church of scientology fined for fraud

genericguy

well it's about fcuking time someone started on these fools. they're not even allowed on wikipedia ffs.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1027/scientology.html

A French court has fined the Church of Scientology for defrauding vulnerable followers.

Scientology's Celebrity Centre and its bookshop in Paris, the two branches of its French operations, were ordered to pay €600,000 in fines for preying financially on its followers in the 1990s.

Alain Rosenberg, the French leader of a movement best known for its Hollywood followers Tom Cruise and John Travolta, was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence and fined €30,000 on the same charge.

ironically, my very catholic friend brought this to my attention, describing scientology as "complete bollocks"...

People deserve to lose money if they believe something a science fiction writer wrote..

jumpguy

genericguy wrote: »

ironically, my very catholic friend brought this to my attention, describing scientology as "complete bollocks"...

Well, atleast Catholicism is free and genuinely benefits some people's lives. If it doesn't, you're free to go your own way.

yoyo

There are some varients of the catholic religion and probably others that do the same thing :rolleyes::rolleyes:, if they would only investigate other religions now

Nick

Fago!

genericguy wrote: »

my very catholic friend brought this to my attention, describing scientology as "complete bollocks"...

Did he have a cigar in his mouth and a glass of scotch in hand while saying it?... ...'cause if he did, he may be the coolest guy ever.

genericguy

jumpguy wrote: »

Well, atleast Catholicism is free and genuinely benefits some people's lives. If it doesn't, you're free to go your own way.

Ah yes, lovely organisation. who have never sent armies around the world to kill anyone. with a fantastic child protection record. and who have done exemplary work in preventing the spread of aids throughout africa. and let's not forget their heroic efforts in the name of gay rights.
ahem... with the way they like to treat children it's no wonder they're so anti abortion...

jumpguy

genericguy wrote: »

Ah yes, lovely organisation. who have never sent armies around the world to kill anyone. with a fantastic child protection record. and who have done exemplary work in preventing the spread of aids throughout africa. and let's not forget their heroic efforts in the name of gay rights.
ahem... with the way they like to treat children it's no wonder they're so anti abortion...

Hmmm true I suppose, in an overall historical context, there's no denying the world would no doubt have been better off if the Catholic Church had stuck to spreading Jesus's message and not...y'know...Inquisitions, invading lands, etc.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." - Seneca (ca. 4 BC –AD 65)

Nuff said.

Biggins

Isn't it completely amazing that for a "religion" ** cough cough ** they seem to avoiding all the poor countries!
Only infesting the ones with abundances (to various degrees) of cash in pockets!

tim0ney

I tried to bring a fraud claim against the Church of Scientology after Battlefield Earth came out. How dare they steal innocent people's money like that.

That_Guy

Make money. Make more money. Make other people make money.

A quote from L. Ron Hubbard

espinolman

Deleted User wrote: »

People deserve to lose money if they believe something a science fiction writer wrote..

Science fiction is the truth .

Biggins

Another WELL reported quote from Hubbard

"If you want to make money, start your own religion."

...so he did!

How thick do ye have to be to fall for the money grabbing clap-trap?
Nearly as thick as Tom Cruise apparently. No wonder Kidman got the hell out!

genericguy

espinolman wrote: »

Science fiction is the truth .

nope the gospel is:

this guy once went out with his wife on holiday, and the wife popped out a kid, even though he hadn't had any sexes with said wife.

later, the kid went to a temple and started slagging people's beliefs, until some jews told him to go home. on his way home he brought loaves and fish to some people.

then he pissed off the jews again, by pretending he was magic. the jews responded by bringing a black and decker drill and sticking him to a cross. they said unto him "this is magic, kid". but the kid would have his revenge.

three days later the kid became a zombie. he walked around and said "everyone can come with me to me da's gaff, except the gays and the jews". then he flew to his da's gaff and everyone was like "deadly, we should defo make sure nobody in ireland can have an abortion ever".

tim0ney

genericguy wrote: »

then he flew to his da's gaff and everyone was like "deadly, we should defo make sure nobody in ireland can have an abortion ever".

At least he didn't nuke volcanoes on his way.

Terry

Biggins wrote: »

Another WELL reported quote from Hubbard



...so he did!

How thick do ye have to be to fall for the money grabbing clap-trap?
Nearly as thick as Tom Cruise apparently. No wonder Kidman got the hell out!

Kidman was pushed out before the 10 year rule.

Anyone married for 10 years in California is entitle to half of their partner's assets.

I'd be willing to bet that half of the film industry in Hollywood are against gay marraige too.
John Waters told us all that half of the film industry is gay.
The director and not the Irish journalist.

Gummy Panda

tim0ney wrote: »

I tried to bring a fraud claim against the Church of Scientology after Battlefield Earth came out. How dare they steal innocent people's money like that.

I read the book. At first it was an average sci-fi romp by the end it took off on totally different tangents. Not great sci-fi writing to be honest.

I don't remember much scientology beliefs in it though.

Moomoo1

hypocritical. Given what 'recognised' religions get away with, to punish scientology like this just defies belief...

