Scientology Faces Criminal Charges

Associated Press ^ | September 4, 2007 | Constant Brand

[yorkie]

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — A Belgian prosecutor on Tuesday recommended that the U.S.-based Church of Scientology stand trial for fraud and extortion, following a 10-year investigation that concluded the group should be labeled a criminal organization.

Scientology said it would fight the criminal charges recommended by investigating prosecutor Jean-Claude Van Espen, who said that up to 12 unidentified people should face charges.

Van Espen's probe also concluded that Scientology's Brussels-based Europe office and its Belgian missions conducted unlawful practices in medicine, violated privacy laws and used illegal business contracts, said Lieve Pellens, a spokeswoman at the Federal Prosecutors Office.

"They also face charges of being ... a criminal organization," Pellens said in a telephone interview.

[OPS4]

Its about time someone prosecuted this fraud of a religion.

[OPS4]

Its about time someone prosecuted this fraud of a religion.

[Red Badger]

OH NO!!!!!!! THEY’VE KILLED COOK!!.......

[Hydroshock]

Tom Cruise is deeply saddened.

[yorkie]

Gee, I wonder who the “twelve unidentified people” are?

John Travolta? Kirstie Alley? Tom Cruise?

This should be fun to watch........popcorn, anyone?

[JRochelle]

Somewhere Tom is sobbing on his beard’s shoulder.

[vietvet67]

[ArrogantBustard]

Poor little clams.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

[bcsco]

I find it interesting that the courts of Belgium (the Left’s utopian judicial system) are bringing this. Sales of Haldol will surely go through the roof.

[Calvin Locke]

I'm pretty sure Scientology gained IRS recognition under Clinton.

Clinton was known to shake down countries for diplomatic access,

I'm sure any fake religion could come up with enough bent nickels to arrange a favorable ruling at the behest of Clinton.

[OneHun]

”…be recognized as a legitimate religion, teaches that technology can expand the mind and help solve problems.”

Worshiping the technology to expand the mind to solve problems? Why am I thinking of Frankenstein?

[antiRepublicrat]

A religion? I'm pretty accepting when it comes to people forming religions, but this is ridiculous. It was a profit-making scheme based on an unpublished science fiction story. To top it off, I've read quite a few of Hubbard's sci-fi books, and this whole Xenu story is by far the worst.

So the "religion" isn't just based on sci-fi, but bad sci-fi.

[freekitty]

This is good news. I wonder how much money they are going to bribe them with?

[doc30]

A religion? I'm pretty accepting when it comes to people forming religions, but this is ridiculous. It was a profit-making scheme based on an unpublished science fiction story. To top it off, I've read quite a few of Hubbard's sci-fi books, and this whole Xenu story is by far the worst.

I thought that Scientology was something L. Ron Hubbard invented it order to win a bet that he could start his own religion.

[Left2Right]

Xenu is pleased!!

[antiRepublicrat]

I thought that Scientology was something L. Ron Hubbard invented it order to win a bet that he could start his own religion.

So the story goes. It has some credence. But in any case he based his fake religion on his worst sci-fi work and then turned it into a money-making machine. He always thought he wasn't paid enough as an author.

[Bones75]

In any case, we Raelians have no opinion whatsover on the matter. We just wanna get our groove on... that’s not a problem with anyone, is it? ;-)

[ArrogantBustard]

I better be careful, here. I don't want to be herded into a space-faring DC-8, then stuffed into a volcano, then nuked.

That would be unpleasant.

[ArrogantBustard]

I've read quite a few of Hubbard's sci-fi books, and this whole Xenu story is by far the worst.

I read "Battlefield Earth" ... there was a nice little novella lurking somewhere in that vast tome. What Hubbard needed more than anything else was an editor.