| Today | All Users | Verified Voters |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 38.5% | n/a |
| No | 61.5% | n/a |
| All | 13 | 0 |
Democracy In Your Hands.
Should Scientology be disbanded?
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Description & Updates
It is not a religion. It is a cult that draws upon the weak of mind. But legally it has a right to exists in America. The FBI have a lot of "unsolved murders/suicides" attached to Scientology and Germany has straight out-lawed it. Should we do the same or leave it be?
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The exercise clause was written specifically to protect the religious practices, doctrines, of individuals and groups etc. from those who would force the opinions of others. Using the government as a club to destroy organizations with which you happen to disagree is a direct violation of constitutional rights. And once that club comes out against one organization, it’s a slippery slope. What organization is then safe from some future popular opinion swing? The convictions of members of any organization would thereafter be subject to the capricious rule of public opinion and fashion. The rights of some individuals must never be subject to another group of individuals, whatever their number. That is a founding principle of freedom.
The strength of an individual’s mind, and what that individual chooses to do with it, is his/her own responsibility, not the government’s or yours. Respect for and protection of the individual’s right to choose is the only proper form of government. If you want to weaken Scientology, the only choice you have is not to join, and to publish whatever true information you know to try to convince the minds of others. Anything beyond that is driven by a lust to control the lives of others, which is likely the very vice for which you disapprove of Scientology.
I strongly disagree with the doctrine, principles and practices of Scientology. I also happen to disagree with the doctrine, principles and practices of many other faiths. It is my right to do so, but it is their right to continue in their ways, even if it makes me angry. Should we disband Islam because some if it’s adherents happen to make bad and even murderous decisions? Absolutely not. Punish the guilty, but never try to control the freedom of conscience.
furfreiheit, for the most part, well said. if the organization has secrets, it can’t be operating in the good interest of the general public. Can a hierarchal system really be religious anyway? i would more readily attribute that characteristic to a cult. LDS , Free masonry etc. Then again sheep need direction too. does God keep secrets? somethings may very well be beyond our capacity but logic maintains, a corrupt organization operates like a corrupt organization, and in the case of Scientology, you can read it in the news.
We should enact a Religious Institute Transparency act that forces any church to provide a written offer to disclose on demand (1) text of, or relating to, the religion’s doctrine and the church’s mission statement; (2) a financial report detailing who donated the money (except insignificant donations), what is the budget, and how the money is eventually spent; (3) names and public contact information of the institute’s officers and their biographies.
Failing these requirements, an institute would no longer qualify as a religious institute for tax purpose. Furthermore, whatever registry office that handles registration of business and organization names would prohibit the institute from calling itself a religious institute or using terms that imply so, such as “church.”
Copyright law also needs to be modified so we compulsorily grant copyright of text or any work defining a religion’s doctrine to anyone.
It would be interesting if a law could frame Scientology as a medical institute, and prosecute them for using medicine and devices that are not FDA approved.
My proposal does not directly disband Scientology, but hopefully addresses many issues they have caused in the past. The goal is to force them to become better citizens, or disappear.
If I take this question to mean, “Should the government disband Scientology?”, then my answer is no. I don’t see just cause yet. The individuals responsible for past crimes have been convicted, and this is how it will continue.
I am, however, for people hearing the truth about the Church of Scientology, but that is a personal issue, not a government issue.
Every INSTITUTION draws upon “the weak of mind” (I am using here the words in the description). Who would be left if someone was given the power to disband groups from having the right to exist? When we speak religion or cult aren’t we merely arguing degrees of indoctrination?