slate.com - 29 days ago
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A French court fined the Church of Scientology $888,000 on Tuesday after a couple claimed they'd been manipulated into buying between $30,000 and $73,000 worth of church products. The verdict is "a historical turning point for the fight against cult abuses," said the leader of France's ...
news.yahoo.com - 10/27/2009
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news.yahoo.com —
PARIS A Paris court convicted the Church of
Scientology of fraud and fined it more than euro600,000...
($900,000) on Tuesday, but stopped short of banning the group's activities. The group's French branch said it would appeal the verdict. The court ...
(more)
Church of Scientology convicted of fraud in France
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How does France distinguish between "cults" and organized religions?
Slate Magazine —
A French court fined the Church of Scientology $888,000 on Tuesday after a couple claimed they'd been manipulated into buying between $30,000 and $73,000 worth of church products. The verdict is "a historical turning point for the fight against cult abuses," said the leader of France's "government cult-fighting unit." How does this special cult-busting unit distinguish between cults and bona fide religions? [more ...]
Sponsored Topics: ...
This Week in God
Political Animal —
... , "I've heard of the devil being in the details, but to think he's lurking inside a Snickers bar is a little too much. Pat Robertson has always peddled some scary stuff, but this is over the top." Also from the God Machine this week: * Christopher Beam ponders the question of how governments decide what constitutes a legitimate religious tradition: "A French court fined the Church of Scientology $888,000 on Tuesday after a couple claimed they'd been manipulated into buying between $30,000 and $73,000 worth of church products. The verdict is 'a historical turning point for the ...
Religion or Cult?
Liberal Values —
... There are advantages for a group to have their beliefs considered to be a religion, ranging from favored tax status to potentially having a greater degree of respectability. There has been controversy in many countries as to whether to accept the claims that groups such as Scientologists qualify as a religion. Slate has a piece on how France handles such questions. ...
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