Scientologists Accuse Film of 'Intolerance'

[Renew Deal]

(March 13) -- Scientology's image has taken a flurry of hits in the past six months. First, a high-profile member -- Oscar winning "Crash" director Paul Haggis -- defected. Then former employees alleged they were defrauded and treated like slaves by the church. And now Tom Cruise and Co. face a new threat from across the Atlantic.

Later this month, German television is set to broadcast a 90-minute movie that portrays L. Ron Hubbard's 50-year-old church as corrupt, divisive and totalitarian. Unsurprisingly, Scientologists want it banned.

"Until Nothing Remains" ("Bis nichts mehr bleibt") -- due to air in a prime-time slot March 31 -- tells the story of a family torn apart by its involvement with Scientology. It's loosely based on the true-life story of ex-member Heiner von Rönn. During his 10 years with the organization, he says he handed the church tens of thousands of dollars for vitamins and "auditing" sessions. But von Rönn paid an even higher price when he quit the movement in the mid '90s: He lost contact with his wife and two children, who kept the faith.

German Scientology bosses say public TV network ARD has deliberately set out to damage the church and insult its followers with the movie. At a preview of "Until Nothing Remains" in the northern city of Hamburg, church members handed out leaflets accusing the broadcaster of attempting "to create a mood of intolerance and discrimination against a religious community."
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The crew told Der Spiegel magazine that they believe they were tailed by a Scientology spokesman during filming. Notebooks were also stolen form the trunk of the director's car. Soon after that theft, he was contacted by an anonymous caller who declared, "We know you're making a movie about Scientology," and then hung up. And the broadcaster says it was inundated with calls and e-mails from the organization. The church has denied any involvement.

"We're not dealing here with a religion, rather with an organization that has completely different motives," ARD's program director Volker Herres said at the film screening. "Scientology is about power, business and building up a network. Its lessons are pure science fiction. It's no religion, no church, no sect."
<snip>

http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/scientologists-accuse-german-film-of-intolerance/19396341

[HillbillyBob]

1. Welll 50 yrs is a good run for the Crutch of Scatology

I don't go in for any religion or faith.

I live by the Golden Rule..simplify simplify, forget sanctify and scatify.(sic)

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. It is really bizarre to read about the skullduggery that is associated with Scientology

Star Trek would have been a much better bit of science fiction to make into a religion. Scientology is simply really, really bad writing by Hubbard.

[laconicsax]

4. It's really no more nutty than any other religion. n/t

[beam me up scottie]

5. Indeed.

"We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes."

~Gene Roddenberry

[charlie]

6. Do you know he was born in the 2-bit city I live in?

And true to form, in a place starved for visitor attractions, his home was torn down for a strip of storefronts, even when it was apparent as long as 30 years ago Trekkies would happily make a diversion for pics in front of Gene's house.

This is what's there today. Somewhere in that industrial blight is a wooden plaque marking the spot, put there after the city council had its OOPS! moment.

A few years ago, the city was on track to name a portion of the interstate after him. Then the mouthbreathers got wind of it:

...Henry Garcia of Clint, Texas, referred to Roddenberry as "anti-Christian" in e-mails to local and state officials.

"I don't know what kind of staffs you folks in the legislature have, but I can tell you that if this gets passed, it will create the biggest stir since Chagra had the judge killed," Garcia said. "I strongly suggest that you pull the bill from the state legislature or be the laughingstock of the nation."

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/1114

[beam me up scottie]

7. What a bunch of morans.

"The whole idea of Star Trek was to embrace all ideas, something that he preached religiously (on the show)," the younger Roddenberry said, who currently operates Roddenberry.com. "I don't want to take anything away from any other El Pasoan. My father had an idea that was universal, and promoted infinite diversities in infinite combinations. He didn't exclude any race, culture, or creed. My father would shake hands with a Christian, a Mohawk Indian, or even an Iraqi citizen without a moment's hesitation."

Roddenberry said that he supports the renaming of that portion of the interstate, not only because of personal bias, but also because he said he's a believer in the Star Trek philosophy.

"The show dealt with religion, but it never promoted religion," he said. "I think it promoted individual thought and universal acceptance.

"There are plenty of other El Pasoans that have done many great things. But here we're simply putting a name on that highway that symbolizes universal ideas."

Lawd knows, wanting to promote universal acceptance is as anti-christian as it gets. :banghead:

[charlie]

8. Yeah, no kidding

Things worked out, though. The local school district Board of Trustees got a clue and named its planetarium for him earlier this decade. Y'know something that matters.

As for old Henry... he's gotta be chewing nails right now:

Alef Tav Health

We sell and re-sell health products that we purchase from the Internet. We just began this business a few months ago but hope to turn this into a multi-million dollar, world wide enterprise before the tribulation begins.

http://www.made-in-china.com/traderoom/aleftavhealth

His dream of riches as a healthcare parasite got monkeywrenched yesterday. Heh.

[beam me up scottie]

9. NICE work!

You should send him a card, I'm sure Hallmark has something...

[ZombieHorde]

3. Bwahahaha! nt

[pleah]

10. They have a lot of gall calling anyone intolerant. n/t

[Lerkfish]

11. I seem to recall many decades ago scientologists planting poisonous snakes in mailboxes

of defecting members.

and I just did a search:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=snakes+mailbox+scientology&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

I remembered correctly.