Church of Scientology

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Church of Scientology
logo
founding 1954
founder L. Ron Hubbard
Seat Los Angeles , USA
Employees 13,000
Website www.scientology.org

The Church of Scientology ( English Church of Scientology ) is the largest religion Community organization, the teachings of Scientology represents. The Church of Scientology International (CSI) describes itself as the "Mother Church of Scientology" based in Los Angeles. Their international headquarters are in Scientology Int. Base in San Jacinto, California .

Surname

The Church of Scientology headquarters in Clearwater, Florida

The Scientology organization describes itself as a church in the sense of an analogy to established religious communities. Members of traditional and socially recognized religious communities, especially major Christian or state churches, critics and opponents and apostates of Scientology and the Scientology organization as well as state authorities, on the other hand, avoid the term "church" in connection with Scientology and instead use the terms "commercial enterprise", "sect" , "Church", "Organization", "Association" etc. Since the use of the name church in Germany is neither legally protected nor tied to special conditions, everyone is free to call the Scientology organization a church.

The term Scientology is a registered word mark for cash registers, calculating machines, jewelry, printed matter, footwear, clothing, education, religious advice, instruments for measuring the mental state of people and much more. L. RON HUBBARD , for example, is also one of the numerous brands of the Religious Technology Center Los Angeles.

structure

The headquarters of the Church of Scientology , founded in California in 1954, is in Los Angeles . After L. Ron Hubbard's death in 1986, David Miscavige assumed the chairmanship. Heber Jentzsch is currently President of the Church of Scientology.

The Church of Scientology is represented by continental umbrella organizations (for Europe in Copenhagen ), as well as by organizations at national and subnational level. In 2011 it had branches in 28 European countries: Belgium , Denmark , Germany , Finland , France , Greece , Great Britain , Ireland , Italy , Latvia , Lithuania , Macedonia , Moldova , Netherlands , Norway , Austria , Portugal , Romania , Russia , Sweden , Switzerland , Slovakia , Slovenia , Spain , Czech Republic , Ukraine , Hungary and Belarus .

Branches (missions) of the Church of Scientology in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are organized as registered associations . The associations have the partial designation "Church of Scientology" as part of their name and claim to be of public benefit , which they have so far been denied in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (with the exception of the Vienna Mission). In 2011 there were 19 branches in Germany, twelve in Switzerland and four in Austria.

Following

Scientology itself does not provide any information about the number of its members. Earlier announcements by the organization that it had up to 10 million followers were, according to the intelligence of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, far exaggerated. According to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Baden-Württemberg , Scientology had fewer than 100,000 members in 2016 .

In Germany, Scientology has around 3,000 to 4,000 members according to the Federal Constitutional Protection Report from 2016. Regional focuses are Bavaria (approx. 1,200 members), Baden-Württemberg (approx. 900 members) and Hamburg.

Subsidiary organizations

Scientology supporters anti-psychiatry demonstration in Scotland 2005

The Church of Scientology operates a number of subsidiary organizations that promote the dissemination of Scientology views and methods in health, social and educational policy. They include:

  • ZIEL (Center for individual and effective learning) and Applied Scholastics : sets up Scientology schools (Switzerland) and gives tutoring in Study Tech , the special Scientology study technology .
  • Narconon : runs drug rehabilitation centers. The success statistics of sources inside and outside Scientology are extremely different.
  • Criminon : intended to help criminals with rehabilitation. Criminon officials also visit prisons.
  • CCHR (Commission on Psychiatry Violations of Human Rights): fights psychiatry, which Scientology regards as an archenemy.
  • WISE ( World Institute of Scientology Enterprises ): Association of Scientology Entrepreneurs, deals particularly with management advice and licenses the use of the "L. Ron Hubbard Management Technology ”.
  • Say NO to drugs, say YES to life.
  • Youth for Human Rights.
  • Office of Special Affairs : Scientology's Secret Service
  • Volunteer Ministers , international aid organization

Spin-offs

In addition to the sub-organizations of the Church of Scientology, there is an independent group of so-called Reform Scientologists who appear under the name of the Free Zone .

Status in different countries

Germany

The Church of Scientology in Germany is not a corporation under public law like the large Christian churches, but a registered association (eV). Today's association, based in Munich, was founded on October 15, 1970.

