion.
In the UK, scientology is so flawed on a fundemental level that it will never pass the basic Charity Commission criterea to be regarded as a relion for tax-exempt purposes. It would have to change so much that it wouldn't be scientology anymore and the one thing that scientology cannot do is change its sacred policies handed down by the founder L.Ron Hubbard and exploited greedily by their current boss David Miscavige.
Scientology shouldn't be expecting an easy ride in Russia now. The day after judgement, the Russian authorities raided scientology's claimed "drug rehab" front group, Narconon.
I expect more investigations will follow whereupon, like in Germany and France, the scientolgists will probably, as usual, cry "religious persecution". Really?
Also, take a look at their hate pages on prominent effective critics: religiousfreedomwatch (dot com). Full of hilarious lies and so ridiculous that those critics enjoy it as a badge of honour because it exposes scientology for what it is.
If that's "religion" then I'm Xenu the galactic overlord.
Simon, Brighton says...
8:08pm Wed 11 Apr 07
Martin, UK says...
10:42pm Wed 11 Apr 07
The ideas of Scientology are no more ridiculous than the other religions, you know the one(s) :)
Joking and degrading is one thing but know the facts. Scientology would love the bulk of the critics to limit their argument to just "kookiness".
I don't care if one believes in the flying spagetti monster but what I do care about is where a belief system in a psuedo-religious organisation actually has polices that actively encourages deceit, abuse, lies(whether it calls itself a religion or not). Where the control over the person and their finances (and often their relatives finances) is paramount until they have bled them dry. If you are still suitably brainwashed but skint then they may then invite you to work on staff for a few dollars a day (using some religious loophole to get round minimum wage law). Staffers can then enjoy the cult's gulag known as the RPF (a policy more than a place). Google it.
In the US, scientologists have even perused the deaths notices in local newspapers and they targeted a widow, 73 year old Harriet Baker who's husband died of cancer, and sold her around 1,300 dollars worth of courses supposedly to help her with her grief. 15,000 dollars later, the scientologists found out her house was debt free and encouraged her to re-mortgage it to pay for even more scientology courses. Despite her family's intervention, she ended up losing the house. The cult even showed up with their e-meter to interrogate her when she asked for a refund.
Google it. The details are much worse than the summary.
.....And THAT is supposed to be a religion?
you peole are a joke, world says...
7:56am Thu 12 Apr 07
Jeannie, Los Angeles says...
3:12am Fri 13 Apr 07
Kevin Owen, New Zealand says...
7:27am Sat 14 Apr 07
When scientologists get knocked back we come back harder
Ask the psychs
Psychiatry:
An Industry of Death Documentary
DVD with Booklet
http://www.rehabilitatenz.co.nz/pages4/psychiatry-industry-death.html
Martin, UK says...
7:31pm Sat 14 Apr 07
you peole are a joke wrote:Ah, the old "other religions are worse than ours" deflection. Why don't you try to refute my actual points.
At least scientology does not say that if you leave our religion you should be killed or burn in ****. The others that say that are accepted religions, you poeple are a joke!
Scientology declares people as "Suppressive Persons" and actually issues an "SP Declare" document. This is not just limited to people who leave but also to people who's family members have left and are still in communication with them. Scientology doens't just encourage but it is actually their policy for family members to disconnect if any one of them goes against scientology.
This week we have had a report in the USA where an elderly ex-scientologist is dying of cancer and only one of his children is visting him. The three others, all adult and still scientologists, won't visit because he is a declared "SP".
With all these facts in mind, do you understand why your "religion" is not considered bona-fide and is often labelled as a Totalitarian Cult?
Martin, UK says...
8:24pm Sat 14 Apr 07
Jeannie wrote:It is a good decision only in the sense that it has forced Russia to adhere to its own laws. I don't have any trouble with that. What I do have trouble with is the bending of the actual significance of what this judgement really means. What it does not mean (and this is the fault of the flawed posit in the main article) is that scientology may about to be recognised or respected any more than it already is (or isn't) in the UK. The judgement means nothing of the sort. In fact if you read the actual judgement is makes no claims on what is or is not a religion. It is only the kneerjerkers and the scientologists that thinks it does.
It\'s a great decision and a long time coming. With the EU Human Rights Court decision, justice finally prevailed after all. Sorry if that rubs Martin and Roger the wrong way. Some people simply can\'t stand it when you help people.
In the census for England and Wales there where only 1781 people who deemed themselves proud enough to call themselves scientologists. Is this the best their drillers can muster? Even allowing for foreign "students", isn't it rather inappropriate for scientology spending tens of millions on a flashy new building in London for this tiny level of membership? I feel sorry for those few UK scientologists who will be paying for it. This is why the UK Charity Commission will never give them tax exempt status because they, as an organisation, are of no benefit to the broader community. The CC do not actually judge your beliefs and whether you call yourselves a religion per se. It almost seems as though scientology wants charitable tax relief in the UK purely because it considers itself a religion and assumes wrongly that it automatically entitles itself to this charitable status by default. Scientolgy's "Applied Religious Philosophy" says that it "makes the able more able".
