December 19, 2005XS4ALL wins court case against Scientology, Telecom Paper, Netherlands
The legal battle that the Church of Scientology has conducted against Dutch ISP XS4ALL and Karin Spaink has come to an end...
Tom Cruise studied intensively at the remote compound near Hemet while becoming a passionate messenger for the church...
December 20, 2005 Scientology: believers and skeptics, Letters, Los Angeles Times, California
Re "At Inland Base, Scientologists Trained Top Gun," Dec. 18
...Only much later did anyone learn that the buyer � which paid $2.78 million and went by the names Scottish Highland Quietude Society and Western States Scientific Assn. � was really the Church of Scientology...
The legal battle that the Church of Scientology has conducted against XS4ALL and Karin Spaink reached its grand finale today. The Dutch Supreme court dismissed Scientology's claims, which means that a decade of legal skirmishes has finally come to an end. The Supreme Court decided that the previous ruling, which was in favour of XS4ALL and Spaink, still holds. Scientology lost again. Freedom of speech prevailed over the alleged copyright of the Scientology Church, and Spaink can quote from Scientology's higher - and supposedly secret - course levels.
In July this year, a few days before the Supreme Court was to rule upon the case, Scientology suddenly dropped its appeal. XS4ALL and Spaink formally objected this withdrawal: it is a known Scientology tactic to draw out its legal battles, and to suddenly drop them when it appears that they will lose the case...
December 16, 2005Scientology: 0 - XS4ALL: 4 - Religion News Blog, Netherlands
The Dutch High Court has once again decided in favor of XS4ALL and Karin Spaink - and against the Church of Scientology...
Outspoken actor Tom Cruise has been criticized by firefighters suffering the effects of smoke inhalation from the World Trade Center terrorist attacks for his controversial views on their treatment...
Administrators should realize error and move quickly to protect students
University at Buffalo officials cannot pretend that what happens there isn't their responsibility when an organization that could be detrimental to students, like the Church of Scientology, leases space on campus...
A controversy has erupted at the University at Buffalo over the Church of Scientology's obtaining an office in The Commons, a privately operated space on the North Campus in Amherst near the Student Union.
UB contends it has no say in who rents space, and that it has an obligation to be tolerant of all views. Critics contend the administration is abrogating its responsibility to protect students by permitting a group some consider a cult to have a staging ground to recruit students...
CINCINNATI -- It is a church that critics believe is dangerous, but members say it's completely misunderstood. You may not realize it, but during this holiday season, a visit to the mall may come with an invitation to a religion that sparks passion and controversy.
Sylvia Stanard/Scientology Spokeswoman: "It's really the religion of religions."...
Scientology has come to UB, and as one might expect from the often-controversial religion, its new center in The Commons has some people on campus upset over the arrival.
Part of the concern has come from other religiously affiliated groups that point to Scientology's cult reputation...
November 12, 2005So, what's the dish on Tom?, By Rachel Abramowitz, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, California
Well, he's hired Paul Bloch, a publicist well known for his work with...
...Tom Cruise, America's favorite out-of-control movie star, announced his hiring this week, Hollywood was waiting to see whether the couch-hopping, psychiatry-bashing, Scientology-proselytizing genie could be stuffed back into the bottle....
"Scientology is just not like anything else," said Rev. Robert Castagna of the Church of Scientology in Boston on Tuesday night....
...Castagna's opening remarks set the stage for the night as he and his colleague and fellow Scientologist Erik Bayersdorfer attempted to answer many questions about the history and beliefs of the Church of Scientology...
...The event was sponsored by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College.
All the Tom Cruise hype aside, Scientology isn't merely alive and well in Buffalo, it's growing. And the next stop on the ambitious church's expansion is none other than UB's North Campus.
Theresa Reile, a Scientologist for 30 years and current president of the Church of Scientology of Buffalo, said the religion focuses the true self of one's spirit and she is eager for UB students to experience it for themselves.
Though UB has no clubs or organizations based on Scientology...
...Located on the second floor of The Commons, the center will provide information on Scientology, including classes and seminars, movies and profile quizzes to illustrate how Scientology helps people, Reile said...
...Arguably more than any other religious movement started in the 20th century, Scientology has had more than its share of controversy, clashing with governments and police in several countries while drawing the ire of academics for libel lawsuits amid allegations of criminal activities, brainwashing, and controversial deaths...
The Spectrum's article on the Church of Scientology ("Scientology center to open on campus," Nov. 2) in Wednesday's issue missed some important facts...
...They attempt to prosecute any leaks of information through spurious copyright and media protection lawsuits...
...The sleek, clean profile that the Church of Scientology gets from its celebrity members is not its true face. The title of a Time Magazine article in 1991 on the Church was "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power." This does not describe a group we want to welcome onto our campus...
November 7, 2005Students should beware of Scientology�s background, DALENE M. AYLWARD, University at Buffalo, Convener, Campus Minister, Letter to the Editor, The Spectrum, University at Buffalo, New York
After reading the article about a Scientology Center coming to campus ("Scientology center to open on campus," Nov. 2), I felt the immediate need to inform students...
October 27, 2005Commentary, Science, by Dave Mosher, The Lantern, Ohio State University
...I included an article on Scientology in the Science Section last Thursday because of increasing efforts by Scientologists to share their beliefs with students on campus. Because our reading audience is comprised mostly of students, I felt it would be an interesting piece investigate the question, "What is so scientific about Scientology?"...
...The letters we received following the publication of this article highlighted the same issue we had brought up in the newsroom: The story lacked objectivity...