Whether the Church of Scientology actually represents a religious community in the legal sense is currently considered controversial in Germany and has not been conclusively clarified by the German courts. Two points are in dispute: firstly, whether the Scientological teachings are to be classified as belief, religion or worldview, and secondly, whether these teachings are only used by the organization as a pretext for exclusively economic or power-political goals; According to the prevailing opinion, this would lead to the exclusion of protection under Article 4 of the German Basic Law .

The Federal Court of Justice for Civil Matters has not yet explicitly commented on this question, but in a decision from 1980 it implicitly assumed that Scientology was a religious or ideological community. The Higher Administrative Court of Hamburg pleaded expressly for the acceptance of a ideological community in a decision from the year 1994. Also the Administrative Court of Mannheim sees no evidence that the Scientology teachings are only used as a pretext for economic activities. In 1995 the Federal Labor Court took the view that the Church of Scientology was not a religious or ideological community within the meaning of Article 4 of the German Basic Law, but left this question open again in 2003. The Federal Administrative Court granted in 2005 a Scientologist specifically the use of Article 4, para. 1 of the Constitution. In 2009, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court forbade the Berlin District Office of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf from placing an advertising pillar with a warning poster in front of the Scientology headquarters in Berlin and assessed this measure as an encroachment on the fundamental rights of religious beliefs protected by Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law. and freedom of religion. The federal government has recently affirmed that it does not view Scientology as a religious or ideological community.

By resolution of the Standing Conference of Interior Ministers and Senators , the Scientology organization in Germany has been monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and by some State Offices for the Protection of the Constitution since 1997 on suspicion of “efforts against the free democratic basic order”. A lawsuit against this observation was dismissed in the first instance in 2004 because, among other things, “there are actual indications that the plaintiffs are seriously (aa) pursuing endeavors aimed at the human rights (bb) and the law as specified in the Basic Law of the people to elect the state authority in a universal and equal choice (cc), to eliminate or to invalidate it. ” In Saarland, a similar complaint was granted in the second instance in 2005, because the more than seven years of observation in a federal state without facilities of the organization and with fewer than 20 active members did not produce any results justifying the continuation of this observation and should therefore be discontinued immediately in accordance with the principle of proportionality . In Berlin, the observation was set after the country was banned court in 2001, Scientology with undercover agents to observe. A lawsuit against the observation was dismissed in 2003 for formal reasons.

According to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Baden-Württemberg , the Scientology organization maintains a network that " serves to defame opponents and critics, to clarify them with intelligence means and to remove any resistance to the expansion of the organization" .

In 1986 the Munich public prosecutor's office determined in an order that Scientology also uses secret service methods to defend itself against its internal and external opponents, operates on the borderline to illegality and, if necessary, does not shy away from criminal activities.

In this context, the Church of Scientology speaks of massive persecution and discrimination of Scientology supporters in Germany, which is in contradiction to the human right to religious freedom . Religious Freedom Report, published by the US State Department in 2010, "continues to express concerns" about federal and state treatment.

Austria

In Austria, recognition as a religious community is primarily important for tax law , which favors non-profit, benevolent and church institutions. The Austrian Administrative Court ruled in 1987: “The 'Church of Scientology' association cannot claim the tax benefits provided for non-profit bodies (Section 34 BAO). The association is interested in an exchange of services. For a fee, he offers membership levels of various degrees, courses and seminars of various levels, as well as auditing. The question of membership inevitably takes a back seat because anyone who avails himself of the complainant's paid services becomes a member of the complainant. Funding is primarily given to those who make use of the complainant's paid services. ” The practice of individual companies to count course and seminar expenses at Scientology companies as operating expenses was recognized as inadmissible.

In 2002, however, the Austrian tax authorities recognized the charitable character of the Church of Scientology in Vienna and granted it a corresponding tax exemption.

According to Wilfried Handl, there are around 500 active members of the Church of Scientology Austria in Austria, while press spokeswoman Angelika Thonauer speaks from 5000 to 7000 members.

Mail Leak 2012

AnonAustria announced in June 2012 that it had captured all mail traffic from the years 2010 and 2011 from the Church of Scientology Austria . In a statement, the Church of Scientology Austria severely criticizes the Austrian media for having encouraged data protection violations through reports of the theft. The former boss and now harsh critic of the Church of Scientology Austria, Wilfried Handl, announced on July 17th that he had received a threat of € 10,000 from the Church for publishing a leaked email on his blog. After Handl refused to sign a declaration that he would not publish any further emails, the Church of Scientology Austria brought a lawsuit including an injunction. In this context, it was also known that a doctor was allegedly instructed to transmit patient data to the Church of Scientology Austria .

