To me any groups that stops the person's freedom to think and act as well as control them in all areas is an a occult.

I say bring them down.

"occult" and "a cult" have different meanings... occult is mysticism, while a cult is followers of a person with extreme views on things...

jim jones,- over 900 dead,
Shoko Asahara - killing 13 people and sickening thousands more


http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/5-20th-century-cult-leaders

Sorry I meant a cult

Thanks Moe

The government has tried many times. The "Church" (I use that term loosely" of Scientology had the biggest domestic spying ring in the history of the US that the FBI broke up and sent L. Ron Hubbards wife to prison for 12 years, while he was in hiding like a coward for the rest of his life. They tend to attack, harass and sue every one of Government Agency that wrongs them, investigates them or exposes them. The only reason they got tax exempt status in the 1990's is they filed over 2,500 law suits in a week against IRS officials and top government officials and had private investigators tailing them, going through their trash looking for any dirt. The Government made a deal to make them stop and that deal could have only come from the top being they owed over a billion dollars in back taxes.

Slick Willy himself gave had to give the ok for tax exempt status.

Yeah, Lpdon, "scientology" is defined in my "book" as being a "cult", a cult of enslavement, secrecy and some really, really strange practices. From what I have heard and read about, L. Ron Hubbard was more than a bit wacky and most, if not all, of "scientology" smacks of New Age quackery. And this is coming from my own purely non-religious agnostic point of view on religions in general and the "scientology" cult in particular. I'm not saying they don't have the right to be crazy, but they should be grouped in with the Heaven's Gate cult crazies, the Westboro Baptist Church clown parade and the Harold Camping "End Of The Universe Times" freaks! "Scientology" isn't a religion. Just because you can successfully bully the U.S. Government into granting you tax-exempt status DOES NOT MAKE YOU A RELIGION OR CHURCH!!! Don't believe me? Look to Russia! The "Church of Scientology" is BANNED in Russia. Seems old Vlad Putin is good for something after all, eh?

Personally, I've always thought of them as a business.

They make you eat certain foods usually low on protein and other things that will make you more agreeable to their conditioning and brainwashing.

It was banned in Germany (now there are warning labels anywhere near a Scientology center on their materials and there are many other countries it is flat out illegal in. They also have to have printed on their E-Meters that it is not a medical device.

If you want to see something really interesting. It is the most accurate documentary on Scientology ever made. It has former high ranking Scientologists who escaped the church, including the guy who was second in command to David Miscavige and second in charge of Scientology, Their former spokesman and several Hollywood Actors and Driectors who have left after realizing the truth.

You should check it out. You can stream it on Amazon, Netflix and HBO it won several Emmy's and also won at the Sundance film festival. It's called Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.

It is a must see for everyone!

That's all it is, excerpt for the slave labor, human trafficking, sex trafficking, abuse both physical and sexual, and their disconnect policy from family and friends.

Also, running private prisons. Which I am sure is illegal for them to do.

All those things are businesses too, unfortunately, except the disconnect from family and friends bit.

That part fits certain religious orders.

certain cults as well... one of the main red flags as a cult, not a religion...

Also, everyone who is a former member who has spoken out against Scientology the "Church" has created websites for each one of them. For example Jason Beghe the Hollywood actor who has come forward they created a website www.whoisjasonbeghe.com every former member has one.

lol, more like hate sites... did you read those post about the people there?

I don't know anyone in the group or anyone that knows anyone

those who publicly admit to being a part of it seem like decent and hard working folk

It often seems to me, that what defines a cult, is the same thing that defines insanity: not anything objective, rather it's a matter of general sensibilities of a local majority over a local minority.

There are still Christian religious orders, for example, which require those who join to do all the same things that the Scientologists do. Renounce all previous ties and loyalties, make regular "confession" to the leaders of the group, and so on. Most of the sub-cults within majority religions are accepted, simply because they've been around a long time, and because they are allied to the majority belief system.

That's the challenge of dealing with someone who has set out to use our American desire for personal religious freedom, to craft a system designed for personal profit, or to allow abuse of members or even non-members.

The recent fracas over whether we should let certain Christians conduct a public business, wherein they demand that their customers all adhere to their beliefs, or be refused service, is an example. If we decide 100% for or against that, we open doors to ourselves being abused, even as we act with the best of intentions.

all those Hollyweird-People?

Leah Remmi and Katie Holmes didn't have anything good to say after they "excaped"...

and i believe them, they both looked scared and exhausted...