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Revision as of 17:41, 11 April 2007 editAntaeus Feldspar (talk | contribs)17,763 edits WP:EL is not the relevant policy here, WP:RS is, and WP:RS has no problem with self-published sources being cited for their own views← Previous edit Revision as of 17:43, 11 April 2007 edit undoShutterbug (talk | contribs)1,972 edits Undid revision 121993896. rvv The source actually says Secret Service. The Verfassungsschutz is Germany's internal secret service (see their english HP if you don't believe it).Next edit →
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== Germany == == Germany ==
] Scientology Commissioner ] has said that the Free Zone is a type of "] program for Scientologists," and, in any case, "the lesser evil."<ref>{{cite news |first=Axel |last=Kintzinger |title=The sect is broke |url=http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/survey/ha.htm |work= |date=] |accessdate=2007-04-11}}</ref> Ron's Org states that rather than being in conflict with the state authorities it cooperates with them in their monitoring of the Church of Scientology. <ref>"Maybe it makes you feel more confident, for example, if you learn that the office for safeguarding the constitution (Verfassungsschutz) of the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg has stated years ago that the Ron’s Org is not a part of the Church of Scientology and that there is no need to observe them as the Ron’s Org has no anti-constitutional goals. Indeed, there is some cooperation between members of the Ron’s Org and state authorities who observe the Church of Scientology and investigate their activities." </ref> ] Scientology Commissioner ] has said that the Free Zone is a type of "] program for Scientologists," and, in any case, "the lesser evil."<ref>{{cite news |first=Axel |last=Kintzinger |title=The sect is broke |url=http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/survey/ha.htm |work= |date=] |accessdate=2007-04-11}}</ref> Over the past years the Free Zone has cooperated with the German Secret Service. <ref>"Maybe it makes you feel more confident, for example, if you learn that the office for safeguarding the constitution (Verfassungsschutz) of the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg has stated years ago that the Ron’s Org is not a part of the Church of Scientology and that there is no need to observe them as the Ron’s Org has no anti-constitutional goals. Indeed, there is some cooperation between members of the Ron’s Org and state authorities who observe the Church of Scientology and investigate their activities. </ref>


==The Church of Scientology and the Free Zone== ==The Church of Scientology and the Free Zone==

Revision as of 17:43, 11 April 2007

Template:ScientologySeries The Free Zone (or independent Scientologists or Scientology Freezone) comprises a variety of groups and individuals who practice Scientology beliefs and techniques independently of the Church of Scientology (CoS). Such practitioners range from those who closely adhere to the original teachings of Scientology's founder, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, to those who have so far adapted their practices to be almost unrecognizable as Scientology. The term Free Zone was originally only used by the organization founded by "Captain" Bill Robertson in 1982 (now known as Ron's Org), but the term is now commonly applied to all non-CoS Scientologists, although many dispute the application of the term to themselves.

A November 2004 Press Release from the Free Zone entitled: "The Truth Is Out Here!", quoted L. Ron Hubbard's own words, concluding with: "The Work Was Free. Keep It So." The Press Release concluded by citing the Free Zone Web site, http://internationalfreezone.net/.

Sector Commander Elron Elray alias Bill Robertson issued a decree in 1982 to establish the Freezone:

THE FREE ZONE DECREE

The FREE ZONE DECREE was received on Earth on the 10th of November 1982 at 1030 GMT.

It states, (as relayed from Mainship, Sector 9): Official Decree – Galactic Grand Council

1. The planet known as the blue planet – local dialect “Earth” or Terra – Sun 12, Sector 9, is hereby declared a Free Zone.

2. No political interference in its affairs from any other part of the Sector or Galaxy will be tolerated.

3. No economic interference in its affairs will be tolerated from any non-planetary agency or power.

4. All of its inhabitants are hereby declared Free Zone Citizens and free of external political or economic interference.

5. The regulating agency of this decree is the Galactic Patrol Sector 9, Sector Commander Elron Elray and his designated representatives.

6. The planet is henceforth under the Sole Auspices of the Galactic Patrol, Sector 9, for coordination with Galactic and Sector Affairs and for compliance with this decree.

7. The Technical and Ethical experiments in progress on the blue planet are not affected by this decree and are to continue under the auspices of the Galactic Patrol, Sector 9.

8. This Decree is issued by unanimous vote of the Grand Council.

Mship relay by order of Sector Commander Elron Elray

Skeptic Magazine described the Free Zone as: "..a group founded by ex-Scientologists to promote L. Ron Hubbard's ideas independent of the COS ." A Miami Herald article wrote that ex-Scientologists joined the Free Zone because they felt that Church of Scientology leadership had: "..strayed from Hubbard's original teachings." One Free Zone Scientologist identified as "Safe", was quoted in Salon as saying: "The Church of Scientology does not want its control over its members to be found out by the public and it doesn't want its members to know that they can get scientology outside of the Church of Scientology".

It is hard to estimate the number of people involved in the Free Zone, one reason being that some don't want to be public about their involvement to avoid possible harassment by the Church of Scientology.

