Scientology Lawsuit

I'll start by saying, I'm all for Religious freedom. But, if some aspect of a religious practice is deemed by larger society to be criminal, then I feel the law should be enforced. An example most people can Grok would be human sacrifice - we wouldn't let someone cut out the hearts of their neighbors, and say it was okay because it was part of an Aztec ceremony.

Applying a similar common-sense logic, France recently convicted (of Fraud) several high members of the Church of Scientology, fining them almost $600,000 each, and giving them suspended 2-year sentences. Source.

"It's an empty case," Roux said. "It's run like an Inquisition, (as) if some people did not wake up from the Inquisition time."

Apparently this Roux person isn't terribly keen on history. You see, during the Inquisition, they didn't just take your ill-gotten-gains and tell you that if you did it again they'd lock you up. No, in addition to taking your money and property, the inquisitors would actually torture you, and they didn't stop till you'd renounced your religion. If you had children, the Inquisitors would baptize them, and then take them away to be raised by "a proper Christian family". All that was done without due process, or bail, or a reliable appeals process, or any chance of Amnesty International trying to intervene. Point being, the French courts may be stiff, but they're nothing like the Inquisition.*

Of course, anyone who feels persecuted about their religion is going to feel, well, persecuted. So perhaps a little hyperbole can be understood and tolerated. I know I go way overboard with my metaphors all the time, so why can't they?

Thankfully, the article goes on to explain what the court ruled to be Fraud:

The plaintiffs focused their complaints on the use of a device that Scientologists say measures spiritual well-being. Members used the electropsychometer, or E-Meter, to "locate areas of spiritual duress or travail so they can be addressed and handled," according to Scientology's Web site.

The plaintiffs said that, after using the device, they were encouraged to pay for vitamins and books. They said that amounted to fraud.

That has some real potential for fitting a legal definition of Fraud. If the device doesn't actually measure well-being, and the prosecutor can show the defendant knows it, then anything they "prescribe" based on it would be fraudulent. That seems to be what the courts decided, if I'm parsing articles correctly, and that seems pretty legit to me. You can't lie to someone and tell them they've got cancer just so that you can sell them the cancer remedy - even if you're doing it "for God". There's some grey area between faith healing and medical advice, and I can see where someone might have a hard time figuring out where they are in that spectrum.*

The solution for Scientology is simple - it's what all the other religions do. Quit charging for the "Communion Wafers". If you just pass a plate around, people will still give you more money than you could ever deserve, and you're probably not breaking a law.* The faithful will still shame each other into donating more than they can really afford. The truth is, you're not being persecuted for your beliefs, you're being prosecuted for trying to get rich off of gullibility*. I know it doesn't feel fair to you, 'cause I mean, look at the Vatican. But those dudes have been grandfathered in to the system. Openly attempting to be more ruthless businessmen than them won't win you any converts, especially not in today's economy and political climate.

Just sayin'.




*: I'm not a lawyer, so what do I know?