October 21, 2005 Scientology: Fact or fiction?, Her�n M�rquez, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota
A San Antonio middle school is under fire for trying to change the curriculum. Zachry Middle School tried to introduce a new way to help get students to learn with a kit called "Learning How To Learn."
The problem? The kit has a connection to a controversial religion called, scientology...
...The learning kit includes grammar books, dictionaries and teaching manuals based on the beliefs of L. Ron Hubbard...
..."We want to use the taxpayers money the best way we can. We don't think the purchase of these materials is the best way to use those funds" said NISD spokesman Pascual Gonzalez...
...The kits have been returned and the district is working to get all that money back. And from now on, all schools within the district have to get approval to change any part of the curriculum.
LOS ANGELES - City school officials were surprised to learn that the Church of Scientology was involved in a planned school event, a potential violation of the separation of church and state.
On Monday, teenagers from about 25 countries are to meet with students at Jordan High School in Watts for a human rights conference.
The gathering is part of a three-day event organized by a group called Youth for Human Rights International, which has close ties to the Church of Scientology...
October 1, 2005District Scrambles to Ensure Human Rights Event Is Religion-Free, By Joel Rubin, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, California
Officials were unaware of Scientology's role in the international forum at Jordan High in Watts.
Los Angeles city school officials were caught off guard this week by the Church of Scientology's role in an upcoming event at a South Los Angeles high school, which, while not illegal, is considered unusual.
On Monday, teenagers from about 25 countries are expected to meet with students at Jordan High School in Watts for a conference on human rights. The gathering is part of a three-day event organized by Youth for Human Rights International � a group with close ties to the Church of Scientology...
September/October 2005The Passion of Tom Cruise [EXCERPT], By Kim Masters, Radar Magazine
How the Church of Scientology seduced Hollywood�s billion-dollar man. An exclusive investigation.
St. Louis Public Schools will no longer participate in teacher training at a center affiliated with the Church of Scientology, the district's superintendent said Wednesday.
The district's teachers union had complained that several schools had sent teachers to training at the center in Spanish Lake, called Applied Scholastics International...
September 13, 2005Delve into Dianetics, By Tony Chiorazzi, Daily Trojan, University of Southern California
The visionary, sometimes controversial world of scientology is alive in L.A...
...For many Americans, Scientology is a cult. But is that fair?
Jesse Vilinsky, a Scientologist and junior majoring in theater, doesn't think so. "Whenever people ask me if Scientology is a cult - and they certainly have," said Vilinsky, "I just smile and chuckle and tell them 'No, we're not a cult. There are no sacrifices or ritual suicides.'"...
...The Rev. Elizabeth Davenport, associate dean of Religious Life...
...when evaluating the potential harm of a particular group, one should ask if the group exerts unreasonable behavior controls over its members and if the members of that group are expected to unquestionably adhere to those rules...
September 19, 2005Scientology not safe, Letters, Daily Trojan, Jesse Levin, Senior, Religion, International Relations, University of Southern California
This article is an entirely one-sided account of the Church of Scientology that paints too rosy an image of an organization that unabashedly indentures its members to a billion year contract ("Delve into Dianetics," Sept. 13). USC being the higher education institution that it is, I expect a little bit more attention to detail and research in the articles published by our newspaper...
...If you attended a fashion show that raised money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Clearwater last week, you may have found L. Ron Hubbard's "Way to Happiness" booklet in your goodie bag.
And if you're a judge, elected official or community leader in Florida, you might find a Scientology DVD in your mailbox. The church sent out 4,000 of the DVDs to officials statewide this week...
...What bothered Carl Lavender, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast, was that the booklets bore the insignia of the Boys & Girls Clubs on the cover and...
...Sigal noted that numerous organizations not related to Scientology already distribute the pamphlet and put their logos on the front, including other religious organizations, several chapters of the NAACP and the Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department...
A DRUG program run by Scientologists and labelled dangerous by medical authorities is being given free rein at dozens of Melbourne schools.
The controversial Narconon group gave a speech at Melbourne High on Sunday and has made classroom presentations at Melbourne schools including MacRobertson Girls High.
The group -- which does not disclose its Scientology background to schools...
July 24, 2005Scientology comes to town, By Virginia Linn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
New religion in Pittsburgh brings controversy, high hopes...
...the Pittsburgh office of the Church of Scientology, the controversial religious movement that recently captured international headlines when celebrity disciple Tom Cruise became increasingly public...
...Officials of the former Cult Awareness Network were quoted in a 1991 Time magazine special report ("The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power") that no group prompted more telephone pleas for help than did Scientology.
By the late 1990s, a lawsuit had forced the network into bankruptcy. The "new" network is run by the Foundation for Religious Freedom, which is connected to Scientology...
...But Scientology has much to thank Tom Cruise for as well. His glowing adherence to Scientology and the initiation of his bride-to-be, actress Katie Holmes, into the off-beat and oft-maligned system of beliefs has stirred a surge of interest.
The search engine company Lycos reported that "Scientology" had leaped into the top 50 search terms last week for the first time, hitting 37, marking a 260 percent increase in interest � a spike the company attributed to the Cruise-Holmes effect. In fact, said Lycos in a press release, Scientology was now the most-searched-for "ology," acing out the likes of geology, technology and astrology.
It's a reflection of how Hollywood's rich and famous generate positive buzz for Scientology, recognized by the federal government as a religious organization but denounced by critics as a cult that extracts tens of thousands of dollars from its followers....
Mailing address: CultsOnCampus.com
Post Office Box 11011
Carson, California 90749
United States
We welcome your comments.
Because of the volume of mail received, we cannot always give personal replies. Your comments and questions has helped to make the CultsOnCampus.com Web site what it is today. Thank you for your help.