Russia

In Russia, where the organization has been active since 1994, the status initially granted as a state-recognized religious community was revoked in 1997 due to new laws. The organization was then unable to regain its status. The European Court of Human Rights ruled this practice of the Russian authorities as a violation of Article 11 ( freedom of assembly and association ) in conjunction with Article 9 ( freedom of thought, conscience and religion ) of the European Convention on Human Rights and sentenced Russia to pay EUR 25,000 in damages - and reimbursement of costs.

United States of America

The US State Department characterizes the Church of Scientology as a religious minority. Numerous Church of Scientology corporations were recognized as religious communities by the US tax authorities in 1993 after years of litigation , and have thus obtained tax exemption. RTC (Religious Technology Center) and WISE (World Institute of Scientology Enterprises) are excluded.

other countries

France , Belgium , Luxembourg , Ireland , Israel and Mexico deny the local branches of the Church of Scientology a tax exemption associated with the status of a recognized religious community.

In Spain , the Church of Scientology was officially recognized as a religious community in 2007. Such recognition is also available in Argentina , Sweden , Portugal , Italy , Slovenia , Croatia , Taiwan and Hungary . Scientology is currently not an officially recognized religion in Great Britain, but has had the status of a "not-for-profit" organization since 2000 and as such is exempt from state VAT . In Australia , Scientology's religious character was upheld by the High Court of Australia in 1983 ; in New Zealand , the Church of Scientology was recognized as a nonprofit in 2002.

criticism

The Church of Scientology is seen by opponents as a "profit-oriented company operating with dubious methods" or as a political organization.

Indebtedness of members

Some dropouts report that many members have gone into debt to pay for the increasingly expensive courses. Scientology officials point out that dissatisfied members could reclaim their dues within three months. Unused donations - with the exception of the mandatory membership fees - can be reclaimed without any time limit. Such a reclaim, however, only affects the last payment made and also results in exclusion from the Scientology community. Critics also point to the complicated practice of repayment processing: a total of 27 steps were to be found on a repayment request from 1978. The Munich District Court assessed this in 1999 as a series of difficulties . The repayment of unused advance payments can sometimes only be made through the courts.

Raik Werner describes a representative case in which a Scientologist has paid the organization 200,000 DM in twenty years - an average of around 425 € per month.

The Church of Scientology in France has been convicted of fraud because of the above-mentioned practices, among other things.

Dealing with opponents

Opponents of the organization are referred to as "suppressive persons" and run the risk of being covered with lawsuits. This procedure was laid down by L. Ron Hubbard in the so-called " Fair Game Policy ". It does not matter whether the lawsuits have a chance of success, but rather "the purpose of the legal process is to harass and discourage rather than win". Scientology regularly fights critics and opponents with legal and other means. Well-known examples of this are the campaigns against the author and well-known Scientology critic Paulette Cooper and against the reporter John Sweeney before the broadcast of his BBC panorama report Scientology and me .

Intelligence operations

The Church of Scientology is accused of running a private secret service called the Office of Special Affairs (OSA). In the United States and Canada, senior Scientologists, including the founder's wife, have been convicted of infiltration by government agencies ( see main article : Operation Snow White ).

