Australian Senator Says Scientology is a Criminal Organization
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is now charged with the task of investigating claims that Scientology is a criminal organization that has sanctioned beatings, imprisonments, forced abortions, sexual abuse and fraud. Those sensational claims were made by South Australian senator Nick Xenophon.
After having received letters from eight former Scientology followers who described to him a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality, Xenophon is pushing for an investigation.
Rudd commented:
These are grave allegations. Many people in Australia have real concerns about Scientology. I share some of those concerns."
However, he added that he did not want to rushy into any judgment on the claims:
"We would like to proceed in a cautious and methodical way in examining those matters...and then we'll decide what, if further, parliamentary action is necessary."
Naturally, the Church of Scientology in Australia has denied teh allegations, describing them as a coordinated effort to discredit the church. They have said, however, that they will cooperate with police if a formal investigation is indeed launched.
Sen. Xenophon, who is an independent member of Australia's upper house, used his parlimentary privlege to make the claims, which he says he referred to the police. He pointed out the claims of the church sanctioning coerced abortions, assault, imprisonment, covering up sexual abuse, embezzlement of funds and blackmail.
Speaking before the Senate, Xenophon said:
"In my view this is a two-faced organisation. There is the public face of an organisation...that claims to offer guidance and support to its followers and there is the private face of an organisation that abuses its followers and viciously targets its critics - and seems largely driven by paranoia.
Scientology is not a religious organisation - it is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious belief."
Xenophon produced several letters, one of which was from a Western Australia man - Aaron Saxton. Saxton admits to having conducted torture and blackmail while working for the Church of Scientology for seven years beginning in 1989 in both Australia and its U.S. headquarters. He claims to have assisted in "the forced confinement and torture" of a female church member kept under house arrest for a month in New South Wales. His letter also said "Several abortions were ordered as well," and added that "The staff that got pregnant were taken into offices and put under duress." Saxton said victims were always in fear because they were led to believe that they'd be kicked out of the church and severed from their families. Saxton also noted, "We had one staff member who used a coat hanger and self-aborted her child," adding that all of her files were destroyed.
Carmel Under, a former executive director of the church's Sydney branch, made claims that the church covered up child abuse. She claims that in the mid-1980s a trainee Scientologist counsellor was molesting his stepdaughter, but church officials persuaded the girl to lie about the abuse to welfare officials.
After presenting these letters and claims to the Senate, the Church of Scientology accused him of "outrageous abuse" of parliamentary privilege:
"Senator Xenophon is obviously being pressured by disgruntled former members who use hate speech and distorted accounts of their experiences in the church. They are about as reliable as former spouses are when talking about their ex-partner."
In October, the Church of Scientology in France was convicted of fraud and fined more than one million dollars. Prosecutors in Paris were told that the only reason the cult was not banned from France completely because it would carry on regardless "outside a legal framework."
A number of high-profile celebrities are members of the Church of Scientology, including Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, John Travolta, Priscilla Presley, and Kirstie Alley.
Comments
And...?
What religion ISN'T a criminal organization? There is not a single one historically devoid of fraud, terrorism, rape and genocide.
Scientology is a nasty criminal organization
Memo to Dave Sideserf: While religions have "historically" done horrible things, as you say, it is when a "religion" is doing this NOW that we have a chance to stop it. Scientology is a vicious mind-control cult and international criminal organization. It needs to be stopped, and its IRS tax exemption (obtained through blackmail and 2500+ private lawsuits against individual IRS commissioners) REVOKED. See http://www.xenu-directory.net to learn more.
Here we are again
I've noticed that someone always leaps in and posts a "Hey, all religions are bad" conversation-stopper in the comments of any story involving Scientology. This happens so often that I suspect that Scientology's Internet PR squad is behind it.
It's a weak excuse for criminal actions, akin to "But mom, all the kids are doing it!"
No
Why target a single religion that has done wrong? Why not hold all accountable equally?
And history of other religions' wrongdoings don't go back that far. Regarding Chrstianity, it has been less than a decade since the Vatican granted amnesty to all those who were charged with molestation charges that go back at least fifty years. Is this not criminal?
Thank You Cleveland
I hope this story sweeps thru American news papers. I am enbarassed that a Senator in Australia had to bring these facts to our attention. And that our government has allowed this Cult t flourish. It's about time our government wakes up to the crimes that the Scientology Organization is hiding behind it's so called Religion.
