«Forward I: For Scientology Adherents
"<The Scientology Church is in Truth not the
world's largest organization for mental health, but
the world's largest organization of unqualified
people. Its practice is a serious threat to society,
medically, morally and socially. Its adherents are
pitiable seducers and frequently mentally ill.>"
This quote originates from an Australian
parliamentary Report of Inquiry. The Scientology sect
wanted to stop the ABI from using this quote. The State
Court of Stuttgart expressed its opinion on the matter
([case #] 17 0 321/ 75). The sect appealed to the State
Superior Court, and subsequently withdrew its appeal.
The author of this booklet is of the opinion that the
booklet's contents will show why.
Only a fraction of the available material could be
processed for this booklet, and we have not, by any
means, sought out the especially crass cases. So that
the Scientology adherents will not have to read this
booklet to its end, let it be said here: the principle
of religious freedom does not grant the right to
continually violate other principles and laws. The
principle of religious freedom contains the right to
express oneself critically with a group which calls
itself a church and which claims the privileges of one.
Here is a promise: the ABI will be concerned with the
Scientology sect only until such time as the sect
adheres to applicable German law.
Forward II: For other ReadersThe ABI [Aktion
Bildungsinformation: Learning Information Campaign] is
involved with consumer protection on issues of
learning...
...and also with all companies and organizations
which sell instructions, courses, books and magazines.
That includes consumer information: the interested
party's information about price, contents and contract
agreement. That also includes review of advertisement.
Since 1965, consumer organizations have been
authorized to take action against violations of the law
against unfair competition (UWG: unlauter Wettbewerb
Gesetz). The UWG is, so to speak, the basic law of the
social business market: it is supposed to ensure
effectiveness of competition. The buyer should accept an
offer or buy a good because he is convinced of the offer
or because the good appeals to him. Not to escape
further annoyance. Because of this, accosting
pedestrians is against the UWG because the intention to
sell something is associated with the action. According
to the terminology of the UWG this behavior is a
counter-custom.
Prior to 1975, the ABI had taken action in response
to numerous such competition violations, primarily
against book clubs.
After the Scientology book sales people appeared on
the streets of Stuttgart, procedures against them became
a routine thing. The sect had filed, as they had
elsewhere, for a variance based on a statement to be
given later so they could could engage in street
advertisement and that would be the end of the matter.
The sect would not ever submit the statement, so the
matter would routinely come before the 17th chamber of
the Stuttgart State Court. This gave rise to a temporary
restraining order: street advertisement was prohibited
(case 17 0 285/75).
The Scientologists defended themselves in their own
way: they organized two street demonstrations. At the
first, about 15 demonstrators and a "clergyman" took
part. This was the same man who later took a young
Stuttgart lad to a loan shark so that he could take out
a DM 10,000 loan on 30% interest to pay for Scientology
courses. At the second demonstration about 50 people
participated, including two "clergymen." The
Scientologists can make the claim of holding the first
street demonstration ever against consumer protection
organizations.
Numerous banners were carried at this demonstration,
which led through downtown Stuttgart and ended on the
Alten Poststrasse: "ABI against Religious Freedom" could
be seen upon them, and "ABI = False Information
Campaign" and other similar niceties.
Photographs of this demonstration appeared in the
daily press. The Scientologists had probably not counted
on what effect that would have: on the basis of the
photographs the ABI instantly instituted proceedings
against the sect. The extent to which the organization
was willing to go had been made clear.
Forward III: About this bookletThis booklet is
not meant to replace anything which has previously been
written about Scientology. That includes the ABI
bulletins, which continue to be available. This booklet
presents much information which has not yet been
published in Germany. It includes court decisions from
France, England, and the USA:
the last especially. As of mid-November - as these
lines are being written - the sentence passed against
the sect bosses has not received one mention by the
German press.
The language in this booklet has undoubtedly suffered
from the reality of the situation. This has been to the
sect's advantage: no time has remained for smoothly
formulated phrases, such as are contained in the Feb.
15, 1978 edition of the French daily newspaper "L'Aurore".
They wrote about the sentence against Hubbard:
"A prophet has been banned . . . Of all the
magicians, fantacists and sect manipulators, the
grand master of the Church of Scientology is surely
the most brilliant and the most flourishing. He has
beat the renowned Moon at his own game. He, who is
honored as a living god, has invented a religious
system which musters the industriousness of America,
psychoanalysis and the spirit of total obedience to
his call, in particular there, where Scientology has
built its fortresses: England, where the mother
church is located; Denmark, where its central
publishers are located, and in the United States,
where the FBI has already made a raid upon the
"temple" of Scientology."
Sentence has since then been pronounced: details
appear for the first time here in this booklet.
The reader may also find some things over-inclined,
exaggerated. He may ask about these things at the ABI.
Due to a shortage of space and time, we have not
written: about abduction on the open street in the
middle of Munich, little on the exploitation of members,
and nothing about either the hierarchy or the
punishments inflicted for trivialities. We have been
forced to neglect numerous aspects of the matter.» |