41 VOLUME 9 |ISSUE 3 |2018
of Scientology since the early 1980s, and suggests that the
city allowing a group that does not have recognized charity
status in Canada—as many religions do—could ‘open the
doors’ for other groups ‘of questionable legitimacy.’ ...Revenue
Canada’s website currently does not show Scientology as a
registered charitable organization in the country. A written
response from Edmonton’s Church of Scientology casts doubt
on Kent’s academic standing and honesty, in regards to the
denomination, and [states that] that the church is a registered
religion in Canada, and, indeed, meets all the criteria to be
included in the Interfaith Centre. Further, it supports the
statements made from the city and the Interfaith Centre about
their inclusion in the group, and says that singling out the
religion is ‘pure bigotry.’” (VueWeekly, 03/29/18)
FSB officers raid St. Petersburg Church of Scientology
“Searches are conducted at the premises of the Church
of Scientology of St. Petersburg, the press service of
Federal Security Service’s (FSB) regional directorate reports
Wednesday. The raids are directed to identifying more items
and documents confirming the criminality of the religious
organization leaders’ actions, according to the statement. ...
According to investigators, from 2013 to 2016, the organization
received over 276 million rubles (about $5 million) for
rendering its services. However, the Church of Scientology of
St. Petersburg has not been incorporated under the law, an FSB
representative said in court earlier. Dianetics and Scientology
are a set of religious and philosophical ideas and practices
that were put forth by L. Ron Hubbard in the US in the early
1950s. ...The Moscow Regional Court ruled in 2012 that some
of Hubbard’s books be included on the Federal List of Extremist
Literature and prohibited from distribution in Russia.” (Rapsi,
03/28/18)
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath renewed
“Leah Remini’s A&E documentary series, Leah Remini:
Scientology and the Aftermath, has been renewed for a third
season. Scientology and the Aftermath, launched in 2016,
features the actress who previously defected from the religion,
sharing stories of abuse, misconduct and retribution within
the organization. Remini co-stars on the series with former
high-ranking Scientology official Mike Rinder. ...‘We’ve
been getting an overwhelming amount of emails and people
contacting us through [social media] about other cults that are
similar [to Scientology], so I’m looking into that,’ she said. A&E’s
third season renewal comes after the Church of Scientology
recently launched their own network dedicated to the religion,
Scientology TV. The Monday launch featured a rare appearance
from leader David Miscavige.” (UPI, 03/15/18)
Scientology unveils network launch set for Monday
“The Church of Scientology on Sunday surprised the media
business by unveiling its plan to launch the Scientology
Network on platforms including DirecTV, Apple and Amazon
starting Monday. Scientology distributed a ‘network
countdown’ video Sunday afternoon via social media touting
the launch of ‘a new voice, a new network’ at 8 p.m. ET
on March 12. The two-minute video obliquely references
Scientology’s battered reputation after numerous exposes
about the church’s practices and tactics in dealing with those
who leave their orbit. ...Scientology promises the channel will
be available on Apple TV, iTunes, Roku, DirecTV, Chromecast
and Google Play, and Amazon’s Fire TV. A rep for DirecTV and
others did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The recent focus on the National Rif[l]e Assn. and gun
control laws in the wake of last month’s high school shooting
massacre in Parkland, Fla., has raised public awareness of
the growing number of corporately owned channels that
are gaining distribution on startup OTT platforms hungry for
content. Apple and Amazon have come under fire for carrying
the NRA TV channel that promotes gun ownership and the
lobbying org’s legislative agenda with numerous programs
done in the vein of traditional unscripted reality shows. ...The
grave concerns raised about Scientology’s practices and the
conduct of its leaders will also undoubtedly lead to pressure
from activists on distributors who agree to carry Scientology
Network.” (Variety, 03/11/18)
“Supreme Being,” formerly of Kansas City, Kansas, must pay
$8 million to woman for human trafficking
“A woman who spent 10 years toiling without pay for a Kansas
City, Kan., religious group has won an $8 million judgment
against the group and its leader. U.S. District Judge Daniel
Crabtree issued a 57-page ruling Wednesday, finding that
Kendra Ross was the victim of human trafficking at the hands
of Royall Jenkins and his group, which calls itself The Value
Creators. Crabtree, who referred to the group as a cult, found
that Ross was subjected to physical and emotional abuse and
years of ‘humiliating and degrading treatment.’” (Kansas City
Star, 5/24/18)
European court upholds German move to take kids from
sect
“The European Court of Human Rights has upheld Germany’s
decision to take away the children of families in a Christian
sect to protect them from being disciplined by caning. The
Strasbourg court said Thursday it found no violation of
European rules protecting four families’ right to respect for
private and family life. It said Germany’s decision to remove
the eight children in 2013 from members of the ‘Twelve
Tribes’ sect in Bavaria was justified by the ‘risk of inhuman or
degrading treatment.’ It noted that ‘the parents had remained
convinced during the proceedings that corporal punishment
was acceptable’ and that German authorities concluded ‘they
had had no other option available to them to protect the
children.’ The sect was founded by a Tennessee high school
teacher in the 1970s.” (The Associated Press, 03/22/18)
of Scientology since the early 1980s, and suggests that the
city allowing a group that does not have recognized charity
status in Canada—as many religions do—could ‘open the
doors’ for other groups ‘of questionable legitimacy.’ ...Revenue
Canada’s website currently does not show Scientology as a
registered charitable organization in the country. A written
response from Edmonton’s Church of Scientology casts doubt
on Kent’s academic standing and honesty, in regards to the
denomination, and [states that] that the church is a registered
religion in Canada, and, indeed, meets all the criteria to be
included in the Interfaith Centre. Further, it supports the
statements made from the city and the Interfaith Centre about
their inclusion in the group, and says that singling out the
religion is ‘pure bigotry.’” (VueWeekly, 03/29/18)
FSB officers raid St. Petersburg Church of Scientology
“Searches are conducted at the premises of the Church
of Scientology of St. Petersburg, the press service of
Federal Security Service’s (FSB) regional directorate reports
Wednesday. The raids are directed to identifying more items
and documents confirming the criminality of the religious
organization leaders’ actions, according to the statement. ...
