They should nuke the Church of Scientology

[NewWorldRecord]

Although in some countries it has attained legal recognition as a religion,[12] the church has been the subject of a number of controversies, and has been described by its critics as both a cult and a commercial enterprise.[13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology

If i see a picture of John Travolta or Tom Cruise on the ground, i'll step on it.

Pictured: John Travolta and Tom Cruise at opening of Church of Scientology "Super Power" building

18 Nov 2013 23:01

The actors joined thousands of fellow members at the dedication of the enormous headquarters in Florida

John Travolta and Tom Cruise at the opening of the new Church of Scientology HQ

Church of Scientology Dedicates New Flag Building

Hollywood A-listers John Travolta and Tom Cruise have attended the opening of the Church of Scientology's new "Super Power" building.

The actors were pictured applauding warmly alongside thousands of others as leader David Miscavige gave a short speech at the headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.

The enormous Flag Building has seven storeys and will reportedly be the only place scientologists can take part in the church's "Super Power" programme.

An estimated 6,000 scientologists attended the ceremony which was heavily-guarded by security personnel.

First advanced by church founder L. Ron Hubbard in the 1970s, this will allow scientologists to "create a new world".

The training regime involves using special machines to hone what Hubbard calls "perceptics".

He has been quoted as saying the Super Power "is the answer to a sick, a dying and dead society. With it, we literally revive the dead."

Church activists have been fundraising for the huge building since the 1990s.

According to the St Petersburg Times, the project has raised around $145million.

 

[B Man]

Out of curiosity, I went to their "church" in SF one weekend and spent a couple of hours with a very pleasant young woman discussing the "religion" and their beliefs.

They do have their merits and I can see why the old world religions are feeling threatened. I would rather rate this as a following based on facts and knowledge rather than a religion based on pure blind faith.

I am interested to see how this following evolves as its still in its infancy stages and growing..

 

[NewWorldRecord]

Church of Scientology 'investigated by FBI'

The Church of Scientology is being investigated by the FBI over allegations of human trafficking, it has been claimed.

The Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida Photo: AP

By Jon Swaine, New York
12:09AM GMT 08 Feb 2011

The controversial and secretive group – whose celebrity backers include the actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta – has effectively been accused of enslaving members.

FBI agents are said to have interviewed defectors across the US about the techniques used by church leaders to control members' lives and track down those who attempt to leave.

The leader of the church, David Miscavige – who was best man at Cruise's wedding in 2006 – is accused of repeated violence towards staff and members, which he has denied.

Much of his alleged violence is said to have taken place at Gold Base, a church headquarters in the Californian desert, which houses 800 members of Sea Org, its religious order.

Mr Miscavige is also accused of living the lifestyle of a "Hollywood star", spanning personal chefs and a fleet of cars, despite it being illegal for the head of a tax exempt organisation to receive perks and high pay.

The claims were made in an extensive investigation into the church by Lawrence Wright, a highly-respected and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, in the New Yorker magazine.

He was given details of the church's internal workings by defectors including Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, who quit in 2009 over its opposition to gay marriage.

Mr Miscavige "expected Scientology leaders to instill aggressive, even violent, discipline" at Gold Base, Wright reports, citing court papers.

Those who stepped out of line are reported to have been sent to "The Hole", a confinement area in which they were made to confess and fight over the right to remain at the base.

Others were allegedly beaten, sentenced to manual labour or declared a "Suppressive Person" – effectively an internal enemy.

Meanwhile members who “failed to fulfill their ecclesiastical responsibilities” were sent to "punitive re-education camps", Wright reports.

Wright reports that Valerie Venegas and Tricia Whitehill, agents from the FBI's office in Los Angeles devoted to fighting human trafficking, have been investigating the group.

While federal trafficking laws are typically used to tackle forced prostitution, they also apply to slave labour, defined by conditions such as imprisonment and psychological abuse.

Haggis and other defectors complain about the church's policy of "disconnection", under which they are allegedly told to disown friends and family who criticise Scientology.

Wright reports that California law states that "being afraid or unable to talk, because of censorship by others or security measures" is one indication of human trafficking.

Another sign, according to California law, is "working in one place without the freedom to move about".

A former head of security at Gold Base told Wright that a special unit was formed to prevent members leaving, and brought more than 100 people who had tried to flee back to the base.

"When emotional, spiritual, or psychological pressure failed to work," Wright reports, "physical force was sometimes used to bring escapees back." Special Agent Whitehill reportedly kept the investigation secret from colleagues in Florida, where she carried out an interview, in case the regional FBI office had been infiltrated by Scientologists.

The church attempted to dismiss the allegations as the work of "discredited individuals" who held a grudge against them. It denies all claims of violence and punishments at the base.

In a statement, it said the article was "little more than a regurgitation of old allegations that have long been disproved," adding: "The Church has never been advised of any government investigation.

