Scientology and Society

How does Scientology affect society at large?

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Scientology and Drugs

What does Scientology teach about medical drugs? What about psychiatric drugs?

Tax Court Denies Scientology-Like Deduction for Jewish Courses

December 21, 2005: The US Tax Court rules against Michael and Maria Sklar, who were seeking the right to deduct the cost of their children's religious education, a right that the IRS grants only to Scientologists.

Scientology and Society in the News

Datesort icon Title Blurb Tags
December 9, 1993 Cult Prosecuted Over Safety of Commune Scientology, one of Britain's largest cults, is being prosecuted by a local authority for failing to ensure one of its largest communes is safe for human habitation. The Independent has been leaked documents from the church headquarters that show it may have misled safety inspectors over the number of adults and children living in the commune. The cult has persistently denied overcrowding in any of these communes and says they are fit for human habitation. It has, however, been confirmed that environmental health officers from Mid-Sussex are prosecuting the cult for failing to keep Stonelands, one of its largest communes, safe. London, Press, Scientology and Society
November 21, 1993 Exempted, Not Vindicated David Miscavige, chairman of the board for Scientology's "Religious Technology Center," said recently that the IRS decision to grant his corporate empire a tax exemption was "a major victory for us." He added: "We were under siege. ... Now we've been vindicated." His smugness aside, the business of Scientology, which is to sell vulnerable people counseling services at rates up to $800 an hour, was not vindicated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. It was merely exempted from taxation. David Miscavige, IRS, Press, Scientology and Society
October 21, 1993 Scientology Sells... And Profits -- IRS Files Shed Light On Church's Finances It pays to pitch Scientology, according to earnings reports the church has filed with the Internal Revenue Service. One man averaged almost $200,000 a year in commissions from the fees of new members he had solicited to become Scientologists. The church gives its proselytizers 10 to 15 percent of what newcomers "donate" for church services. IRS, Press, Scientology and Society
October 21, 1993 Clearwater to Keep Battling Scientology The city is still fighting the Church of Scientology. Despite a strongly worded recent court decision in favor of Scientology, city commissioners have decided to continue the decade-long legal battle over a rule that would let the city police the organization's financial records. Commissioner Fred Thomas said he was annoyed by the scores of letters sent by Scientologists to lobby him before the Tuesday meeting. He called one letter "threatening" and said it amounted to a "declaration of war" against the city. IRS, Press, Scientology and Society
October 20, 1993 Advertising: Church of Scientology to Launch Campaign to Improve Its Image The Church of Scientology, having just won tax-exempt status after a bitter, decades-long battle with the Internal Revenue Service, is now ready to take on media critics in a major promotional campaign to try to mend its public image. The church has responded aggressively to its portrayal by news organizations in the past. After Time ran its cover story titled "Scientology: The Cult of Greed," the church ran expensive inserts in USA Today, in an attempt to discredit the Time story. Press, Scientology and Society
October 17, 1993 The Church and the Magazines Premiere magazine ran an 8,700-word piece examining the growing influence of Scientology in the entertainment industry. The piece zeroed in on the activities at the church's Celebrity Centre, outlining some of the members who've come and gone, others who've stayed - and why. The article also goes into Scientology's history of threatening to sue people and businesses it views as adversaries. There are positive statements from believers too, though they figure less frequently. Celebrities, Press, Scientology and Society
April 20, 1992 Scientologists Cited For Crowded Apartments The Church of Scientology has been cited by city building officials for overcrowding in apartments. In recent inspections, city officials determined that 34 apartments were overcrowded at Scientology's Hacienda Gardens complex. Housing inspectors said they found as many as 10 beds in an apartment, and said beds often were set up not only in the bedrooms but in the living and dining rooms of the apartments. crimes, Press, Scientology and Society
November 11, 1991 They Took Our Lives Within two years, Tom and Carol spent $60,000 on the church, according to a lawsuit. They traveled to Clearwater for Scientology counseling and spent virtually all of their free time on the church. They signed billion-year contracts and prepared to move the family to Los Angeles. Their experience is not unusual. When parents plunge into Scientology, critics say, children often are swept along and family life takes a back seat. Clearwater, Press, Scientology and Society
October 1, 1991 Scientology - A Dangerous Cult Goes Mainstream The Church of Scientology, started by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard to "clear" people of unhappiness, portrays itself as a religion. In reality, the church is a hugely profitable global racket that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner. At times during the past decade, revelations in the media and prosecutions against Scientology seemed to be curbing its menace. But now the group, which is trying to go mainstream, threatens to become insidious and pervasive than ever. Cynthia Kisser, David Miscavige, deaths, Dorothy Geary, front groups, L. Ron Hubbard, Margaret Singer, Noah Lottick, Press, Robert Geary, Scientology and Society, Vicki Aznaran
June 29, 1990 Los Angeles Times: Suits, Protests Fuel a Campaign Against Psychiatry The Ritalin controversy seemed to emerge out of nowhere. It frightened parents, put doctors on the defensive and suddenly called into question the judgment of school administrators who authorize the drug's use to calm disruptive, hyperactive children. The uproar over Ritalin was triggered almost single-handedly by the Scientology movement. Los Angeles, CA, Press, Scientology and Society

Scientology and Society in the News

Date Title Blurb Tags
December 21, 2005 Tax Court Denies Scientology-Like Deduction for Jewish Courses The US Tax Court rules against Michael and Maria Sklar, who were seeking the right to deduct the cost of their children's religious education, a right that the IRS grants only to Scientologists. court rulings, Scientology and Society