Scientology in the German Courts
The "remarkable phenomenon" called Scientology, and Scientologists in their capacity as such, have long complained of persecution by the German state. Their case has been put to various governmental bodies in the United States and has even resulted in attempts to have the United States Con...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
2004
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| In: |
Journal of law and religion
Year: 2004, Volume: 19, Issue: 1, Pages: 153-198 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The "remarkable phenomenon" called Scientology, and Scientologists in their capacity as such, have long complained of persecution by the German state. Their case has been put to various governmental bodies in the United States and has even resulted in attempts to have the United States Congressdeplore[] the actions and statements of Federal, State, local and party officials in Germany which have fostered an atmosphere of intolerance toward certain minority religious groups [and] express[] concern that artists from the United States who are members of minority religious groups continue to experience German government discrimination.The matter has also been brought to the attention of the State Department. Exaggerations, such as comparisons between the current situation of Scientologists and that of the Jews in Nazi Germany, even if restricted to the situation of the Jews before the commencement of the Holocaust, do nothing to persuade one of the seriousness with which Scientology's accusations are made. Nevertheless, some lesser form of persecution or perhaps rather discrimination might lie at the bottom of these complaints.There is, however, a functioning legal system in Germany enforcing a Bill of Rights in the German constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz). That legal system might be expected to be alert to such forms of discrimination, unless of course it too is part of some grand conspiracy against Scientology. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether the legal system in Germany is treating Scientology and Scientologists fairly by considering the reported cases on these topics in Germany. |
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| ISSN: | 2163-3088 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of law and religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3649169 |