Scientology – nicht aus Deutschland!

December 8, 2007, 8:41 pm; posted by
Filed under Articles, Featured, MC-B  | 2 Comments

I’m really not the biggest fan of Scientology. I know that’s probably hard to believe, but I personally think that Galactic Overlord Xenu is a little overrated. Sure, maybe he was king of the Galactic Confederacy 75 million years ago, but if you’re an evil overlord, you just don’t go around killing billions of your subjects with volcanoes and hydrogen bombs. It’s bad practice and it lowers morale across the empire.

Since I don’t like Scientology all that much, I should have been happy when I found out that the German government is considering declaring Scientology unconstitutional. However, in increasingly atheistic Europe, I worry that the grounds on which the Germans are considering banning Scientology (cult-like behavior and exploiting followers for financial gain) could easily be extended to Christianity from an outside observer’s perspective. Scientology has both of these characteristics to an absurd degree that no sect of Christianity with which I am familiar possesses, but give it a few decades.

If you’re not inside Christianity, there are parts that you won’t get. I was Christian from an early point in my life, and I still didn’t understand speaking in tongues or prophesying when I saw them. Unless lawmakers in Europe are themselves Christian or receive large amounts of electoral pressure from Christian groups, how can real, Spirit-fueled Christianity differentiate itself from cult movements? From my perspective, the Truth can triumph easily if people are willing to be God’s instruments, and national governments should not protect a follower of any religion, sect or cult from being “duped” unless that person normally has special protections against such things (children, the elderly, the infirm), even if it causes that person financial harm. What do you think? What threshold should be used to determine what components of religion (if any) should be regulated?


Comments

2 Comments to “Scientology – nicht aus Deutschland!”

  1. Steve on December 9th, 2007 9:13 pm

    For all Europe’s talk of enlightenment, their founding documents allow for disturbing constraints on speech and religion in the name of “tolerance.” Add this to the long list of reasons I prefer this side of the ocean, for although extensive freedom of religion may provide a breeding ground for cults, I don’t want my government trying to make some clumsy rule about what is or is not an appropriate mode of worship.

    Our American system, which requires registration and documentation for non-profit organizations that seek the tax benefits of ‘church’ status, provides the necessary protections to eliminate organizations that exist solely for the benefit of their founders, yet leaves bona fide religious groups alone to develop their own theology, even if it’s racist, sexist, homophobic, or just plain insane. These things are better defeated in a free marketplace of ideas.

  2. David on December 10th, 2007 11:23 am

    A couple hundred years ago they were killing pepole in Europe forthings like refusing to baptize infants or translating the Bible for the common man—and a scant 65 years ago for being Jewish. Government should not be in the business of regulating religion beyond the criminal code that all citizens fall under. Hopefully that does not become a tool for persecution but if does it only fulfills Jesus’ words that if they hated and persecuted him then we could expect the same.

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