What about the not so able then? That is where scientology does not feature and most bona-fide religions, who have earned their charitable status, do.
Roz Bennetts, London says...
8:42pm Sat 14 Apr 07
It's a free world and people should be free to believe what they want to believe and practise their religion, whatever it is, be it Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Scientology et al.
That others may disagree with a religion is irrelevant to this ruling. The nay sayers above forget that it is their human rights that have been protected by this judgement. And that is a cause for all of us to celebrate.
Martin, UK says...
9:28pm Sat 14 Apr 07
Kevin Owen wrote:I much prefer www.whyaretheydead.net since it shows what scientology's own perverted alternative brand of "therapy" results in.
Its only a matter of time before its recognized world wide as a religion When scientologists get knocked back we come back harder Ask the psychs Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Documentary DVD with Booklet http://www.rehabilitatenz.co.nz/pages4/psychiatry-industry-death.html
The reason why you are so against Psychiatry is because your founder saw it as direct competition and harming the scientology scam.
Ironically, after the FBI raid they discovered a letter from L.Ron Hubbard to the US Goverment begging for psychiatric treatment. Google it.
Hubbard used psyche drugs and at his death the toxicology report noted that he had the drug Vistaril in his system (injection marks in his butt too).
Psychiatry would never admit that it is absolutely perfect but as a science and medicine is peer reviewed and subject to change and improvement. Scientology cannot claim the same.
Scientology "church" leader, David Miscavige, at an event in London last year and at a New Years event in the USA verbally advocated machine gunning pyschiatrists out of existence and, amongs other bizarre imagery, used a cartoon hand grenade as his backdrop.
Scientology has been kicked out of colleges and other events when trying to put on their incorrectly named "Human Rights" exhibits under deceptive frontages when it was found out that they are ulteimately trying to indoctrinate more young members. You see, nobody wants scientology so you have to deceive to get a foot in the door. Bait'n'Switch is what you do. You take a contentious issue and exploit it for your own greedy needs and without even actually having a viable solution.
Scientology tried to persuade Tory Christman to get off her epilepsy medication. She had seizures and it took a lot of effort to eventually be allowed to take them again. She has now left the "church" and is a very prominent and effective critic.
It is only a matter of time before the bad publicity (thanks Tom Cruise) and the buying of buildings that remain empty reaches a level where scientology cannot sustain itself. Reports from moles in your gulag "Sea-Org" base in California dessert suggest that long time scientolgists in quite high levels have left in droves and are planning to leave. They don't like the abuse and even from their sheltered existence they can see that it is starting to fall apart. Google the reports from ex-Sea-Org member Chuck Beatty.
Martin, UK says...
10:25pm Sat 14 Apr 07
Roz Bennetts wrote:Yes, rights are for eveyone but then why doesn't scientology practice what it preaches regarding human rights?
I\'m really pleased to see this unanimous decision that preserves the rights of all religions over Europe - not just Scientology. It\'s a free world and people should be free to believe what they want to believe and practise their religion, whatever it is, be it Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Scientology et al. That others may disagree with a religion is irrelevant to this ruling. The nay sayers above forget that it is their human rights that have been protected by this judgement. And that is a cause for all of us to celebrate.
What about the human rights of people who speak out against scientology or even the poor individual abused scientologists themselves? It seems that either "naysayers" or their own kind are worse than scum whenever they declare them as such and somehow deserve no human rights. Read my posts above and do some googling too.
Time will tell as to whether scientology, now that it has re-established its right to the freedom to associate in Russia, can stay within the laws that ALL their people have to abide by. Judging by their track record, I doubt it.
What it does not do is force governments and the people to treat scientology as any more or less of a religion than it already claims for itself. Pervert it all you like but The the judgement was pretty clear on that aspect. It is entirely up to scientology as to whether it can rid itself of its hypocracy and its scamming abuse if is to be accepted by all as just a little kooky but harmless belief system. Doubtful since scientology is only really concerned about the growth of cult of itself at the exclusion of any form of common decency.
Their trick is to hover just under the radar and scream loudly "religious persecution" when anyone, instrusively or not, questions their suspect activities.
mike staedtler, sussex says...
6:59pm Tue 22 May 07
com/veritas/secret/i
ndex.htm) shows a truer picture of how things are run the way they are now. Many of the original writings have been altered since Hubbard's death and some are absolutely fake. Case in point; The Ethics book has a NEW definition of the 2nd dynamic which is not from L Ron Hubbard. Existing scientologists will notice that this is true and probably wonder why it does not appear in any HCOB.