According to investigators, from 2013 to 2016, the organization
received over 276 million rubles (about $5 million) for
rendering its services. However, the Church of Scientology of
St. Petersburg has not been incorporated under the law, an FSB
representative said in court earlier. Dianetics and Scientology
are a set of religious and philosophical ideas and practices
that were put forth by L. Ron Hubbard in the US in the early
1950s. ...The Moscow Regional Court ruled in 2012 that some
of Hubbard’s books be included on the Federal List of Extremist
Literature and prohibited from distribution in Russia.” (Rapsi,
03/28/18)
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath renewed
“Leah Remini’s A&E documentary series, Leah Remini:
Scientology and the Aftermath, has been renewed for a third
season. Scientology and the Aftermath, launched in 2016,
features the actress who previously defected from the religion,
sharing stories of abuse, misconduct and retribution within
the organization. Remini co-stars on the series with former
high-ranking Scientology official Mike Rinder. ...‘We’ve
been getting an overwhelming amount of emails and people
contacting us through [social media] about other cults that are
similar [to Scientology], so I’m looking into that,’ she said. A&E’s
third season renewal comes after the Church of Scientology
recently launched their own network dedicated to the religion,
Scientology TV. The Monday launch featured a rare appearance
from leader David Miscavige.” (UPI, 03/15/18)
Scientology unveils network launch set for Monday
“The Church of Scientology on Sunday surprised the media
business by unveiling its plan to launch the Scientology
Network on platforms including DirecTV, Apple and Amazon
starting Monday. Scientology distributed a ‘network
countdown’ video Sunday afternoon via social media touting
the launch of ‘a new voice, a new network’ at 8 p.m. ET
on March 12. The two-minute video obliquely references
Scientology’s battered reputation after numerous exposes
about the church’s practices and tactics in dealing with those
who leave their orbit. ...Scientology promises the channel will
be available on Apple TV, iTunes, Roku, DirecTV, Chromecast
and Google Play, and Amazon’s Fire TV. A rep for DirecTV and
others did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The recent focus on the National Rif[l]e Assn. and gun
control laws in the wake of last month’s high school shooting
massacre in Parkland, Fla., has raised public awareness of
the growing number of corporately owned channels that
are gaining distribution on startup OTT platforms hungry for
content. Apple and Amazon have come under fire for carrying
the NRA TV channel that promotes gun ownership and the
lobbying org’s legislative agenda with numerous programs
done in the vein of traditional unscripted reality shows. ...The
grave concerns raised about Scientology’s practices and the
conduct of its leaders will also undoubtedly lead to pressure
from activists on distributors who agree to carry Scientology
Network.” (Variety, 03/11/18)
“Supreme Being,” formerly of Kansas City, Kansas, must pay
$8 million to woman for human trafficking
“A woman who spent 10 years toiling without pay for a Kansas
City, Kan., religious group has won an $8 million judgment
against the group and its leader. U.S. District Judge Daniel
Crabtree issued a 57-page ruling Wednesday, finding that
Kendra Ross was the victim of human trafficking at the hands
of Royall Jenkins and his group, which calls itself The Value
Creators. Crabtree, who referred to the group as a cult, found
that Ross was subjected to physical and emotional abuse and
years of ‘humiliating and degrading treatment.’” (Kansas City
Star, 5/24/18)
European court upholds German move to take kids from
sect
“The European Court of Human Rights has upheld Germany’s
decision to take away the children of families in a Christian
sect to protect them from being disciplined by caning. The
Strasbourg court said Thursday it found no violation of
European rules protecting four families’ right to respect for
private and family life. It said Germany’s decision to remove
the eight children in 2013 from members of the ‘Twelve
Tribes’ sect in Bavaria was justified by the ‘risk of inhuman or
degrading treatment.’ It noted that ‘the parents had remained
convinced during the proceedings that corporal punishment
was acceptable’ and that German authorities concluded ‘they
had had no other option available to them to protect the
children.’ The sect was founded by a Tennessee high school
teacher in the 1970s.” (The Associated Press, 03/22/18)