"This happens so often that
"This happens so often that I suspect that Scientology's Internet PR squad is behind it."
You hit the nail on the head, the stealth Scientologists
love that moral equivalency argument.
Scientology overcomes criminal government abuse and gains religi
History is replete with criminal government campaigns against new religions, such as the persecution of early Christians by the Roman Empire. And the more new religious ideas grow, the more intense such efforts at repression become. Due to its unprecedented worldwide growth and as the only major religion to emerge in the 20th century, in some countries Scientology has had to fight to protect its religious freedom.
In the 1960s, three states in Australia enacted repressive legislation that essentially made it a crime to practice Scientology in those states. Once the false allegations against the religion were repudiated, these discriminatory laws became a major embarrassment to the Australian government—so much so a former Australian Senator and Deputy Premier of Western Australia traveled to the United States in
1976 to attend the Churches of Scientology International Prayer Day and apologized to all members of the Church, stating that the actions against Scientology had been the “blackest day in the political history of Western Australia.”
Subsequently, Scientology was fully recognized by the Australian High Court, which came to the “irresistible” conclusion that Scientology is a religion. Today, this landmark decision forms the basis for determining what a religion is for purposes of Australian and New Zealand charity law and has become the standard for courts and governments throughout the Commonwealth.
Scientology operates freely all over the world and has hundreds upon hundreds of religious recognitions from courts and government administrative bodies. The Church of Scientology has been formally recognized as a religion in the following countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgystan, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Philippines, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, United States, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
The most recent notable decisions include the following:
On October 1, 2009, the European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously in favor of two Scientology religious groups in Russia, finding that they have the right to be registered as religious organizations under Russian law. This decision determines that members of the Church of Scientology of Surgut and the Church of Scientology of Nizhnekamsk have the right to religious freedom and freedom of association pursuant to Articles 9 and 11 of the European Human Rights Convention.
On April 5, 2007, in another landmark decision, the European Court of Human Rights found that Scientology constitutes a religious community entitled to be registered as a religious organization, enunciating a principle binding on all 47 Member States that comprise the Council of Europe.
On September 18, 2007, the Church of Scientology of Portugal was officially recognized as a religious organization under that country’s new religious registration law.
On December 3, 2007, the South African Revenue Service granted the Church of Scientology the status of a Public Benefit Organization as a religious entity with full tax exemption.
Spain is a perfect example of a country in which Scientology battled for decades against official persecution and discrimination and achieved full vindication and religious recognition. In October 2007, the National Court in Madrid affirmed the rights of Scientology parishioners and Church organizations to religious freedom in Spain. The Church of Scientology was officially entered in the National Register of Religions of Spain in December 2007, amid broad public fanfare, with the media announcing, “Scientology is no longer a sect.”
Today while there is still some official discrimination targeting Scientologists and the Church of Scientology, nowhere is Scientology prohibited from practicing its faith. In 2009 the countries that engage in official discrimination against Scientologists can be counted on one hand while the other countries in which Scientologists are active—all 165 of them—allow Scientologists to practice their religion without interference. Moreover, even in these few countries that still engage in religious intolerance targeting Scientologists and other minority faiths, the acts of governmental officials must be placed in the context of the actual facts there—in each and every one of them, Scientology is growing at a speed unprecedented for any religion in modern times. While a few governments may be trying to impede the religion, the people certainly are not.
For more information: www.scientologynews.org
I am Scientologist and those are fabricated lies
I am Scientologist and those are fabricated lies by people which harmed Scientology organization in one way of other. When one is working in the organization, one is working in environment of fellows with many helping hands, and one get help in many areas of life. We have ethics system, by which, no member of organization would get canceled his contract unless they commit serious crimes. If they do only small mistakes, they get corrected and someone is assigned to help them. When one actually leaves organization and makes such allegations, those are by my careful and detailed observation 100% of those which committed crimes and which could not simply fit into group of ethical, nice and friendly people.
If they would leave good Samaritans, they would complain about them and make same allegations. That is same kind of people, which one can find in any organization and in any group.
By my eyes, I have seen Scientologist from all over the world, and I never observed the allegations which Mr. Xenophon talks about. I also think it is not his function to place false allegations against religion.
I don't think his
I don't think his allegations are false, at least not all of them. A lot of similar stories have been told by other ex-members and I don't think they're all unreliable either. Something is rotten in this organization. I support Xenophon and if you do too, you can sign an online petition stating as much:
http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/32251.html
Post new comment