Germany's interior ministers have faced frustrating setbacks fighting the far-right in court. A new tactic under consideration involves hitting organizations that support the party where it really hurts – in the wallet. [...] Some interior ministers have also voiced their support for using this tactic on other groups. "That must also be valid for left extreme or radical foreign establishments," Bouffier said. Such a foreign establishment could include the Church of Scientology, which German politicians have labelled as a money-making cult ...

Hamburg, Germany (AHN) - Hamburg's Interior Minister Udo Nagel wants a national ban in Germany on Scientology, which claims many high-profile adherents, including Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. Nagel's opposition to Scientology is premised on his view of the religion as a commercial enterprise and an anti-constitutional body with aggressive tactics. Nagel shared his thoughts with fellow state interior ministers in a gathering at Hamburg. He apparently has the state on his side. The German Office for the Protection of the Constitution ...

A tax exemption has been awarded to the SA Church of Scientology by the SA Revenue Services (SARS), the Church said on Tuesday. "We are ecstatic, this is a memorable and historic day for us as it provides us with an even better opportunity to serve our community and scientologists," said President of the Church, Ryan Hogarth. He said that SARS issued the Church with a certificate on Monday approving its status as a 'Public Benefit Organisation'. "This was after 42 ...

A spokesman for Samoa’s Catholic archbishop says new religions are threatening to erode the country’s faith. On Friday, Samoa’s head of state is due to ask for divine forgiveness of his country’s sins for the first time, in a ceremony organised by the Catholic church. Father Penitito Mauga says he expects up to 20 thousand Christians of all denominations to attend. He says as the beliefs of the population change, it’s time for the people to reaffirm their faith. “We have ...

A LANDMARK Durban building sold to the Church of Scientology in Africa is to become the headquarters for its community work in the province. A LANDMARK Durban building sold to the Church of Scientology in Africa is to become the headquarters for its community work in the province. Scientology, popularised by Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise and John Travolta, has a growing following in South Africa. The Morningside building, in the city's dining and nightlife hub, was formerly an hotel. It was ...

Deep in the December issue of Vanity Fair is an interesting throw-away line about Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg. Bryan Burrough wrote a lengthy article called: Showdown at Fort Sumner Two years after Paramount purchased DreamWorks, Hollywood is transfixed by one of the nastiest breakups ever. As Sumner Redstone and David Geffen went to war (over Steven Spielberg?), the author got it from both sides. The article is online, and on page 3 of the online copy, at the ...

On November 11 in the page 12 column headed 'Cruise's fury at Morton' it was reported that Andrew Morton had run into serious trouble when writing a biography of Tom Cruise because of threats from Scientologists. It is now accepted that this is not true and that Mr Morton has not received threats or that he was forced to sell his flat and move underground to write the book. We apologise to the Church of Scientology and its members for the ...

[Picture / Caption: Nov. 7: Ailing meth cops sweat it out at an Orem, Utah, clinic.] A controversial Church of Scientology treatment used on World Trade Center emergency responders is being used in Utah to "detoxify" cops who raided methamphetamine labs in the 1980s and 1990s. The Utah Meth Cops Project is treating around a dozen former and current police officers at taxpayers' expense, using a regime devised by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard at a Bio-Cleansing Centers of America facility ...

A young mother in Los Angeles was desperate. A rare form of cancer was ravaging her 5-month-old son. Their doctor said chemotherapy offered the best hope for survival, a 1-in-4 chance. Natalia Campos watched as her baby, Antonio, struggled in pain through the first few treatments. Then she learned of an alternative-therapy clinic that promised a cure, without pain, using a machine called a PAP-IMI. Twice a day at the Bio-Energy Services clinic, Campos held Antonio while the 260-pound machine pulsed ...

The Church of Scientology, best known for its celebrity members, such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, is planning to open a church in Carytown. It will be the first established Scientology church in Richmond. The church could open by December and will offer introductory lectures, meetings and a book store, said Sylvia Standard, director of external affairs for the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington, D.C. Scientologists enter the religion as beginners and progress to higher levels as they increase ...

