Understanding the German View of Scientology.
This is an excellent paper explaining why Scientology is not recognized as a religion but a commercial enterprise in Germany, why its activities are under surveillance, and why the federal court is moving towards a ban on the criminal organization. All emphasis are mine, and links to most of the media coverage on Scientology mentioned in the original article are provided for your viewing pleasure. (update: except for articles from the WSJ and “The Germans have a word for it”, all links are there)
“The German government considers the Scientology organization a commercial enterprise with a history of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and an extreme dislike of any criticism. The government is also concerned that the organization’s totalitarian structure and methods may pose a risk to Germany’s democratic society. Several kinds of evidence have influenced this view of Scientology, including the organization’s activities in the United States.
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Popularity: 59%
February 1st, 2008
Posted by
em8chel <<
bruising my religion, party like it's 1984 >>
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A university where students learn to meditate? Consciousness based education and world peace? It actually all sounds quite beautiful if it doesn’t so alarmingly resonate with the Scientological agenda of world domination. In any case the famed director David Lynch has been touring Europe these couple of weeks to promote and found universities to teach the philosophy of Transcendental Meditation. Since I know nothing about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi or his Transcendental Meditation methods which Lynch has been practicing for decades, I’m willing to give his vision of world peace the benefit of the doubt. It’s world peace after all! However, his appearance this week with his partner Emanuel Schiffgens (link to AGPF, in German), who styled himself in a white robe and a golden crown, at a culture center in Berlin to promote his pedagogical ideality after having bought a piece of land in town where the University of Invincible Germany is to be built, seriously undermined Lynch’s seemingly benevolent intention.
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Popularity: 60%
November 16th, 2007
Posted by
em8chel <<
a Taiwanese in Berlin, close encounter of the slurred kind, party like it's 1984 >>
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For many expats, one of their biggest gripes is how expensive books are in Germany, especially imported English books. The Buchpreisbindungsgesetz not only stipulates a book’s price but also prohibits publishers and bookstores to sell it for any less. The idea is to protect the value of books as a cultural heritage by exempting it from the “supply and demand” inevitability of a free market, as well as protecting the smaller, independent bookstores from being disadvantaged by a more competitive pricing chain stores more capable of sustaining. Amazon Germany is also subject to the same regulation. Since 2004 customers were no longer able to use coupons for book purchases. Thank goodness at least free shipping for books is not verboten. I can see that the heart of the law is in the right place, but on the other hand you’d have to wonder at the end of the day if book lovers aren’t the real underdog with the heaviest burden to bear?
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Popularity: 43%
March 2nd, 2007
Posted by
em8chel <<
a Taiwanese in Berlin, a site for sore eyes, judge a book by its lover >>
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