Showing posts with label Cults. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cults. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
A Big Win for Australia and Critics of all Cults. Scientology and the Australian Senate Inquiry Report.
Kudos to Senator Xenophon, members of the Australia Senate Economics Legislation Committee, Today/Tonight Show and reporter Brian Seymour along with all those brave souls who spoke up about the dangers of Scientology and similar cults.
This is a big win today:
Today Tonight - Australian Senate Inquiry Release Special
Full Report: Australia Tax Laws Amendment (Public Benefit Test) Bill 2010 Authored by: Australia Senate Economics Legislation Committee
Additional Information & documents Tax Laws Amendment(Public Benefit Test) Bill 2010
Now if we could get the US to do likewise
This is a big win today:
Today Tonight - Australian Senate Inquiry Release Special
Today Tonight - Australian Senate Inquiry Release Special - 2010-09-07 from Zhent on Vimeo.
Full Report: Australia Tax Laws Amendment (Public Benefit Test) Bill 2010 Authored by: Australia Senate Economics Legislation Committee
Additional Information & documents Tax Laws Amendment(Public Benefit Test) Bill 2010
Now if we could get the US to do likewise
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Belgian newspaper De Morgen On Legal Choices To Hit Scientology
Thank you to Anonymous member TrevAnon for posting about the following article Belgian newspaper De Morgen on legal choices to hit Scientology. I have posted the original via BlogThis and have provided an English translation summary posted by another anonymous member because the Google translation did not translate the title accurately.
De Morgen De Gedachte -
Tref scientology in het hart (1022367) Belgium
Anonymous Summary:
Be firm with Scientology
Luc Willems is a lawyer who is the former reporter of the parliamentary inquiry into the cults and former senator for Open VLD, a liberal Belgian political party. Den Morgen is a reputable somewhat Leftist newspaper.
Belgian law, like French law but unlike English law, is Napoleonic and so depends on the application of general categories such as abuse of trust, extortion, illegal practice of medicine, or theft.
In France this week Scientology was convicted of organized fraud and in the U.S. is under attack by several legal suits brought by former members. In Belgium also several lawsuits against the cult are pending. Luc Willems has been occupied with the problem of cults for years: "Police and public prosecutors still do not have the right weapons to fight cults.”
The power that these organizations want to exercise conflict with basic rights and freedoms. To what extent should the government intervene?
Opinions are divided. Some say people should think for themselves; others feel that when people in distress are being manipulated, there should be more government intervention.
In the field of consumer protection the government in the seventies already set rules and enforcement to protect consumers from deception and misleading sales practices. A clear choice was made in favor of protecting the individual over the unbridled freedom of contract. And with success.
In Scientology the same question arises. Scientology followers are recruited through personal contacts or cover organizations. The potential victim is put through a profound personality test. The outcome of these tests is always similar: there are problems, but they can be cured by Scientology. The potential cult-member then gets a communication course offered at almost no cost or even free. Then a new course follows that costs more and before the cult-member knows he or she is immersed in the Church of Scientology and they pay expensive courses with questionable content and without results.
As long as this is done freely, there still is no problem. Gradually, however, the organization takes control over the cult member's personal life. Then it gets dangerous. Is the member able to get out at any time he wants? Does Scientology respect that choice? Does Scientology allow the ex-member to quietly build up his life again? There are many testimonies of victims against Scientology in this respect. Victims quickly lose 50,000 euros and their lives with it. They go further into debt to be able to take courses.
People in the throes of a personal crisis are particularly vulnerable: a broken relationship, job loss or loneliness makes them vulnerable to the feel-good-courses. The effects in relational and financial terms are dramatic. The same problems occur with therapeutic and other religious cults.
Rain in Paris
The parliamentary inquiry into cults in 1997 identified a series of failures in legislation and administration. Despite fierce criticism from cults, the majority of the recommendations from the inquiry were implemented into guidelines and legislation, and made operational. The most important part was the independent IACSSO, the advisory centre that informs the general public about cults in our country. Addressing the harmful cults was efficient and there followed a number of convictions. One recommendation which would criminalise the core business of cults has so far remained a dead letter: this is the mental destabilization of individuals and the abuse of vulnerable people. Since 2001 France has the About-Picard law which addresses these questions.
This law allows for prosecution to investigate proactively and for the courts to condemn serious violations. In Belgium, the prosecution must rely on more general crimes such as forgery, abuse of trust, extortion, receiving stolen goods, theft, slander, defamation or unlawful practice of medicine. The core of the activity, the abuse of the mental weakness of certain groups of people, remains out of reach. A thoughtful and effective legislation is essential to address certain issues. Police and public prosecutors have to date no appropriate legislative means to fight the dubious and reprehensible practices of certain cults.
Drizzle in Brussels
The support for legislation designed to prosecute such cases has significantly increased over the years. The opinions of the parliamentary monitoring committee in 2005 and the IACSSO indicated that there is wide cross-party support. However no parliamentary debate took place. Now it's raining in Paris, is perhaps the time to let it drizzle in Brussels.
Here is the original via Blog This
Tref scientology in het hart
De Morgen De Gedachte -
Tref scientology in het hart (1022367) Belgium
Anonymous Summary:
Be firm with Scientology
Luc Willems is a lawyer who is the former reporter of the parliamentary inquiry into the cults and former senator for Open VLD, a liberal Belgian political party. Den Morgen is a reputable somewhat Leftist newspaper.
Belgian law, like French law but unlike English law, is Napoleonic and so depends on the application of general categories such as abuse of trust, extortion, illegal practice of medicine, or theft.
In France this week Scientology was convicted of organized fraud and in the U.S. is under attack by several legal suits brought by former members. In Belgium also several lawsuits against the cult are pending. Luc Willems has been occupied with the problem of cults for years: "Police and public prosecutors still do not have the right weapons to fight cults.”
