Is scientology a recognized religion here in the U.S.?

[Javaman]

:shrug:

[kikiek]

1. Yes they fought for that tax exempt status and eventually won.

[StraightDope]

2. Unfortunately, yes.

:(

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. There really is no such thing as an "unrecognized religion" in the US

Because of the First Amendment, no law can define what is or what is not a "valid" or "recognized" religion. The concept itself is impossible under the US Constitution.

The closest that is possible is found in the US Tax Code, specifically section 501(3). This section grants certain tax exemptions to broad-based charities whose primary means of income is through private contributions and whose purpose includes one or more of a laundry list of causes.

From the Tax Code, a 501(3):

Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

US Code, Title 26, § 501, sub. 3

But note that many religious organizations chose not to be recognized as 501(3) corporations, and the vast majority of 501(3) corporations are not religious institutions.

To get as close as possible to answering your question, the Church of Scientology is a 501(3)(c) corporation and have the same rights (and restrictions) as the American Atheists, Little League Baseball, Underwriters Laboratories, the SPCA and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

[whistle]

4. It seems to be.....

<snip>
Tax Exemption
Wherever the issue of tax exemption has been examined closely, the conclusion has routinely been that Scientology is a bona fide religion, that its activities are exclusively charitable and that its churches are exempt from taxes.

On October 1, 1993, the United States Internal Revenue Service recognized the Mother Church of Scientology, the Church of Scientology International, and all of its subordinate churches and related charitable and educational institutions located in the United States as tax-exempt organizations.

The IRS determined that:

- The religion of Scientology is a bona fide religion;
- These churches of Scientology and their related organizations are operated exclusively for recognized religious purposes;
- These churches and their related institutions benefit the public, not private interests.
- No part of the net earnings of these churches inures for the benefit of any individual or noncharitable entity.

On October 27, 1983, the High Court of Australia, in Church of the New Faith v. the Commissioner for Payroll Tax, found: "The conclusion that it is a religious institution entitled to the tax exemption is irresistible."
<MORE>

http://www.theta.com/goodman/bona.htm


But, be extremely cautious as Scientology has a history of cultism. I worked with a close friend who got caught up in the Scientology Sect in the early 1980s. He had a PhD in mathematics and computer sciences and taught at a large Florida university. He had married one of his students and had several children with her when he was drawn to Scientology. Within six months a couple from the Church had moved into their spacious home and my friend's entire business and work philosophy and ethical practices began to change for the worse.

It appeared that he began to be driven by making more and more money while delivering less and less quality in his work. I lost touch with him after several years and then he and his family just disappeared and I've never heard from him since. I tried to look him up several years ago, but could not find anyone who knew where he was and what had happened.

[dipsydoodle]

5. In the UK

the requirement is for 10,000 followers for a religion to be recognised. At our last population census 90,000 claimed to be Jedi's. I think a similar event ocured in Australia.

You sure had a lot of "Orange People" at one time - how many of those were there ?

[Shipwack]

6. "Orange People"? Great Pumpkin worshippers?

:shrug:

[dipsydoodle]

13. Maybe an age related topic

Followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Try this for basic info : http://www.godulike.co.uk/faiths.php?chapter=82&subject=who

Main area affected in the USA was Oregon. I think they built a rather large town without planning permission. They imported any dropouts they could find to pump up their population so as to increase their voting power as a group.

Extract from Encyclopedia Britannica :

In 1981 Rajneesh's cult purchased a dilapidated ranch in Oregon, U.S., which became the site of Rajneeshpuram, a community of several thousand orange-robed disciples. Rajneesh was widely criticized by outsiders for his private security force and his ostentatious display of wealth. By 1985 many of his most trusted aides had abandoned the movement, which was under investigation for multiple felonies including arson, attempted murder, drug smuggling, and vote fraud in the nearby town of Antelope. In 1985 Rajneesh pleaded guilty to immigration fraud and was deported from the United States. He was refused entry by 21 countries before returning to Pune, where his ashram soon grew to 15,000 members. In later years he took the Buddhist title Osho and altered his teaching on unrestricted sexual activity because of his growing concern over AIDS.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. Don't forget bioterrorism

The Rajneeshis were at the heart of a biological terrorist attempt in The Dalles, Oregon, in 1984. They used small atomizers (the kind used to spray on perfume) filled with salmonella to taint the salad bars in several restaurants; the attacks sicked several hundred and sent nearly 50 to the hospital. When federal investigators found concrete evidence blaming the group, two of the leaders (but not the guru himself) stepped forward and admitted that this had been a "trial run" to cause massive sickness on election day and improve the group's chance of taking control of the county council.

