The Scientology Comparative Theology Page
Legalese
This web site is (obviously) not affiliated with the
"Church" of Scientology.
As a non-commercial scholarly work it does not attempt to sell
anything, and should not be confused with any product offered by the
"Church" of Scientology.
Spiritual Secrets, Secular Law, and Scholarly Research
The "Church" of Scientology uses copyright and trademark law to control
the presentation of Hubbard's writings to Scientologists.
The same copyright and trademarks are used to hide Hubbard's writings
from outside scrutiny.
This secretiveness makes research much more difficult, so some errors
may occur.
Every effort has been made to verify the Scientology source references,
either from Scientology source documents and/or by first-hand
validation by ex-Scientologists who have seen the documents.
Fair Use
Due to Scientology's litigous nature, the copyrighted (and sometime
trade secret) writings of L. Ron Hubbard must be quoted within the
bounds of
Fair Use .
This may result in rather pedantic commentary by this nervous
scholar; my apologies in advance.
I have already been threatened twice, once for copyright and once for
trademark infringement.
Contrary to their claims, the "Church" of Scientology does not want
you to "Think for Yourself", especially when it comes to adverse
ideas and information.
Trademarks
The "Church" of Scientology has trademarked various words and phrases
such Dianetics, Scientology, E-meter, various logos, and even the
name "Hubbard".
Scientology has threatened to sue webmasters over use of trademarked
words.
Imagine trying to criticise McDonald's Inc. without being able to use
their name, Big Mac, Ronald, or any other trademarked words.
...and why does a non-profit tax-exempt "Church" need trademarks,
anyway?
"Church"
At present, the Church of Scientology International (CSI), the umbrella
organization for the many sub-corporations of Scientology, calls itself a
Church.
In addition to various apologists' opinions, CSI points to the U.S.
Internal Revenue Service, which granted 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in
1993.
The Boy Scouts are also a 501(c)(3) organization, so this in itself
does not "prove" that Scientology is a religion.
Before accepting these credentials, be reminded that the 1st Amendment
forbids involvement by the U.S. Government in establishing religion.
By law, the IRS cannot decide what is and is not a religion.
After one of the largest protracted legal battles in history, the IRS secretly agreed to CSI's
demands that they be recognized as a charitible organization, and
therefore be given tax-exempt status.
The United States, founded by people fleeing religious persecution in
Europe, holds freedom of religion in high regard.
In fact, the United States is a notable exception; Scientology is not
recognized as a religion throughout most of Europe and North America.
Rather, many countries see Scientology as a business attempting to
cloak itself as a religion, and a corrupt business at that.
Over the past several years, Scientology and Scientologists in Europe
and Canada have been accused and often convicted of fraud, abuse,
privacy violations and practicing medicine without a license.
I have chosen to put "Church" in quotes to recognize both sides of this
contentious issue, recognizing CSI's right to call themselves whatever
they please, and governments' right to call Scientology whatever they
please.
Last Update: 20 Nov 1999