The recent idiotic comments of Tom ("Psychiatry is Evil") Cruise have again put the spotlight on Scientology. Salon just completed an excellent 4-part series on the cult (access is free, but you need to watch a brief ad). It is not known how many cult members there are in the US, but interest will no doubt surge thanks to the recent publicity. The leaders of Scientology are extremely clever in targeting Hollywood celebrities (especially those with apparently low IQs like Tom Cruise and Kirstie Alley) since celebrity-worship is the opiate of the American masses. In the United States Scientology is recognized as a religion. Every religion has a creation myth, and Salon summarizes Scientology’s:
About 75 million years ago, a nefarious intergalactic warlord called Xenu rounded up the inhabitants of numerous planets, killed them, and brought them to Earth, then set off a chain reaction of cataclysmic volcanoes (the volcano pictured on the "Dianetics" cover was Hubbard’s favorite symbol for the notion of breakthrough and self-actualization), which dispersed their thetans into the atmosphere. These thetans now fester inside the bodies of all humans. They are to be located in specific body parts and summoned out
This is third-rate science fiction, yet American taxpayers have been subsidizing this organization since 1993, when Scientology was granted tax-exempt status (the story of corruption and intimidation at the Internal Revenue Service that led to the decision deserves to be written some day).
Germany has refused to recognize Scientology as a religion. Rather it is viewed as a dangerous cult which threatens the German Constitution. Here is the official position of the German Government:
The German government considers the Scientology organization a commercial enterprise with a history of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and an extreme dislike of any criticism. The government is also concerned that the organization’s totalitarian structure and methods may pose a risk to Germany’s democratic society. Several kinds of evidence have influenced this view of Scientology, including the organization’s activities in the United States.
So the activiites of the cult are monitored by the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Office for the Protection of the Constitution). You can download the detailed 175 page report on Scientology prepared by the Office (pdf file in German only) here. Also, this interesting FAQ in English on Scientology in Germany mentions some disturbing links between the Scientology cult and right-wing holocaust-deniers.
