Scientology

From: German_Scn_News <german_scn_news@hotmail.com>
Subject: Anti-Alt Charlemagne Award article
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 17:33:00 -0500
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1010220172824.114A-100000@darkstar.zippy>


Cult supporters' view of the Alternate Charlemagne Award [Editorial follows] [Finally in Fall 2000 a bitter-sweet article appeared in a cult lobby student magazine, "Spirita," drafted by Thomas Schweer of Marburg, which we abridged slightly as follows:] Summer Lull in Berlin The bestowal of the "Alternative Charlemagne Award" on June 3, 2000 in Leipzig ... With "Bob Minton or Bill Clinton, a slogan that has all the quality of "Cats instead of Rats," the "European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA" made its public appearance, according to committee member Thomas Gandow, to give a sign that "despite the Clinton administration there are people who think differently in America who do not go with the Scientology flow" (Der Tagesspiegel, 3 June 2000). The USA firmly in the grip of the Scientologists and Bill Clinton a promoter of dangerous sects in disguise? If you want to lend credence to the beliefs of the Citizens' Committee, then this idea is not all too deviant, given that there actually are various contacts in the American government with professed Scientologists like John Travolta or Tom Cruise. In addition, Scientology obtained tax exemption on grounds of religious activity during Clinton's time in office, Germany and other European nations were criticized for their dealing with the Scientology community, and the President even made an article from his pen available for publication in a Scientology magazine. After the committee listed these and other "deficiencies" in American politics, it said in the founding for the bestowal of the award to Bob Minton:

"President Clinton's public support for Scientology is shared neither by the American people nor by their elected representatives in Congress. ... Among many who have recognized Scientology's mandatory practice of systematically perverting religious freedom into reverse religious discrimination, one man has distinguished himself 1. through his support of freedom of speech, 2. through his accurate reporting on the activities of the Scientology Organization(SO), 3. through his assisting the victims of the SO, including Lisa McPherson's relatives in their legal proceedings against the SO 4. by the founding of the Lisa McPherson Trust. This man is Robert S. Minton."

Multi-millionaire Minton has been at grips with Scientology since 1995. His statement of what happened is that he learned that many victims, due to a lack of financial means, could not adequately legally defend themselves. Besides that he was riled about Scientology's forceful attempts to stem the distribution over the internet of critical information. Therefore Minton is today involved on the side of the Scientology opponents, paying attorney and court fees, wanting to help people who want to leave Scientology, thereby bringing about the exposure of Scientology's "fraudulent and abusive practices." People who are on the advisory board of the Lisa McPherson Trust include Steven Hassan and Margaret Thaler Singer. Shortly before the award was made, Scientology attempted to exert some pressure and demanded of Berlin Bishop Wolfgang Huber that he dismiss sect commissioner Gandow without notice. The reason they gave was that former investment banker Minton (53), who was able to retire early thanks to successful business, supposedly earned his money in a fraudulent manner with debt buy-backs from developing countries, primarily Nigeria. (Saechsische Zeitung, 2 June 2000) Although these accusations follow a known Scientology mania that all critics have a criminal side to them, the accusations appear not to have been pulled entirely from thin air. "Transparency International," an organization which combats corruption, verified without naming names that illegal transactions have occurred in connection with Nigerian debt buy-backs. While the church administration has been shaken up and wanted to do its own research into the matter, Gandow seemed convinced in advance of his award winner's innocence. It was said that business of that nature had indeed taken place, but it had been "solely and alone to the advantage of the Nigerian people." It was reported that in no case had Minton unfairly personally enriched himself (Der Tagesspiegel, 3 June 2000). ... More interesting than the question of the worthiness of the individual person of the award winner is the fact that the Citizens' Committee explicitly modeled itself after the tradition-rich Aachen Charlemagne Award. That is bestowed annually "for the most valuable contribution in the service of the European union, and community work in service of humanity and world peace." In the Citizens' Committee Basic Charter, however, it is stated that one supports "human rights and religious freedom in the USA and worldwide, and is involved particularly in discussions about new totalitarian organizations." Hardly anything can be distinguished as far as content goes, but that may be why the committee, whose award was supported by the AGPF, Ruediger Hauth, Ingo Heinemann, Norbert Pothoff, Renate Rennebach, Eduard Trenkel and Hartmut Zinser, didn't take it any further. It was probably much more a matter of sheer opportunity which was cause to present the award as an "alternative." That kind of publicity stunt will not again soon stand out and present itself to the Citizens' Committee: a prominent "friend of Scientology" who does not share wholesale the German air of superiority and the unsolicited advice for anti-sect measures in "God's own country" can be made a fool out of by being confronted with a "genuine model." For that sort of an effect the more sensible name of "Friedrich-Wilhelm Haack Memorial Award" would have been hard to beat. We fear that the committee will not be able to maintain the concept in the future for its public due to the lack of names that rhyme. Spirita 1/99 (ca. September 2000) --- Editorial from Joe Cisar Properly peppered with dropped names and an amusing quip about a rhyming slogan, Thomas Schweer's logic is beautiful.

It's also incomplete and leads nowhere. Bob Minton conducted some bank business in Nigeria. Some bank business conducted in Nigeria was fraudulent. This incomplete thought was presented by Scientology for no other reason than to disparage Minton shortly before the award ceremony in a derailment attempt. Thomas Schweer used this non-situation to point out that the people who made the arrangements saw no need to postpone the ceremony, whereas an unidentified source in the "church administration"

had some doubts. Schweer apparently would have wanted to accommodate Scientology in order to avoid the staged possibility of being wrong. After implying that Scientology's staged insinuation should have been given more credit, Schweer then goes on to describe the Alternate Charlemagne Award as a publicity stunt. In doing so he dropped some more names and got a jab in on Friedrich-Wilhelm Haack, deceased, of whom Schweer apparently does not approve. It was not Schweer's concern that while accusing his target, the Committee, of being opportunistic, he had no qualms at all himself about seizing upon the sheer coincidence of "Minton" rhyming with "Clinton" in order in attempt to prove his own point. Schweer imitated the format which the Award Committee made for its presentation, but he never came out and solidly stated any conclusion, as did the Award Committee. That is understandable. As Schweer's supporting data was not relevant, he had to content himself with baseless insinuations.

A true friend of a totalitarian group, such as Scientology, needs no Awards Committee to make a fool out of himself. --- Unofficial translation/critical interpretation of German media, For non-commercial use only. Recent events - http://cisar.org/trnmenu.htm Informational publications http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News Thousands of articles sorted by date http://cisar.org/sortdate.htm