Hubbard version:
(from a book called Book Scientology 0-8): Space, Energy, Objects, Form and Time are the result of considerations made and/or agreed upon or not by the static, and are perceived solely because the static considers that it can perceive them.
New Version
Alteration of Axiom 3 on page 73 in the 1988 new CSI Book Scientology 0-8 -
Space, Energy, Objects, Form and Time are the result of considerations made and/or agreed upon by the static, and are perceived solely because the static considers that it can perceive them."
You'll notice the words OR NOT have been deleted. What does that tell you?
The BBC documentary shows the practices of this religion and why you should be very careful if you criticize the "Religion". Scientology rules by fear, coercion and intimidation, even to it's own followers who are in good standing, you might be surprised to find. Surely that is a dictatorship much like certain other belief systems. Surely no OT's will be made in that atmosphere. And that is the point...
Guy Laroche, Banana Republic says...
7:26pm Tue 22 May 07
bob the builder, UK says...
2:58pm Thu 2 Aug 07
What have YOU done to Scientology? What are your crimes? Someone with so many bad things to say about a religion that goes around the world helping victims of Flood, Tidal Waves, 9/11, 7/7, earthquakes and much more without charging a penny... I think you should read the characteristics of an anti-social personality and take a look to see if you are one:
Such a person deals mainly in bad news, critical or hostile remarks, invalidation and general suppression.
The anti-social person alters, to worsen, communication when he/she relays a message. Good news is stopped and only bad news, often embelished, is passed along.
Surrounding such a personality we find cowed or ill associates or friends who, when not driven actually insane, are yet behaving in a crippled manner in life, failing not succeeding.
Many anti-social persons will freely confess to the most alarming crimes when forced to do so, but will have no faintest sense of responsibility for them.
The anti-social personality supports only destructive groups and rages against and attacks ANY constructive or betterment group.
Helping others is an activity which drives the anti-social personality nearly beserk. Activities, however, which destroy in the name of help are closely supported.
The good news is that you can be helped too - if you will just stop attacking Scientologists and try thinking for yourself. Try READING A BOOK instead of listening to the other ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITIES in the world. Who knows you might end up being happy yourself!
Annonymous, USA says...
8:03am Tue 7 Aug 07
The guy who wrote about the 'fair game' stuff is again an ignorant and/ or uninformed individual.
Where exactly did you come by that information?
I love people who take bits and pieces of information and edit it very nicely to prove their point instead of giving the entire information thus giving the context it was being used in.
I'm not even going to satisfy you with an explanation of what context that info was used in because if you really cared to know you would have found out for yourself in the first place and anyone else reading these comments would/ will do so also.
Secondly yes there are a whole load of anti-Scientology sites out there from people who are no longer Scientologists and have been declared ('ecommunicated') from the Church usually for their personal wrong-doings and you can generally find those out too if you start looking into the person who created the site and not just listen to what they have to say.
If someone decides to take me up on the point I have just mentioned I will say that being a true Scientologist you have a certain code of ethics you try to live your life by - of course noone is perfect 100% of the time, but if you commit some kind of act which is grossly against the ethics of a Scientologist then that is when people are declared from Scientology.
My point on the above is just because a Christian may steal or a Mormon may commit some other crime (again examples people) doesn't mean that that whole religion should be tarnished with that same brush. That is why there also has to be consequences for such a person because otherwise people do equate one with the other.
As people above me have said find out for yourself - go into a Scientology church (scary prospect eh!?) and ask what Scientology is - THEN make up your mind on it.
As far as the whole money thing goes - you pay for the courses you take within Scientology (the same as you pay for a college course) and of course if people wish to donate they do, but they are in no way forced to do so. There is no group of people running Scientology sitting there smoking cigars and rolling around the floor in piles of money. The money that goes into the church is used to keep the churches and buildings running and to fund the programs Scientology do (things like narconon which has been proven as an extremely effective drug rehibilitation program and criminon which helps criminal reform, literacy projects to obviously help people who have learning troubles - god what a horrible lot of people those Scientologists are huh!?)
That's all I'm going to say on the matter as I really don't think I have to say anything more or defend a good bunch of up-standing citizens who are doing a lot to help in the world.
paz, East Grinstead says...
1:17pm Tue 30 Oct 07
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roger gonnet, France says...
7:25am Wed 11 Apr 07
The cult leader and its techniques have been ruled as plain fraud and extortion in France. Should such a ruling be applied in UK? Why not, if we follow the same sort of twists that scientologists would like to impose, that is, once their cult has been able to obtain any ruling in its favour in any location, the same should be applied everywhere.