Title: Scientology membership tactics on trial Source: The Australian, 02/23/2002
Author(s): N.A.
AN: 200202231015350352
Database: Newspaper Source
Scientology membership tactics on trial

Edition: 1
Section: World, pg. 015

* A correspondent in Paris

A TEST case of a new French cult-busting law that could ban the Church of Scientology in France began in a Paris court yesterday.

The charges, lodged by three former Scientology members who claim they were victims of harassment over several years, target the French branch of the organisation, rather than individual members.

If their complaint is upheld, the Church of Scientology -- considered a troubling sect in France, but a minority religion in the US where it began -- faces penalties ranging from a fine to dissolution under a tough anti-cult law enacted in France last year.

The church and the head of its Paris section, Marc Walter, have been charged with attempted fraud, false advertising and violations of civil liberties related to personal information records.

The former members say they were bombarded with booklets and invitations several times a week over several years despite repeatedly requesting their names be removed from the church's mailing lists.

Among the promises in the Scientology literature were themes on ``How to make your wife faithful'', ``How to earn more money'' and ``How to make things easier'' as well as advertising for an electric device claimed to be able to measure ``zones of spiritual distress in the patient''.

Lawyers for the organisation told the court the mailings resulted from a computer error. ``There was a server crash. The Church of Scientology in Copenhagen sent us a non-compliant back-up copy by error,'' Mr Walter said.

Bernard Michel, another Scientology lawyer, said: ``The church is a serious and honest legal organisation that has no interest in keeping members that want to leave the church.''

Weill Raynal, a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs, said the group's methods to attract and hold recruits would come to light.

``Scientology isn't an ordinary mail-order company selling trinkets and stuff. This goes to the heart of the church, which asks its members to pay a lot to become supermen, and makes them feel guilty if they try to leave,'' Mr Raynal said.

The group faced several other lawsuits, said Olivier Morice, a lawyer for a civil liberties organisation calling itself the National Union of Associations for the Defence of Families and the Individual, which is also a party against the church.. ``Other judicial cases are under way in Paris against the Church of Scientology itself, particularly concerning illegal medical practices,'' he said.

The US church -- which has US actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its ranks -- has up to 10,000 members and sympathisers in France.

Copyright 2002 / The Weekend Australian
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Source: The Australian, FEB 23, 2002
Item: 200202231015350352

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