[dipsydoodle]

24. Thanks for that

I couldn't remember exactly what they did. Two women were eventually extradited from the UK in connection with that - one of them lived up the road to me. They've both served their terms and are back here now I think. Yes I suppose it was an earlier form of bio terrorism.
Bit like the US Army seeding blankets they gave to the native indians with small pox back in the 1800's.

[Shipwack]

28. Oh... Thank you very much. nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. 90,000 Jedi?

Wow.

But have they all been approved by the jedi Council?

[dipsydoodle]

9. The census was preceeded

by numerous emails doing the rounds, being re-sent to entire address books , encouraging people to enter Jedi as the religion. I was surprised the 90000 wasn't even higher. Our government was forced to recognise "us" but refused funding. :rofl:

[crispini]

14. ROFL, that's awesome.

With that many, you should organize.

[originalpckelly]

10. Strong, are you with the force. Hmmm...

You have learned well young Padawan.

[Quantess]

23. Not orange. They wore only red.

And their religion's main tenet was promiscuity and free love. Spouse-swapping.

[dipsydoodle]

26. Can we settle for

orangey,reddish,maroon ? :)

I only used that expression because their common name was the "orange people".

[Quantess]

27. That's fine. Vernacular for England.

I was about 11 years old when the Rajneeshees became infamous in my home state of Oregon. At our school, I vaguely remember we had a rajneeshee dress-up-day, where you just wear all red-spectrum clothes (probably was a student-organized thing, I can't imagine school officials okaying that.)

Years later, I met some young people whose parents had been in this cult. They seemed perfectly well adjusted, though they seemed hippy-ish. I would guess their parents were hippies-gone-wrong.

[Bitwit1234]

8. Why is there a question

The first settlers came to this country for freedom of religion. I think our constitution says we have that. But then with all the restrictions the bush administration is putting on our constituion (bush's G-d Damn piece of paper) it is hard to tell.

[Selteri]

11. Without Habeus Corprus it can be said that we have

Freedom of Religion only so far as the government chooses to give us it. Until Habeus Corpus is restored we are being allowed to have our choice of religious or spiritual path only because the government has chosen to not declare the adherants of any such religious or spiritual path to be enemy combatants, something that our founders had wanted to protect us against by the way that that aged, beautiful and mutable document was written.

[JVS]

12. Yeah, but not in Germany.

[GoneOffShore]

15. Xenu must be upset

[TechBear_Seattle]

18. Few countries have the religious protections that the US has

Many European countries still have state churches. In those that don't, there is little to prevent the government from establishing one. With that kind of power, deciding whether a given group is an "authorized" religion or not is trivial.

I would rather live in the United States, where Scientology is allowed to exist, than in a country where any religious belief (or non-belief) may be criminalized by a simple legislative act.

[Beelzebud]

17. Why not? It's no more outlandish than any other religion.

I see your Body Thetans and raise you Demonic Possession

I see your Xenu and raise you a virgin birth of the son of god.

[WinkyDink]

19. How is it a religion? Who/what is worshipped?

[geomon666]

20. Apparently money, they sure collect a lot of it.

I like to think of scientologists as trekkies run amok.

[StraightDope]

21. Please don't defile we trekkies by comparing us to those Scientology idiots.

At least Trekkies realize that their favorite obsession is fictitious.

[geomon666]

22. Well I was imagining a more fundimentalist type of Trekkie.

Picture Fred Phelps in a Spock costume.

[TechBear_Seattle]

25. The questions are irrelevant under the First Amendment

Any attempt to define "religion" under the law slams fatally inton the Establishment Clause. So any group that calls itself a church is, as far as the law is concerned, a church. Classification as a 501(3)(c) corporation is an entirely different matter. (See post #3 on this thread.)

[BlooInBloo]

29. If Christianity is, there's no good reason for Scientology not to be.

[DemBones DemBones]

31. What god do scientologists worship?

All I've ever heard is about how they get "audited" and become "clearer." Self-improvement movements are not the same as religions.

[BlooInBloo]

32. Who cares? As Mel Brooks playing the comedic part of an ancient roman comedian put it....

"The Christians are soooooo poor, they only have ONE god! (raucous laughter from the polytheistic audience)."

The point being: for one religion to criticize another on the grounds of *silliness* is about the stupidest thing EVER.

[MonkeyFunk]

30. We don't

have state recognition of religions here.

Some religions, though, found corporations that can be tax-exempt, and Scientology has done so. But the tax exemption really has nothing to do with recognizing them as an "official" religion.