The power that these organizations want to exercise conflict with basic rights and freedoms. To what extent should the government intervene?
Opinions are divided. Some say people should think for themselves; others feel that when people in distress are being manipulated, there should be more government intervention.
In the field of consumer protection the government in the seventies already set rules and enforcement to protect consumers from deception and misleading sales practices. A clear choice was made in favor of protecting the individual over the unbridled freedom of contract. And with success.
In Scientology the same question arises. Scientology followers are recruited through personal contacts or cover organizations. The potential victim is put through a profound personality test. The outcome of these tests is always similar: there are problems, but they can be cured by Scientology. The potential cult-member then gets a communication course offered at almost no cost or even free. Then a new course follows that costs more and before the cult-member knows he or she is immersed in the Church of Scientology and they pay expensive courses with questionable content and without results.
As long as this is done freely, there still is no problem. Gradually, however, the organization takes control over the cult member's personal life. Then it gets dangerous. Is the member able to get out at any time he wants? Does Scientology respect that choice? Does Scientology allow the ex-member to quietly build up his life again? There are many testimonies of victims against Scientology in this respect. Victims quickly lose 50,000 euros and their lives with it. They go further into debt to be able to take courses.
People in the throes of a personal crisis are particularly vulnerable: a broken relationship, job loss or loneliness makes them vulnerable to the feel-good-courses. The effects in relational and financial terms are dramatic. The same problems occur with therapeutic and other religious cults.
Rain in Paris
The parliamentary inquiry into cults in 1997 identified a series of failures in legislation and administration. Despite fierce criticism from cults, the majority of the recommendations from the inquiry were implemented into guidelines and legislation, and made operational. The most important part was the independent IACSSO, the advisory centre that informs the general public about cults in our country. Addressing the harmful cults was efficient and there followed a number of convictions. One recommendation which would criminalise the core business of cults has so far remained a dead letter: this is the mental destabilization of individuals and the abuse of vulnerable people. Since 2001 France has the About-Picard law which addresses these questions.
This law allows for prosecution to investigate proactively and for the courts to condemn serious violations. In Belgium, the prosecution must rely on more general crimes such as forgery, abuse of trust, extortion, receiving stolen goods, theft, slander, defamation or unlawful practice of medicine. The core of the activity, the abuse of the mental weakness of certain groups of people, remains out of reach. A thoughtful and effective legislation is essential to address certain issues. Police and public prosecutors have to date no appropriate legislative means to fight the dubious and reprehensible practices of certain cults.
Drizzle in Brussels
The support for legislation designed to prosecute such cases has significantly increased over the years. The opinions of the parliamentary monitoring committee in 2005 and the IACSSO indicated that there is wide cross-party support. However no parliamentary debate took place. Now it's raining in Paris, is perhaps the time to let it drizzle in Brussels.
Here is the original via Blog This
Tref scientology in het hart
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Andrew Morton Interviewed
Jan. 15: Andrew Morton answers email questions on MSNBC. Listen carefully.
In the below video, he's interviewed on the Today Show, where he defends his unauthorized biography of the celebrity and talks about why the Church of Scientology is so against it.
Very interesting.
Unauthorized biographer defends Tom Cruise claims
Friday, May 11, 2007
How Scientology Hypnotizes
For some good reading on how L. Ron Hubbard used the basics oh hypnosis in the techniques of scientology do a Google search on the terms 'Lermanet scientology and hypnosis '. Click here to see is what you get .
For a wonderful visual example, here's a story in the news recently:
XENUTV's WOG BLOG author Mark Bunker explains how BBC's Panorama reporter John Sweeney is playing with the Scientologists and using their own drills to be “at cause” over them in a video clip the church is trying to use to defame Sweeney in advance of the May 14th show BBC is doing on the cult. Bunker says "His pause in the middle of the rant is a clear indication he is playing around. " I agree and anyone who has done these drills can tell, too, lol!
Here's a XENU TV video demo of this drill by Stacy Brooks and the late Robert Vaughn Young, a former high ranking PR man for Scientology and archivist for L. Ron Hubbard . "This demonstration of Scientology training routines includes a drill in which the Scientologists shout at an ashtray to stand up and sit down. It teaches them to forcefully command others (and to be commanded) and is used to intimidate people.".
Set your timers and schedules: Monday May 14th, John Sweeney's BBC Panorama show on Scientology. Panorama is on Mondays at 20:30 BST on BBC One and repeated on BBC News 24 Mondays at 00:30 BST and Tuesdays at 03:30 BST.
For a wonderful visual example, here's a story in the news recently:
XENUTV's WOG BLOG author Mark Bunker explains how BBC's Panorama reporter John Sweeney is playing with the Scientologists and using their own drills to be “at cause” over them in a video clip the church is trying to use to defame Sweeney in advance of the May 14th show BBC is doing on the cult. Bunker says "His pause in the middle of the rant is a clear indication he is playing around. " I agree and anyone who has done these drills can tell, too, lol!
Here's a XENU TV video demo of this drill by Stacy Brooks and the late Robert Vaughn Young, a former high ranking PR man for Scientology and archivist for L. Ron Hubbard . "This demonstration of Scientology training routines includes a drill in which the Scientologists shout at an ashtray to stand up and sit down. It teaches them to forcefully command others (and to be commanded) and is used to intimidate people.".
Set your timers and schedules: Monday May 14th, John Sweeney's BBC Panorama show on Scientology. Panorama is on Mondays at 20:30 BST on BBC One and repeated on BBC News 24 Mondays at 00:30 BST and Tuesdays at 03:30 BST.
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