In 2005 Beliefnet.com gave members of the Free Zone their own discussion board, giving them equal status with Church of Scientology members.

Germany

Hamburg Scientology Commissioner Ursula Caberta has said that the Free Zone is a type of "methadone program for Scientologists," and, in any case, "the lesser evil." Over the past years the Free Zone has cooperated with the German Secret Service.

The Church of Scientology and the Free Zone

The Church labels all practitioners of and believers in Scientology without its sanction "squirrels" — a term Hubbard coined to describe those who alter Scientology "technology" or practice it in a nonstandard fashion. Among Scientologists, the term is pejorative, and comparable in meaning to heretic. In practice, orthodox Scientologists use it to describe all of those who practice Scientology outside the Church, regardless of their degree of adherence to the tech. This usage is at odds with the meaning Hubbard originally attributed to the term. Many "squirrels" are former Church members who left the Church for various reasons — the Church frequently states they were dismissed for "unethical activities", but many observers say that because of the different meaning the word ethics has in Scientology, this merely translates to a general accusation they did something that Church officials viewed as detrimental to the Church.

The Church has taken steps to suppress the Free Zone and shut down dissenters when possible. CoS has used copyright and trademark laws to attack various Free Zone groups. Accordingly, the Free Zone avoids the use of officially trademarked Scientology words, including 'Scientology' itself. In 2000, the Religious Technology Center unsuccessfully attempted to gain the Web domain www.scientologie.org from the WIPO, in a legal action against the Free Zone.

Many Free Zone advocates say that everyone has the right to freely practice the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, whether sanctioned by the Church or not. In support of this they cite Hubbard himself:

Dianetics is not in any way covered by legislation anywhere, for no law can prevent one man sitting down and telling another man his troubles, and if anyone wants a monopoly on dianetics, be assured that he wants it for reasons which have to do not with dianetics but with profit. —L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950)

Other Free Zoners assert basic human rights protections in order to freely follow their chosen religion.

The word "Scientology"

Controversy over the origins of the word Scientology has given Free Zone a way to contest Scientology's trademarks. They note a German book, entitled Scientologie, Wissenschaft von der Beschaffenheit und der Tauglichkeit des Wissens (1934), by Dr. Anastasius Nordenholz (as opposed to Hubbard's Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, 1953), which they use as the basis of their challenge to Scientology's trademark claims. Because Scientologie was not written by Hubbard, they argue, the Church is exerting unfair control over its practice, and attempting to enforce a monopoly. So far, legal efforts to challenge Scientology have failed.

References

  1. Grossman, Wendy M. (December 1995). "alt.scientology.war : When computers are seized because they contain allegedly stolen intellectual property, and police pierce the security anonymous remailers,the days of the Net as a cozy, cocktail party are over. Welcome to a flame war with real bullets.
    "    . Wired News.     {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 258 (help)


    One of the first steps toward open warfare was the emergence, in about 1990, of a group that wanted to separate the church and its scriptures. Calling itself the Free Zone, this group consists of people who have left the church but still want to practice its teachings - use the tech, as Free Zoners say. Ex Scientologist Homer Smith is one of these (ex meaning "expanded," not "former" Scientologist, says Smith). Wanting to encourage serious discussion of the tech away from the noisy brawl next door in alt.religion.scientology, Smith set up a second newsgroup, alt.clearing.technology, for this purpose. Even then, a church critic nearly got there first. Chris Schafmeister, a graduate student in biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, perpetrated a Usenet prank: in some older Internet guides, you'll read that alt.clearing.technology is for discussing acne cures.

  2. ^ Free Zone (November 16, 2004). "The Truth Is Out Here! : The Scientology Free Zone could be described as the pioneer of truth in the tradition of the Great Western Pioneers of the US who carved out a place in history". Free Zone, Press Release. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. Lippard, J. (1995). "Scientology v. the Internet. Free Speech & Copyright Infringement on the Information Super-Highway". Skeptic Magazine. pp. Vol. 3, No. 3., Pg. 35-41. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. Staff (July 2, 2005). "SCIENTOLOGY: What's Behind the Hollywood Hype?". Miami Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Brown, Janelle (July 22, 1999). "Copyright -- or wrong? : The Church of Scientology takes up a new weapon -- the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- in its ongoing battle with critics". Salon. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. Kintzinger, Axel (1998-12-11). "The sect is broke". . Retrieved 2007-04-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |work= (help); Text "Die Woche" ignored (help)
  7. "Maybe it makes you feel more confident, for example, if you learn that the office for safeguarding the constitution (Verfassungsschutz) of the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg has stated years ago that the Ron’s Org is not a part of the Church of Scientology and that there is no need to observe them as the Ron’s Org has no anti-constitutional goals. Indeed, there is some cooperation between members of the Ron’s Org and state authorities who observe the Church of Scientology and investigate their activities. English FAQ on German Ron's Org site
  8. Meyer-Hauser, Bernard F. (June 23, 2000). "Religious Technology Center v. Freie Zone E. V". Case No. D2000-0410. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

International Organizations

Regional Organizations

Other links

Criticism of the Free Zone

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