back to article SCHEITERN: Scientologists want to friend schoolkids on Facebook

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) believes Scientology is recruiting children through Facebook and other social networks. The domestic intelligence agency is ramping up its surveillance on the controversial group. Scientology has posted several videos titled "Jugend für …

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  1. alain williams Silver badge

    Please don't call them a church

    They are a bunch of murderous, mind controlling thugs - to bestow the title ''church'' on them gives them an air of respectability. I almost typed ''credibility'', but their particular bunch of myths is no more wacky than those of the estabilished bunch.

    1. Citizen Kaned

      really?

      i thought most churches have their share of blood on their hands....

    2. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      And?

      This seperates them from other god-botherers how?

      1. Chad H.
        Troll

        @ Anon

        Ask a christian priest what he believes, and he'll hand you the bible.

        Ask a Immam what he belives, and he'll hand you the Quaran

        Ask a Scientology representative what they believe, and they'll not tell you anything until you pony up thousands of currency units.

        1. Z 1

          @ Chad H.

          "Scientology representative"? Surely you mean brainwasher?

    3. Naughtyhorse

      kinda

      sounds just like a church to me

    4. The Fuzzy Wotnot
      Happy

      Well...

      ....your language is slightly different, but that's more less what it says in most dictionary's under the word, religion!

      1. Nigel 11

        Cult versus religion

        A religion tells you what it believes. If it's a proselytising religion it'll do this ad nauseam even if you don't really want to listen.

        A cult doesn't. It elther refuses to tell you its real agenda until it has hooked you with "lesser truths" and brainwashed you, or it maintains an inner circle of "true believers" with a secret agenda, and lies both to its outer circle and to the world, using the outer circle variously as camouflage, "useful idiots", and a source of recruits to the inner circle.

        The Germans have recent experience of a cult within a popular movement. It was called national socialism, and the inner cult later became the SS. Come to think of it, East German communism was quite similar, albeit less genocidal. It was Stalin who coined the phrase "useful idiots".

        Anyhow, I'm not surprised that the German state is now allergic to cults.

  2. Mondo the Magnificent
    Coat

    Cruising for a bruising?

    I wonder if our Hubbardian Scientologists will use Tom Cruise's Facebook profile to lure the younger generation into Scientology too?

    They could also use fellow C of S musician Beck's profile to advertise the "Church's" crusade against drugs and pedge for human rights.

    Clever little buggers these Scientologists, they're like like cold ware era commies infiltrating the media to promote their cause.

    At least the German government is watching their little campaign to win the hearts, minds and wallet contents of the German youth,

  3. Citizen Kaned

    oh no....

    remember what happened the germans last listened to some idiots with delusions of grandeur?

    ww3 here we come!

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Sir

      Wow, Godwin'd on the first post!

      Gratz.

    2. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      Wow!

      You Godwinned the thread with the first post. You must be so proud of yourself.

    3. a cynic writes...

      Godwin does not apply...

      Since the *last* time was when someone convinced them that the single currency was a good idea.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the title bit

    PedoBear is watching you Mr Scientology

  5. Phil Standen
    Thumb Up

    "Butt dropped"

    "Butt dropped" - I love this phrase, from the context it appears to mean give up on a loosing case and give a vaporous excuse. I look forward to "Sony Butt Drops GeoHot" and perhaps "Ellison issues Java Butt Drop".

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No religion, no sience

    I've been reading Dianetics and so far I've found no trace of religion (they have no deity and do not worship) and no trace of any science except a badly used quote. http://dianeticjourney.blogspot.com/

    Why the US government haven't come down on them like a ton of bricks and why the American population haven't screamed at their representatives to get taxes from them, beats me hollow.

  7. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
    Troll

    The real reason...

    "However, Germany did ban the makers of a Tom Cruise movie from filming at military sites in the country because the actor "publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult"."

    Maybe they actually banned it on the grounds of it being destined to be another crock of shit Tom Cruise movie?

  8. Robert E A Harvey

    eww, creepy

    right decision, mind. creepy, creepy

  9. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Please don't call them a church

    >They are a bunch of murderous, mind controlling thugs

    And your point being?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Big Brother

      Their status

      In Germany they do not enjoy the status as a church - tax advantages, etc. They are simplified as a cult and are under observation by the constitutional police (this is a poor translation of the German - Verfassungsschutz, meaning literally protector's of the constitution but I don't think that is much better) who also observe right-wing, communist and inflammatory religious groups. And, although it's difficult not to want to make the comparison, they are not any form of secret police.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Bureau-crazy

    Now that's German! Secret agents must have spent weeks and months watching movies on Youtube and reading Scientology websites to come to the conclusion that they are looking for new members.

