“The Church of Scientology is expected to come under closer scrutiny over the coming days.
The Senate is preparing to vote on a possible inquiry into alleged abuses against Australians which have occurred within the organisation.
Tonight’s Four Corners program details claims of mistreatment and allegations that some women were pressured to have abortions.
Former members in Australia and in the United States have spoken openly for the first time about their lives in the Church.
Scientology has denied their claims but their stories raise more questions about whether the Church of Scientology should keep its status as a tax free charity.
Emily Bourke compiled this report.
EMILY BOURKE: The former members of the Church of Scientology who’ve spoken out were members of an elite religious unit known as the Sea Organisation.
One former Sea Org member whose identity will be revealed in tonight’s Four Corners program has detailed allegations of a strict regime of discipline and punishment in place during the 1960s.
SEA ORG MEMBER: I mean looking back I, you know, I deeply regret my, even my fringe participation in some of the things that went on. And I’m ashamed of some of them.
People were thrown overboard. Hands bound and feet bound and blindfolded. You know women of 55-years-old, you know, for, for, for running a process incorrectly. A counselling technique incorrectly in a, in a auditing session, you know.”
Read more at ABC News (thanks, Fosca)
This is the lot that actually require their members to PAY to be brainwashed and they hold the status of tax-free charity?
Audit the bugga’s…audit them HARD.
Makes me proud to be Australian. Thanks, Senator Xenophon.
http://www.whyweprotest.net is a site which might be of interest to those in favour of exposing the secrets of this evil cult.
Let’s hope they will check all these stories correctly. Although that may be difficult at times.
So, the same as every other church then, wot? Eh Jeeves?
Scientology poses a real challenge for secularists (atheists who like to keep religion in its rightful place): on the one hand, most religions are capable of doing as much bad as good, but people still wrongly treat them as something inherently good. On the other hand you have Scientology, which seemingly only does bad things. No-one seems to have an acid test for organisations in the religious space, to objectively grade them good-neutral-bad in terms of their damage to or positive contributions to society.
Religions judge other religions according to their theology, which misses the point. One should be able to judge good or evil according to the damage such groups do to people rather than how “true” their beliefs are seen to be.
Actually makes me slightly jealous…. I’d be happy to get paid for people to follow my cult of personality, I’m that skint and desperate right now…
Quite frankly, I’d like all religious institutions have their “rights” to tax exemption questioned. As far as I can tell, scientology just seems weird because it’s new.
this is just a witch hunt. Stupid people decide to be a part of some weird shit that is not for them and then they blame others for problems that occur. Take responsibilities for you actions!
Boris says:
“this is just a witch hunt.”
I suppose claims that catholic priests engaged in pedophile behaviour was just a witch hunt?
It’s not what you believe, it’s how you behave.