[NYer]

They get their money, whether they do anything or not and you know what kind of people this situation attracts.

How much control does the state have over the churches? Can the state force them to enact policies that are opposed to official teachings? In China, the government regulates and sanctions 'state churches'. There is the 'official' Catholic Church and then there is the underground church.

If these policies benefit the state in other countries, it is just a matter of time before they are enacted here, as well.

[Jabba the Nutt]

It's not control, it's like liberal bias in the media. Everyone they know think the same way, so it must be normal. Dan Rather says that CBS is middle of the road, because the commies attack them from the left and conservatives attack from the right. I'm not aware of any underground churches. My experience is 20 years old. I know the Germans banned Scientology as a cult and Germans have been well represented in cults. Ashram in Poona is a pretty famous documentary over there.