Recruiting members on dating portals

Die Welt am Sonntag reported on July 28, 2019 that Scientology was trying to recruit members via dating platforms . The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Hamburg stated that “this hidden scam of recruiting members” corresponds to Scientology's tactics. The former head of the Hamburg Scientology working group , Ursula Caberta , said that people have repeatedly contacted her who came to Scientology through dating agencies. According to insider reports , Scientology has also set up its own dating platform called FreeSpiritSingles , whose imprint refers to the book The Way to Happiness , written by L. Ron Hubbard . According to intelligence officials, this is a Scientology front organization. The well-known Scientology dropout Mike Rinder published promotional emails for the platform on his blog in February 2018, which were sent to him by users.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.wasist.scientology.de The Church Management of Scientology: The Church of Scientology International. Accessed February 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ Lawrence Wright: In the Prison of Faith. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2013, ISBN 978-3-421-04535-5 , pp. 257-258.
  3. ^ Ralf Bernd Abel : Church, sect or business enterprise? , May 1993
  4. ^ German Patent and Trademark Office, Community trademark “Scientology” , accessed on November 22, 2011
  5. ↑ German Patent and Trademark Office, trademark "L. RON HUBBARD ” , accessed November 22, 2011
  6. ↑ Scientology Missions and Centers Global Locator - “Europe”  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 22, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.locator.scientology.org  
  7. ↑ a b c Gerhard Besier (ed.): Religious freedom and conformism: About minorities and the power of the majority , LIT Verlag, ISBN 3-8258-7654-3 , p. 120; see also the English version of the corresponding chapter: Derek H. Davis: The Church of Scientology: In Pursuit of Legal Recognition
  8. ↑ a b U.S. Department of State - 2003 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Austria
  9. ↑ Scientology Missions and Centers Global Locator  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 22, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.locator.scientology.org  
  10. ^ Scientology comes to town , The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 24, 2005
  11. ↑ Die Welt: Scientology Financially Bleed Members , July 8, 2012, accessed January 29, 2018.
  12. ↑ 20 years of observation by Scientology for the protection of the constitution in Baden-Württemberg in 2016
  13. ^ Constitutional Protection Report 2016 , published on July 4, 2017, accessed on January 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ Scientology Organization at www.verfassungsschutz.bayern.de, accessed on January 6, 2018.
  15. ↑ Protection of the Constitution: Scientology membership numbers declining. Süddeutsche Zeitung , November 6, 2017, accessed on August 25, 2020 . .
  16. ↑ Scientology.Organisation - facts and figures at www.hamburg.de, accessed on January 6, 2018.
  17. ↑ Scientology relies on Basel , TagesWoche , October 13, 2013
  18. ↑ Scientology in Berlin: The slip of luck , Der Tagesspiegel , April 17, 2014
  19. ↑ Scientology: Munich - a focus of Scientologists in Germany , Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 10, 2017
  20. ^ WISE: About WISE
  21. ↑ "Say no to drugs - say yes to life": According to this motto, an association of the same name runs drug education according to its own information. Who is it? The Office for the Protection of the Constitution warns: It is a subsidiary organization of Scientology. The Story: Lousy Tour of Scientology , Controversial , BR, July 16, 2015
  22. ↑ a b This is how Scientology lures young people on the Internet , DerWesten , April 7, 2013
  23. ^ Human rights initiative Scientologists fool the UN and politicians , Spiegel Online , January 17, 2009
  24. ↑ www.ingo-heinemann.de Scientology associations. Accessed February 8, 2014.
  25. ↑ a b c d e f g h Scientific Services of the German Bundestag, WD 3, No. 05/07 (January 29, 2007): Legal questions on religious and ideological communities. (PDF; 76 kB)
  26. ^ Frank Nordhausen, Liane von Billerbeck: Scientology. How the cult company wants to conquer the world. Ch-Links Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 9783861534709 .
  27. ↑ Administrative Court of Mannheim: Revocation of the legal capacity of the association "Scientology Community Baden-Württemberg eV" illegal , December 12, 2003
  28. ↑ BVerwG Az .: 7 C 20.04 , December 15, 2005
  29. ↑ Diana Zacharias: Protective Declarations Against Scientology as Unjustified Detriments to Freedom of Religion: A Comment on the Decision of the German Federal Administrative Court of 15 December 2005 ( Memento of the original from February 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link became automatic used and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 7 German Law Journal No. 10 (October 1, 2006) (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.germanlawjournal.com
  30. ^ Poster in front of Scientology headquarters remains banned , Tagesspiegel , July 14, 2009