  11. broccolilover

    Religious Equality

    The Church of Scientology, just like any other religion, has the right to have a Facebook presence. Last time I checked, Facebook is free for all. Facebook pages are also vehicles of communication to current members. To paint a religion's Facebook presence as sinister does not make sense, and reflects the ignorance of the source about the religion. In this day and age, we should be able to practice religious equality and religious tolerance. Let us respect other people for what they believe in.

    1. heyrick Silver badge
      Stop

      @broccolilover

      The problem is, any weirdo with an idea does not equate to a "religion" else we'd be swamped with Jedi Knights by now. Personally, I feel that this *cult* (and I specifically do not use the word religion) is as legally active as it is because it fails on basic principles of what a religion is supposed to be, and in great American tradition, if you don't get your own way, litigate...

      That aside, frankly I don't give a crap about whether or not this group has a Facebook profile, or a wiki page, or a homepage. I suspect you are either blindly liberal or somehow involved with the group for whether or not they have a "right" to a Facebook profile is a trivialism that manages to neatly sidestep the main accusation. Which is...

      I'd be extremely concerned about them attempting to communicate with my kids (I don't have any, but if I did...). It isn't this group specifically, for any *cult*, religion, or pseudo-religious entity who is personally unknown to me that uses social media to try to contact my children would be in for a hostile reaction from me.

      Look at it this way, would you like Father <insert name> (who you've never met in your life) to strike up an online friendship with a child? With YOUR child? Ulterior motive much?

    2. Originone

      The meaning of tolerance

      Tolerate

      synonyms: abide, bear, endure,humor, put up with, take, suffer.

      Religious tolerance does not require that I respect anything just that I put up with it.

      Because I am pragmatic I will tolerate beleif in sky fairies just as I will tolerate beleif in garden fairies, and underpants gnomes. I will not respect you for holding that beleif, and I will disrespect you if seek to press your belief onto children who do not have the mental maturity and life experiance to take an informed postion on the existance of underpants gnomes.

    3. Aggellos

      simply no

      sure while we are at why not give the nazi party or al queda a facebook page, i mean why does gorbels not have a profile it is free for all right and the man is entitled to his opinion right?....

      See what i did there

  12. Antoinette Lacroix

    I don't see what the fuss is about

    They aren't any worse than the rest of the religious bunch. You have to give it to foul ole Ron, the Story of Xenu is slightly more entertaining than other spiritual works.

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      The rest of the religious bunch do not destroy your mind

      Nor do they alienate your family and friends, nor do they require that you give them loads of money.

      It is simple to make the difference between a religion worthy of the name and a cult that is out for you :

      - a religion gives you its doctrine freely, and encourages you to come and listen to its scholars to gain deeper insight into its meaning, after which you are invited (not mandatory) to contribute to its church, all the while leaving you free to decide what your opinion is and how far you want to go

      - a cult demands your presence, your money and your devotion to a doctrine that you must work towards in order to receive the full enlightenment, while convincing you that anyone who voices a critical opinion of it is working against your best interests which are to always give it more time and resources until you belong to it

      The problem with cults is that people need to belong to a group, and a cult provides a cushy environment where everyone is certain that they are the same, guaranteeing to its followers that they will attain a superior status by following its rules.

      A religion, on the other hand, requires critical thinking and personal interpretation, is open to debate on its foundation, its goals and its means, and generally does not guarantee anything in this life.

      Frankly, I don't see how anyone with a modicum of intelligence cannot see that.

      1. Mephistro
        Thumb Down

        @ Pascal Monett

        "A religion, on the other hand, requires critical thinking and personal interpretation, is open to debate on its foundation, its goals and its means, and generally does not guarantee anything in this life"

        For most religions, any follower that thinks critically and/or debates said religion's foundations, goals and means has a guaranteed chance of 99% of being at least excommunicated. Other options include stoning, the stake or being thrown from a cliff.

    2. Mephistro
      Thumb Up

      @ Antoinette Lacroix

      "...Foul ole Ron..."

      lol++. Both loved talking gibberish :)

      "Millennium Hand and Shrimp!"

  13. Mos Eisley Spaceport
    Stop

    Das Kult

    Nein!

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