Tigerbaby

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." - Seneca (ca. 4 BC –AD 65)

Nuff said.

wow . ! stunning. Senecas Letters ? Must investigate. surely a worthy contender to accompany Epictetus' place in my heart. thank you for that.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Tigerbaby wrote: »

wow . ! stunning. Senecas Letters ? Must investigate. surely a worthy contender to accompany Epictetus' place in my heart. thank you for that.

Yer welcome

thomond2006

Oh Dear God:

http://www.scientology.org/*












*Warning: Videos may contain ancient dark magic. :pac:

Borneo Fnctn

Selling scientology is truly a feat. Their beliefs so mind numbing that it's like selling ice to the eskimos.

nipps

scientology was a clever idea, ron hubbard (the founder) even admitted himself that it was all bullsh**, he also said that if you want to become rich, make up your own religion.

Terry

jackpalance wrote: »

Selling scientology is truly a feat. Their beliefs so mind numbing that it's like selling ice to the eskimos.

You're not wrong.
You have to admire Hubbard for what he achieved.

Yeah, laugh at the idiots falling for it, but Hubbard's idea was nothing short of genius.

sky88

i find scientology just wired i was asked to do one of there personality tests and the people got mad when i said ill do it if i get to meet tom cruise and john travolta they were not impressed

krudler

I love how people who go to mass and probably donate to the collection lambast scientology for its "stupid" beliefs, yeah like eating a wafer thats meant to be the flesh of a guy who died on two planks 2000 years ago,and believing a man in the sky created you and will send you to hell if you disobey his big list of 10 naughty things is just common sense really, scientology is a business that makes the deluded pay to believe something that was simply made up, same as any other religion

Plus scientology has way cooler protagonists, we have a magical man in the sky who was sitting around for eternity, and made the world for a laugh, then took a day off! scientology has gigantic warships, nuclear bomb powered volcanos and alien warlords, it beats catholicism hands down for cool belief systems

nipps

sky88 wrote: »

i find scientology just wired i was asked to do one of there personality tests and the people got mad when i said ill do it if i get to meet tom cruise and john travolta they were not impressed

ha, you should have done it for the laugh, where were you when you were asked?

sky88

nipps wrote: »

ha, you should have done it for the laugh, where were you when you were asked?

i was in manchester

nipps

sky88 wrote: »

i was in manchester

do ye know anyplace in dublin?

genericguy

nipps wrote: »

do ye know anyplace in dublin?

on abbey st near the GPO.

nipps

ha sound, next time i'm passing by i'll give it a go for the laugh!

Terry

krudler wrote: »

I love how people who go to mass and probably donate to the collection lambast scientology for its "stupid" beliefs, yeah like eating a wafer thats meant to be the flesh of a guy who died on two planks 2000 years ago,and believing a man in the sky created you and will send you to hell if you disobey his big list of 10 naughty things is just common sense really, scientology is a business that makes the deluded pay to believe something that was simply made up, same as any other religion

Plus scientology has way cooler protagonists, we have a magical man in the sky who was sitting around for eternity, and made the world for a laugh, then took a day off! scientology has gigantic warships, nuclear bomb powered volcanos and alien warlords, it beats catholicism hands down for cool belief systems

Shh. you're not supposed to talk about it.

genericguy wrote: »

on abbey st near the GPO.

Middle Abbey St. Near the Abbey mall and Liffey St..
Just stand around for a few minutes and they'll approach you.

me_right_one

yoyo wrote: »

There are some varients of the catholic religion and probably others that do the same thing :rolleyes::rolleyes:, if they would only investigate other religions now

Nick

Such as?

tim0ney

Those guys were actually out on the street the other day, offering "free personality tests". I can maybe understand how some people got sucked into it in earlier years, before all the revelations about Lord Zemu and the volcanoes came out [I think they were originally meant to be only for high-level Scientologists, who had incidentally paid a lot of money to get to that high level]. Some former Scientologist dude leaked all the mad stuff when he left. But these days........you can check out all about it on wiki, and it's hugely entertaining stuff. Like a mediocre sci-fi novel, really.

Oh and in Berlin, on Alexanderplatz, they're always there. And they're a helluva lot more pro-active than the Irish guys. They will actually walk after you trying to convince you that you need to take this test!

Riddle101

oh god, Tom Cruise won't like this.

genericguy

Riddle101 wrote: »

oh god, Tom Cruise won't like this.

of course he won't. because he's not gay and he's not a midget, you see.

Biggins

If one ever needs yet another example of the devious levels they will go to in order NOT to be answerable to the law - here is another!

Church of Scientology Refuses to Allow Coroner on Suicide Case Access to Files

The Church of Scientology moved files on a soldier who committed suicide from Australia to the US prior to warrants being issued for them by coroner John Lock. The soldier had taken $25,000 worth of course from the church over about a month.

After the month Edward Alexander McBride´s attitude changed and he decided to take a break. Repeated attempts were made to contact him by CoS members and he committed suicide two days later. The CoS says there is nothing relevant in the files.

"It is clear to me that the degree of forcefulness and amount of contact from church members over those few days is indicative of something more than concerns about completing an administrative process at the completion of his course," said Lock.

Souirce: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26247876-2702,00.html

AnonoBoy

I love those wacky Scientologist guys. They've got such a great sense of humour!

"Hail Xenu!"