  31. ↑ No warning poster from the district office in front of Scientology headquarters - 23/09 , press release from the Berlin Senate Department for Justice, July 13, 2009.
  32. ↑ Suspected case: Scientology organization , Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Saxony, accessed on November 22, 2011
  33. ^ BfV: Scientology Organization ( Memento from February 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  34. ^ VG Köln Az: 20 K 1882/03 ( Memento of December 29, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 406 kB), November 11, 2004
  35. ^ Higher Administrative Court of the Saarland Az: 20 K 1882/03 (PDF; 2.8 MB), June 2005
  36. ↑ State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Baden-Württemberg : http://www.verfassungsschutz-bw.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118:062005 ( Memento from February 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  37. ^ Ingo Heinemann : Order of the Munich Public Prosecutor 115 Js 4298/84 of April 24, 1986 , May 2000
  38. ↑ Shocking discrimination in Germany ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), CoS Human Rights Office
  39. ↑ US State Department: International Religious Freedom Report 2010 - Germany
  40. ↑ VwGH 84/13/0267, May 20, 1987
  41. ↑ VwGH 94/15/0084, December 15, 1994
  42. ↑ Wilfried Handl: The true face of Scientology . 1st edition. Society Against Dogmas U. Psych. Dependence, Vienna 2010, ISBN 3-200-00982-9 , p. 75 .
  43. ↑ OT 8 does not answer. In: zeit.de. March 20, 2008, accessed on July 3, 2012 (German).
  44. ↑ Anonymous publishes internal mails from Scientology Austria. In: derstandard.at. June 10, 2012, accessed on July 2, 2012 (German).
  45. ^ After mail leak from AnonAustria: Scientology criticizes the media. In: derstandard.at. June 12, 2012, accessed on July 2, 2012 (German).
  46. ↑ AnonAustria publishes further Scientology mails. In: derstandard.at. June 20, 2012, accessed on July 2, 2012 (German).
  47. ↑ Scientology Austria sues against the spread of Anonymous leaks. In: derstandard.at. July 2, 2012, accessed on July 2, 2012 (German).
  48. ↑ ECHR Case Church of Scientology Moscow v. Russia, Application Number 18147/02, judgment of April 5, 2007 ( summary ; PDF; 125 kB)
  49. ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2010 , US Department of State
  50. Jump up ↑ US tax authority charity list
  51. ↑ Scientology and Germany ( Memento of the original dated August 13, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , German Embassy USA @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.germany.info
  52. ↑ Spain recognizes Scientology as a church on ORF, November 2, 2007
  53. ↑ Registro Nacional De Cultos  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Secretaria de Culto, accessed November 22, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.culto.gov.ar  
  54. ↑ Article in Le Monde
  55. ↑ Scientology is a Religion but Narconon's Profits are not Tax-Exempt, Says Italian Supreme Court (March 1, 2000)
  56. ↑ Article in the Daily Telegraph
  57. ^ High Court of Australia Church of the New Faith v. Commissioner of Pay-roll Tax (VICT.) 1983 154 CLR 120
  58. ^ Opinion of the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department on the Charitable Status of Scientology (Dec. 24, 2002)
  59. ^ N-tv.de: "Church" as a company , February 4, 2008
  60. ↑ Interview with Ursula Caberta in the taz: "Congratulations, Mr. Cruise!" , January 22, 2008
  61. ↑ Die Zeit : Scientology: A New Type of Political Extremism , February 4, 2008
  62. ^ Ingo Heinemann: The application for prevention of repayment , October 22, 1999
  63. ^ Ingo Heinemann: The Munich District Court 9 C 836/77 on the "Repayment Application" , March 16, 1999
  64. ↑ Much Feind, Much Mar , article in the FAZ of February 17, 2003
  65. ^ Judgment against Scientology in France , NZZ online, October 27, 2009; A sect that cheated like a gang ( memento of the original from October 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Süddeutsche online, October 27, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sueddeutsche.de
  66. ↑ Gerhard Besier: Religious Freedom and Conformism: About Minorities and the Power of the Majority , February 2, 2008
  67. ^ Ingo Heinemann: The Scientology Lexicon (section: Harassment), February 2, 2008
  68. ^ Vice : Paulette Cooper Exposes for the World the Darkest Secrets of Scientology and Cats , accessed November 21, 2011
  69. ^ Spiegel Online: Schmutzkampagne on Youtube , February 4th, 2008
  70. ↑ Viddler Video: Panorama - Scientology and Me ( Memento of November 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  71. ↑ Hamburg State Office for the Protection of the Constitution: Secret Service of the Scientology Organization , February 4, 2008
  72. ↑ Frank Nordhausen, Markus Thöß: The spies of Scientology - The sparkling intelligence OSA. In: ardmediathek.de. June 26, 2012, accessed July 3, 2012 .
  73. ↑ Ibrahim Naber: German Scientologists: The sect and the love trap. In: Welt Online. July 28, 2019, accessed July 30, 2019 .
  74. ↑ Scientology: Experts: Members use dating platforms to attract followers. In: Der Tagesspiegel. July 29, 2019, accessed July 30, 2019 .
  75. ↑ Mike Rinder: Scientology Dating. February 13, 2018, accessed July 30, 2019 .