The most worrying aspect of the abusive response of the German Government to concerns about discrimination against Scientologists (Victims or Villains? Focus, 1-2/2) is that the actual violations and offences against Scientologists are hardly even entering into consideration, either by the German politicians themselves or media writers (such as Washington correspondent Peter Wilson) who report on them. The treatment of Scientologists has been disturbing for several years, with no just circumstantial but massive instances of their basic rights being violated. There ...

Glen entered the trap willingly and, for a while, he didn't even realise that he'd been caught Glen McClelland has the look of hate in his eyes as he remembers what he's just been through. Now 28, Glen spent four years as a convert to the Church of Scientology. For him, this wasn't so much a religion as a way of life. And it nearly cost him his family and girlfriend, his sanity — and bank balance, too. The story starts ...

According to Mark Hanna, missionaries are sometimes sent to Australia from the American Church of Scientology to look over operations and advise on improvements. The advice seems to be effective. Hanna says the Church has about 30,000 Australian members and is in the midst of an "unprecedented boom". During the day, the four floors of its Sydney headquarters at 201 Castlereagh St are occupied by about 60 Scientologists liaising with church offices in other states and training recruits. Off the foyer ...

"Corrupt, sinister and dangerous" were the words used to describe the Church of Scientology in a judgment given by Mr Justice Latey this summer. He also referred to it as "immoral and socially obnoxious". But who controls the Church now? A major Sunday Times Magazine investigation into the activities of the cult in America and Britain has uncovered a disturbing and extraordinary story — the takeover of the organisation by a small band of youthful fanatics following the disappearance of the ...

Scientology is a religious institution and exempt from State payroll tax, the High Court ruled unanimously yesterday. It was the first time that the court came head on with the question "What is religion?". All the judges rejected the view that belief in a supreme being was essential to religion. Justices Mason and Brennan, in a joint judgment, stressed the importance of the case in determining fundamental questions of religious freedom in Australia and the extent to which an individual is ...

THE High Court yesterday decided to end God's exclusive reign over the nation's religious affairs, opening the way for many non-mainstream religions to claim the legal status of a church and all the financial and other privileges that go with that status. In a landmark decision handed down in Perth, the Full Court unanimously rejected a narrow definition of religion and moved towards the American judicial view under which Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture and Secular Humanism have been held to be ...

A VERY old and pure form of tax avoidance favoured by governments throughout the western world came before the High Court yesterday. The device is not available to individuals. First they must band together and become recognised as a religion, before they can take advantage of the tax exemptions which are provided by legislatures for religions, or religious organisations, or religious bodies. The case before the High Court concerned the Church of the New Faith, as it is known in Victoria, ...

MELBOURNE: The Victorian Full Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Church of the New Faith, practising scientology, was not a religion or a religious institution. The full court unanimously dismissed an appeal by the organisation against a ruling by Mr Justice Crockett in December 1980 that it was not a religious organisation. Mr Justice Crockett was dismissing an appeal against a decision by the Commissioner of Payroll Tax not to grant the organisation an exemption from tax as a religious organisation. ...

The ban on Scientology has been lifted in Western Australia. A Bill to repeal the ban on scientology imposed by the previous Government in 1968 passed rapidly through all stages in the Legislative Council last night. The Bill had already been approved by the Legislative Assembly. There were only three speakers in the Council's second reading debate - the former Minister for Health, Mr MacKinnon (Lib.-Lower West), Mr Withers (Lib.-North) and the Minister for Police, Mr Dolan, who introduced the Bill. ...

THE Scientology movement is to publish the first issue of its own newspaper, Freedom, in Australia this month. The international editor of Freedom, Mr Peter Ginever, who is in Perth for the launching of the paper, said yesterday the decision to publish in Australia was made after the Federal Government's recent recognition of scientology.

THE Federal Attorney-General, Senator Murphy, said yesterday he thought requirements on the Government to recognise religious bodies should be dropped. He told the Senate he thought the system was "bad" and "unhealthy," and the relevant clauses should be taken off the statute books. The former Attorney-General, Senator Ivor Greenwood (Lib, Vic) asked if Senator Murphy was aware of a report on the practice of Scientology, prepared by Mr K. Anderson, QC, now a judge of the Victorian Supreme Court. He said ...

The Legislative Assembly yesterday took more than an hour to decide that it had power to debate the Scientology Act Repeal Bill. It rejected by 20 votes to 19 a move by the Leader of the opposition, Sir Charles Court, to disagree with a ruling by the Speaker, Mr Norton. The Bill seeks to repeal the ban on scientology enacted by the Liberal-Country Party Government in 1968. Mr Norton ruled that the Bill was not subjudice because of a writ by ...

The Church of the New Faith Incorporated (Scientology) has been registered in W.A. as a foreign company. The practice of scientology in W.A. was banned in 1968 under legislation introduced into State Parliament by the previous Government. The Rev. Michael Graham, Australian president of the church, said in a Press release yesterday that the church was now registered in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and W.A. "Now that the church is registered, the Scientology Act 1968 should be repealed very ...