Thought some people might find this interesting:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091027/...ce_scientology

The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, has been active for decades in Europe, but has struggled to gain status as a religion. It is considered a sect in France and has faced prosecution and difficulties in registering its activities in many countries.
.
The original complaint in the case dates back more than a decade, when a young woman said she took out loans and spent the equivalent of euro21,000 on books, courses and ''purification packages'' after being recruited in 1998. When she sought reimbursement and to leave the group, its leadership refused. She was among three eventual plaintiffs.

Investigating judge Jean-Christophe Hullin spent years examining the group's activities, and in his indictment criticized what he called the Scientologists' ''obsession'' with financial gain and practices he said were aimed at plunging members into a ''state of subjection.''
The Church of Scientology teaches that technology can expand the mind and help solve problems. It claims 10 million members around the world, including celebrity devotees Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

I guess a court ruling is all that I need to know about Scientology...

It's pretty much what I suspected.

I suspect this ruling had Tom Cruise jumping up and down on his couch.

http://www.euronews.net/2009/10/27/f...-fraud-ruling/

The Scientology Church rejected the accusations of fraud and is expected to appeal. A spokeswoman said the facts had been misrepresented. “There’s been a complete misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of what Scientology is about,” she said.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/1..._n_335063.html


A spokeswoman for the French branch of Scientology, Agnes Bron, said the verdict was "an Inquisition of modern times," a reference to efforts to rout out heretics of the Roman Catholic Church in centuries past.


"It's really all bark and no bite," said the spokesman of the Church of Scientology International, Tommy Davis. "The church will emerge victorious on appeal." Speaking by telephone from New York, Davis said the Church of Scientology was prepared to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.


Defense lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve said during the trial that neither the Church of Scientology nor the six leaders on trial had gained financially from the group's practices.

Belgium, Germany and other European countries have been criticized by the U.S. State Department for labeling Scientology as a cult or sect and enacting laws to restrict its operations.

http://www.cesnur.org/testi/scient_EU_en.htm

This is an older case that the church won against the French government which has been obsessed with attempting to shut down Scientology for several years.

The 30 year war was financially backed on both sides by William of Orange & the Bank of Amsterdam. One of the 1st major war profiteers.

But true the Catholic Church, (the Holy Roman Empire) was looking for inroads back into England as H8 had thrown them out.

Currently in Germany the Catholic & Protestant Churches are OFFICIAL STATE religions funded by citizen tax dollars. Any NEW religion in Germany is often attacked on the basis of protected their established & vested interest. The French government attacks upon other religions have stemmed from Germany.

...and the price of tea in China is curently 50 yen a pint while Scientologists are still wacked out scam artists looking to bilk the gullible out of their money.....