"Moreover, the subject of the alleged investigation was recently raised in a lawsuit by the same individuals who are the sources for the article and the complaint was resoundingly dismissed by a Federal District Court Judge." Laura Eimiller, a spokesman for the FBI's Los Angeles office, said: "The FBI does not confirm or deny investigations. Special Agents Venegas and Whitehill did not respond to requests for comment.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

CHC trumps them....so many celebs only raised 145 million (even if its USD)...CHC managed to con 330 million.

 

[andrewteo]

CHC trumps them....so many celebs only raised 145 million (even if its USD)...CHC managed to con 330 million.

Knn who talking about me again?

 

[laksaboy]

Singapore is no stranger to these 'new religions'.


[video=youtube;EkF0ALh6VYI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkF0ALh6VYI[/video]

 

[NewWorldRecord]

Tom Cruise: I didn’t see Suri for 110 days; Scientology made Katie Holmes flee

In a stunning Sept. 9 deposition, Cruise confessed that Holmes dumped him to spare their daughter, Suri, now 7, from the sect, and also admitted that he only saw his daughter 10 times between the middle of June and Thanksgiving. The admission was sparked by a $50 million lawsuit accusing Life & Style and In Touch magazines of defaming him in 2012 stories claiming he'd 'abandoned' Suri.

BY BILL HUTCHINSON / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

PUBLISHED: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013, 8:12 PM
UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013, 11:05 AM

SARA JAYE WEISS/SARA JAYE WEISS

In a shocking deposition, Tom Cruise admits that Katie Holmes dumped him to protect their daughter, Suri, from Scientology.

Tom Cruise has admitted in an explosive court deposition that actress Katie Holmes fled their marriage to protect their daughter from Scientology.

Cruise confessed that Holmes dumped him to spare their now 7-year-old daughter, Suri, from the celebrity-centric religion, according to the deposition, obtained by RadarOnline.

The “Mission: Impossible” star’s stunning deposition was sparked by his $50 million lawsuit accusing Life & Style and In Touch magazines of defaming him in cover stories in 2012 claiming he had “abandoned” his daughter.

In the Sept. 9 faceoff with lawyers of the magazines’ parent company, Bauer Media, Cruise admitted he did not see his daughter for 110 days following his split with Holmes, RadarOnline reported.

He said he only saw his child 10 times between the middle of June until Thanksgiving.

But he said he would often call his daughter and tell her stories over the phone.

In the Sept. 9 faceoff with lawyers, Cruise said that Suri (pictured), who is now 7, was not currently practicing Scientology. AMES DEVANEY/WIREIMAGE

“You have to work at it,” Cruise snapped back at the accusations of being a bad parent.

But the lawyer, Elizabeth McNamara, shot back, “It really doesn’t substitute for being able to be there does it?”

Cruise admitted, “No, it doesn’t.

After some questioning, Cruise finally admits to lawyers that Katie Holmes (right) indicated that one of the reasons she left the marriage was to protect Suri from Scientology. JAMES DEVANEY/WIREIMAGE

“As I said, I’ve gotten pretty good at communicating and I also find that, you know, Suri, you know, is a very happy child and confident and has a good sense of herself.”

Cruise, 51, also lashed out when asked if his religion played a role in breaking up his five-year marriage.

“Listen, I find that question offensive,” Cruise exploded, according to a 36-page deposition transcript. “I find it, those statements offensive. Like with any relationship, there are many different levels to it. You know, I, I find it very offensive. There is no need to protect my daughter from my religion.”

Cruise initially told lawyers that there was "no need" to protect Suri (right) from Scientology, but then admitted that the sect was a concern of ex-wife Katie Holmes (left). SPLASH NEWS/SPLASH NEWS

But when pressed to answer the question, Cruise reluctantly revealed what many have speculated since the couple’s sudden split in 2012.

“And Ms. Holmes has never indicated in any way that was one of the reasons she left you? ... To protect Suri from Scientology?” the Bauer attorney asked.

Finally, Cruise admitted, “Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.”

In a followup question, the magazines’ attorney asked, “Is Suri currently practicing Scientology?”

Cruise answered, “No.”

The magazine’s lawyers grilled Cruise about Scientology rules that consider a person who publicly renounces the religion as a “suppressive person” and a castout by other Scientologists.

“That is a distortion and a simplification of the matter,” Cruise snapped. “I don’t want to just give an oversimplification of religious doctrine.”

But when confronted with Scientology’s definition of a “suppressed person” taken form the organization’s website, Cruise admitted that it was an apt description.

Cruise and Holmes’ divorce was finalized on June 29, ending what had initially appeared to be a fairy-tale union.

“I didn’t expect it,” Cruise told the German TV network ProSieben in April.

“To be 50 and to have experiences and to think you have a grip on everything, and then it hits you — this is it, what life can do to you,” he said. “Life is a tragicomedy. You need to have a sense of humor.”

 

[Devil Within]

So long as they don't believe in invisible man and you don't kill in his name, it's fine by me provided they remains private and don't force non-believers to abide to their rules or laws.

 

[Physiocrat]

All religions should go. That includes the religion of money , nationalism and science.

Any form of Dogmas be it introduced under the name of national security or economic laws should be totally smashed.