Law enforcement is still seeking the identity of a woman whose body was found near Gilman Springs Road just outside San Jacinto on Nov. 6. Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jerry Franchville said this week that no information has been developed since the body was recovered at approximately 10 a.m. a week ago Tuesday. Though the coroner's examination has not been completed, Franchville said he believes the body had been in the field for some time before it was discovered. No ...

IN A decision anxiously awaited by thousands of churches and charities around Australia, the full bench of the Federal Court has ruled that businesses they run to fund their charities need not pay tax. The ruling means that charities may seek millions of dollars back from the Australian Taxation Office and may venture into new businesses, according to tax experts. Tax lawyer Duncan Baxter said the outcome, delivered on Wednesday, was doubly helpful for charities, because they won the case and ...

Attention Richmond, the mother ship is landing – assuming it doesn't get shot down by city building inspectors. The Church of Scientology, a self-help New Age religion created by best-selling science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, is opening a mission in Richmond — Carytown, to be exact. Right across the parking lot from Richmond's own defenders of the faith and purveyors of produce, Ukrop's Super Markets. The city issued building permits Aug. 8 for the property at 3600 W. Cary St., ...

Joyce Meyer calls herself a woman of God, and maybe she is, but Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, wants to know how Meyer can justify spending $23,000 in tax-exempt religious contributions for a marble-topped commode. Meyer's church, Joyce Meyer Ministries in Missouri, is one of six Christian ministries Grassley is investigating for possible abuses of their tax-exempt status. Another of Grassley's targets is Without Walls International Church, a controversial megachurch based in Tampa. Politicians should be careful when delving into ...

TAMPA, Florida (CNN) — Some Christian congregations, particularly in lower income, urban areas, are turning to an unlikely source for help — the Church of Scientology. Scientologists do not worship God, much less Jesus Christ. The church has seen plenty of controversy and critics consider it a cult. So why are observant Christians embracing some of its teachings? Two pastors who spoke recently with CNN explained that when it comes to religion, they still preach the core beliefs of Christianity. But ...

Meth cops swear they can sweat off toxics Utah officers undergo treatment at taxpayers expense; experts leery Salt Lake Tribune/November 8, 2007 By Nate Carlisle and Lisa Rosetta Orem – The first time Kelly Call stood beside a methamphetamine lab, he felt a burning in his lungs and eyes. He was exposed to dozens of labs over the years and has had short-term memory loss, shortness of breath and trouble sleeping. But he recently began to feel better, and he credits ...

[Picture / Caption: CRAIG DILGER/Daily Herald Kelly Call (L) and Al Acosta (R) joke together while sitting in the sauna for detoxification. Both men were repeatedly exposed to the toxic chemicals used in meth-amphetamine labs while working for the Department of Public Safety. Acosta says that he has noticed a marked improvement in his health and his moods in the 22 days that he has been in the program. "If my humor is coming back thats a good thing," says Acosta. ...

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) — Christians can be deceived by "counterfeit Christianity," James Walker, president of Watchman Fellowship, said during a chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Watchman Fellowship, founded in 1978, is a nondenominational Christian research, apologetics and information ministry focusing on new religious movements, cults, the occult and the New Age movement. The ministry is based in Arlington, Texas. Walker's Oct. 25 chapel appearance officially marked the transfer of some 20,000 books and 50,000 other documentary items to ...

The Sonoma Valley Ministerial Association has come out against putting the crèche back on the Plaza. In a statement to the Sonoma City Council, which will be debating the issue at its meeting Wednesday evening, the ministers said they don't believe the "display of the crèche on the Sonoma Plaza would serve the religious and spiritual health of the community at this time." The statement continues, "Some of us strongly oppose having local, state, or national government involved in the practice ...

Body of woman found by hikers The body of a woman was found by two hikers at about 10 a.m. Tuesday dumped about 100 feet from Gilman Springs Road. The body was decomposed and investigators could not determine how long it had been at that location, said Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Jerry Franchville. The person was not yet identified and the cause of death could not be determined, Franchville said. –Jessica Logan jlogan@PE.com Hemet